I bought my 2000 YZ426f back in late 2001, only a couple of months after I moved to Arizona.  It was from a co-worker and the bike was geared for speed.  I am a trail guy and as time as passed, I have migrated to slower more technical trails versus the high-speed stuff.  Heh - we call them ‘goat trails’ out here.

Shortly after taking ownership of the bike, I hated it…so much that it was almost on cycletrader.com a couple of times.  Hated it, hated it, hated it for the following reasons:

• Wayyy to much fuel being delivered to the engine.  This caused the bike to stall the instant that he RPMs dropped to a lower range or if the throttle was chopped.  It even had difficulties using the hot start.
• The bike was an absolute bitch to start, especially if it had sat for a while.  I had several times where I had to abort riding because it simply wouldn’t start after about thirty minutes of trying.
• The clutch action was terrible and inprecise.
• Low end was minimal, and it could not lug at all.

A couple of the above items, I simply learned to live with, especially the last two.  The first two made me hate the bike rather quickly, and the fueling problem contributed to a low speed crash in which I stalled the bike where and broke my ankle and required surgery.   Ultimately, the crash was my fault, but I stalled the bike at the most inopportune time while climbing a mountain.

That crash bought me a three month vacation from riding.  My first thought was the easy way out - sell it.  Fortunately, I started reading up on the bike and stumbled across the forum Thumper Talk.  It has been the greatest source of information at how to make the YZ426 work.  It’s full of guys who race and need them to be right.  Anyway, all of the above problems were ably addressed by making mods that had well-detailed instructions - well enough that I even got it right.

Here are the mods I did to the bike.  Just login to TT and do the searching part yourself as there are many threads on each topic.

1. The easiest was the “blue wire mod”.  The claim at the time was that unhooking the light blue wire from the /cdi box gave full spark to the bike while in neutral (read: while starting the bike).  The discussion stated that there is a built-in safety mechanism to manage the spark if in neutral so that you could not over-rev the engine and cause damage.  There seems to be some skepticism as to if it really makes a difference.  I did it and have had no mechanical failures or problems.
2. The second easiest mod was the clutch upgrade.  This is only necessary for the 2000 models.  Apparently they got rid of the ball on the end of the pushrod which killed the feel of the clutch.  The 2001 and later models had the countermeasure parts.  You simply buy the 2001 pushrod, ball, and a clutch plate or two and all becomes well.
3. Next is the PowerNOW valve.  Actually, I went with a copy called the JamesNOW mod, and for $10 got a fitted plate from…well…a guy named James.  Its a flat piece of thin sheet metal that fits in your carb velocity stack to divide the intake area in half.  At small throttle openings, this mod will divide the area for the air to travel into the carb in half, therefore speeding it up.  Search for JamesNOW and you’ll get the full (and better) explanation.
4. Finally, there is the accelerator pump set screw mod.  I think this made the biggest contribution to the bike becoming fun to ride.  You drill and tap a hole in the carb body and insert a small, but long screw to control the accelerator pump fuel amount.  Some of the 426 veterans, through trial and error, figured out that the optimum ’squirt duration’ is 0.3 seconds.  My OE setup had a squirt duration of about 1.8 seconds.  You can figure that six times the amount of fuel would make starting the bike, riding the bike at lower rpm, and throttle management very difficult.  I got it to around 0.3 seconds and it was a whole new bike.

These mods have made the bike a keeper.  I have had it now for five years now and still enjoy riding it.  It sits for months at times :(, but always starts on the first kick.  I can lug along with proper fueling - granted I did change the gearing - and I can’t remember the last time I stalled the bike.  Heh - the last time I had an off, the bike stayed running, I picked it up, and off I went again.  I also think that dialing in the fueling gave the bike ‘hit’, like a two stroke, without any bogging.  Finally, the clutch is much better and more useable.  The grabbiness is gone and feathering the throttle to aid in technical trails is much easier.

Yeah, I used to hate my YZ426f just like the guy on google.  That said, I think this particular bike has the current record for length of time of ownership.  That says a lot given my motorcycle stable’s history.  Before you sell the bike out of anger and/or frustration, give the mods above a try.  It transformed my dirt bike and will likely transform yours too.

Just another public service provided free of charge from Motorcycle Bloggers!

What is Cryogenic treatment of rotors and why do it?

What is it? Deep cryogenic treatment of brake rotors involves a slow freezing of the rotors (to about -300F), in order to eliminate the internal stresses due to the casting and machining processes. It affects the whole rotor and is not simply a surface treatment. It changes the grain structure of the metal permanently and transforms soft austinite (bad) into a harder martensite (good).

What does it do? Eliminating the above defined stresses improves rotor warping, wear, and heat cracking in heavy uses such as racing. It also increases the strength without increasing the hardness.

I have been asked a few times if its worth it to either pay for new rotors with the cryogenic treated rotors or have the service performed separately on new rotors that do not come with the treatment. So I checked with some industry experts at a 3-day brake engineering conference I just attended. Because the conversation was off the record over a few adult beverages (exciting bar talk…I know), I’m not going to involve names and companies. I will leave it at this: If my other writings in the Brakes 101 section are not to be believed in your opinion, than this shouldn’t either. If you find them useful, this should be useful too.

“Is the cryogenic treatment for street rotors worth it?”

In his response, he stated that in one an only one case in his life was the answer yes. It was providing rotors to a factory sponsored race team to solve an initial difference in feel/fade during break-in. That’s it. We then had a discussion about how to get similar results from a proper break-in procedure.

Breaking in your BRAKES: Conditioning your pads and rotors can be done just as effectively by a proper break-in of BOTH the rotor and pad pair. Yes - a rotor needs break-in too. His recommendation is to do a 10-stop series of brake applies of high decel (0.8g) back to back until you get to 10 from a speed of 60 to 5-10mph. Allow for cooling then do the 10-stop fade one more time. Racers may want to kick up the speed to 80mph for the applies.

You will likely get some green fade during the first ten stops somewhere in the 5-7 stop area - this is good. The next series fade will almost surely be later in the ten stops if at all. A third time is not necessary.

NOTE: it is very important that you do not come to a stop, even for a moment. The pads will be sticky enough to leave an imprint of the pad shape on the rotor and an uneven transfer layer.

This does mainly two things: prepare the pads by de-gassing the phenolics out of the pad material (the fade effect by the gas actually pushing back on the pad as it escapes beteen the pad and rotor), and preparing the rotors with a transfer layer.

In this guy’s mind, this is by far the best thing you can do for your new pads and rotors…including saving your cash by not paying for your premium priced cryogenic rotors or the aftermarket treatment.

If you put new pads on current rotors (very common), you can lightly/evenly sand the rotor surfaces with fine grit sand-paper to remove the old transfer layer. Then proceed with the break-in above. This would apply to carbon-mets, ceramics, and any organic pads that rely on a transfer layer.

The result should be a dramatic reduction in fade and the likelihood for heat cracks.

In my quest for ever levels of greatness, I placed upon myself the task of replacing the drive system on my GSXR Race bike. Now don’t think this is an easy task, the process of chain replacement requires almost ZEN like dedication and focus. Before one can replace the chain, deep meditation on the replacement choice must be considered. Deep research on many racing message boards (WERA, AllStone, BSRacing, etc), it was decided that the DID 520ERV3 Gold chain was in order. There are many chains to pick from but the DID got the thumbs up from many on the WERA board. While a bit pricy at $140 for a 120link chain, in general the opinion is if you only replace the chain once a year it is the way to go.

When mediating over chains, the first question that you may ask is why a 520 chain. As everyone knows my GSXR750 came with a 525 Chain. Why would I go smaller? The answer is easy; the previous chain was a 520 from the last owner. In addition I already have two 520 sprockets (At $55 each) and I was not willing to give up on parts I already have. Finally it is helpful to run the same equipment that the majority of your fellow racers / track day nuts operate. My whole goal of using a GSXR750 was to be part of the group. It seems everyone knows how to work on the GSXR bike and has parts and tools sitting around that you can borrow or buy.

European Motorcycle Accessories helped fix me up with the new DID 520ERV3 Chain and two Sprocket Specialists front sprockets. The Stock GSXR750 came with a 17 tooth front sprocket and a 42 tooth rear sprocket. When I got my used race bike I had no idea what the front sprocket was, but the rear was a worn out 46 tooth sprocket. I tried going to a 42 tooth but found that was too big of a jump for the adjustment range. I ran the worn out 46 sprocket till a replacement arrived. On my first two outings the 46 just lifted the front wheel a bit more than my inexperience was comfortable with. Swapping out to a 44 tooth took a bit of the edge off the bike, but made it feel a bit nicer.

Fast forward to today and my selection of a 17/46 sprocket setup. I feel that the 17/46 should be a good setup for me, but many recommend a 16/44 or 16/46 setup for me, and a few brave few run a 15/42 but I think that is over kill. The 17/46 will keep some reasonable top speed and give me a bit of extra launch power. I will be at MMP (Miller Motorsports Park) in September and with the 3800foot straightway, there should be a chance to open her up a bit.

So Saturday was the big day for the chain swap. I got myself ready by getting rid of the POS 44 tooth Vortex Sprocket and replaced it with a 46 tooth Renthal Chainwheel (Sprocket to us in the US). I have higher hopes that the 7075 T6 sprocket material used by Renthal should be of better quality than the Vortex “Aerospace Quality” sprocket. Slapped everything together and haul everything down to Psykotic cycles in Peoria, AZ. Joe took care of the chain swap and swapped out the front sprocket for the parts that I brought him. The guys at Psykotic cycles are cool as they do a bunch of labor without being ticked that they don’t get the parts business. I am going to start offering to let them order me the parts and let them know what price I am being offered. They have been doing me a good job, and I should swing some extra $$$ there way.

So now I am in possession of a bike with a new chain with new sprockets front a rear. I have that new chain sound and smell and I should be good to go. I plan to continue to ride the hell out of the bike and I hope to make the swap down to the 16/46 setup when I feel it’s worth the effort.

Introduction: In total, I have probably parted out 5-6 complete bikes and a couple of parts bikes.  The reason is simple:  If you have the time, the sum-total of all the parts is worth more…sometimes much more…than the value of the bike itself.  Keep in mind that it takes a commitment and a good deal of time.  A little bit of planning and preparation up front goes a long way in helping you decide and execute the job.  There will be many, many runs to your shipper (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.), so know that going into the project.  You will also need boxes and appropriate packing material to get the parts to their destination safely.  Finally, it takes a lot of communication: with potential buyers, with committed buyers on shipping dates, etc., and maybe even a little help for the new owner (if needed) with their new parts.

Financial Analysis:  A quick financial analysis is needed as the first step to see if the time spent and the hassle is worth it.  I have gone both ways with this decision depending on the circumstances.  I found I was much more willing to make less money back in the days od bachelorhood to justify the ends.  Knowing your bike, its REAL street value intact, the REAL parts value, and the market for parts for your bike is required.  Bullshitting yourself on the values of the bike and its parts is silly (heh - unless you want to justify it to…say…your wife), so at least be honest with yourself.  I would recommend using a spreadsheet to calculate the value since they cane be updated rather easily.  I would even consider a column next to your asking price column name “least” for the least you would take for the part.  This will give you the range for what you can expect.

My former Aprilia RSV Mille ‘R’ is a perfect example of a bike that is worth parting out.  Why?  The street value of the bike is about $7k US.  I know the bike very well and the parts value which I estimated at no less than $10k.  For $3k, I’m in since I have two kids now and prioritizing motorcycle money is a little more difficult these days. ;)  Another reason this was a great candidate was the parts that were on the bike.  The ‘R’ model comes stock with Ohlins forks, shock, and damper as well as OZ forged aluminum wheels.  Add to it the aftermarket parts I put on the bike and it simply makes sense.  I would likely not part out a standard Mille because the parts are worth much less.  There is a huge market in the Aprilia world for guys with standard bikes wanting to upgrade their non ‘R’ bikes or other model with common parts.  Financial Analysis Result = Tear it down!

Making the Commitment:  That’s right.  It takes a commitment to take a perfectly good motorcycle and turn it into parts.  It takes much less to part out a parts bike, etc.  The reason it takes a commitment is due to future time, effort, a little hassle / inconvenience, and once you start tearing down the bike, its an incredible PITA to go back.  In total, taking a bike from its normal operating condition to complete disassembly is between 8-12 hours.  You can also plan on no less than three runs to your preferred shipper per week and 1-2 hours per night boxing parts up in the beginning week or two.

It also takes time to keep up with your email (ASAP response) and ads (daily update) on which items are still available.  On my Mille, I exclusivley used the Aprilia Forum to sell the my parts as a seasoned member and knowing that the Aprilia Forum has an huge percent of the Aprilia market as its members.  Being a member of a forum dedicated to your bike / brand and having credibility on that forum is an excellent means to sell parts.  Now that it has been a month or so, I ship a couple of boxes per week and its time for ebay for the remaining parts.  Heh - I will say that my article to announce that I was parting out my Mille did generate some sales.

A Little Planning:  Take a couple minutes to think about the above two sections:  Is it worth it? Do I have the time?  If both are “yes”, then its time to get started.  If you’ve already made a spreadsheet from above, great because it will help you stay organized.  If not, consider it once again.  Its also time to start collecting boxes and packing material.  There are many ways to do this (Costco, local grocery store, etc.), just get it done.  Its better to have too many boxes than not enough.  I would not plan on buying boxes because they are incredibly expensive at the local shippers. 

You should also consider the timing of the ad.  I prefer to have the bike disassembled (or at least in the process) before I place the ad.  Another consideration for the ad is whether or not you will sell internationally.  Believe it or not, this is important.  Its a little bit of a PITA to ship internationaly, and I usually opt not to do so, but I’ll get into that a little later.

Another considration is the payment.  What is your preferred method of payment?  I strongly recommend that you open a Paypal account if you do not already have one.  Be aware that it can take more than a week to get your account active!  Of everything I have sold on my Mille, one person opted for a money order, the rest have been Paypal.  Know your preferred method of payment and state it in the ad.

The Disassembly Process:  Taking the bike down to parts is normally a lot easier than putting one back together.  Its definitely a learning experience on how things go together, but memories are short.  Here are some suggestions to help you in the disassembly process:

• Make space - I would consider a single car of garage area necessary so that you don’t trip over the parts that have been removed. 
• Label all parts as necessary as they come off the bike.
• Use ziplocs for bolts and write on the bags where the bolts go (I keep all fasteners that are not integrated into the part unless otherwise stated).
• Finish what you started - don’t leave a part half-way removed.
• Note any surprises (damage, chips, scratches, etc.).
• Clean the parts as they come off to give you an appraisal of any pricing you may have to adjust.
• Be cool - have some self-pride in the disassembly process and treat the parts as if they were going back on your bike.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to be honest about the part condition when parting out a bike.  Its good for everyone.  One person with a legitimate gripe can run tons of potential buyers away.  When in doubt, send pictures and be a little over-critical, especially on bodywork and performance parts that are also cosmetic (exhausts, etc.).  My reputation is worth more than a couple extra bucks.

Communication: 

1. The ad - I always start my ads with a blurb about the bike, its history, and its overall condition (year, mileage, service history, etc.).  Then I make the list of parts with the stuff I know will go fast, like aftermarket bolt-ons and anything Ohlins, at the top.  From there, I then list the OE parts that people tend to break or need.  You get the point.  I always, always, always price my parts.  I have never understood “make a reasonable offer” ad without a price…its a waste of time.
2. Updating the ad - In the beginning, I usually update the ad daily and insert “SOLD” in place of the price.  I get the price out of there because you are likely going to have $000’s listed, and its really no one elses business how much you are making.  Each week I remove all the sold items completely.
3. The buyers - Again, honesty is the best method.  If someone accepts my asking price it is theirs in chronological order.  If someone ‘offers’ me less than my asking price I usually wait a day to see if someone will offer my asking price.  Each offer is case-by-case of course, but if someone offers less, they can wait a couple of hours.
4. The buyers after the fact - Be sure to let each buyer know when you received the payment, when the part was shipped, its tracking number if applicable, and its expected arrival time.

Shipping:  Shipping is agruably the most important part of the transaction.  Regardless of what you say about part condition, the proof is the deleivered part.  I take great pride in how I package my parts because I want to deliver what I intended.  While it happens, blaming the delivery service still results in a person who didn’t get for what they paid.  I am a true believer that almost any part can avoid shipping damage if it is properly packaged.  I’m not going to get into the details, but I use a lot of packing material, bubble wrap, whatever is available to protect the parts.  I always think of it as the way I would want something shipped to me.

I normally try to avoid international shipments for a few reasons.  First, there can be duties (taxes) placed on incoming parts depending on the wording in the description and other details.  While its out of the seller’s hands, it still sucks for the buyer to shell out another 15% or so.  Second, it’s far.  The recourse for an error or lost package is more difficult to pursue out of the country.  Finally, it takes a while.  That keeps both the seller and buyer on edge until the parts are safely received.  I sold several of my Mille parts internationally, but it wasn’t without drama.

In the past, I was an advocate of United Parcel Service (UPS), but things have changed.  I used to ship out only the small pieces and parts via the US Postal Service (USPS) and the rest would go UPS.  As of 12Jan2006, my Mille experience has changed that.  USPS is about one half the cost of UPS these days and they shipped a set of wheels in a single box as well as a set of unboxed tires.  I’m not sure exactly why they are cheaper (fuel costs, private vs. gov’t, etc.), but I shipped almost everything USPS Priority Service which is 2-3 days anywhere in the country.  You have to pay for a Confirmation Number ($0.45 each), but its worth it.  Both though have a shipping calculator - use it.

That said, I had a couple deliveries from USPS deliveries take too long…MUCH TOO LONG.  UPS guarantees their delivery and will actually refund you for some of the services if its late (you should confirm that for UPS Ground though).  I seemed to be in limbo for a long time with a few packages.  The 2-3 day Priority took 10 days, but it was during the Christmas rush.  Still, it happened.  I ultimately think that the USPS Priority Service is the best deal out there, but be sure to get a Confirmation Number.

Note:  It is worth mentioning bodywork when discussing shipping practices.  I try not to ship bodywork if at all possible.  I lucked out on my Mille parts and found a guy in SoCal who wanted everything.  And since I have a buddy who goes back to visit his family in SoCal 1-2 times per month…you get the picture.  If you do have to ship bodywork, this is what I found works best.  Place each piece into a plastic bag first, then put the packing material around it.  The plastic wil keep the paper and the box from rubbing on the paint.  Be sure to have enough space between panels such that they don’t touch.  Bodywork parts are often the pieces that people pay the most for and have the highest expectation for condition.  When in doubt, use an extra box.

Summary:  Parting a bike out can put some money in your pocket and be a learning experience.  It’s also time consuming, a little inconvenient, and requires patience.  Everyone’s ‘profit’ threshold is different so that decision should be your own.  Before you decide to scatter your bike all over the planet, please consider the following questions first:

• Is it really worth it?
• How much do you need to make in addition to the bike’s value intact?
• Can you truly get your need with reasonable prices? (make a spreadsheet)
• Do you have the time and the patience?
• Where are you going to place your ad(s)?
• Do you have the appropriate boxes and packing materials
• Do you have a preferred payment method?
• Do you have a preferred shipping method?
• Do you have the space, tools, and know-how to disassemble the bike and store the parts for a month or so.
• How pissed is your wife going to be?

That’s it!  I hope this has provided some insight into the process - good and bad.  I also hope that this article is effective enough to talk certain people into parting out their bike and talk others out of it.  Good luck!

I’ve purchased a new bike almost every year for the last 10 years. As soon as I buy a new bike; invariably, I have to start adjusting things and buying things just to make the bike “rideable” and in some case serious engineering and fabrication just to get what I consider reasonable functionality. While I appreciate the many features and technological advances on the latest crop of two-wheelers, some incredibly useful and simple items have remained AWOL. We’re talking clocks and fuel guages people, not rocket science. The car guys get this stuff on even the cheapest models but we’re continually neglected.

Was this as good as motorcycle accessories would get?
Brochure courtesy of the Suzuki Motor Corporation

The idea that bikes were going to continually get useful features first occured to me when I bought my first new bike. In addition to all the performance techno-wizardry on my ‘81 Suzuki GS1100E, it also came with a fuel guage, front running lights and self-canceling turn signals! These were the latest and some of the most useful items I’d ever seen on a motorcycle. You’d think in 25 years, not only would we have all these features as standard on every motorcycle, but a lot more to boot. These type of features make riding a motorcycle more convenient, enjoyable and even safer, but it’s rare to find more than a token offering of any of these type of features on any model, especially sportbikes! (A golf clap to BMW for doing the best job so far but still coming up short and at way too premium of a price)

You can argue weight saving, simplicity or cost, but the numbers just aren’t that significant. At the very least these should be offered as options like the auto makers do. Many of these systems can’t even be implemented using the aftermarket or without an extreme engineering fabrication makeover. If bikes were engineered with optional features as plug and play, with available connectors and pre-drilled holes from the manufacturer, this could open up a whole new marketing approach. Kinda like the way the cruiser boys get a plethora of chrome and performance mods for their scoots.

Here are my lists (feel free to comment on any other items you’d like to see either installed or at least offered by the OEs). Many of these items are a result of my own first hand experience, some are things offered by auto makers that would apply to bikes and some are just good ideas. While I realize many of these things already exist, they should be included or at least offered on every model by the manufacturer.

1) Fuel Guage (not a blinking light) - I want more than an indication I’m nearing the bottom of the tank. We all know that how hard you twist the throttle makes a significant difference in MPG. A guage can give a more practical indication of usage rate, rather than just a line in the sand. In fact, with current fuel injection systems, fuel use can be mintored in realtime and compared with speed to give instantaneos MPG.

2) Reserve Fuel Switch - It’s nice to have a warning you’re getting toward the bottom, even if you have a guage. It can give you that nice “kick in the ass” reminder that you better consider adding a gas station to your priority list in the near future without stranding you. With the addition of the fuel pumps and fuel injection, petcocks have become an endangered species. Besides, it also a good way to turn fuel off for storage or transport.

3) Running Lights (front and rear) – My personal experience is that these lights make us much more conspicuous both during the day and at night. It also helps cagers figure out your overall dimensions and act accordingly. A select few bikes I’ve owned have had front running lights, but NONE have had rears. I bet rear running lights would not only make you more noticable but would reduce rear-end collisions. And all it takes is an extra wire and dual filament bulbs in the 4 directional indicators.

4) Integrating Turn Signals into Rearview Mirrors* - Why have 4 protrusions sticking out the front of your bike when 2 will work as well! Besides, the mirrors are up higher and spaced wider, again for increased conspicuity. The idea of multiple uses for the same component has been around for a long time, it’s time for a renaissance. And, it’s one less hole in your side fairings.

*Helpful hint for rearview mirrors – even on bikes with good rearview mirrors, at least the inside 1/3 of your viewable area displays mostly your own shoulder. Occupy this useless space with a blind spot eliminating convex stick-on mirror from the auto parts store (I’m partial to the rectangular ones myself). I still do my head turns, but it’s a great way to keep an eye on the movement around you without looking like an owl all the time.

** Another helpful hint for rearview mirrors – on many bikes the rearview mirrors are practically useless. A great alternative is bar-end mirrors which typically mount into the ends of your handle bars like the bar-end weights. The beauty of these babies (only if you buy real mirrors and not the dental-sized bling) is not only will you see everything behind you, but they quell handlebar/clip-on vibration even better than the weights (more mass ya know).

***Geez, I almost forgot to mention Self-Canceling Turn Signals!!! The system on my ‘81 Suzuki GS1100 worked great! It incorporated a timer and a speed sensor to determine when to turn them off, very simple. I don’t forget to manually cancel my signals often, but when I do this redundancy check guarantees I don’t get caught giving a false impression.

5) Centerstand - I like to be able to adjust and lube my chain as well as remove my own wheels when my baby needs a new pair of shoes. I prefer to take advantage of the “wheels off bike” tire change prices. In lieu of that, because I understand that a centerstand on a sportbike can cause weight and ground clearance issues, how about at least installing stand spools from the factory and handing me an inexpensive (but durable) rear stand on the way out the door. This would defintely get my attention and most likely future business.

6)Passing Light/High Beam Trigger – These are starting to show up much more frequently thanks to our European counterparts. Since my left index finger is already in the neighborhood, covering the clutch, it’s a simple move left and squeeze to communicate to those left lane dawdlers that it’s time to wake up and move right except to pass.

7) Rear Mud/Splash Guard - Yeah, I know we already have these as well as huggers, but something that stops the spray where it starts, just off the surface at the rear wheel at the very back. At this location, the “guard” can be made smaller, placed lower and made lighter rather than dealing with the water once it’s spraying all over the back of the bike. And in the process, by eliminating that astetically awarkard black dingleberry hanging off the tailsection, new design lines could be tried. I believe BMW put one of these on their GS model but I think it’s disappeared. Shame.

Rigid Hydraulic Lines - I don’t care if they are stainless steel, kevlar, or whatever material, just stop using those crappy rubber lines. The improved “feel” of the brakes using the more rigid materials is significant, and even if it’s not actually more powerful, confidence counts. The additional expense of basically changing the line material can’t be that significant, especially with production numbers of the top manufacturers. It’s a sin for a motorcycle that costs more than 10 Grand to have rubber lines. And while I’m thinking about it, what’s with all the crossovers and junctions? Two simple lines from the master cylinder to the calipers, period! And while your at it, put a bleeder at all the master cylinder(s), bubbles rise.

9) Adjustable Controls - Yeah, some controls on some bikes are adjustable, but virtually every control on every bike should be. The goal here is comfort and confidence. We aren’t all the same size whether it’s hands or feet or torso length. Even your preferred posture while riding can require alteration for optimal positioning of the controls. But while you can vary engagement point, rotational position can be severely limited. Between pins that fix position or contact with other components, typically there are only a few degrees of rotation available. Carpel Tunnel Sydrome, or just wrist ache in general could be minimized with a reasonable amount of adjustability built in from the factory. Being able to reach the controls quickly and accurately in an emergency can make the difference between a close call and a trip to the hospital.

10) Glove Box/Storage Compartment – Most bikes have a location up around the instruments where a lockable storage compartment could be available for ready access to things like wallets, CEL phones, registration, proof of insurance, earplugs, comb, change, house keys …. you get the idea. Not big, just convenient, and lockable!

11) Actual Wind Protection – Styling is king, so comfort suffers. If you only ride a couple miles at moderate speeds to get to the coffeeshop, you probably don’t care, but if you commute, tour, sport ride or race, keeping the wind at bay can make a big difference to both your comfort and performance. The wind screens on modern sport bikes are a joke, barely able to keep the breeze off your belly button. And those “cool” flip-lips cause tons of turbulent air to pound your head like Mr. Tyson using you as a sparring partner.

12) Adjustable Steering Lock – I almost always change the bar position on any new motorcycle I buy , usually buying new bars or risers (hey, I’m not 20 years old anymore). Whenever I do this, I almost always have some type of interference with the gas tank. The last thing I need is a scratch or dent in my tank or pinched fingers during U-turns or other parking lot ballet. It usually only takes a few degrees of limitation at the steering stops to cure this but I’ve had to do all kinds of “engineering” to implement a reliable solution. How about some type of adjustablility on the steering stops? Yes, it does limit my turning radius, but not substantially.

13) Park Reposition - Most bikes have a Park position on the ignition switch. This allows you to keep the tailight on and the steering locked in a situation where you may have to leave the bike by the side of the road if, let’s say, you breakdown or run out of gas. It’s rarely used feature, but most bikes have this position just beyond (counter-clockwise) the steering Lock position. It’s far too easy to accidently turn the key to this position when you park and lock the bike normally. The issue is a drained battery if you accidently do this and walk away from the bike without glancing back and noticing the stoplight glowing. During daylight hours, even the glance doesn’t always reveal the situation. I recommend putting this Park position on the other side of (clockwise) the On position. This would eliminate this potentially common occurrence. I remember owning a bike that had this recommended layout and I was enamored with what an elegant soultion it was.

14) Clock - Enough said, no bike should come without a clock, standard.

15) Ambient Temperature Guage – With fuel injection becoming the standard instead of rare unobtainum technology, there’s no good reason not to display this simple information. FI systems need to monitor ambient temperature to adjust fuel ratio. I want to know how hot, cold or “just right” it is outside.

16) Comfortable Seat - Year after year, decade after decade, motorcycles come standard with crap seats. Yeah, they look good, but I actually sit on mine and sometimes for extended periods of time. I’ve replaced almost every stock seat I’ve ever owned in an effort to get some degree of comfort. I know there are plenty of good aftermarket seats but when I shell out 10 large or more, I expect something that makes my butt feel good, even after 300+ miles. I know it’s a personal preference thing but I think designers are more concerned with “line” than comfort.

17) Serious Headlights - What’s with this one headlight trend? If I have two headlights, they should both work on low or high beam. With two dual-filament bulbs, if one burns out, you still have one to get you home. Besides, more light is safer and more enjoyable. I’ve even installed accessory “driving lights” on a few of my scoots and been amazed by the difference, especially being able to see the sides of the road! I’m also tired of people telling me one of my headlights is burned out and I’m sure more than one motorcyclist has been pulled by Johnny Law because of his supposed equipment violation. Hopefully, LED technology will make burned out bulbs a thing of the past, but in the meantime, let’s start shedding some real light on the subject.

18) A “real” Horn – This item borders on ridiculous and has since the very first two-wheelers came off assembly lines. I’m sorry, but when I need attention, I need to be heard clearly, I need to be heard now and I need to be heard at a distance. I need a horn that’ll pentrate the stereo, conversation, CEL phone and attention deprived passenger enviroment of a car with the windows rolled up. I think my life is more important than 50 Cent’s latest contribution to low frequency noise pollution. Current autos have such soundproofed interiors that the average motorcycle horn barely makes an audible dent in the background noise.

19) Hydralic Brake Light Switches – Ever since I used these devices to make my KTM “dirt bike” street legal, I couldn’t help but wonder why using two separate device to actuate the brake and signal the actuation made sense? These are installed in place of the banjo bolts that are normally used at the master cylinders. Anyone who has ever change their brake pedal postion, has had to readjust the switch engagement also to maintain the same brake light response. Oh, you say you forgot to do that? Well, my friend, your rear brake may not be light your stop lamp at all! Talk about dangerous! Not only would it save weight but it’s one less mechanism to malfunction. See “Integrating Turn Signals into Rearview Mirrors” as another example of multiple uses for the same part.

20) Frame Sliders/Crash Protection – Some of the larger and more expensive touring rigs get bodywork that’s made to take the hit in a low-speed tipover without having to replace entire body panels. And, it can also keep more critical items (levers and cases) from being damaged, that can lead to becoming stranded from a simple parking lot mishap. The crash guards I installed on my Bandit allowed me to continue riding after a fall on black ice with only a few choice four letter words. It can’t be that hard to incorporate something similar on every machine.

21) Oil Temperature Guage – While virtually all liquid cooled bikes have a water temperature guage, which is a good indication of how the internal engine temperatures are doing, some motors still aren’t liquid cooled. I want to know if my engine internals are baking in August in stop go traffic. Then I could decide if I need to pull over and let my steel partner cool down a bit before I continue. At the very least it is a good way to monitor the health of your engine and the potential need for maintenance.

22) Gear Indicator - I’m tired of hunting for that one extra upshift all the time. Yeah, I should count gears, but I don’t. I bet most of you don’t either. This feature appears on various bikes in a seemingly random model or year occurrence. It’s time for this to be standard on all machines.

Well there you have it, my “required list”. Yeah, It’s pretty long, but I feel these things have been neglected far too long with no repreive on the horizon. In another installment I will list my ideas for “would be nice” and “luxury” items.

But it’s just my opinion,

Rhino

Part 1

Mention better performance and most racers head straight for the aftermarket exhaust catalogue and hot-up engine parts micro-fiche. Horsepower is often considered the be-all and end-all to going faster, but there’s no point having the extra power if it can’t be taken full advantage of. This is where suspension comes into the equation, but when you take a look at all those adjusters, where’s the best place to start. But it needn’t be that difficult. The only question is where do we start? Do we discuss the variety of front forks available, from non-cartridge to cartridge, and of the two types do we tackle inverted, conventional or telelever? And that’s just for starters.

Or should we turn to the rear shock list, which includes linkage monoshock, cantilever, a monoarm with single shock, underslung shock, twin shocks or separate damper and spring units – the list just keeps going on, and on…

To simplify things a little we’ll concentrate on the most popular front-end option for sportsbikes, which are the cartridge type front forks. Although they look reasonably similar from the outside forks are quite a complex component of a racing motorcycle and can vary greatly internally. Especially when you consider that there are a pair of coil springs, which can range in strength and length; there’s also compression and rebound damping to consider, which is affected by the type of valving used; and then there are the number and size of the shims used. Add to that the fork oil viscosity and you’ve got an open can of worms. Lets start with the fork springs. It’s like the foundation of the suspension unit; if the bike isn’t suspended correctly then everything else is going to be compromised. The spring is what supports the weight of the rider and the bike, nothing else. The choice of spring is determined by the weight of the bike, the weight of the rider, the weight bias of the bike and the riding position, as well as the type of riding it is intended for.

With so many variables, the rider being the biggest, ‘guessing’ which is the correct choice of spring to use is not an option. It’s for this reason standard suspension offerings found on production bikes can often be slightly off the mark. It’s not to say the manufacturer-set suspenders are incorrectly dialed in, they’re just set to suit a wide range of uses, and an average sized rider, and can therefore be a compromise. In racing it is a different story. The possibilities of spring strengths, lengths and widths are infinite. Obviously the fork body they will be confined to will determine the length and width of the springs, while the numerous above-mentioned conditions determines the strength. To differentiate between one spring and another the stiffness is represented in kilograms per millimeter. For example a 1kg-mm spring will compress 1mm for every 1kg of pressure it is put under. Put it under 2kg and a spring will compress 2mm, 3kg will result in a 3mm difference between its free length and its compressed length, and so on.

What we have here is known as a constant-rate spring where every kg has the same effect on the spring throughout its length. Constant-rate springs are the most common used in performance bikes and competition. But there are also multi-rate-springs, which have a fine pitch and a coarser pitch. One part of the spring may have a rate of 1kg-mm while the next stage of the same spring compresses at 2kg-mm.

One reason the multi-rate spring isn’t used in competition is it doesn’t absorb energy in as linear fashion as the constant-rate spring. The softer-rate of the spring will naturally compress before the stiffer-rate, but it’s the transition between the two that is the problem for competition use. Yet multi-rate springs are popular in sportstourers because of the softer ride they provide over road bumps, while still offering the firmness to prevent the forks bottoming out over potholes and such.

Another spring variation is the progressive-rate spring, which offers a ‘progressive’ transition from the softer to the harder part of the spring. To keep things simple we’ll concentrate on the characteristics of a constant-rate-spring.

A good spring rate uses around 30-percent of the total suspension travel under the total weight of the bike and rider – also known in suspender speak as One-‘G’ sag. It is very important that the spring is able to support the weight of the rider and bike. This way the available wheel travel is optimised, while keeping the geometry balanced. To check the One-’G’ sag – which generally equates to about 25 to 20mm for most racebikes – first the suspension is extended to its full length so that there is no weight on the forks; then the length of the fork’s inner tube is measured. Now with the rider on the bike, crouched in the riding position, the difference between the two measurements is evaluated.

For those bikes fitted with a preload adjuster, generally found on top of each fork leg, fine-tuning the sag can be carried out by winding the adjuster in or out. Increasing the preload will lift the front end, resulting in a reduced sag measurement, while decreasing the preload will lower the front end and increase the amount of sag.

The preload adjuster is not a tool to stiffen or soften the front end – remembering that with a constant-rate-spring the spring’s strength is set. Compressing the spring with the preload adjuster will not change its rate either; whether the preload is all the way in or out the spring rate remains constant.

The next thing to consider then is controlling the movement of the forks… see the second installment in the suspension story ‘Suspension tech feature two’.

Part 2

Continuing on from the opening ‘Suspension tech feature one – well sprung’ we now move on to the next part of the suspension mystery – damping. Although the correct choice of spring is important to suspend the bike there is also a need to govern its movement, otherwise it will continue to bounce for some period after having absorbed a bump.

Just as a steering damper prevents the handlebars from slapping about, front fork damping prevents the front of the bike from continually bouncing up and down. To do this two damping units are used – even if there are no external adjusters on the bike there is still internal valving used for compression and rebound damping in the fork legs. The rebound controls the rate the spring returns to its free length, while the compression damping controls the rate at which the spring compresses under load.

The damping rates are controlled by two separate damping valves which are located in the one damping rod. There is one of these rods in each fork leg. Although it’s still possible to get forks with the rebound in one leg and the compression in the other, it’s not very common these days. A damping valve works by controlling the flow of oil, which it is submerged in. Reduce the resistance for the fluid and the softer the damping will be. This in turn determines what rate the fork is able to move through its stroke.

The compression-damping unit is located at the base of the damping rod while the rebound-damping unit is located within the damping rod – also known as the travelling valve. It acts much like a piston sliding up and down the damping rod cylinder. These two valves, rebound and compression, determine the type of feel the forks provide – whether the bike crashes sharply over the bumps, absorb them or bounces over them. This feel hinges on a number of factors. First there is the actual damping valve. It looks much like a piston used in an engine, only smaller (around 15mm in diameter), with a range of holes punched through it. The size of these holes can provide a soft feel if they’re large (less resistance), or harsh feel if the holes are small, due to the increased resistance. The trick is to find a compromise that will be firm enough under heavy braking, while offering the ability to soak up the wide ranger of bumps it will be confronted with. The valve itself gives the overall feel, but the fine-tuning of the fork-fluid flow, which in turn affects the wheel axle travel, is done using flexible shims. Shims are like thin flat washers that can vary in thickness by as little as a thousandth of an inch, and can also vary in diameter. These shims are stacked one atop another, up to as many as 10 or so, and are then placed over the centre of the valve – covering the valve holes.

When the fork moves up, at which time it is working the compression valve; or down, controlled by the rebound valve; the fork oil forces its way through that particular valve holes and past the shims by bending the outer edge of those shims. The stronger the resistance the firmer the damping and the slower the movement of the suspension. Any problems with suspension patter, wallow, chatter, harshness or suspension dive are damping related. If the damping isn’t quite right, adjusting it can become quite tedious if the bike doesn’t have any external damping adjusters. In that instance it would be necessary to dismantle the forks every time a change was needed – very frustrating, with the fine increments available, especially while under the pressure of qualifying for a race.

It’s for this reason most sportsbikes, and all race bike suspension boast external damping adjustment – rebound, compression or both. Unless the internal damping is really off the mark, the fine-tuning capabilities of adjustable units will allow the rider to dial in the suspension to suit their riding style and the conditions of the track/road.

To understand the range of adjustments better, imagine a piece of string two metres long. This represents the internal valving options available on a particular suspension package – one end is the extreme harsh end of the scale, while at the other is the soft. Choose a point along the string and this will be your damping valve and shim stack, the 10cm either side is the range of adjustment available with the external adjusters.

But there is more. We’ve covered the valving and the shim stack, and that the amount of resistance they provide the fork fluid determines what the damping rate will be. But then so will changing the fluid’s viscosity – the thicker the oil, the greater the resistance, the slower the damping rate.

Oil rates vary from what is known as five-weight upwards, generally increasing in 5W increments – eg. 10, 15 and 20-weight. The lower the figure the thinner the oil. Often race teams will use the lightest fork oil possible because it provides a more consistent viscosity when heated. Thick oil begins to break down quicker, becoming thinner as heat increases. But as with the spring, the valves and the shim stack, there is more to fork oil than just that…

RoadRacing World recently had a tire shootout amongst all the big brands for both race compound tires and street/track day compound tires. This shootout was done at the track. The results, for this article, are not important. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely great information about the finer performance characteristics of each tire. But one thing that a track shootout cannot address is the rider’s history.

While I read the article, the first thing I did was to scan through it to find my brand and how it performed as probably did everyone. But I am fortunate enough not to be mired in the tire selection process. I knew that no matter the results I probably wasn’t going to change…I’ll explain.

First things first, for the street race compound is probably a bad decision. They have great grip characteristics once they are at temperature, but usually take a LONG time to get there (relative to street compounds). Second, if you don’t get them to temperature on a colder ambient temp ride, they will probably cold tear which will leave deep scuffs in the rubber. Third, they will simply not last very long on the center where most of the riding is done outside of the twisties.

My philosophy when people ask about “the best tire” is to answer with the follow-up question “What have you used and what have you liked in the past?” Everyone has different riding styles as well as different expectations and preferences in tire performance.

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Most seasoned sportbike riders probably already do it, but just don’t know it. If you’ve ever over-cooked a turn, you also probably trail-braked. Mastering trail-braking is also mastering the fine line between crashing and staying vertical.

In a perfect turn (read: as fast as possible without losing tire grip), you are either on the gas or on the brakes. NO COASTING! Its actually a helluva lot harder than it sounds. The reality is that trail-braking maximizes your corner entry and exit speed to a lesser extent.

There is a rule of thumb that is taught in driving schools: You only have 100% of available grip and that is to be shared between the cornering & braking and cornering & acceleration. Add braking and you have to reduce your cornering. Add acceleration and the same is true. Add cornering, and you again have to reduce braking or acceleration.

I went through Bondurant’s GP Race school on the company tit…well just because its required. They taught us to imagine (in a car of course) that the bottom center of the steering wheel was connected to your right foot with a string. Regardless if your foot is on the gas or the brake pedal, if you turn the wheel, the string pulls up on your foot proportional to the amount you turn. The more you turn, the more your foot gets lifted. Make sense?

This same theory applies to bikes. While you are taught to brake in a straight line (do all the braking completely vertical), a skilled rider can learn to brake later into the approach and actually carry light braking throughout the turn. The important word though is LIGHT. If you could brake heavily while leaned over, the MotoGP riders would never stand the bike up and choose an upright entry into the gravel. Too much braking leaned over will result in a low-side.

If you disect a turn, you really have only three components: entry, apex, and exit. On a normal ride all of the braking is done upright before the turn, coast through the apex leaned over, then roll on the throttle as you exit. On a perfect ‘race’ turn, you brake until the apex area (depending on the features of the turn) then immediately roll on the throttle as the brake is being released. Most mortals who ride well through the mountains tend to fall in the middle of no versus perfect trail-braking.

As to what does it take to get good at it? A track day is the best option with the wide lanes, braking markers, and room to play without oncoming traffic. If you must learn on the street, practice on a stretch of twisties that is empty as well as using baby-step increments. Note where in the turn you release the brakes and where in that same turn you roll on the throttle. All that coasting time in the middle adds up to longer lap times at the track. I wouldn’t use the rear brake at all until you are very familiar with the method and are going insanely deep into the turns. I do on occasion use the rear brake when trail-braking, but ever so slightly and only due to an operator error that I am trying to recover.

I will say that trail-braking makes the turn much smoother as you only have one suspension transition. On the track, its where you can overtake a lot of riders by going deeper into the turn. Next time you watch the races, pay attention to the clip-on camera angle and look at the time between the brake lever release and throttle roll-on…its minimal.

I will also say that planned trail-braking leaves no room for error, especially on the street. I learned it on the track (car & bike) and was able to apply it to the street. It works, but not without an associated risk.

This has been passed around before, but once again take a look at The Pace over at MicaPeak. Its a great tutorial for new riders, especially those on sportbikes.

DISCLAIMER: I assume no responsibility for anyone who wads up their bike trying to learn how to trail brake. There is risk involved similar to that of practicing wheelies of which I proudly cannot do. Go to the track and talk to people who know what they are doing. Over-cooking a turn is very hard to recover from…ask me how I know.

Normally for automotive, there are really two factors in OE rotor design – Effective Radius (rotor OD), Heat Capacity (rotor thickness), and Cooling (vent design). For motorcycles, the Effective Radius is the most important since modern motorcycle rotors are neither vented nor much different in thickness (4-6mm). In substitute of those, I’ll talk about the fastening of the brake disc to the carrier (fixed, semi-float, full-float).

Effective Radius (ER): To keep it simple, we’ll call the ER the midpoint of the pad on the swept area of the braking surface. In general terms, brake torque can be calculated by Brake Force at the pad/rotor interface * Distance (ER) away from center. The larger your rotor OD, the more output you can generate for a given brake, all else being equal. Growing the ER is like using a longer wrench for better leverage on a stuck bolt.

Increasing your ER from the OE size can get expensive pretty quick. If you are lucky, you will have available (to purchase) an adapter bracket to move the OE calipers outward to fit your larger rotors. Most brake kits do not offer just that option as, go figure, they have a caliper to sell you!

Rotor Attachment Methods Why float? The purpose for not using fixed or one-piece rotors is pretty simple. First, the floating rotor allows for better pad knockback (where the rotor “knocks back” the pad such that there is no contact and reducing rolling drag). Second, it will accommodate for a small misalignment of rotor to caliper / pad. This will allow for full pad contact even when parts are not perfectly aligned. Imagine a fixed rotor with a misaligned caliper – the actual contact (and pad/rotor wear) would only be a portion of what is available. As you might think, the full-floating allows for more of the above benefits over the semi-floating design.

Aside from rear rotors with no carrier that bolt directly to the rear wheel, there are a couple different methods to attach the rotor carrier that attaches directly to the wheel, and the rotor disc that the pads contact.

• Semi-floating Rotors: Most OE rotors, even on Italian bikes, are a semi-float design. That is, there is no direct attachment between the disc and the carrier, but they do not move freely of each other without moderate force. If you have semi-float rotors, you can move the disc independently of the carrier by pushing and pulling the disc perpendicular to the carrier. The actual attachment is a rivet-style with a spring sandwiched between the rivet surface and the rotor components on each side. The springs are always in contact with the rotor components creating the ‘semi-float’ effect….

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From the above pic left to right, then back to front…

1. Green canvas tool bag $5 Army/Navy surplus store
2. Metzler Tire Balancer #119: $150 I purchased from hondadirectlineusa.com. Terrible phone help, but the best price at the time. Handy Industries has a good balancer too but Metz is smaller and the included tire rod adaptors work with single side setups like VFR’s and BMW’s. Handy’s adaptors are additional. Same with the Marc Parnes version for $100 (+$25 for adaptors)
3. 15″ Auto tire rim FREE See your local tire store. They always have rims stacked up by their dumpster. Stop at Home Depot to get hardware. You’ll need clear flex tubing which you split and attach to Auto rim. Protects M/C rim. Some rear tires like R1’s & 929’s can be a bit more difficult to remove. Made easier by attaching the M/C rim to the tire rim via hardware. You can see the threaded rod coming from the center of the rim. The hardware next to the Air gauge is what screws to that portion. The large washer holds the M/C rim. See the plumbing dept.
4. RU-Glyde 1 gal: $11 See your local Napa Auto Parts store. Best tire lube I’ve ever used. Get a spray bottle at Home Depot too.
5. Wheel Weights: $20 JC Whitney #81UK4037P This box has lasted me years
6. Tire tools: $15 each Motionpro.com You’ll want at least two 16″ and one short (much less for short). They also sell the Dunlop version for about $20 each. If you want Ti version see www.aerostich.com
7. Tire Valve Tool: $4 Napa Auto parts
8. Rim protectors: $5 for three at Kowa Tools Get two sets. Newbie installers tend to believe great force is needed to install tires and break the rim protectors with the tire irons.
9. Rim hardware as previously mentioned
10. Intercomp Tire Gauge: $70 Fill/Bleed and Read version
11. Air supply for filling. This is my Nitrogen set up. See your local Welding Supply store. They can get you setup if you want to go this route.
12. Tire Bead Breaker: $60 found at Aerostich. By far the best Bead Breaker I’ve ever used. Works every time.

The math you ask? Its close, and you probably don’t need to go with the top of the line Tire Gauge, but hey…