cowpuc

Wayyy cool brother!! WAYYY COOL!! Livin young and got some muscle left I see .. All though,, it was a little hard for these geezer eyeballs to actually tell what's what so I took liberity and resized.. Not it appears I am seeing 3 Stangs in the middle, a Vette,, possibly a Dodge Charger in purple and,, guessing,, either a mid 80's Stang square back convert or a Merc Capri on the end...

Good stuff Graham,, both this most recent blog and a quick scroll down to your VR blog that I missed while out CTFW(s) on the west coast.. Both VERY well done brother IMHO!! Keep the faith! Puc

,, I got a least 1 extra hp just by swapping my plugs and adjusting the carbs giving Tweeks 91 hp.. This seems like a lot of work for that 1 more hp to me

Of course,, it's your bike and as usual,, my opinion is worth no more than anyone elses (IMHO of course) = opinion + $1 will get cha a large coke at Micky D's ) but if it were mine to torture I would raise the front end and move the bars lock to lock slowly while I felt for any for of the notchies.. Years ago while spinning wrenches for a living on scoots we had a rash of neck bearing replacements come thru - most but not all were MX bikes. Knowing that neck bearings are basically no more than a typical Timken like used on Auto spindles and some HD cranks (VERY DURABLE) and being of the curious sort I started asking owners if they we folks who power washed their scoots a lot.. Almost 100 percent of those quried came back with being avid power washer addicts. My theory now stands that neck bearings are not normally damaged by over torqueing but are actually damaged by water being forced in and then captured to create a rust line in the non-rotating Timken.. This said, once the dent/wear line/pitting is significant enough to cause issues,, it can also be fairly easily felt just by going lock to lock with no weight on the forks.. I would trust that the bikes low speed wobble was probably due to wear on the front tire and that, as you said Newkirk, the bearing adjustment was not healthy and unless I had a pretty good indicator that the bearings were notched,, I would leave em backed off and go riding instead of spinning wrenches.. Either way though brother,, GLAD you got the findings you did and VERY glad to hear no more death wobbling up there at speed,, definitely scary stuff not just for you but also for those who love ya brother!! As usual in my geezerly state,, I know I am a dollar short to the game here in posting this but I did find some info on how I have set neck bearings on scoots for years now.. The following pics and text should be fairly easy to follow (unlike one of my lame description attempts. Note that this is old school stuff using a mechanical fish scale and most shops who use this method have advanced to digital scales (a LOT more accurate and VERY inexpensive) but the plan is still the same. Also note that I have found the scales to be very handy for other stuff like measuring trigger pull and hammer spring strength but also for monitoring neck bearing wear on a scoot just by recording settings and keeping an eye on them occasionally.. The digitals are also really helpful in detecting bearing notching,, all you do is hook up the scale as shown only instead of just watching the weight of pull for movement, you pull all the way thru lock to lock and watch the scale for clicky movement - make sense? Hope this helps in some small way... Puc

My theory is that due to the width of the contact surface on a car tire to surface, the car tire will last a LOT longer. A brand new bike tire, properly mounted/balanced and inflated has about a 2 inch contact area area to surface and is radiused up to the side wall and as its usefulness and handling charectoristics deminish it wear "square" and becomes similar to the car tire contact area. It makes sense that the car tire would have a longer life, especially when riding high temp desert region highways where rubber gets taken off like a kid licking an ice cream cone BUT,, it makes sense to my pea brain that some of the handling charectoristics that happen when a bike tire squares off from wear would also be noticable with a bike with a car tire compared to a squared off bike tire. The ability for the bikes frame to pass on movement from one radiused tire to another tire of the same condition and self correct those dynamics is well known to be an issue with tire wear in bike racing. That is the primary reason that left over used track bike tires are plentiful for purchase at cheaply.. In my back yard mechanical pea brain theory that you ask for,, I wonder if the same extended contact surface that is offering huge benifits in miles of usage, if that same surface is resisting the movement needed for the bike to self correct in little movements that are happening continously at the bars thru both air movement across the fairing and changes in road surfaces. This is probably gonna sound wayy out there but I have found that torque on the steer bearings will act very similar to a steer dampner. I never really cared for dampeners on my dirt bikes (no idea about now adays but back when I was competing on the MX tracks and woods riding it was VERY common to see aftermarket dampners on bikes) but chose to use precision in my steer bearing adjustments instead and found I got similar results.. Knobby dirt tires are well known for their non existent resistance to side movement and/or balancing charectoristics and when you run them up into high speeds (over 90 mph) on open class two tracks - tank slappers were not common.. Adjusting the neck bearings in 1/2 pound increments on a digital scale at the bar ends worked awesome for controlling a lot those scary moments, maybe not as proficient as a high end dampner but for someone not wanting to fight a dampner in the low speed stuff,, it worked well.

Nice chattin with ya brother! Definitely a mystery,,, please let us know if you do fatten up those metering rods a slight and what happens if you do!! Always something interesting happening around the club I tell ya!! All the best! Puc

I would triple check your fairing for looseness while checking it out. Also take a peek at the bar perches for looseness, especially if you by chance happened to have just used straps on the bars to hold it on a lift? My limited (and VERY limited) experience with Darksiding is one that showed me some difference in what we are speaking of Corporal,,, couple that with forward controls (I have always really appreciated mid controls for their handling abilities,,, even beyond being able to get on the pegs and/or use foot/knee pressure to steer with) and I can see where getting the steer bearings spot on in adjustment, especially when running a brand new front tire who's contact patch to pavement is narrowed cause its new.. What kind of air pressure are you running front and back? Are the tires both radial or biased or a mix? IMHO,, and this is probably wayyy off,,, a car tire,, because of its increased area of contact to the pavement may actually be working against your steering geometry by holding the bike "stiff" - sort of like what Rabbit mentions about stiff arming during a tank slapper = bad move IMHO.. I am gonna dig around and see if I can find some data on how I set up neck bearings. The info may come from one of my past MX track bikes but may be helpful in your case. If I can something I will snap up some pics and post them,,, other wise I will gladly post a step by step from memory (if I can even find that = that may actually be more difficult ) if you wish? Again,, just an opinion but you could have a mix of things going on that is a little more complicated... This will be interesting and a learning experience for all of us but could be a dangerous one,, PLEASE take it little by little my dearest brother!!!

Yup,, you are describing my R1 to a tee Rabbit... It's the early model with no dampner so there's that. It likes to follow the pavement in precision and irregularites in pavenment alone can cause some mighty scary movements even above 165.. It always responds perfectly to the throttle as you suggest but could/would be a handful to the timid during off track (non perfect pavement) play.. My KX500 was exactly the same way,, keep the front end light and it was a knife.. What liter bikes ya got?? Good night talk about FUN,,, adrenaline filled FUN!!

Gearhead,, I just tried to call you at your number listed in your profile and got a wrong number.. Please advise.. THANKS Puc

Oh,, by the way Gearhead,, do you have any experience with tuning NON CV Carbs?

IMHO, all my 1st Gens (and 99.99999% of the carbed scoots I have had the honor of getting my greasy, untrained, back yard mechanic fingers on) have never ran correctly until warmed up to operating tempt so I will make these statements with total disregard of how your scoot is running pre that status How does it idle when the temp gauge gets full up to operating temp Gearhead? No choke, air cleaner inside a good, properly sealed airbox,,, shoot the headers with an infra red (or use some spit on the tip of your finger if your an old school fool like me) to make sure she's idling on 4.. Is it? Now when you touch the throttle does the hesitation happen instantly as soon as you move it or does it bog as the R's are climbing? By the way,, you been running Seafoam? How old are your plugs and when was the last time you took a peek at your plug caps (where they screw onto the wires and also ohmed em out?

I gotta ask ya here Corporal ,,, are you by any chance running a car tire on your scoot?

Tip and I were recently rippin across the Nebraska Sandhills in our little Trooper hybrid and I had just finished telling her how cool it would be to drag Maggie (my R1) out there to "play" on the hills in 5th and 6th gear (speeds over 160 would DEFINITELY turn those awesome uprighted by the hand of God himself "sweepers" in some really beautiful potential high speed ramps) when we ran across what the video shows... Just another scourge of Nebraska roads to add to your list of things to beware of out there brother!!

BAMMO!!!!! Same rule applies (IMHO of course),, streetbikes - dirtbikes and as you mention,, DEFINITELY sportbikes IMHO.. Same same = Drive into loose gravel on full on touring bike - throttle it out - chop the throttle and down ya go.. Got a log in your way when rounding on an MX bike on a tight single trail during an Enduro - lift the front tire (throttle it out) or suffer the consequences as you face plant on the other side of the log.. Death wobble in a corner at speed on a liter bike, trail brake and add throttle or PRAY you dont high side when your tossed from her back. Rabbit,,, I can tell we are not dealing with no funny bunny here By the way,, learning that "when in doubt throttle it out" is one of those precious little reasons why I have suggested for years that newbie riders grab an under powered little XR100 and buss around in a field and in sand,, learn to ride the back wheel even,, wayyy before they hit the highway.... Getting to trust that twist of the right grip just as much (maybe even more) is hard to describe but definitely worth the learning IMHO... GOOD POINT RABBIT!!

I PROMISE,, if you open your eyes and start speaking during an autopsy you are undergoing,,,,,, the Doc's WILL listen RADAR!! :rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

PERFECT,, glad the resize worked for us Hardy and WOWZY WOW WOW WOW,, SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!! Especially for a 1st time project build.. YOU are doing AWESOME there my friend!! Want a couple quick suggestions? Ok,, I will take your silence as a surely I do Puc:missingtooth: Thick wall water pipe does work good for getting angles and stuff as a prototype (I like using PVC as its easier to work with) but I have found the added weight does not fair to well with encouraging a long lasting seal at the heads and stuff.. Personally I would pull em and,, if nothing else,, grab some thin wall Conduit and mess around with it with a kicker (bender) and/or mandrel or piece of pipe and see if I could eliminate all the heavy stuff... What am saying ,,, let you figure it all out,, THAT is a HUGE part of the fun of building,,, my bad:happy34:!! YOU definitely got a future in accepting and enjoying the challenge of the build Hardy.. I compliment you and am THANKFUL for your willingness to share both in story and pics!! By the way,, concerning your garage, this is a bike forum/club,, not a garage/man cave competition club (at least the last time I checked)... I admire you for posting the pics of the real deal action taking place with no regard for covering up a busy minded gearhead mess!! No need for any form of apologizing about that IMHO !! VERY IMPRESSIVE BUILD YA GOT HAPPENING THERE MY FRIEND!! Build it like ya see it in your minds eye = THAT is what its all about :guitarist 2::banana::guitarist 2:

and NEVER dont EVER have an autopsy done either!! I gotta daughter who is a Pathologist and can tell you,, what happens during the dismantling of a body donated to science is NOTHING compared to what goes on behind the closed doors of Dr. doing an autopsy with all those freshly sharpened cutting instruments, Hammers and chizles cut loose to dismantle things

If I was 20 years younger, pre Broken Back, Dupentrens, Pace Maker, Cancer and Brain fluid leakage,,, I would buy that puppy,, sell our house and Tip and I would become highway Desparado's... That sweetheart DEFINITELY wreeks of adVentures just waiting to happen!!

Yip,, still following! I use "Paint" to resize my pics for club pics.. Just resize to 1000 pix's max and resave. Never an issue with them once thats done... Keep up the good work Hardy!! Fun project and enjoying your adVenture!! Puc

I would do this:

Personally I think that price point would be about average.. I think if I were in the market for one I would do some dickering,, maybe offer 7 grand cash (U.S.) with the offer of the 8 grand asking IF the dealership popped the lids on the carbs and stuck in new OEM slides and diaphrams so I knew I was starting off with new and some new brake pads all the way around.. That would also hinge on my personal inspection prior to them tossing $$'s at the scoot to start the process.. Actually though, I would do a TON of research in looking for a brand new left over carrying the 5 year warranty. I know for a fact that the left over RSV's have been known to bring 10ish.. It's always the same game though,, ya gotta do the research to find em. Bottom line is the market is saturated and there are lots of deals to be had for those who are still able to ride.. I even heard about a person recently who picked up a brand new left over 2018 SVTC for just over 18 grand = talk about a steal! Not sure what the process is or the xtra taxes that would have to be paid if your friend bought one State side and rode it home Retired but I know others have done it. Being able to do so may or may not be prudent $$ wise but it sure would widen the prospects of finding a new left over = TONS of great deals happening here in the States and with riding season coming to a close it's only gonna get better for the savvy buyer with cash in hand,, IMHO of course! Best wishes to your buddy on getting what he wants!! Puc

:sign yeah that: Which one of your scoots were you on Corporal Newkirk and why did you adjust the steer bearings in the first place (have issues pre-adjustment? When dealing with steer bearing issues thru the years at the shop, it was amazing how many times bikes came in with those neck bearings overtightened and to tight of bearings always seemed to produce similar results to those you describe - especially on Bat Wing (fork mounted) scoots where cross winds create more erratic fork movement that require subtle constant corrective input from the rider. If to tight (or notched/shot bearings) those subtle corrections can easily become over corrections leading to the "death wobble".. Similar results can happen, IMHO, from worn fork bushings which allow for movement that create similar subtle corrective action. I had a Honda 1100F (cool scoot) that I picked up for a couple hundred bucks cause its death wobble scared the PO so bad he was ready to junk the bike as he had deemed it unridable as even the dealerships couldn't figure out what was going on with its steering.. 105ish (bike was easily a 12 second machine,, minus the steer issues of course) and the death wobble would occur.. Ended up being the fork bushings.. By the way,, that scoot came stock with a small fork mounted bullet fairing on it and even just that little fairing was enough to cause those subtle movements I am speaking of. If you have not done so, and the scoot was not doing the death wobble pre-adjustment,, I would back the torque nut on the steer bearings off, feeling for "notchiness" as you reset. I have successfully used the zip-tie on bar end/digital fish scale method for setting steer bearings thru the years,, not sure if thats what you are doing? On frame mounted fairing scoots like sport bikes (think Maggie my R1) all the up to full touring scoots like Tweeks (or your 1st Gen) I set to 4 pounds,, fork mounted scoots I go with 2 pound break at the scale as they always seemed more sensitive to over torque. There,, my share of suggestive response to = "any have any suggestions"

Would LOVE to but our Wedding Anniversary falls right in that time zone and our kids have something cooking and I am under strict orders to not make any plans for mid to the end of September.. You lop eared VR Kanuckian riders and friends varmints have fun out there!!

Heyyyy,, I remember those flying the flag pole at MD,,,, never knew they was undies,, I always thought it was one of our VR flags, flying full mast = ice cream for all,, flying half mast = ice cream only available for precision ice creamers,, no flag = no ice cream available....

These days are difficult for sure.. Thanks for posting Mastergun's departure in a more permanent location too Boss, this is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you Mastergun for being here with good, solid wisdom advice during a difficult time! There is so much involved with keeping our club healthy, friendly and alive and doing so is often a "behind the scenes", thankless job that takes sincere and clear thinking,, that was you my brother = THANK YOU! May you rest in peace after serving your country and brothers in country so well!! Prayer Up and the most sincere of condolences to your family and friends as they/we work through this time of grief.. RIP my friend!