What did you do in your garage today..? | Page 203 | GTAMotorcycle.com

What did you do in your garage today..?

I know nothing about JD tractors. Carb or fuel injection? Gravity flow gas or pump?

Does an electric fuel pump come on when the key is turned to the on position before you engage the starter? Wonder if you wait 5 - 10 second for the system to build pressure would it start immediately vs. needing to crank a while.
Carb. No electric fuel pump. I attached a photo best I could as it’s tucked away now. You can see the fuel filter and the line goes to what I’m assuming is the pump (black).
 

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Looks a lot like mine. Clearly, the fuel is draining back down the line when it sits. You might be able to put a check valve in line somewhere.
 
Got my lawn tractor starting with new pump. Finding proper sized hose clamps for the fuel hose I was running was a PITA.
Tip: Keep a roll of mechanics wire in your box. Low pressure fuel and vac lines can be wire tied.

Small zip ties will also work.

So is working on things when all you have is a gravelly driveway with lots of leaves. Probably lost a half dozen little things that day. You guys with garages, recognize how lucky you are.
Tip: 6’x8’ dollar store tarp. Makes finding dropped items easier than find in them on gravel or you living room carpet.
 
I winterized mine today (John Deere D180). Wash, wax, oil change. It always has to crank for a while when not used for a couple weeks before it’ll start. I’m assuming it’s losing the fuel prime but don’t see anywhere it’s sucking in air through hoses/fittings. Possibly in need of a new fuel pump? Only has about 100hrs on it.
Mine did that, she sits weeks at a time. I put in a $10 prime bulb for an outboard motor. Hit it 3 times and she fires in 2 seconds.
 
Mine did that, she sits weeks at a time. I put in a $10 prime bulb for an outboard motor. Hit it 3 times and she fires in 2 seconds.
That's exactly what I was thinking as a solution.
 
Tip: 6’x8’ dollar store tarp. Makes finding dropped items easier than find in them on gravel or you living room carpet.

Good tip.

When I'm in the U.S. with spouse she heads off to Joann for about 90 minutes and I hit Harbor Freight to shop for things I probably don't need, but want. HF has a good selection of tarps in different sizes and grades and they are dirt cheap. I usually purchase a few and use them as semi disposable drop cloths for a range of things.
 
Good tip.

When I'm in the U.S. with spouse she heads off to Joann for about 90 minutes and I hit Harbor Freight to shop for things I probably don't need, but want. HF has a good selection of tarps in different sizes and grades and they are dirt cheap. I usually purchase a few and use them as semi disposable drop cloths for a range of things.
Unlike here where tarps are IMO overly expensive for what they are.
 
Unlike here where tarps are IMO overly expensive for what they are.

I usually make up a list of all the solvents, lubricants, brake fluid, herbicide concentrates, wheel and tire cleaner, car wax, tools, saw blades, drill bits, hardware items etc. etc. that I need (or want) and check out pricing at HF and Walmart. Most things on the list are less than half price even with exchange.

I wanted an angle grinder. HF had 5 or 6 and I selected the 2nd cheapest at about $22 U.S. Also purchased a range of blades at a fraction of the cost at CT. In 10 years I've used it 4 or 5 times, great to have it available. It's obviously not a contractor grade tool, but perfectly adequate for my very limited needs. IMO it would be great if Princess Auto linked up with HF to import and sell it's line of tools and accessories.
 
Tip: Keep a roll of mechanics wire in your box. Low pressure fuel and vac lines can be wire tied.

Small zip ties will also work.


Tip: 6’x8’ dollar store tarp. Makes finding dropped items easier than find in them on gravel or you living room carpet.
Both good tips!

I did try using safety wire to tie the fuel lines, but was worried they would eventually cut through. Why I didn't think of zip ties though, I will never know. I use them for everything. My favourite use for them is propping up the little threaded inserts that sit in your battery terminals !

I have started laying down a painters drop cloth under my bike when working, but with the leaves and ground all wet I didn't bother this time under the tractor. My mistake. Still, it astounds me how far a dropped screw (let alone spring) can travel after hitting the ground.
 
Both good tips!

I did try using safety wire to tie the fuel lines, but was worried they would eventually cut through. Why I didn't think of zip ties though, I will never know. I use them for everything. My favourite use for them is propping up the little threaded inserts that sit in your battery terminals !

I have started laying down a painters drop cloth under my bike when working, but with the leaves and ground all wet I didn't bother this time under the tractor. My mistake. Still, it astounds me how far a dropped screw (let alone spring) can travel after hitting the ground.
I also keep a roofing magnet nearby. A quick walk around and you recover most dropped fasteners/springs. No help if you drop stainless though.
 
I've added a nearly-new 2024 Ninja 500 to the stable. The price was actually fairly decent, since it's a base model and it has some superficial scuffs on one side from a parking lot tipover. I pulled off all of the lights and fairings today, since it's going to become a race/trackbike. It will be a significant upgrade from my current Ninja 300 track workhorse.

For fun I weighed it before (375lbs) and after (342lbs). I was just using bathroom scales so the weights aren't super accurate. Kawasaki might be cheating a little bit on their published wet weight of 375lbs, since I've currently only got about half a tank of fuel in it, but it's in the right ballpark. That's nearly the end of the free weight loss; everything else after this point is going to cost money. There's still at least another 20 easy pounds to be shed (stock exhaust, passenger peg brackets, ABS module/pump, maybe a lightweight fairing stay) before adding some of that weight back (race fairings, engine case covers, dozens of little bits and bobs).

Most aftermarket parts for the Ninja 400 don't explicitly list the Ninja 500 yet, so I've been spending quite a bit of time cross-referencing the 400 and 500 parts fiches to see what parts are compatible. The 500 is 95% the same as the 400 in most places that matter. Not sure what I'll do with the street parts. It's highly unlikely that I'll ever put this bike back on the street, but I also intensely dislike interacting with buyers. So maybe the street parts will just get mothballed in the attic for now.
 
Turn that frown upside. Buy a ratty klr and abolish annual crying day.

Lol... I would buy a ratty old KLR, but have you seen the price of milk crates lately?!

Nawwww... I've decided I'm a fair-weather sportsman. Park the bike By November 1st and I think I shot my last outdoor IPSC match today...
Well... We'll see how the weather is next weekend and then maybe THAT'LL be the last outdoor IPSC match for the year... ;)
 
Put the snows on. After about 10 minutes of frustration with the @Wingboy disposable lug nuts I rode over to CT for 20 new REAL ones.
Even though I don't have disposable lug nuts on my car I was getting fed up with the seasonal tire change over and decided to buy new All-Weather tires to replace the OEM summer tires that came on my 2016 CX3. I then sold the old Michelin X-Ice tires, which were mounted on aluminium rims. They only had a season or two left in them and I got $250 for the set.

It will be interesting to compare winter traction with the All-Weather (snowflake approved) tires to my old X-Ice tires.
 
Even though I don't have disposable lug nuts on my car I was getting fed up with the seasonal tire change over and decided to buy new All-Weather tires to replace the OEM summer tires that came on my 2016 CX3. I then sold the old Michelin X-Ice tires, which were mounted on aluminium rims. They only had a season or two left in them and I got $250 for the set.

It will be interesting to compare winter traction with the All-Weather (snowflake approved) tires to my old X-Ice tires.
I never used snows until I started commuting St Marys to Goderich each day. Goderich gets slammed by the lake effect in winter quite often.
 
Even though I don't have disposable lug nuts on my car I was getting fed up with the seasonal tire change over and decided to buy new All-Weather tires to replace the OEM summer tires that came on my 2016 CX3. I then sold the old Michelin X-Ice tires, which were mounted on aluminium rims. They only had a season or two left in them and I got $250 for the set.

It will be interesting to compare winter traction with the All-Weather (snowflake approved) tires to my old X-Ice tires.
We did the same this year. Went with a set of Michelin CrossClimate 2's after reading some testing that they offer about 95% of the grip of a true winter tire in the snow while actually being better in wet and slush. Considering wet and slush is way more common here with the vast quantities of salt used, I figured that was a good tradeoff.

Add not having to swap tires twice a year, not having to store tires (either taking up precious garage space or paying someone) and a 100,000 km warranty (FWIW), along with way more positive reviews online than any other tire I've researched, and we decided to pony up for them. Despite the snowflake, they don't qualify as winter tires for our insurer, as their requirements are more around swapping tires than the performance of the tire. But that ended up costing us a grand total of $3/mo (!) on our bill.

So in other words, this is a post about something I WON'T be doing in my garage this fall and spring (Costco is swapping the tires on the rims)...
 
I never used snows until I started commuting St Marys to Goderich each day. Goderich gets slammed by the lake effect in winter quite often.
I've used four snow tires on every car I have ever owned going back the the late '70s. It is a lesson I learned from my father from when we lived in Dryden back in the late '60s. Back then he started to run four studded snow tires on his car. He did this after he was T-boned at an intersection because he slid through a stop sign with snows only on the rear wheels.

I'm really hoping the winter rated all-weather tires I just bought will perform at least as well as the old X-Ice tires. I can already tell they are far better in the wet than the OEM Yokohama all-season tires.
 

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