New 454 owner

[ArturHawk]

Hi All,

I recently got a 454 (4k miles, bone stock) and have been using your forum to help troubleshoot and bring everything into working order. This is my first bike of any kind, so I have been learning a lot about it and enjoying the experience.

So far, I have done a valve adjustment, brake line flush, coolant flush, new front pulley, belt adjustment, carburetor rebuild,and general cleaning.

Last night was the first time I really got a chance to take it out on the road and felt comfortable bringing it past 45mph (again, first bike).

I just wanted to thank you guys for all the information you have posted on here as it has made everything so much easier to work and my experience would not have been possible without you guys.

This bike is awesome!

The only thing I am unsure about is the electrical system. I am familiar with older cars dimming headlights when coming to a stop(i have an '85 monte carlo), but it felt like the 454 dimmed a lot. Should I worry about it, or just ignore it?

Thanks!

[hounddog22642]

You didn't mention your battery.
Have you checked the voltages?
There are several threads on here that will help you with that.
I had the same thing with a Honda I have, and it had a new battery.
It turned out to the voltage regulator.
After replacing the v.r. there was no more dimming of the lights. 
Good luck and welcome to the forum.  

[ArturHawk]

I just replaced the battery at the beginning of this season.

I'll check my voltages when i get home.

Also, I want to ask about the rear marker lights? Are they supposed to be on all the time like the front ones, or just when I use my turn signals?

Thanks!

[ArturHawk]

Also, I forgot that you guys like pics so here are some of the bike.

I don't know how to share images properly, so here's a ling to my bike photo album on google. Please excuse the videos, I create them for myself during disassembly so I can tell myself how to put things back together later on.
link

Thanks!

[ArturHawk]

I checked the voltages.

13V everything off
12.3V lights on, bike off
14.3-14.5V lights on, bike on (idle)
14V lights on, bike on (4.5k rpm)
13.1V lights on, bike on (idle), brake lights on.

It seems like there's no problem. I just wasnt expecting the brake light to be such a power Pork Chop.

At some point i'll probably upgrade to LEDs and replace the headlight with an HID kit.

Thanks!

[hounddog22642]

Rear amber lighting is for signaling  1156 bulbs
Front amber lighting is running light and signal lights  1157 bulbs

I am not sure of the voltage values. 
Blaine or Eagle are much more knowledgable than I am, one of them will post in the next couple days.
This site has been very helpful to me with my shed find last year.


Looked at the pics.
That is one beautiful bike!

[Blaine]

Jun 19, 2020 16:48:32 GMT -6 ArturHawk said:

I checked the voltages.

13V everything off
12.3V lights on, bike off
14.3-14.5V lights on, bike on (idle)
14V lights on, bike on (4.5k rpm)
13.1V lights on, bike on (idle), brake lights on.

It seems like there's no problem. I just wasnt expecting the brake light to be such a power Pork Chop.

At some point i'll probably upgrade to LEDs and replace the headlight with an HID kit.

Thanks!

Your voltage is spot on....Changing to LED signal & headlight will draw a lot less voltage...If you change signals to LED you will need a ecectronic flasher to stop hyper flashing.

[ArturHawk]

Looking at new lights cause I wanna be BRIGHT!

HID headlights from HIDnation
www.hidnation.com/products/9003-motorcycle-hid-light-kit
Options i'm looking at are 
Color: 4300K
Ballast: 35W Slim Ballast (AC/Digital) - Is this worth the upcharge? I've heard AC is better than DC for bulb life/longevity, but who can trust the internet? 
Gonna pass on the warranty because they'll probably make me pay shipping and on a $30 purchase it doesn't seem worth it. 

I can't tell if this kit has a relay or not - Do I even need a relay? I think I heard somewhere newer ballasts don't draw as many amps during warm up.

Front running lights//turn signals - 1157 Amber
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074RFSFVT/ref=crt_ewc_title_huc_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3RND54X0X6PMP

Rear turn signals - 1156 Amber
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0739RCR3J/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3RND54X0X6PMP

New turn signal relay - EF32RLNP
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GIU9M0Y/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3JJJJEKUDKNY9

Brake/tail light - 1157 Red
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074GPX2Q8/ref=crt_ewc_title_dp_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3RND54X0X6PMP

I don't know what light the license plate needs...gonna have to open it up when I get home.

Now to plan my led underlighting. 
It seems like I would want my underlighting to use about as many watts as i'm saving from HID/led upgrades so the shunt type voltage regulator doesn't burn up faster trying to ground out the extra overhead watts. Is this correct? (I don't want to pay to upgrade to a MOSFET regulator yet)

Savings from front running lights and tail light (2 amber & 1 red, all 1157) (3*8.3W) - (3*1W) = 21.9W
Savings from HID headlight 55W-35W = 20W
So my goal for the led underlighting should be ~42W to maintain the original ~20W charging overhead

Now that I've done the math, I realize that 42W of leds (about 28ft) means I'll be brighter than the sun  ... i'll have to think of another way to use the extra power.

Thanks!

[Blaine]

IMO you better off with a LED H-4 bulb...6000 color & much more compact with no balast.

[heathjl85]

Jun 18, 2020 8:59:15 GMT -6 ArturHawk said:

Hi All,

I recently got a 454 (4k miles, bone stock) and have been using your forum to help troubleshoot and bring everything into working order. This is my first bike of any kind, so I have been learning a lot about it and enjoying the experience.

So far, I have done a valve adjustment, brake line flush, coolant flush, new front pulley, belt adjustment, carburetor rebuild,and general cleaning.

Last night was the first time I really got a chance to take it out on the road and felt comfortable bringing it past 45mph (again, first bike).

I just wanted to thank you guys for all the information you have posted on here as it has made everything so much easier to work and my experience would not have been possible without you guys.

This bike is awesome!

The only thing I am unsure about is the electrical system. I am familiar with older cars dimming headlights when coming to a stop(i have an '85 monte carlo), but it felt like the 454 dimmed a lot. Should I worry about it, or just ignore it?

Thanks!

Arturhawking,

I have found myself in a similar situation. Blaine especially has been a huge help. I am thankful for this forum community. I have been having so much fun, I have started taking classes to get into motorcycle repair as a side gig (I’m in academia).

My ‘88 454 was given to me as a gift (they bought it for $300). It is not as pretty and well kept as yours. Mine wasn’t kept in a garage and has a big dent and scratches in the gas tank. However, I have been basically rebuilding it since about March.

I have been having some idle/carb issues and have stalled out riding around my neighborhood, but after further tweaking, I was finally able to take it out on the highway today and got it up to 70 MPH just fine. Idled fine and no leaks into the air box.

Tires ✔️
New battery ✔️
Oil change ✔️
New drive belt ✔️
New throttle cables ✔️
New petcock ✔️
Carburetor rebuild ✔️
Float level height adjusted ✔️
Valve clearances checked and adjusted ✔️

Still needed:
Louder pipes
Replace headlight wiring (it works, but is finicky)
Replace headlight with LED
Gas tank dent repair and new paint
New seat
New tachometer
New speedometer
New dash

I’m throwing in some pics for comparison to your beauty.

I have been having so much fine, I grabbed a Yamaha frame and a Honda motor that my cousin was trying to get rid of. I thought I might start from scratch on another bike when I’m finished with this one.