First of all Christy, where do you live? There are lots of Nighthawk owners who would probably happy to help you out in person if you lived close enough. A slow leaking rear tire has a slow leak so it must be fixable. A slow untraceable leak could be the valve or valve stem, a leak along the rim from where the rim was scraped or gouged when the tire was changed or in the tire itself but a shop can find it if there is a leak. I would keep the pressure around 38 - 40 psi and put more air in when it gets below 30 psi. I wouldn't put more than 40 - 42 psi in it. Make sure your rear shocks are on the highest level to reduce the squishy movement. Back fifing could be dirty air filter or carbs or spark plugs - easy to check and clean the plugs and filter. For the carbs buy a can of seafoam (you'll hear a lot about this stuff) and pour half a can in a full tank of fresh gas and the other half in the second full tank of gas. Or, I guess you could pour the whole can in a full tank of fresh gas and then ride, ride, ride. Graham
On Feb 18, 2013, at 1:37 PM, Christy Deering wrote: > Hi folks! > > I just stumbled on this forum, and thought I'd ask a few questions while I'm > at it. Correct me if I should make separate posts about these three issues > I've been having. :) > > 1. First off, I'm riding a 2007 Nighthawk 250. I noticed a slow rear tire > leak shortly after I had the tire replaced about 8 or 9 months ago. I took it > in to the shop that replaced the tire, they exhaustively searched for a leak, > but couldn't find one. They told me the tire was safe to ride on, and that I > should just keep an eye on the pressure. Ideally, what should I be keeping > the tire pressure at? I feel like that's a dumb girl question, but let me > explain - is it better to overfill the tire a bit so I can go longer in > between trips to the air pump, or is that a terrible idea as far as > traction/handling? > > 2. I'm 5'9", and I feel too tall for my Nighthawk, as much as I love it. The > whole bike has always felt rather "squishy" under me, and I don't really > trust it in the corners not to slip out from under me to some extent, even on > dry, happy pavement. Is this something that could be adjusted, or am I stuck > on a bike I don't fully trust because I'm too *gasp* big for it? My self > esteem is doin just fine, feel free to give it to me straight if you have any > input. :) > > 3. Gladys (the Nighthawk) has been backfiring lately. Could this be a dirty > carb issue? Should I attempt to clean things/do this on my own, or would you > recommend a trip to the shop? I've never done anything to a bike other than > change the oil, though I would love to learn more as I go. Being > self-sufficient with bike repair is my ultimate goal, I just haven't had a > lot of chances in the year I've owned the Nighthawk. Which is probably a good > thing, ultimately. > > Thanks, fellas! > - Christy > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to nighthawk_lovers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en-US. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Nighthawk Motorcycle Lovers!" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to nighthawk_lovers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to nighthawk_lovers@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nighthawk_lovers?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
