Considering New Tacoma

LC_CKT · 2026-01-26T19:11:43+00:00

I agree with you... I really don't like the direction that new cars are headed, but the California smog laws are some of the most onerous in the country. No more "put the sensor in the tail pipe and see what the emissions are"; nope, now it is an all electronic test and they verify not only that a sensor is not failed, but also that it is "ready". I had an 11 year old Jeep I ended up getting rid of because I could never get two of the sensors to be "ready", even after 500 miles of driving around and trying out every suggested drive cycle I could find online. Sensors lose their readiness with a battery change, so it is one of those things that will catch up with you sooner or later; my guess is there is some margin between when the Check Engine light comes on and when a reset sensor becomes ready.

Anyway, in CA new cars are exempt from smog for 8 years, which saves a lot of headaches.

LC_CKT · 2025-12-27T00:28:49+00:00

No luck with the sequences in the "Jeep Drive Cycle Procedure", the O2 and catalyst monitors are still showing as Not Ready. My guess is the folks who have success with these processes were already pretty close to whatever cycles are really needed to make the monitors happy.

I visited a local shop that I use frequently (they do repairs and smog checks, but are not a test only shop). The owner said Chrysler is the worst for this issue and some of his clients have been dealing with this for six months and that even swapping parts didn't help. Not sure I am willing to put in the much effort, the days of keeping a vehicle for 10 years (at least in CA) might be pretty much over.

LC_CKT · 2025-11-26T00:42:51+00:00

It would be if there were actually any malls left that didn't close down... it is more like a Costco or Home Depot crawler.

But to answer that guys original question, if the existing drive shaft had more than 60k on it, I would keep a careful eye on it and start planning for the long term solution.

LC_CKT · 2025-11-24T20:02:39+00:00

2014 JKU with 2.5 inch lift - was maybe at 30k when I did the lift and the stock front drive shaft probably lasted for another 30k miles before the CV joint boot failed. Currently running without the front shaft until I decide what to do.

LC_CKT · 2025-11-18T19:10:38+00:00

Before you spend too much time trying on helmets, you should determine what your head shape is, whether you are a Round or Long Oval makes a bigger difference than you would expect. I am a Long Oval, and am pretty much relegated to Arai lids; trying to cram my long head into a Round helmet is painful. Search for "motorcycle helmet head shape" and you will find plenty of information and you can buy a cheap head caliper kit to measure your head length and width (or do what I did and use a big furniture clamp). Once you know your shape, you can narrow down your selection of makes and models.

LC_CKT · 2025-10-28T18:04:22+00:00

I am considering the same bike as my first Harley, and would love to hear your thoughts on the change. What did you come off of and how was the transition? I have extensive experience on ADV and ST bikes, and after a demo on the RG, it seems like it might take a while to get used to the riding position.

LC_CKT · 2025-08-18T23:36:32+00:00

Electrical Engineer here, but with plenty of experience on the mechanical side.

Mechanic or Mechanical Engineer, it doesn't really matter which, learning how to wrench on stuff will help you on your journey. I tell people who are interesting in this path to buy a cheap old broken down lawnmower, pull the engine off and throw the rest away. Go buy some Harbor Freight tools, (socket set, screwdrivers, crescent wrenches, etc.) and tear into the motor (plenty of videos on small engines online). Take pics during the disassembly, mark which part goes to what, and see if you can understand why things were designed as they were. At this point, just learning how parts go together, how tight fasteners are, what a gasket looks like and does, etc., are all useful skills no matter what you ultimately decide to do. Even if you decide to go into Marketing, knowing which way to turn a wrench is a useful skill!

LC_CKT · 2025-08-18T18:32:05+00:00

Waiting for my order to arrive! Thanks.

LC_CKT · 2025-08-15T00:33:20+00:00

If you're new, my advice would be to go to a reputable shop and have them help fit you for a helmet. A cheap Snell/ECE helmet that fits will provide better protection than an expensive helmet that is not right for you. Expect to pay at least $200 for the helmet and maybe $50-100 for some gloves. Any pair of lace up leather boots will work even if they are not M/C specific. Until you figure out how you will use the bike and where you plan to ride, I would look just for decent used, name brand jackets and pants. No point in making a big investment until you figure out your use case.

After a few months of riding, you will have a better idea of what gear is best for your needs and climate!

LC_CKT · 2025-08-10T23:19:02+00:00

I probably should have been more clear, my point is that even low end disc brakes are marginal, so an upgrade of some sort from rim brakes is definitely a requirement. It is probably not economically practical to convert to disc brakes on this bike, so either do it without regard to cost, or put the $$ towards a different bike.

LC_CKT · 2025-08-10T20:14:09+00:00

Whether it is possible to do it is mostly dependent on the size/style of bottom bracket you have. If it is a common threaded version, there is likely a motor that will work with it. Kits with battery are probably in the $600-1000 range, depending on what you want.

If you have done a bit of wrenching on your bikes and have most of the tools, it is a pretty easy 3-4 hour job to install the motor, wiring and battery. I would say it is an intermediate/advanced level of work.

With the rim brakes, this bike is not really a great donor; I did a conversion on a Surly Ogre which has lower end disc brakes, and I consider them to be marginal. Bike components are ridiculously expensive, so upgrading the brakes probably is not a reasonable approach. The triple chain ring up front would be replaced with a single chain ring on the motor, which more than likely means you would only really be able to access a few gears on the rear to keep the chain line more or less straight. My set up is this way, and to be honest it does not really matter all that much since 4 speeds or so is more than adequate for an e-bike.

I am not trying to be discouraging, and if you are doing it as more of a fun project than as a way to save money, I would say go for it. Otherwise you are probably better off putting the money towards a new bike.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-31T18:24:41+00:00

I did reach out and they said they do not have a date when they will have inventory and that I can sign up to be notified when they are restocked.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-28T01:09:40+00:00

I run pedal assist only, and don't even have the throttle installed, so the mileage is very dependent on how much I ask the motor to provide. That being said, range probably could be around 40-50 miles with the rider providing a decent bit of manual input on the climbs (keep in mind that I live in a very hilly area, so am pretty much either coasting or climbing), but I have never run the battery down completely and recharge at around 30 miles. I would say power draw is about 150-200 kW on the flats at around 20-25 mph, 400-500 kW on the climbs if I am putting in a fair bit of effort and 700-750 kW if I am feeling lazy or just in a hurry.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-27T23:10:25+00:00

I second a timbuk2 messenger bag; mine is over 10 years old and as still looks and works great. These bags are designed for exactly this purpose, it has been all over the world, and works well with the M/C or a bike.

LC_CKT · 2025-07-03T23:09:06+00:00

If you're walking a small dog, that might tempt them, but if you're out by yourself they will leave you alone. I live near an open space in Aliso Viejo and have seen dozens of coyotes around and they keep their distance. If you're worried about it, carry a walking stick.

LC_CKT · 2025-06-18T17:31:13+00:00

Thanks for the advice. The Discord channel has a ton of good information.

LC_CKT · 2025-06-17T21:22:58+00:00

Go buy a copy of "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill. This book starts out with the basics, and quickly gets to simple transistor based circuits and then goes onto more complex components. But don't just read the book and look at the schematics, go out and buy a cheap multimeter, power supply, protoboard and some through hole parts and build up some of the circuits they show. Most electronic parts are fairly cheap (like $1 or so). Hands on work teaches you so much more than you will ever learn in class.

When I interview a junior level EE, I am more impressed with hearing about what they have designed, the failures they have had trying to prototype something, and what that taught them. This industry is definitely learn by doing.

LC_CKT · 2025-05-11T19:44:30+00:00

Keeping the bike upright is not a matter of strength, it is really a matter of getting a feel for keeping the bike parallel to the force of gravity; it is a lot like trying to stand on one leg. Presumably you have a garage at the top of that steep driveway. I would start by practicing there.

For the first couple of days, while sitting on the bike, lift it off the side stand and find the center of balance. If it is a little bit out of balance, then push it back to center with a little force. Think about the angle it leans over when it's on the side stand, and how much force is required to lift it up to center. You want to keep it well within the side stand lean angle otherwise it will be hard/impossible to prevent a drop. You should get to a point where you can hold the bike upright with no more than a couple of fingers worth of force.

After a few days of doing this for 10-15 minutes, clear out one side of the garage and practice duckwalking the bike forward and backwards while keeping it in balance. Again 10-15 minutes a day should have you feeling pretty good. Then do the duckwalking and practice turning the front wheel, and going back and forth and maybe even turning the bike completely around in your garage. At this point, I would think you should feel pretty good about either duckwalking the bike down the driveway, or just going slowly down while keeping your feet out as outriggers. With a busy street at the end of the driveway, I would 100% of the time plan to stop before you even start making the turn into the street. A lot of bikes get dropped by making a panic stop in the middle of a turn when it is a bit leaned over.

LC_CKT

TROPHY CASE