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Messages - darrsi
Pages: 1 ... 361 362 [363] 364 365 ... 426
9051
« on: 20 May 2013, 10:06:06 pm »
It does raise the bike but it's not ridiculous, but it's helpful if you're taller.
9052
« on: 20 May 2013, 10:02:36 pm »
It ain't that shiny at the moment, waiting for time and weather, wanna spray the engine  Depending on how much you raise it the main issues are the stands. Bike will lean a lot on the side stand, and rear wheel will barely clear the floor on centre stand. Side stand can be an issue in very hot weather(  ) on tarmac or soft ground.
9053
« on: 20 May 2013, 09:34:21 pm »
Judging by the lack of response, i'm guessing that cutting corners is not the greatest idea?
9054
« on: 20 May 2013, 09:32:06 pm »
Turns into corners a lot easier.
Standard are 140mm, you need less mm to raise the bike.
9055
« on: 20 May 2013, 06:47:27 am »
First guess would have to be cam chain rattle?
9056
« on: 20 May 2013, 06:44:06 am »
TYRES! Tyres first. Check. Which tyre you're using at the rear? Model and year of production?
Make sure you mount a decend, grippy sport (or sport-touring) model, under 5 years of age, at 2.2 bars cold. Give it a try. If it's still floating, then change/rebuild the shock.
P.S. Oh, the rebound damping on the OEM shock is good for about half the preload. If you make it firmer, it gets bouncier than it should. That's the case on mine and 2 mates fazers at least. Or the shocks are past their best.
2.2 bar is 32psi, that's way off for the rear and would actually add to a floaty feeling???
9057
« on: 20 May 2013, 12:01:32 am »
anarch try some 99 octane fuel, I noticed an improvement when I had this woe.
He should be able to run on any fuel, higher octane will just make things a bit nippier.
9058
« on: 19 May 2013, 11:55:04 pm »
My little bit of advice would be rather than going from A to B on a short journey in the rain, go out and stay out in it for a while. I used to get called into London quite often to go to film sets and had to get there as quick as possible. Riding in the centre of London is traumatic enough anyway, but add rain in the mix and it all becomes a bit manic. But i find that once you're out in the rain for quite a while you actually tend to forget about it, and i find myself riding the bike much more aggressively by the time i get back than when i first started out. Saying that, it still falls back again on having tyres that you trust in the wet. If you have little faith in your tyres then you will become rigid when riding, rather than relaxed, and it will make for a very uncomfortable journey every time you go out in the rain and lean the bike, and you really don't want that at all. It's all about having a good feeling and rapport with the bike and the road, and the only way to learn that is by getting out there and practising! 
9059
« on: 18 May 2013, 10:10:55 am »
Whilst we are on the subject, where do you find the paint code on the bike?
Cheers Mark
On frame under the seat apparently! http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php?topic=34.0
9060
« on: 17 May 2013, 07:41:14 pm »
My bike's black which i really like, BUT, what a bastard to keep clean......
9061
« on: 17 May 2013, 07:15:51 pm »
There's no visible cracks or anything in the photo's though.
They just may not be that good in the wet, compared to later tyres?
I have very little riding experience and don't know what to expect from tyres or what result any changes would make. I have read that tyres over 4 years old are probably a bit old and wondered if, in that case, 12 year old tyres would be as hard as an old school eraser.
The tyres are in good condition with micro fractures in the tyre but no substantial wear and tear.
I was considering getting some BT23's or Roadpilot 3's. I'll send Bigsteve a message to ask if he can help inform as we talked about it at the Birm meet a while back.
You said you run a mixed pair, please can you spill the beans on your combo ?
Cheers
For the last few years i've always had a Metzeler M1(discontinued now i think?) up front and a Bridgestone BT021 on the rear, and they have served me extremely well in the dry and much more importantly in the wet too. But then my bike is mainly used for commuting so they work brilliant for me, but i believe Punkstig is a courier so i can only imagine his style of riding is a tad different from mine (  ) and he will also do a hell of a lot more mileage in constant shitty weather, so if he says the Pilots are the real deal then i have absolutely no reason to disbelieve him!! The only thing i will say is if you're gonna pay more money for the top range of tyres then be prepared to stick with them, because if you decide you're a bit short of cash one day when you're in need of new tyres and you decide to save a few quid by downgrading then you will be bitterly disappointed! Some tyres are more expensive for a reason, they simply do the job better.
9062
« on: 17 May 2013, 05:23:59 pm »
There's no visible cracks or anything in the photo's though.
They just may not be that good in the wet, compared to later tyres?
9063
« on: 17 May 2013, 05:16:09 pm »
What are we looking at exactly?
9064
« on: 17 May 2013, 04:13:31 pm »
you are going to hit rain , fog , hail at some time on your journies regardless what the bastard weather man says ( weather girls prettier so carefull not to fall prey to that also ) ... gald you got in there and glad you made it but .. try hail on the M5 and think its smart not to bother with waterproofs as its sunny arrrr ... cold nuts comes to mind ... meanwhile GF on back was pre waterproofed ...not a lot you can do when on the move
Ha ha, yes, hailstones are probably the most fun of all I mean, what idiot sits down when getting pelted by iced marbles, then tries riding over them? It sounds funny, but it really isn't.......
9065
« on: 17 May 2013, 02:09:22 pm »
Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod 
I hope his textiles are in good condition. Yesterday it was 50/50 which worried me the most; falling off or getting soaked through.
He hardly used the bike all the time he was there, but he has all the clothing so he should be okay.
I gave him a Vee Wipe about a year ago so hopefully he's using that this time?
When he bought the bike his first main ride was to Germany, and it pissed down on him then as well. 
It wasn't the ideal introduction to biking, but looking on the bright side, it can only get better for him!
Er....
That's what I thought after 4 hrs in torrential rain on French motorways on my 125, and all my gear leaked.
Then I did 4 hrs and 100 miles on the Fazer through driving snow, and all my gear leaked again! The snow was MUCH worse. Colder, worse visibilty, and the INSIDE of my glasses fogged up. Appropriately, I was singing "Bat out of hell" to keep my spirits up on the last stretch up the A1. Appropriately, as I was blind as one!!
I must confess, i don't miss the steamy glasses scenario, i had my eyes lasered years ago to combat that one, best decision ever. I remember fog being particularly bad as well. Fog inside your glasses, ouside your glasses, inside the lid and fog outside too. Game over basically! 
9066
« on: 17 May 2013, 01:43:24 pm »
Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod
I hope his textiles are in good condition. Yesterday it was 50/50 which worried me the most; falling off or getting soaked through.
He hardly used the bike all the time he was there, but he has all the clothing so he should be okay. I gave him a Vee Wipe about a year ago so hopefully he's using that this time? When he bought the bike his first main ride was to Germany, and it pissed down on him then as well. It wasn't the ideal introduction to biking, but looking on the bright side, it can only get better for him!
9067
« on: 17 May 2013, 01:18:17 pm »
Headlights are H1 & H4
9068
« on: 17 May 2013, 01:16:28 pm »
Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike). He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod
9069
« on: 17 May 2013, 11:04:07 am »
9070
« on: 17 May 2013, 10:30:04 am »
I never have matched tyres, it's just a matter of personal choice.
As far as the older tyre is concerned, i'd say as long as there isn't any visible degradation, as in cracks, then it should be fine.
9071
« on: 16 May 2013, 10:48:52 pm »
@Punkstig, i would've said there's a bit of The Birdie Song in there, as well as the Funky Chicken!
9072
« on: 16 May 2013, 10:35:29 pm »
No idea exactly. I have to go round tomorrow to pay him (he shut the shop by the time I came back from the test ride), so I'll pick his brains then and report back.
I reckon when you go back you'll find it all boarded up and that it never was a bike shop, it was all just a dream
9073
« on: 16 May 2013, 10:33:01 pm »
After riding a while in bad weather you'll totally understand why there is so much talk about tyres that perform well in wet conditions. Some tyres completely outperform others in the wet, and if you are like me and ride all year round, with the bike being my only transport, then you can appreciate that sliding even just a bit is not an option that i want. This is the whole reason i've stuck with the same tyre combo time and again, which are different brands front and rear, because i have confidence in them when it's raining. You lose that confidence and it will spoil riding the bike and make you a nervous wreck, clinging on for dear life, and going round bends upright at 10mph. 
9074
« on: 16 May 2013, 09:37:04 pm »
Yeah, i'm a bit lost too?  The only thing to grease is the in the wheel hub around where the lugs slot in place.
9075
« on: 16 May 2013, 04:44:25 pm »
Make sure it's 99+% and not the 70% one, otherwise you'll be adding 30% water into the tank!!
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