R1evad

Quick ring my boss and tell him I`m due a raise

Thanks for the Big Up I Know a lot about a not much and not much about a lot more But you are all welcome, if it`s of any use

Right yu` bugger, try putting some air in your tyres. AVON`s UK site states 2.5F / 2.9R BAR for FJ1200`s Thats 36 / 42 psi in old money. Thats for standard 16 inch wheels with 120/80 (60w) Front and 150/80 (71w) Rear Now you have knocked the newness off your hoops, they are more prone to tramline on the slightly flatter central portion. So they still feel ok leant over, but are trying to centre themselves on the squarer mid line. Running a big bike like the FJ with lowish pressures means the tyres are less able to cope with the weight and as you come off the gas to roll down at higher speeds, the additional weight transfered to the front can produce low frequency occilations. The Police over here have had problems with Pan Europeans when fully loaded, and I know a couple of pan riders who swear by running an EXTRA couple of pounds in the front when it is cold to cure the same thing. Give it a go, go steady and see how she performs

That`s ok NEIL, Knowledge is of little use unless you pass it on, (lessons are extra ) What does it sound like with a few miles on the clock? I`ve got a "Chewbka" chain on the fireblade and can`t say i`ve ever really heard it. Mind you I am running a Scotoiler on that bike, so maybe that keeps it quiet. Amate of mine had a really noisy chain on his GSXR, turned out to be wheel alignment up the spout. we lazer`ed it and was a lot better afterwards. Are you absolutely sure you have the back wheel in straight, (don`t rely too much on the swingarm marks) and both sprockets facing the right way out. Cheers and good luck...Dave.R.

Do you normally stop the engine by turning the key, or usie the kill switch? You might have a dodgy contact in the kill switch which cures itself when agitated by flicking it a couple of times. Never had this on a Yam, but not uncommon on Suzy`s. It might be worth stripping the switch and cleaning it. When you put it back together use a smear of petrolium jelly on the connections to keep the British weather at bay. It might work and cannot do any ham if it doesn`t

Yeah, I`ve got FIVE relatives in "The force", not much good at getting parties started, but having regular visits (in uniform) to my house keeps the locals in check! Still funny all the same

Just use proper motoring products that are designed for the kind of plastics and metal finishes found on todays machinary. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT USE WASHING UP LIQUID It is about 20% SALT , so rubbing it in, or not rinsing off properly will cause more harm than good!

All seems ok then. If you have a 520 conversion the PITCH is the same, at 5/8 inch (still 116 links) it is the WIDTH that you have changed. Now 1/4 inch. The narrower the chain the less rolling resistance, as the rollers are narrower, and less weight being flung about, but the greater the wear as each roller a bot narrower has less surface to act on. Same with the teeth on the sprockets, as they are too, slightly narrower. To change the PITCH you would need to go DOWN a size 420 etc which is 1/2 inch pitch (more links for the same length of chain) Or UP a size Eg 620 = 3/4 inch, which means as each link is bigger, you need LESS links. The matching sprockets would have MORE TEETH, 420 or LESS TEETH 620 to retain the original gearing. You will robably find the Whine will lessen with age and mileage, till then keep earing the ear plugs!

last time I went ENGLAND to ESTONIA, it was ENGLAND FRANCE BELGIUM GERMANY POLAND LITHUANIA LATVIA ESTONIA

I know this is an obvious one, but did you lube it? and are you running enough slack? With the bike on a paddock stand you will need at least 25/30mm slack at the mid point of the lower run. Did you buy them all as a kit, or as individual items? Are you sure they are all the same pitch and width? Depending on the year of your bike the standard chain / sprocket / sizes are; 1999 / 2003: 532 16f 48r 2003 / 2005: 532 16f 48r 2006 / 2008: 525 16f 45r You must make sure all the bits you fit are of the same size. It is common to convert bikes to different chain sizes (usually for racing) so kits / parts are available for bikes like the R6 in 520 and 530 sizes aswell as the standard ones.

Will be me and the "Doris" on the CBR1000, and a bit of light luggage. already have EHIC`s for us and AA 5 Star for the bike, although come to think of it will have to renew that, and I think they only go up to 10 years old The bike is insured in Gibralter and has 365 days Fully comp "European" cover. So d`you reckon that`s all we will need then?

Its the same in Spain. All the road signs and town names are spelt two different ways, and they are ALL in foreign I spent an hour looking for JAVEA, only to find I was already in XABIA I stuck a flag in and claimed all the same You can get lost in two languages at once!

I`m planning a EUROPE wide tour later in the year and plan t be away for a month and a half (or so) A lot of the travel insurance companies want to charge a premium for riding abroad on bike over 125cc (some over 50cc) or specifically exclude cover for motorcycling. Anybody got any recomendations or companies they have used?

Agree with Paul Mc. (mind you with all the beatles royalties, are you that bovvered? ) The actual name of the "Road Fund Licence" is VEHICLE EXCISE DUTY which as you say is TAX pure and simple. When you work out out of each pound you earn or spend is tax it makes your head spin! Espesialy the TAX on TAX items like petrol, where vat is added to the duty paid price (I believe) My first job when at college (a couple of years ago ) was forecourt attendant at a BP station. We used to get the request "Four GALLONS of regular and 4 shots of RED X", and the customer would tender a POUND NOTE and often say KEEP THE CHANGE!! All those "tanners" used to add up at the end of the week! Bloody `ell I sound more like me Dad every day

IT GETS WORSE The whole idea of having a range of tax bands is to encourage the use of LESSER POLLUTING VEHICLES, or at least ones that produce a LOWER level of CO2 per Km traveled, (which as we all know is misguided at best and just wrong in the real world of applied science, just ask your local particle physicist) So on the basis that ALL CARS registered after 1st March 2001 that fall into the LESS than 100g CO2/ Km travelled are ZERO tax rated, why are us Bikers paying tax at up to £66 a year for machines that produce (on average) much less. Because Customs and Excise realised that nearly 2 MILLION bikes would have to go tax free if we were classified by the same rules!! this decision made, no doubt, by the same non elected civil servants who, when they realised diesel cars were becoming popular in the late eighties, decided to increase the tax on that fuel making the previously cheaper alternative to petrol progressively dearer until it is now THE most expensive fuel available at the pumps!! I wouldn`t mind so much if they put the money raised towards a better public transport network or some road repairs, hell even funding work into alternative fuel sources wouldn`t go amiss...............but when you read of all the "do goody" bol**X that goes on and the amount of red tape and social sponging we are all subsidising, it makes you want to vote.........Something altogether not quite cricket

Hi Scouser, are you sure its not your bike wanting to ride the other side of the road? (Are you Canadian in Liverpool, or a `pud in Canada?) Which of your three bikes is this happening to? Are your tyres worn evenly? is the front older/newer than the back? What Tyre pressures are you running? What are your head race bearings like? (Too tight can make the bike weave, Too loose will give jerkeyness and knocking under breaking) front wheel spindal clamps / axle bolt/nut secure? tightened in the correct sequence? Check rear wheel alignment. (Do not rely solely on the swingarm marks, use a straight edge and measure both sides) Is there any evidence your bike had a previous accident? Is this a new symptom come on suddenly, or has it got progressively worse over time? Have you got a steering damper fitted? is it adjustable, if so what happens at most and least damped settings? Are your tyres seated on the rims correctly and evenly all round and on boyh sides front and back? If you can answer all the above and get 10/10 go to the top of the class, You will probably have found something. Dont forget tyres aren`t the only things tat heat up as you ride. Wheel bearings, dive chain,brake discs etc all have an effect as they get hot / cool down so you need to check your whole bike over when its cold, do a ride, check it all again when its hot. could be a leaking fork leg with one side lower than the other, or a duff rear shock going all wonky when it gets warm. having said all tat it is probably a dodgy front tyre after all, so get some new ones on and forget all the rest

Young enough to learn, old enough to listen................You will do ok. Try to get along to your local BIKESAFE day. Dont let the fact its run by the old bill put you off. They just want to make sure they are not going to have to pick bits of you out of the railings in the near future. And don`t forget, getting to know your local traffic lads could be a licence saver and who you gonna call if your bike gets nicked The national day at Hendon was really good (last month)...I`m still picking up pointers and good ideas...After thirty+ years in the saddle If you feel like doing some track based training get in touch with HOPP RIDER TRAINING. They do proper fast, non hooligan training at Cadwell Park Most of us Ringjunkies have been once or twice and found it to be a most enjoyable and relaxed way to go fast and learn some realy god road riding skills at a controlled fully marshalled event. http://WWW.hoppridertraining.co.uk http://www.bikesafe.co.uk

I know where you`re coming from TTW. Next time you change try a set of Qualifier 209RR`s dual compound jobbies etc tried them on a new R6 and they are the DB`s on the road. Dry, damp diddnt make much difference. Dont know about fully wet use though, but by all accounts they just grip and grip. (still cannot beat Metz racetecs for pure track work though, just coz you can choose compounds) but K1F and K2R is good on really sunny days.

DO THE BRAKES, TYRES AND SUSPENSION FIRST! then get some advanced training. There is no point going trying faster till you have used up all the power you already have and are still finding an R6 sluggish But if you are going to fit one, it is best to get it done properly by an authorised DJ centre. I have seen many bikes that run far worse than standard after fitting one, when set up without a proper dyno session. If you are a fast road rider it is pretty pointless chasing a handfull of extra bhp at 13000 rpm, when even in the most experienced hand the bike will spend less than 5% of its life at full throttle. Most road riders benefit from a flatter and fatter TORQUE curve at more realistic revs 7 - 12,000. After all that is where you get most use accelerating up to and beyond 100mph ( on the Island m`lud) Trade top end for torque every time, unless your sirname is Toseland. Especially on a 600, where you will find yourself catching 750`s with ease. Unless they have done the same of course A sorted R6 is a match for most litre bikes on the road in the twisties, but you will never match the grunt of a full fat sportsbike in a straight line, so there is no shame in getting out gunned by your mates, you just stuff `em on the next bend when they are standing the buggers on their noses and bottling the apexes

In our street it`s. Q: Is he close enough for me to make it look like he shot himself in a struggle? A: Wait..................Yes. BANG. "Honey, have you got a hankie to wipe my prints off this.................

Don`t forget you can also check to see if a vehicle is taxed http://www.vehiclelicence.gov.uk/EvlPortal...?SKIN=directgov DVLA Vehicle Licensing Online | Home Does any one know how to check for an MOT?

Top Man Aced up. Just checked all my own bikes and one (of 3) Does NOT show , getting on to it now! Three out of 15 cars out in he street do not show, and one comes up mis described F`Fkssake..............20% Just shows the system is only as good as the muppet that typed the ifno in teh furts place!

Be very careful with tyre pressures. Lowering pressures reduces the weight carrying capability of a tyre (thats why most manufacturers have higher pressures recomended when fully loaded). The Standard tyre sizes for a `cat are 120/60 Z17 (55w) front and 160/60 Z17 (69w) rear. Pirelli, Metzeler, Michelin, Dunlop, Avon, and Bridgestone ALL Recommend 2.5 bar front 2.9 rear. Thats 36 / 42 psi in old money. If you have been running 32 / 34, I bet the front feels like its falling over on slow corners and the rear squirms coming out of bends hard on the gas. Try your current hoops on 36/42 and see how it feels, then ask your tyre fitter to recommend pressures for your new tyres. (do both with standard suspension settings, so you can tell the difference between tyre feel and dodgy set up) JUST A WORD OF WARNING. Because Tyre pressures are so important to the stability of a road going vehicle, Police vehicle and accident inspectors ALWAYS check them as well as tread and correct fitment. Incorrect tyre pressures are a contributory factor in a high % of road incidents where loss of control is an issue and it is possible to get "done" under construction and use legislation, especially if an accident is as a result. Reducing pressure DOES NOT increase grip, it LOWERS the bikes capacity to handle weight (race bikes are lighter and heat tyres more so run generally lower pressures). Reducing pressure DOES have an adverse effect on tyre sidewall deflection, especially on the front. For the road it is ALWAYS best to run standard pressures. It is the way the bike and tyre manufacturers designed them work best and is the safest and legal way to run on the road. This is not negative comments St.10, just the result of 30+ years of practice wearing bike tyres out!! (track and road)

I knew you`d be taking the p*55 out of the Irishman

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