A couple handy "tools"

Lonerider59

Lonerider59

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I'd like to pass along info on a couple items I picked up this year for the bike that I think everyone should be aware of and they are pretty darned inexpensive, especially for what they do.
The first is Speedbleders from Speed Bleeder Bleeding Brakes Bleeding Motorcycle Brakes Automotive Bleeder Screw Brake Bleeder They will make bleeding your brakes a whole lot easier and after using them, I'll equip all my vehicles with them. The price is only about $7 each and makes bleeding your brakes a simple one person job. The one for the FZ1 at least the 08 model is SB8125L M8X1.25. They have charts available for fitment to most vehicles.
The second item is Accupressure Safety caps for your tire's valve stem. They come in several pressure ratings and are very well built. They have a clear top that shows green when the proper pressure is in the tire, yellow when it's 5 lbs low and red when it's 10 lbs. low. I got mine for $3.24 each. They are available from AccuPressureCaps.com | Home. A simple glance at your valve stems each time you get ready to ride will tell you if you are ready to go or need to check for a leak. For less than $30 you can make your life a lot easier.
 
Thanks! RE the pressure caps, do they have any that register yellow sooner? 5 lbs is far too much loss on a cycle tire to run with. I worry when I am 2 lbs out of spec. :D

The speed bleeder is a MUST! I MUST have one! :tup:
 
Speed bleeders are great! I had some on my Corvette a few years ago and made bleeding the brakes so easy. On a bike they don't make the job that much easier since you can reach the bleeder and the brake lever at the same time (well at least I can). However, they are nice to have. One thing that I will caution people about is that you need to make sure that you keep that nipple cover on it at all times. If you get some crud or rust in there they may start weeping eventually. Personally I would spring a little more money for the ss version. At least then you wont have to worry about the rust issue.
 
I'm not sure about different rates for low pressure but only one of mine has changed from green to yellow and that was about a month fter installing them. Since then all is green and I'm using 38 lb in front and 42 in the rear so if the front goes down to 33 I get a yellow flag. I bought two complete sets of bleeders (6) so I'd have a spare set. I also use then on my Honda Goldwing naked and they saved me a ton of time bleeding those brakes.
 
CanonFuji had brought me a set of 36psi (thats all they had), and I've been using them until I was able to buy locally a 42psi for the rear. So far I couldn't tell you about accuracy but I do know that even 3lbs low in the front still had all the green showing. That I wasn't crazy about. Regardless what I have on the end of my stems, I still check my pressure digitally before I go ride. It's a good habit to pick up and your not relying on something to say that your tire is too low. I think you can get away going 4 or 5 lbs low in a car, but on a bike, and if you have a loved one aboard, I want to be within a pound or so.
 
+1

A pound or so here for me. This is somethign I check every time I ride farther than the local grocery store. At least once a week.

I will not use anything other than a trusty pen style pressure gauge. $6 range has very, very low margin of error. Problem with analog style pressure gauge is that one drop and it is not longer accurate. Cheaper digitals just are not worth a crap and have to much inherit margin of error. You can buy digital pressure gauges that are as accurate as the pen style guages but why spend a lot of $$ on one when you can get the pen for $5 - $6. I wont cry if I lose my pen guage. ;)
 
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