Today I was able to get away for a little while, after doing some yardwork and some dishes. I've been dying to really feel what the bike is like on a twisty road. And I haven't been on a "technical" ride with my full leathers on yet. I figure it might be good to break them in and see how they really feel.
The sky had some high cloud cover here and there, but the sunshine was strong, in general. It was good that I had my dark faceshield on the helmet. I loaded up the MP3 player with Bad Company's 10 from 4 and Boston's Don't Look Back. I had contemplated bringing along my camera, but I passed on it- I didn't want to stop, if the riding was good and the rhythm was right. Today, for the first time, I decided to ride with a Breathe Right strip on my nose. I saw Valentio Rossi do it and it seemed like a cool idea. I zipped my jacket and pants together and I was off. I headed out the door around 2:30.
I decided to go up Patterson Pass Road, starting in Livermore, heading toward Tracy. I had been there once before, but last time, I was stuck following a really slow moving pickup truck. I didn't want to be out for very long and I didn't want to go somewhere I wasn't familiar with. It was a good choice. This time, there was no one in front of me and no one in back of me the whole stretch. It was great!
Mr. Moto handled all the bumps and twists with the greatest of ease. There were some things that I need to correct or make a note of for the next outting. First of all, don't tuck the pants so deep into the boots- it makes it harder to bend the knees and it's nearly impossible to pull them out, once the boots are zipped up. Make sure that I ArmourAll the seat before going out next time. With the leather pants and the texture of the saddle, there's way too much friction. It's even hard to slip to one side at a stoplight. Turn up the MP3 player another 10 volume bars, from 26 to 35- okay, 9 bars. Check the front brake lever. It's set to 3, but let's play around with it. Something that was buggin' me was the boots were too grippy on the footpegs and movement seemed impaired- it might've been the pants tugging at the boots. We'll see if it is the same next ride, after I leave the pants out more. And, it would be nice if I lost 10 pounds or 2 inches in the waist. Not only will I look more svelt, the pants will sure be a lot more comfy.
A collection of blurbs stemming from mostly the motorized projects that I do. Some posts mixed in have to do with my experiences in X-ray school. (Some entries are from older blogs that I killed off.) Some of my toys are a Mazdaspeed Miata that I work on and take to the track, a little Harley that I can't stop modding and an old Yamaha RD400 that I've been collecting parts for over the past 15 years. When I'm not wrenching, sometimes I mountain bike, sometimes I snowboard, sometimes I make beer.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
"Handling" Mr. Moto
Since I had just about everything off of the bike and I was doing some pretty significant changes to the suspension and brake system, I figured I might as well do just a little bit more. Let me list the changes I've done to him, since the end of last year.
1) Changed the oil to a racing synthetic
2) Put in a K&N oil filter
3) Flushed the radiator and used Water Wetter
4) Raised the gas tank 1/2" to increase air flow
5) Replaced front and rear brake lines with Galfer S/S
6) Replaced front and rear brake pads with Galfer
7) New Dunlop 208ZR tyre in front
8) Flushed brake fluid and replaced with Galfer SuperDot4
9) Swapped the rear shock with a GSX-R, which raised the rear by 1/2"
10) Installed Race-Tech .80 fork springs
11) Installed Race-Tech cartridge emulators
12) Changed fork oil to Bel-Ray 15W at 130mm
13) Dropped triple-clamps 2mm to influence head angle
13) Adjusted sag, both front and rear, to 32mm
Some of these changes are more significant than others, but all together, wow! they really make a difference! The handling is a little more plush (though I can't tell the difference as much as others have raved about it on the Net). The suspension feels so much more confident, whereas I can't really tell how fast I'm going anymore. Because of the suspension advances, the bike sits higher off the ground, making it harder for me at stoplights, but the tradeoff is remarkable. And it might just be having a new rounder front tire up there, but it doesn't take hardly any pressure to initiate a turn. It's like the bike had power-steering- almost like the bike can read my mind, when I want to turn! The braking is more crisp, which is really noticable from higher speeds. And since I made those simple maintenance adjustments with the clockworks of the bike (i.e. motor oil and air intake), Mr. Moto runs through the mid-range much more freely. Very sweet! All in all, the cost of all what was forementioned was a hair under $600, but then there's tax, and of course, there's always some lube, solvent or tool that you're going to end up paying for.
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
The REAL test ride
Today was a pretty exciting day, as far as commuting goes. The weather has finally gotten warm enough (for the time being) to ride to work. The sun is coming up earlier, so I was able to swap out my face shield for the dark one- no sunglasses for me!
Well, the commute started off when I was trying to get into the left lane on Bernal, right as Case St. intersects. There's usually a huge backup in the left lane, as people are lined up to turn left onto Case to drop off their kids at school. I cautiously split the lane and just as I was about to claim the pole position in the left lane, some twenty-something bitch in her Daddy's bimmer pops left in front of me without signaling, of course! She was about six inches away from knocking me over! Looking first would've been nice. Angrily I honked her, which activated the headlights to blink. Then I gave her a stern birdy! Too bad for her, I split the lane and she had to sit next to me, as we waited for the light to change green. I didn't badger her anymore- I've done that myself...to a motorcycle cop, no less. The rest of the ride to work was pretty uneventful. Now, coming home was a whole nother story.
Now that the suspension is hopped up, the height of the bike is also hopped up. I can barely get one foot down at a light anymore! The bike handles like a dream, so I don't mind. I had driven down Alcosta and took a right onto San Ramon Blvd. I was pretty excited about taking that new smooth onramp onto the freeway. As I was approaching, I was getting ready to do my stuff. I started to turn right onto the onramp and I saw the new Lexus covertible punch it- he was probably trying to get his ya-ya's off, too, being that it was his new car and all. I was kind of negotiating the drop in, still not really sure of the suspension and all. I swept to the outside left lane and was going to punch it to try and catch that guy, but then the engine kind of stalled! I looked down to see that I was in the redline! I had never done that before! The suspension was so calm that it tricked me into thinking that I wasn't even going to fast, that's why I tried to gun the throttle! Very interesting, I thought to myself... Next, I was getting onto the freeway- I was trying to merge over to the carpool lane. When I got to the leftest lane, I tried to up-shift only to find that there was no 7th gear! I was already going 95mph! I had no idea that I was going to fast! I can only believe that it was the work of the new suspension, giving me the stability, tricking me into thinking I was going much slower than I was actually going.
Well, the commute started off when I was trying to get into the left lane on Bernal, right as Case St. intersects. There's usually a huge backup in the left lane, as people are lined up to turn left onto Case to drop off their kids at school. I cautiously split the lane and just as I was about to claim the pole position in the left lane, some twenty-something bitch in her Daddy's bimmer pops left in front of me without signaling, of course! She was about six inches away from knocking me over! Looking first would've been nice. Angrily I honked her, which activated the headlights to blink. Then I gave her a stern birdy! Too bad for her, I split the lane and she had to sit next to me, as we waited for the light to change green. I didn't badger her anymore- I've done that myself...to a motorcycle cop, no less. The rest of the ride to work was pretty uneventful. Now, coming home was a whole nother story.
Now that the suspension is hopped up, the height of the bike is also hopped up. I can barely get one foot down at a light anymore! The bike handles like a dream, so I don't mind. I had driven down Alcosta and took a right onto San Ramon Blvd. I was pretty excited about taking that new smooth onramp onto the freeway. As I was approaching, I was getting ready to do my stuff. I started to turn right onto the onramp and I saw the new Lexus covertible punch it- he was probably trying to get his ya-ya's off, too, being that it was his new car and all. I was kind of negotiating the drop in, still not really sure of the suspension and all. I swept to the outside left lane and was going to punch it to try and catch that guy, but then the engine kind of stalled! I looked down to see that I was in the redline! I had never done that before! The suspension was so calm that it tricked me into thinking that I wasn't even going to fast, that's why I tried to gun the throttle! Very interesting, I thought to myself... Next, I was getting onto the freeway- I was trying to merge over to the carpool lane. When I got to the leftest lane, I tried to up-shift only to find that there was no 7th gear! I was already going 95mph! I had no idea that I was going to fast! I can only believe that it was the work of the new suspension, giving me the stability, tricking me into thinking I was going much slower than I was actually going.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Shopping, shopping, shopping...
I have spent countless hours on the Internet trying to find the best deals for parts that I need to finish my suspension and brake line conversion projects. I am happy to say that, if you look hard enough, you will find what you are looking for.
I do have a favorite shop to get my SV tuned at. That shop is Hare Racing, down in Sunnyvale. Since my last tune up, however, the shop has turned ownership, selling to the mechanics. They were once owned by the Keigwins, who also started Keigwins@the Track [Racing School]. I guess they were making so much money, they just put all their efforts into the track school.
I am in need of a new front tire, as well, and I figured as long as I'm doing some front suspension work, I might as well get that front tire mounted, too. I checked hareracing.com and they had the Dunlop 208ZR in my size at a very good price, and they will mount and balance the loose wheel for $10 (a late exception to their December sale that I missed).
I'm also looking for the Race Tech Gold Valve Emulator kit and hareracing.com had it generically listed for $120, when my specific kit is listed at $160. When I emailed Gunther, he broke me the bad news and scolded me for not reading the fine print that prices are subject to change. I lied and told him that I saw an online competitor list it at $120, and that I was just trying to throw him some more business, but I'll go elsewhere to get the cheaper price. He replied that he could price match! Wow! Now, all I had to do is find someone who would actually list the kit at $120.
In my hours of searching, I found that Kiernan Racing Supplies, in New Jersey, sells the kits for $114! That's a steal! I figure that after adding in shipping and stuff, it would be in the $120 range. Phew! got that out of the way.
After many, many bad websites, I also found that TrickTape has got some really excellent deals on Galfer brakes. They're selling the 2-line front stainless steel kit for $85 (the low going rate), but if you want to throw in pads (mind you, that it's the front brakes, so you need to get two sets- one set for each caliper), it's only $23 for two sets of blacks and $35 for two sets of HH's! That's less than 50%!! On top of that, there was no tax (because I live out of state) and the shipping was free, since the order was over $100! Now, that's a bargain!
Gunther's going to sell me Race Tech fork springs for $100; that's $10 off the msrp, the low going rate. After all this stuff is on the bike, I'll be good to go for a while!
I do have a favorite shop to get my SV tuned at. That shop is Hare Racing, down in Sunnyvale. Since my last tune up, however, the shop has turned ownership, selling to the mechanics. They were once owned by the Keigwins, who also started Keigwins@the Track [Racing School]. I guess they were making so much money, they just put all their efforts into the track school.
I am in need of a new front tire, as well, and I figured as long as I'm doing some front suspension work, I might as well get that front tire mounted, too. I checked hareracing.com and they had the Dunlop 208ZR in my size at a very good price, and they will mount and balance the loose wheel for $10 (a late exception to their December sale that I missed).
I'm also looking for the Race Tech Gold Valve Emulator kit and hareracing.com had it generically listed for $120, when my specific kit is listed at $160. When I emailed Gunther, he broke me the bad news and scolded me for not reading the fine print that prices are subject to change. I lied and told him that I saw an online competitor list it at $120, and that I was just trying to throw him some more business, but I'll go elsewhere to get the cheaper price. He replied that he could price match! Wow! Now, all I had to do is find someone who would actually list the kit at $120.
In my hours of searching, I found that Kiernan Racing Supplies, in New Jersey, sells the kits for $114! That's a steal! I figure that after adding in shipping and stuff, it would be in the $120 range. Phew! got that out of the way.
After many, many bad websites, I also found that TrickTape has got some really excellent deals on Galfer brakes. They're selling the 2-line front stainless steel kit for $85 (the low going rate), but if you want to throw in pads (mind you, that it's the front brakes, so you need to get two sets- one set for each caliper), it's only $23 for two sets of blacks and $35 for two sets of HH's! That's less than 50%!! On top of that, there was no tax (because I live out of state) and the shipping was free, since the order was over $100! Now, that's a bargain!
Gunther's going to sell me Race Tech fork springs for $100; that's $10 off the msrp, the low going rate. After all this stuff is on the bike, I'll be good to go for a while!
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Weekend Maintenance
This weekend, I finally got a chance to do a little fluid maintenance on the bike. I did some radiator work and changed the oil and oil filter.
I started working on the radiator first. I had to disassemble the right side fairing and disconnect the signal indicator. I used a webpage I found on svrider.com, and everything was going pretty smoothly. Halfway through the radiator flush, I decided that working with my bike tilted on its side via kickstand wasn't good enough for me. I need the bike to be upright on stands!
I had a set of car jack stands. I had seen on the web that some guy stuck a skewer through his swingarm axle and got his bike suspended on some sort of stand. That was good enough for me! Quickly, I got the jack out of the Toyota and found a suitable solid spot underneath the bike to jack up the bike. I stuck a tire iron in one side and (since the drive side has a smaller hole) I put a 8mm allen wrench in the other side. As I steadied the bike, I asked my wife, Emily to do the jacking. When the bike reached the proper height, she slipped the jack stands under the rests and presto! mission accomplished! Now, I could concentrate on the work...
I quickly finished flushing the radiator, then I put in my seven capfuls of Water Wetter and filled the rest with tap water. After a few minutes of warming up the motorcycle, the water mixed and there- that was done.
Next was the oil stuff. Now that the bike was stationed upright, the oil could drain out more evenly. Having the bike warmed from the radiator job, I pulled the oil plug and opened the filler hole. I exchanged the retired filter with a new K&N filter, a bit more costly, but I'm sure it will be well worth it. I replaced the plug bolt and filled her up with the Castrol GPS oil. The color is transluscent deep red- very beautiful. I warmed up the engine and took her for a test ride.
The first thing I noticed was that the gears were easier to shift. The bike didn't lurch or clunk upon shifting from neutral to first- just an easy "nick-nick". Same as when shifting with riding. I also noticed a little more power in the mid-range of the powerband; the bike just wanted to rev up faster. Interesting. Was it work $6.99 per quart? Hell, yeah!
Enough of that. I'm shopping around for front suspension parts and more brake lines. That will be my next major upgrade.
I started working on the radiator first. I had to disassemble the right side fairing and disconnect the signal indicator. I used a webpage I found on svrider.com, and everything was going pretty smoothly. Halfway through the radiator flush, I decided that working with my bike tilted on its side via kickstand wasn't good enough for me. I need the bike to be upright on stands!
I had a set of car jack stands. I had seen on the web that some guy stuck a skewer through his swingarm axle and got his bike suspended on some sort of stand. That was good enough for me! Quickly, I got the jack out of the Toyota and found a suitable solid spot underneath the bike to jack up the bike. I stuck a tire iron in one side and (since the drive side has a smaller hole) I put a 8mm allen wrench in the other side. As I steadied the bike, I asked my wife, Emily to do the jacking. When the bike reached the proper height, she slipped the jack stands under the rests and presto! mission accomplished! Now, I could concentrate on the work...
I quickly finished flushing the radiator, then I put in my seven capfuls of Water Wetter and filled the rest with tap water. After a few minutes of warming up the motorcycle, the water mixed and there- that was done.
Next was the oil stuff. Now that the bike was stationed upright, the oil could drain out more evenly. Having the bike warmed from the radiator job, I pulled the oil plug and opened the filler hole. I exchanged the retired filter with a new K&N filter, a bit more costly, but I'm sure it will be well worth it. I replaced the plug bolt and filled her up with the Castrol GPS oil. The color is transluscent deep red- very beautiful. I warmed up the engine and took her for a test ride.
The first thing I noticed was that the gears were easier to shift. The bike didn't lurch or clunk upon shifting from neutral to first- just an easy "nick-nick". Same as when shifting with riding. I also noticed a little more power in the mid-range of the powerband; the bike just wanted to rev up faster. Interesting. Was it work $6.99 per quart? Hell, yeah!
Enough of that. I'm shopping around for front suspension parts and more brake lines. That will be my next major upgrade.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
All about fluids
The other day, while I was at my local Cycle Gear shop, I decided to pick up some Water Wetter and Galfer brake fluid.
Water Wetter is a radiator water treatment fluid, an alternative to the usual glycol based antifreeze and it actually works better. http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp If you're going to hit the track, you're usually not allowed to have the glycol stuff in your radiator anyway, so I thought it would be a good change. The Galfer Super Dot 4 brake fluid has a really high boiling point, so it will have minimal expansion during extended heavy braking application.
While cruising the aisles, I ran across their large selection of motorcycle engine oils. Castrol, Motul, PJ1, synthetic, full synthetic, aye-yay-yay! There were so many different brands and types to pick from, I didn't have a clue what I would get. I decided to go home and do a little research on my own. I found this really good article written by Sport Rider magazine.
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0308_oil/
Afer reading through that article and a couple of others, I think I'm going to go with the Castrol R4 Full Synthetic oil. At Cycle Gear, they sell it for about $10 per quart. I'll see if I can find it cheaper online.
Water Wetter is a radiator water treatment fluid, an alternative to the usual glycol based antifreeze and it actually works better. http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp If you're going to hit the track, you're usually not allowed to have the glycol stuff in your radiator anyway, so I thought it would be a good change. The Galfer Super Dot 4 brake fluid has a really high boiling point, so it will have minimal expansion during extended heavy braking application.
While cruising the aisles, I ran across their large selection of motorcycle engine oils. Castrol, Motul, PJ1, synthetic, full synthetic, aye-yay-yay! There were so many different brands and types to pick from, I didn't have a clue what I would get. I decided to go home and do a little research on my own. I found this really good article written by Sport Rider magazine.
http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0308_oil/
Afer reading through that article and a couple of others, I think I'm going to go with the Castrol R4 Full Synthetic oil. At Cycle Gear, they sell it for about $10 per quart. I'll see if I can find it cheaper online.
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Bought my rear shock
After weeks of poking around on Ebay, I finally found a suitable shock for my bike. It was a 1999 gixxer 750 shock. According to all the websites that I read, this year should be the right length and all- you just don't want to get '00 or later. As soon as I get all the stuff for the front forks and the brake lines, I'll be getting busy!
Here's the link to the website for setting up the rear shock.
http://www.svrider.com/tips/gsxr_shock.htm
Here's the link to the website for setting up the rear shock.
http://www.svrider.com/tips/gsxr_shock.htm
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