Categories
Frame

How to Replace the Road Star Drive Belt

Drop the swingarm downAt some stage you are going to have to change the belt on your Roadie, either as a pre-emptive measure or because it snaps. Hopefully you do it for the first reason. Follows is some basic instructions to show you how it’s done.

Categories
Frame

How to use a Helicoil

How to use a helicoilEveryone has had it, that heart stopping moment when you think you have stripped out a thread and you’re wondering to yourself, “What the hell do I do now?” For me it was the thread on the sub-frame for one of the four bolts that hold the rear fender in place, I stripped that puppy good. Because of this I was looking down the barrel of well over a $100 for a second hand sub-frame or who knows how much for a new one! But thankfully that was when I remembered hearing about helicoil kits. Read on, if you will, as it might just save you a LOT of money someday and no end of anguish.

Categories
Carburetor

How to Adjust the Road Star Accelerator Pump

Coughing or backfiring through your Yamaha Road Star 40mm Mikuni carburetor? Have a read of Mr Tidy’s article on how to adjust the accelerator pump and see if it helps you out.

Categories
Wheels

Replacing the Rear Brake Pads on a Yamaha Road Star

Out riding this morning I heard a unfamiliar sound when applying the back brake and knew I had just hit metal. Oop’s I came home and changed them, at 33,670 miles It would be wise to change the OEM by at least 30,000 miles depending on your riding style this might differ. The front pads still had plenty of pad left as shown by the Picture at the end of this article. Enjoy, I hope this is of some help to you

DISCLAIMER:

RoadStarMagazine.com accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of these Garage Tips and they are only provided as a resource reference. Any type of modification or service work on your Road Star should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, some of these Garage Tips may endanger the safety of you and others on your Road Star and possibly invalidate your manufacturers warranty. The majority of these Garage Tips are not official manufacturers instructions and have been accumulated by Road Star enthusiasts from around the world.

Replace Your Rear Brake Pads

“How To”

Replace your Rear Brake Pads

with a note on the Front Pads at the bottom of this procedure

As with any maintenance procedure if you don’t feel comfortable performing the job on your bike, let the pro’s do it.

by Mr. Tidy

Instructions


  • Depending on your exhaust, you might have to remove it to obtain access to the rear caliper.
  • Remove the two caliper mounting bolts

    (12 mm hex head socket)

  • Remove the brake pad cover

    (A black plastic cover)

Reaplce your rear brake pads
  • Remove the Clips from the Pad Pins
  • Remove the Pad Pins
  • The Brake Pad Spring lifts up

    (Denote that the spring has an arrowdesignating the direction of rotation of the rotor upon the top, see location of arrow 3 pictures below this one)

Reaplce your rear brake pads
  • Remove the Brake Pads
  • The Caliper pistons collect dirt and this should be cleaned off to reduce the chances of it entering the caliper body and causing a failure of the caliper. I used a solvent and a scotch brite pad to clean the pistons.
  • Take a piece of small diameter hose place it on the end of the bleeder screw to drain the brake fluid into a container.
  • Loosen the bleeder screw and push the pistons back into the caliper body till all four are retracted.
  • Tighten the bleeder screw.
Reaplce your rear brake pads

You can clearly see the remaining two pistons still extended

  Reaplce your rear brake pads

Both sets of pistons fully retracted into the caliper body

  • Place new pads into the caliper body,

    Important

    Re-apply the Brake Pad Spring observing the direction of rotation arrow upon the top of the Pad spring.

Reaplce your rear brake pads
  • Re-apply the pad pins
  • Re-apply the pad clips
  • Re-apply the pad cover
  • You are now ready to install the Caliper back on to the frame.
  • Check the brake fluid level in the reservoir and fill if needed.
  • Re-apply the reservoir cap.
  • Place your hose on the bleeder screw and into a container to retain spilled fluid.
  • Pump your brake pedal several times and hold the pedal. While holding pressure on brake pedal, loosen bleeder screw, fluid and excess air will expel from bleeder screw hose into container, hold pedal fully forward and tighten bleeder screw. Pump brake pedal again and repeat process till all the air is expelled from the brake lines and the pedal is firm and not spongy.
  • Refill Fluid Reservoir and check operation of rear brake.
 
  • The Picture to the right is a set of front pads with 33,670 miles on them, they have plenty of pad left as you can see by the depth grooves. Both calipers looked the same.
Categories
Engine

Adjust Road Star Valves

The procedure here is not meant to replace the shop manual procedure for valve adjustment.
If you feel that it might be harmful to your engine do not follow this procedure.
Several have done it this way and found it to be helpful.
Thanks for the help Dave M. and Scott B.

Categories
Carburetor

Re-jet The Yamaha Road Star Carburetor

Rejet Road Star CarburetorThis is how to change your main jet and needle on the stock Road Star 40mm Mikuni Carburetor.

Categories
Carburetor

Check the Mikuni 40mm Float Bowl Level

Check the float levelMr Tidy gives us valuable tips to check the Yamaha Road Star’s carburetor float level.

Categories
Frame

Road Star Parts Watch & Part Numbers

A list of the parts you probably need to keep an eye on thanks to Mr Tidy.

Categories
Frame

Adjusting the Road Star Clutch Cable

Adjust the Road Star Clutch CableYour clutch should be adjusted so that there is about a nickle’s worth of play in the lever, when slight tension takes up the slack in the cable. NOTE: better a little loose (more than a nickel’s worth of play) than too tight.

Categories
Engine

Using a Dial Indicator for Adjusting Road Star Valves

The process of adjusting our valves is not that hard if you understand what is going on and why we are doing it this way. Yes we have hydraulic valves and it’s said “hydraulics’ need no adjustments. But, we have 2 valves per intake and exhaust ports. When we have a noisy valve train, part of the problem could be that the valves of any one intake or exhaust port could have one or more valves opening and closing at different times. The excessive tolerances when the valves are out of adjustment create some of this excessive noise.