Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/37439-davemosstuning Kiwi Biker - New Zealand motorcycle community en Sun, 10 May 2026 13:47:19 GMT vBulletin 20 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/images/BP-Brown/misc/rss.jpg Kiwi Biker forums - Blogs - davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/blog.php/37439-davemosstuning NZ tour dates revised 10th Feb 2014 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2875-NZ-tour-dates-revised-10th-Feb-2014 Sun, 09 Feb 2014 21:38:59 GMT Please follow the link to the latest event listings. http://feelthetrack.com/2014-schedule-calendar/new-zealand-tour-dates/ Look forward to helping many riders gain a lot of knowledge and become better riders as a result. Please follow the link to the latest event listings.

http://feelthetrack.com/2014-schedul...nd-tour-dates/

Look forward to helping many riders gain a lot of knowledge and become better riders as a result. ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2875-NZ-tour-dates-revised-10th-Feb-2014 Dave Moss 2014 Tour dates in NZ - updates Jan 13th https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2863-Dave-Moss-2014-Tour-dates-in-NZ-updates-Jan-13th Thu, 09 Jan 2014 02:28:38 GMT As of January 13th, this is the itinerary as it stands and there have been changes since the Jan 9th posting. This is subject to change but there will be only a couple of changes potentially made. Scroll to the bottom for Auckland information. ... As of January 13th, this is the itinerary as it stands and there have been changes since the Jan 9th posting. This is subject to change but there will be only a couple of changes potentially made. Scroll to the bottom for Auckland information.

http://feelthetrack.com/2014-schedul...nd-tour-dates/ ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2863-Dave-Moss-2014-Tour-dates-in-NZ-updates-Jan-13th 2014 dave Moss Tuning Tour of NZ https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2855-2014-dave-Moss-Tuning-Tour-of-NZ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 04:00:34 GMT The tour starts Jan 25th and ends March 3rd. There will be classes and seminars in several NZ cities including both Islands during this time span. Most of those events are already set.

If you are nterested in hosting an event with your club, track day friends or race group? Contact "Super Sonic" on the forum or email him at sshbneilson@gmail.com

We are also looking at putting on our own track school for suspension tuning skills, and the same school but a lot more complicated for racing. Venues may be Taupo or Mansfeild - yet to be determined. Want to know what is involved? Go here:

http://feelthetrack.com/2012-schedul...ension-school/

I'm very excited to return to help hundreds more riders and help them understand more about parts and servicing intervals, springs and valving, geometry and ergonomics and stock components compared to after market offerings. ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2855-2014-dave-Moss-Tuning-Tour-of-NZ iPhone app launched https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2838-iPhone-app-launched Sat, 02 Nov 2013 18:55:50 GMT It is with great pride that I can announce that we now have a Dave Moss Tuning phone app. It has been developed over the last few months with an enormous amount of work by several people to get the app to this stage. This is just the start, and over the next several months, content will be added on... It is with great pride that I can announce that we now have a Dave Moss Tuning phone app. It has been developed over the last few months with an enormous amount of work by several people to get the app to this stage. This is just the start, and over the next several months, content will be added on almost a daily basis and then weekly thereafter for years to come.


It will really help further my mission in helping riders all over the world in our sport, creating more safety through understanding, better set up motorcycles that respond much more positively in a crisis situation and ultimately save lives on a daily basis (which is why I started my journey in the first place). You can be an integral part of that mission by sharing this news..

The app features text, podcast and video instantly on demand.

You need to have an iTunes account to view the app, so please follow this link (Android app will follow due course):

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dm-tuning/id689770596

I sincerely appreciate your support and I am very grateful for it!
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]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2838-iPhone-app-launched Tire tec day 5 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2764-Tire-tec-day-5 Mon, 13 May 2013 15:57:17 GMT PLEASE CUT AND PASTE THE ENTIRE POST! This will be the last posting for the week on this topic. It has been a very comprehensive coverage of the basics without getting too technical, but sufficiently detailed to allow you to take this technical knowledge with you to your street, track or race... PLEASE CUT AND PASTE THE ENTIRE POST!

This will be the last posting for the week on this topic. It has been a very comprehensive coverage of the basics without getting too technical, but sufficiently detailed to allow you to take this technical knowledge with you to your street, track or race bike. A personal thank you to everyone that took the time and good conscience to cut and paste the information into forums globally for the benefit of our community at large, so here’s the last one for you to copy and paste. Realize there is a lot more documentation and a wealth of video at my www.feelthetrack.com and come back every week to my Facebook page: davemosstuning so that the learning can continue and you can debate and answer the Friday questions.

Whenever I go through this exercise be it a seminar, tuning event, track day or race weekend, I challenge all those riders that receive my help to find another that needs it and to pass on what they learned. There are millions of riders that need this help so if we all find one rider, then that rider finds another, slowly but surely you can help me fulfill my daily mission to educate our community and save lives!

Consider yourself challenged with the gauntlet thrown down – go find a rider that needs the help and pass the challenge on! And ……. there’s one more request at the end of the article!

Day 5: Assessing tire wear.

By now you have realized that tires are a key element in chassis and suspension tuning, and from that perspective lets see how tires help us recognize wear patterns that can guide us to the correct chassis or suspension solution.

For street riding, it is very unusual to see poor tire wear based on poor tire pressure. The most common is the ubiquitous ‘flat spot’ on the rear followed by the one side worn out more than the other on a front tire, also from low pressure and crowning of the road. It may be the left or the right side, depending on which side of the road you are forced to drive on in your country!

More commonly with street tires, wear patterns reflect suspension set up most noticeably with rebound damping. Lets start with the rear tire as that is the easiest to look at. When you follow the direction of rotation of the tire and on the outside edge of the tire, you will see the first or leading edge of the tread/sipe rounded down or gone completely. Why?

Lets break this down:
- you are braking and turning, so given weight transfer, where is the chassis load being placed?
- that being said, how much load is on the rear tire?
- if there’s a limited load on the rear tire, how much load is on the rear shock?
- given this load, how does the tire react to every little surface irregularity?
- are you seeing why the leading sipe is wearing down so fast?
- think about deflection and flex (there’s a groove behind the first edge)

If you move further toward the middle of the tire, you might notice that this rounding effect switches sides and moves to the rear edge of the sipe. ??!!??

Go on – go look at your rear tire to see if this is the case…… yes, now

In the middle 2/3rds or perhaps ¾ of the carcass you have control of the rear tire via the throttle, therefore the rear tire and rear shock are under load. What degree of load depends on many factors (tire pressure, shock settings, gearing, torque, peak power, throttle position and roll on, 1 or 2 passengers, rear axle location etc). With this load on the swing arm, shock and tire, the carcass flex will be completely different in every aspect from braking and turning.

With that being said, on the outside edge of the tire under braking and turning, how fast is the tire reacting to every bump it encounters. When loaded, is that reaction speed different? Why?

Welcome to the world of high and low speed damping, all managed via piston design, flow rates, valving shims and oil viscosity. That’s why suspension experts and companies take so much time with this level of engineering to provide you with better alternatives to stock components but we cannot digress in this post.

You will see in EVERY stock motorcycle this form of tire wear. Don’t bitch about it – you get an enormous amount of engineering in modern bikes – learn how to tune the suspension to optimize the tire wear.

NOTE:
You only tune the tire where you have control of it via the throttle or brakes as you have no control over high speed damping!

Track and race DOT and slick tires:
Because these tires are subjected to a significant amount of load well above and beyond street bikes, these tires tend to show you all kinds of wear patterns in very short order ie: 5 laps/10-15 miles (bear in mind that they are meant to last a few hundred miles, not thousands!).

With DOT race tires, you can see the above sipe rebound markings clear as day, so you can make corrections to rebound damping to a degree, but it will never be perfect. Why not – we are not binary robots that do the same things every lap in every detail. Good luck on that quest…….

Here are the most common wear patterns that I deal with!

Should you get the hot pressure wrong, you will experience two things:
- when the pressure gain is 3psi or less or the carcass is at 120F, the carcass cannot get to operating temps so it tears itself apart creating the classic “cold tear

When the pressure gain is 8psi or more and the carcass is over 200F the carcass is over heating creating the classic “hot tear” This is very easy to diagnose with a pyrometer probe and less accurate with a pressure gauge.

You have to let the tire go cold and reset the cold pressure, then start over, or you stay in the hot pit chasing carcass temps for far too long!

Do you have the right compound?
If you have the wrong compound it will tear itself apart in 3 sessions, so do your homework and contact the tire vendors that frequently travel to that track to get their advice. They don’t want to ruin their reputation by selling you the wrong tire – they want you to have a great experience on their product so you will buy it again. Phone call, email, local racer comments – research them all.

Track temperatures and compounds
You have to understand by brand why each compound has a heat range that it works best with. For the most part, soft tires need hot track temps of 100-120F or more. If those temps are not present, DO NOT use that tire. A medium range compound tire is much more durable and will generally work much better in the 50-80F range. Obviously hard tires need heat but they have only so much grip as they are meant to be endurance type tires capable of sustaining 1-2 hours of track speed so that carcass has a design principle embedded into its construction. Does every tire work the same way in each brand? No it does not. Ask you vendor, top club or national racers, or other riders that know this information.

Tire carcass designs change regularly so what was true one year is upside down the next.

Geometry:
If there’s too much or too little weight bias on the rear tire you will get a band of wear that resembles a cold tear. Your pyrometer probe will give you immediate clues as to why the tear is there. Too little heat, the rear end is too high – too much heat there’s too much weight on the tire. Remember, nothing is black and white, so you need to recheck sag and hydraulic settings!

If the edge of the front tire looks like it lost the fight to a cheese grater, you have a geometry tear from too much or too little weight on the tire. Your pyrometer probe will give you immediate clues as to why the tear is there. Too little heat, the front end is too high – too much heat there’s too much weight on the tire. Again, remember that nothing is black and white, so you need to recheck sag and hydraulic settings!

Ustream shows:
Tires: - http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6189441
Tire wear:- http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6516891

At the start of the week, I said I would ask for donations for all the information I provided to you based on experience I gained from 1995 through a lot of hard work. This is the way I make my living and I know that for everyone that read these posts, there was some very useful information to them that can save them hundreds if not more on tire bills alone, never mind improving the handling of the bike.

It seems fair to me to ask for $5 from anyone that found this information useful and helpful. The donation can be made via PayPal using catalyst_moss@yahoo.com and please mention Tire Tech in the message box. If you’d like to give more, that would be appreciated but this is an individual choice. If you don’t have PayPal you will have a friend or fellow rider that does!

My sincere thanks in advance to all those who donate(d). The revenue will allow me to keep going, produce more videos and tech articles for our community and continue on my quest to help every rider out there.

FRIDAY QUESTION
Please share with the forums and web sites you placed the tire tech on so everyone can debate this and come up with their solution.

You have bought tires that have a stiff sidewall but soft carcass top to the tire with the same size as the ones you removed. These will be going on your street bike that also doubles as a track time at times throughout your riding season. Organize this list into the correct sequence of events:

1. Fork height
2. Setting sag
3. Cold tire pressure
4. Chain tension
5. Shock length
6. Adjusting hydraulics
7. Hot tire pressures
8. Track geometry amendment
9. Circumference measurement
10. Track hot pressures ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2764-Tire-tec-day-5 Tire tech day 4 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2763-Tire-tech-day-4 Mon, 13 May 2013 15:55:55 GMT Day 4: tire pressure affecting chassis balance

No need to preach about carcass temps but let's take a closer look at the effects of pressure on the carcass. The cold pressure will ideally grow 5-7psi while on the track or 3-5psi on the street. What does that growth do to the contact patch size? How does that affect rake and trail and weight transfer?

Small bikes (GP250, 400, 650 twins) use very high corner speed and therefore load the outside and sidewall tire heavily throughout the corner.
600's use heavier trail braking going in and high corner speed.
1000's brake hard going in, minimize mid corner and hammer the throttle going out.
All of this behavior radically changes the carcass shape and therefore air pressure is a vital factor in controlling sidewall and upper surface flex.

Generally you use more air in a soft carcass to maintain structural shape under heavy braking and acceleration, or you use less air pressure to increase the size of the contact patch and therefore tire surface and grip. Depending on the bike and riding style there are g-load needs to be met as well as braking and accelerating forces. What pressures are you running, but more importantly, WHY? Have you gone through a range of pressures to find the pressure that gets the right carcass heat range and gives you the correct carcass flex/stability you are looking for?

For example, in the previous generation Pirelli DSC1 DOT race tires I ran 38 hot front and 33 hot rear on my VFR400 race bike. That gave me the structural roll profile I needed going into the corner and the sidewall rigidity I wanted for very high speed mid corner stability. It took me 3 days of testing to get to that point but it took my lap times down to race pace and most important of all I was comfortable and trusted the tires. I got the tire to meet MY needs. Your needs may be completely different.

Why so high in the front? Let's look at this dynamically. Hard braking produces weight transfer, That loads the tire and creates carcass flex. If the sidewall flexes too much, two things happen:- you lose tire shape and therefore some degree of steering ability from the profile loss AND you lose rake and trail numbers substantially enhancing that loss of steering. Take a second to stop right here and visualize that in sequence as braking occurs.

We can manage brake pressure to deal with this, but should we have to do that on the street or track? If we do, the bike is managing us. That's very poor attention to this part of set up. The bike should do exactly what you want it to and that is why carcass flex/tire pressure is absolutely critical with soft carcass tires. How many street crashes are related to not checking tire pressure before going riding and the tire folding under braking? How about crashes on the track from poor/excessive tire wear at the track from incorrect pressure?

Stresses under acceleration are obviously very different by engine size, configuration and torque/peak power. Again sidewall flex has the same roll to play as does pressure in controlling flex. If the sidewall flexes too much, can you control you exit line from any corner street or track? Where will you ultimately go exiting a corner (and as a result, what do you do with the throttle?). Now stop reading, visualize that scenario step by step starting with brake release and throttle roll on.

Now add in weight transfer and the effect on the front end geometry.

As you have those mental frame by frame references in place, when you change brands of tires you need to understand what degree of flex you have to manage (this builds on yesterdays post) and therefore the tire pressure that YOU need.

We are all different riders in so many ways no matter what we ride, where we ride and how we ride, and tire carcasses are as different as we are. If you understand flex and pressure working together, you can tune the tire to get what YOU need out of it. That in and as of itself is priceless as we all know how small that contact patch is, so why not get the best out of it but more importantly, get the most out of the rest of the tire? ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2763-Tire-tech-day-4 Tire Tech day 3 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2762-Tire-Tech-day-3 Mon, 13 May 2013 15:55:04 GMT Day 3: Carcass dynamics Have you ever sat on the tire you are buying to see if the carcass will hold your body weight? Have you ever pushed on the tire to see how it will flex? Have you ever pulled on the sidewalls to see how much they will deflect? Have you ever measured the new tires... Day 3: Carcass dynamics

Have you ever sat on the tire you are buying to see if the carcass will hold your body weight?

Have you ever pushed on the tire to see how it will flex?

Have you ever pulled on the sidewalls to see how much they will deflect?

Have you ever measured the new tires circumference once it is fully inflated?

Have you ever mixed brands between front and rear tires?

Street/road tires
Are built generally for durability and therefore longevity. They are normally one compound across the entire upper surface. Tires are generally fairly robust in terms of carcass rigidity to meet those goals and pressures generally reflect that design. There are a range of pressures of course for obvious reasons: - compare at BT016 to an Avon Touring tire and it makes sense IF you feel the way the tire flexes.

Hypersport tires
Are constructed for a specific purpose and have hard carcass center and a softer outside edge of various measurements in width. That means the tire will flex one way with the hard center, then flex differently when on the side/softer compound. That creates different levels of flex and feel and as a rider you need to be prepared to experience that. Were you aware of this?

Track tires
Are built specifically for this purpose and are usually one compound across the upper surface. They come in several compound types from soft to endurance. Some have numbers, some have letters to designate the compound. All brands feature different carcass designs, so the feel from the tires will be dramatically different based on carcass rigidity, sidewall flex, pressures required etc. These tires can be DOT with sipes or slicks and therefore can offer very different levels of feel and flex based on the manufacturers carcass design.

So how many of you have spooned on a new set of tires, then gone off for a blast with no consideration for what you bought, how it feels/works and what the pressures need to be and with no consideration for geometry effects based on changed tire circumferences? #$%^&&$#^ !!!!!!!!!

Stop here and read these tire test reports and watch the videos. Everything that follows will be based on this material.

http://feelthetrack.com/testing-prog...0-tire-review/

http://feelthetrack.com/testing-prog...testing/761-2/

Tire circumference
If there was a 25mm difference in circumference just on the rear tire how would that affect the handling of the bike? Add in the difference on the front tire at 10mm, is the effect profound? Is it worth knowing this information BEFORE you take off and ride hard? If you don't know, the best result is you complain about the tires, the worst is you crash and have no idea why. In both instances you need a good slap across the back of the head or a derivitive thereof from your peers or what would be acceptable in your country! Not only did you massively increase your chances of being hurt but worse, you put others around you and on that road at risk. I'm heartily sick of this behavior because of the above. As the phrase goes "Free your mind" and start being much more serious in this area as of right now. It will make the bike handle much better and possibly save yours or anothers life.

If tire circumferences are drastically different, you can move the forks in the triple clamps/yokes to get some level of correction by raising or lowering the front end. if you are fortunate, you may be able to do the same to the rear end with shock ride height through spacers or shock adjustment.
Is there a mathematical formula that works every time? NO....... It's your bike and has to meet your needs, and the tires you put on will have a different roll profile, surface and sidewall flex so YOU have to experiment to find what you need. Yes, I know it is tedious, but trust me it is worth every second when you get to the pay back. Max grip, optimal wear. I'm just sayin'.......

Have you noticed that sipes/tread patterns on Hypersport and race DOT tires are getting smaller and never reach the edge of the tire? The design of these sipes is a critical engineering factor in controlling flex, so it is not a unique brand identifier designed by the marketing department!

Now think about wet weather riding with this sipe design - flaws? Spirited street and track riding - benefits? Brand differences - go look online!

DOT race tires have a significant amount of engineering put into this sipe design, so read up on why the sipes are the way they are. That will give you some hints as to how the tire will behave which can be matched to the carcass structure. Again, invaluable information.

Slicks offer the most amount of grip of all tires as there is no sipe pattern. If that is true, how does that impact the chassis and suspension on a track or race bike? Hint - read all the other tire tests I have posted at feelthetrack.com under product testing.......

This topic is the one I am most passionate about because the risk factor is so high especially for street/road/touring riders.

1. Feel the carcass of the tire you are buying
2. Measure the circumference when fully inflated
3. Store that data
4. Correct your chassis geometry based on the differences
5. Ride at 80% to feel the difference with that carcass
6. Find the cold or hot pressure you need
7. For track tires, that pressure is that day only
8. Stay with the same tire for a season or more!
9. If you change tires even within the same brand, start at 1 ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2762-Tire-Tech-day-3 Tire Tech day 2 https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2761-Tire-Tech-day-2 Mon, 13 May 2013 15:53:54 GMT Day 2: What do you use to inflate your tires? I figured that would create an instant emotional response to get your attention! Street riders will get air from anywhere usually. Track riders from the track day service provider and racers from either their own supply or from the race tire... Day 2: What do you use to inflate your tires?

I figured that would create an instant emotional response to get your attention!

Street riders will get air from anywhere usually. Track riders from the track day service provider and racers from either their own supply or from the race tire service brand provider at the event.

Air:
Has a percentage of water vapor in it naturally. When we get compressed air it may have a lot more water vapor in it. Why? The compressor will retain more and more water in it daily. If that compressor hasn't been emptied and dried in weeks there will be a lot of standing water in it. Think that's odd? Go to the local petrol/gas station and see how much water vapor runs out of the nozzle in spray form. That's what you are inflating your tires with.

Why is this a problem? Water vapor can produce pressure spikes of 10-12 psi when hot giving you a completely false reading. I've seen this at Nationals, Club racing etc so taking control of your air source is critical in making sure carcass temps are true readings not influenced by water vapor content.

Before you get air from a third party source, ask them when their compressor was last emptied out of air and drained completely. Ask them if they have a water separator in line and check to see how full it is. Finally blow air out of the nozzle to see how much water vapor is visually present.

Dry air:
Best source for that is a scuba diving shop. You need to buy your own tank and regulator, but the air is high quality for obvious reasons. Is it worth the investment? For the street, perhaps not. For track days and racing most certainly but that's an individual choice that everyone must make. The question of the moment is how quickly can the investment pay off? If you ruin a tire in 2 sessions at $300, it already paid for itself. The downside is that you have to check the tank regularly and top it off which means a little planning prior to the track day or race weekend.

Nitrogen:
Serious racers all use nitrogen as it is an inert gas. That means minimal pressure gains from cold to hot of 2-3psi. Right away you immediately ask the question "What pressure do I start with?" and that of course is all based on a slew of variables. The correct answer is based on pressure and carcass temps, so you have quite a bit of work to do in R&D to find out what pressure gets the carcass to correct temps for that rider, that day, that track time, that lap time, that tire carcass and compound.

Given what you learned here, how will you apply this knowledge? Is it worth the effort to make the investment of time, energy and some cash or are you happy to stay where you are with the system and or source you use?

Does it hurt to ask if the dealership or tire vendor if they emptied the compressor yesterday or this week? No it does not, and those who care do it regularly.

Tires are our biggest consumable item, so wouldn't it be worth the effort to get the best return on investment? Race tires last a couple of hundred miles/kilometers so for me, it is worth it all. Why? Optimal carcass temps give maximum grip and wear. My tire bill would be 5 times what it is now if I didn't take a few extra minutes to pay attention to the tire carcass temps and wear and all the tire test data at feelthetrack.com supports this.

Thanks for reading and pass this along by sharing to your rider groups, email lists and forums and our community will thank you for sharing!

If there's one post from this week that needs to be shared universally it is this one. With 5,000+ reads on the last post on Facebook at davemosstuning and 58 shares, perhaps we can up the percentage to 30% this time or more? We have a heavy street focus here, so that is by far the majority of riders in our community and the information here works for EVERY category of street bike. ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2761-Tire-Tech-day-2 Tire Talk https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2760-Tire-Talk Mon, 13 May 2013 15:51:48 GMT As this information is critical to ALL riders, please cut and paste all this information into forums, websites and rider groups that you belong to so we can make all riders safer. That's my mission and has been since 95, so every day I will be looking at the share numbers to see YOU are doing your bit for OUR community at large to save lives and reduce injuries.

Tire carcass heat:
As many of you posted from all over the world, you are all shooting in the dark on tire carcass heat from track to street to race etc. There is no data available from manufacturers as it is too hard a number to pin down. Why? We all ride differently, different road surfaces, temperatures, speed, ability, different power, geometry and on and on it goes...... So let's make this really basic and make things a little more complicated each day so that by the end of this week you can address any tire situation anywhere in the world with a logical approach founded on solid reasoning.

Street tires.
Street tire pressure is a balancing act between ability, longevity and grip. Budget no issue - low pressures for better grip. Need to make the tires last? Higher pressures for longevity. As a generalization that is a safe start. That being said, street tires have a working range where carcass heat is critical. As you cannot take a pyrometer probe with you and ride on the street at a consistent pace, it is impossible to judge carcass temps that way. If you resort to pressure, you should see a gain of 3-5psi on the street no matter what the brand or model of tire. That can indicate that the tire is getting warm and probably close to optimal carcass temps but you will need to ride 20 miles/35km to get the tire warm. Less gain and you have too much air, more and you started with too little.

Track tires.
You have an environment which is much more conducive to tire pyrometer probes to get accurate carcass temps. Why - you are at the track in a controlled environment and consistent pace and load can be maintained - critical to assess carcass temps. Should you do this first thing in the morning? No - you are cold, the bike is too as is the track. Wait until your 3rd session when the pace is good, smooth and consistent. These are your tires, your bike, your ability and your lap times so adjust for your needs not what someone else tells you!

That being said you HAVE to have the right compound for track temps and track surface, so don't complain when you get that wrong even though carcass temps are right!!!!!

Racing.
Track temps shifts rapidly with cloud cover and wind and that change can create a massive change in carcass heat. So during each practice session you should be checking carcass temps to see where they are after 4 laps if the above factors change. Don't shortcut this process. Track carcass and track temps with lap times so by the race, you can be 100% confident that the tire will be working at the correct temp to give you max grip and longevity!

That being said you HAVE to have the right compound for track temps and track surface and that can change rapidly so you should have 2 sets of wheels for this contingency and don't complain when you get that wrong even though carcass temps are right!!!!!

Infrared versus probe
Infrared gives you surface temps only, so it is perfect for measuring track temps. You can therefore understand that this type of tool only gives you surface temps of the tire that millisecond. Then it changes again and again - try it and stand by a tire and watch it cool down in the hot pits. If you are using this data all you are seeing is the absolute surface not the core, so you have a huge number of variables to cover to make this tool worthwhile.

The probe gets 4-5mm into the carcass and takes core temps which are far more important. If the core of the tire is at the right heat, so is the rest of it, throughout the entire tire. Watch any event, all major contenders and see that everyone has a tire probe checking carcass temps.

Here's an example of the probe I use (FYI: I have relationship with this company):

http://www.soloracer.com/pyrometer.html

SUMMARY:
Street riders should use pressure gain only as roads, conditions, traffic flow etc can cause incredible fluctuations in carcass temps.

No matter what you ride at the track and when racing the general rule of thumb is the carcass getting to somewhere around 170-200F from all the data we have in getting optimal heat into the carcass that stays there over the last 10 years from track side tuning. AGAIN - correct compound is critical otherwise you are wasting valuable time and very expensive tires.

There ends the sermon for day one. Everyone start sharing, ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2760-Tire-Talk Clean and adjust throttle cables https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2757-Clean-and-adjust-throttle-cables Sat, 11 May 2013 22:57:23 GMT CLEANING AND LUBING CABLES THOTTLE CABLES These cable ends are normally hidden inside the throttle housing for protection from the elements and are often coerced to move through gentle bends of metal tubing attached to the throttle housing and then inside the housing while attached to the... CLEANING AND LUBING CABLES


THOTTLE CABLES
These cable ends are normally hidden inside the throttle housing for protection from the elements and are often coerced to move through gentle bends of metal tubing attached to the throttle housing and then inside the housing while attached to the throttle tube. The push and pull throttle cables go through the same range of motion so in order to keep the movement smooth, you should regularly be lubing the cables and then cleaning them when it is time to relube them again. That includes the inside of the housing itself and throttle tube grooves that the cables sit in.

The cables themselves are strands wound together to create the cable just the same as cables in a suspension bridge. The finished cable itself when wound has no plastic sheath to protect it from the outer cable housing as it moves back and forth so we need to supply it with some form of lubrication. What products should you use?


First order of business is to remove all the free play from the throttle cables via the adjuster(s) close to the right handle bar. Then remove the screws from the throttle housing and open it up to disconnect the cables from the throttle tube (NOTE: you may not have enough free play to do this so you may have to detach the cables from the throttle bodies/carburetors). At this time, you clean off all grease and any debris from the throttle tube completely with parts cleaner. Inspect the throttle tube for distress from the cable in gouging fresh marks or grooves and inspect the cables for any fraying. Then clen the inside of the throttle housing and remove all dust and debris.

When the above tasks are completed attach the cable lube fitting to the end of one cable and lube the cable correctly. Don’t spend 30 seconds doing this and call it good. It will take several minutes to do the job right! A tell tale sign is that cable lube is dripping on the engine and then onto the floor. Not pretty I know but you know the job is done! Remove the cable fitting and place high temperature grease on the exposed ends of the cables.

Next, rebuild the throttle housing systematically making sure that the cables are routed correctly around or behind the right hand fork and that the barrel ends are correctly positioned in the throttle tube. Once the throttle housing has been bolted back together in the correct location on the handle bar, check the operation of the throttle. Make sure you don’t push forward to accelerate and make sure the throttle turns smoothly in both directions! Reinstall the housing screws and tighten to the correct torque and check the movement of the throttle one last time for a smooth opening and snap back.

Assured that the cables are installed correctly, now go to the cable adjusters and set the free play in the cable to your desired setting between zero throttle and actually pulling the cable to open up the throttle bodies/carbs.

NEVER start the bike until you have gone past this step!

Once done with this task, start the bike and let it idle. Move from lock to lock to make sure the idle doesn’t rise. If it does, gradually put more free play in the cable until the idle does not change from lock to lock. Once that has been done, tighten up the lock ring or nut on the cable(s) and the job is done. You will notice a huge difference!


The Author:
Dave Moss is the Founder of Catalyst Reaction and Host of OnTheThrottle video programming specializing in technical analysis and how too segments. He has been working with street, track and race riders and motorcycle suspension and chassis geometry since 1995 and has become an in industry internationally recognized authority in his field through his work with regard to testing and tuning. Dave is an avid rider and races with AFM in Northern California.


















CLUTCH CABLES
These cables are always exposed to the elements as the adjuster has an open groove in it to allow the cable to be fitted and removed. When the clutch lever is pulled back, the cable is further exposed to dust and grime so very frequent cleaning and lubing of this cable is critical – want to try limping home with no clutch cable. It’s not fun at all……..

The finished cable itself when wound has no plastic sheath to protect it from the outer cable housing as it moves back and forth so we need to supply it with some form of lubrication. What products should you use?

CYCLE GEAR LIST

To remove the clutch cable, loosen the lock ring if you have one and/or take out all the free play by turning the cable adjuster all the way into the perch clockwise and line the groove in the perch and adjuster so the cable can easily slide out. Next, remove the nut on the end of the bolt securing the lever to the perch and remove the bolt. Look to see if there is a key way or special position for the bolt to go back into as quite often they have a built in locking position. When you slide the clutch lever out of the perch take great care not to lose the brass bushing in the lever! Once the lever is free of the perch, remove the barrel end of the cable from the lever and set the lever down, putting the bolt and nut back into the lever so you don’t lose the bushing. With the cable now free, slide it through the perch/adjuster and free the cable completely from the perch.

As the cable is now exposed, carefully clean the grit and debris off the wire strands with a soft cloth and a degreaser but make sure no fluid or dirt drops into the cable housing. Also inspect both ends of the clutch cable for fraying or kinks carefully and if in doubt, replace it!

When the above tasks are completed attach the cable lube fitting to the end of the cable and lube the cable correctly. Don’t spend 30 seconds doing this and call it good. It will take several minutes to do the job right! A tell tale sign is that cable lube is dripping on the clutch cover and onto other engine parts. Not pretty I know but you know the job is done! Remove the cable fitting and place high temperature grease on the handle bar end of the cable.

Once that has been done, you need to put it all back together, so remove the bolt and nut from the lever. Then remove the bushing from the lever and grease it with high temp grease. Reinsert the bushing back into the lever and connect the barrel cable end into the lever. Make sure that the perch gap and adjuster gap are aligned and then insert the cable into the perch making sure that the cable sheath sits into the perch completely. Ease the cable into the perch and make sure the open side of the adjuster allows the cable to easily slide into it. You may have to encourage the lever back into the perch slightly but above all else, make sure the lever is correctly positioned and don’t force the perch bolt in. If you need force to do this, the clutch lever is not correctly positioned or the clutch cable is hung up! Insert the bolt correctly through the perch and lever making sure it is positioned right and put the nut back on the end of the bolt.

At this point, work the lever back and forth and watch the cable in the perch and adjuster – is it sliding smoothly. Come on, visually check it! If it doesn’t feel smooth something isn’t right. Recheck cable routing and lever position.

Once you are satisfied with the cable movement tighten the nut to the correct torque specification.

Now adjust the excessive free play out of the cable with the adjuster, and when you turn the adjuster make sure it doesn’t snag or grind up against the cable itself. Set the lever against the perch and then back the adjuster off clockwise to get 1-2mm of visual free play or air gap between the lever and perch. You need the expansion room for the cable and clutch getting hot, so err on the side of more free play. Once done if you have a lock ring on the adjuster, secure it in place against the perch so the adjuster cannot move.



The Author:
Dave Moss is the Founder of Catalyst Reaction and Host of OnTheThrottle video programming specializing in technical analysis and how too segments. He has been working with street, track and race riders and motorcycle suspension and chassis geometry since 1995 and has become an internationally recognized authority in his field through his work with regard to testing and tuning. Dave is an avid rider and races with AFM in Northern California and is the 2011 & 2012 450 Superbike Class Champion. For further information go to www.feelthetrack.com and Facebook: davemosstuning ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2757-Clean-and-adjust-throttle-cables Adjusting throttle cables https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2756-Adjusting-throttle-cables Sat, 11 May 2013 22:54:22 GMT • Adjust throttle cables Adjusting cables while somewhat simple in terms of mechanical tasks, is often not a simple operation when you look at all the adjustments. What? There’s more than one thing to adjust? Throttle cables: All bikes come with a push and pull throttle cable system. The... • Adjust throttle cables


Adjusting cables while somewhat simple in terms of mechanical tasks, is often not a simple operation when you look at all the adjustments. What? There’s more than one thing to adjust?

Throttle cables:
All bikes come with a push and pull throttle cable system. The pull is obvious to allow fuel to get to the engine in increasing amounts allowing the bike to accelerate by pulling the throttle grip counter clockwise. The push cable makes sure that the fuel decreases to slow the bike down and is also there for safety in that it mechanically forces the throttle bodies or carbs to reduce fuel into the cylinder.

At the throttle housing section on the bar sometimes both cables have adjustment, sometimes only one. The same applies on the throttle body or carb end too:- one or both have adjustment – so where do you start?

The most obvious place to start is at the bar end. Look at your cables and see which one has the adjustment. Normally you will see an exposed adjuster of a hex shaped cylinder and a lock nut or a nylon cylinder and lock ring. Other cables have a rubber sleeve hiding/protecting the adjuster


(pictures)


The first test is to use only finger and thumb and see how much free play you have in the throttle cables. Can you get an 1/8th or more of a turn? Is it more or less than that. You “feel” free play with very light movement. Therefore if there’s no movement, there’s no free play.

How much free play should there be? That’s a personal decision for each and every one of you. You can go from zero free play to a maximum of 1/8th of a turn. Any more than that and you are substantially increasing the amount of rotation the throttle grip (therefore your wrist) goes through!

Most throttle tubes range from a ¼ turn to a 1/3rd of a turn. The less rotation you have the quicker the fuel gets to the engine – so what amount of rotation do you have? Go on, get out to your bike and check it!

Welcome back – now you know what you have. Did you check for free play as well? Do you have adjusters at the bar end of the cable? What type? Yes you guessed it, get back out there to the bike………

Now you know what you have for rotation and free play which are essential in knowing what you are dealing with.

The adjusters at the bar end give you a limited range of adjustment. Like a chain, the cable will stretch over time hence the need to take up the evolving free play as the cable ages. Now go back to the adjuster(s), remove the lock ring or nut and move the adjuster to see which direction gives you more free play or less. Now that you understand how the mechanism works, move the adjuster until there is no free play in the cable, then back it off slightly. Remember, no more then an 1/8th of a turn of free play. Once you have decided on what feels best to you, lock the adjuster in position with the lock ring or nut. Sit on the bike, stand it upright and work the throttle back and forth – does it feel okay in terms of the amount of travel your wrist goes through? Would you like less rotation?. Put the bike back on the kickstand and take free play out of the cable. Go through the same process again until you are happy with the adjustment.

I can’t get all the free play out of the cable – HELP!

If that is the case, you are in for a lot more work. Sometimes the throttle bodies and cables are easy to access, other times you have to invest 2 to 3 hours to get the job done depending on where the cables are routed. If they are on the end of the throttle bodies or carbs, they are usually easily accessed. If they are in the middle, that normally requires removal of the tank, air box and electrical to get to the cables (ask CBR600 owners how much work this is!).

PICTURES

If you are going this far into the job you need to follow these steps:

1. Put the bar end cable adjusters at their minimum setting
2. Get an owners manual and follow the instructions precisely OR
3. Hold an impromptu social gathering and get concensus on the process going through 1 and 2 and get the job done

You can of course take the bike in to have a professional make the adjustments if the cables are hidden under the air box but honestly it isn’t that hard.

A word of warning here if you are going to do the job yourself.
When adjusting the cables on the throttle bodies/carbs you can over adjust leaving the slides open and fuel going into the engine rather than being fully closed. Once you have made the adjustment, there should be free play at the throttle. If there’s no free play, go back and adjust the cables until you have it!



DON’T MISS THIS CRITICAL STEP!
The acid test is firing up the bike – does it idle at the correct rpm? If you turn the bars to full lock left and right, does the idle remain the same? If the idle rises, the cables are too tight so start over. Don’t make exceptions and be lazy. Do the job right as the consequences are all very negative!

If you had the work done at a shop, perform this test before you pay for the work done.

How often should I check free play?
In general terms, every time you get on the bike. Why? A cable may start to fray (where the winding starts to break) and suddenly there’s more free play or notchy throttle operation. We should all spend 5 minutes checking the basics!




The Author:
Dave Moss is the Founder of Catalyst Reaction and Host of OnTheThrottle video programming specializing in technical analysis and how too segments. He has been working with street, track and race riders and motorcycle suspension and chassis geometry since 1995 and has become an internationally recognized authority in his field through his work with regard to testing and tuning. Dave is an avid rider and races with AFM in Northern California and is the 2011 & 12 450 Superbike Class Champion. For further information go to www.feelthetrack.com and Facebook: davemosstuning ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2756-Adjusting-throttle-cables Cleaning Clutch cables https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2755-Cleaning-Clutch-cables Sat, 11 May 2013 22:53:06 GMT CLEANING & LUBING CLUTCH CABLES



There’s a common misconception that this cable doesn’t need much in the way of cleaning and lubing. Nothing could be further from the truth! Like the throttle cables, this needs regular inspection and the use of cable lube and some high temp grease for the exposed cable ends as the steel cable runs inside an outer cable but it bends due to cable routing creating friction and wear internally and externally (especially on the perch end).

A binding cable means poor clutch action and shifting plus accelerated friction plate wear and that can create a very expensive and premature repair bill if you can’t do a clutch replacement yourself. To mitigate this you should lube the internally and externally cable every 6 months, and more frequently if the bike is a commuter.

Most clutch cables are secured in 2 places – at the lever with the barrel part of the cable fitting into a manufactured slot in the lever and at the engine end of the cable there are many different forms of fitting with some kind of a barrel or ball type fitting engineered to precisely fit the receiving hasp.

To start the job you need to remove all the free play from the clutch cable at the handlebar end. Make sure that the adjuster slot and the slot in the clutch perch align perfectly. Then remove the nut and bolt holding the lever to the perch and remove the lever from the perch. Once the lever is free, gently remove the barrel end of the cable from the lever and set the lever aside making sure that you don’t drop the bushing out of the lever!!!

NOTE:
If it is a struggle to get the cable loose enough, go to the clutch end and add free play to the cable there.

The cable end is now exposed so remove it from the perch via the open slot. Examine the cable end for any fraying or unwinding or bending and if you see that, replace the cable immediately (and lube the new cable before you install it!).

With the cable now upright, you can lube it. There are several lubes out there specifically for this task and there are a couple of fittings that attach to the head of the cable to assist should you want to use them. This is not a quick process so be prepared to spend 10-15 minutes to ensure you do the job correctly!

- you can slowly let lube drip through the cable until it runs out of the bottom of it
- you can wiggle the cable end up and down to help the lube travel inside faster
- you can detach the entire cable, hang it and do the same while manipulating the cable up and down to speed up the passage of lube throughout its length

If you choose to remove the cable, remember the cable routing from top to bottom and use pictures to record it accurately!

Once the cable leaks lube out of the bottom, your job is done. You can leave a rag in place for an hour or so to soak up excess or if your removed the cable let it drip dry.

Next task is to clean out the perch and cable adjuster housing so take it apart and clean it thoroughly. Once done, blow it out with compressed air. Then grease the cable adjuster threads and reinstall it into the perch. Run the adjuster all the way in and line up the slot with the perch slot.

As the perch and adjuster are ready, grease the exposed cable and barrel end and then remove the bushing from the lever and clean and grease it and the shouldered bolt.

If you removed the entire cable route it correctly and attach it at the clutch end correctly. If there’s a securing mechanism there like a tab for the cable end, finish the installation now and secure this end of the clutch cable. Then secure the cable into the clutch housing fitting and reset the lock nuts to the previous position or leave them loose for a final adjustment. Now you can move to the bar end.

Reintroduce the cable carefully through the slots and locate and seat the end of the cable housing in the adjuster. Making sure that the bushing is in the lever, attach the barrel end of the cable into the machined slot and set the cable through the lever slot. Now the lever is ready to reintroduce into the perch, and again check your lever bushing is in place. Work the lever into the perch until it sits in position and the bolt holes lines up perfectly with the perch and lever. Push the shouldered bolt through from the top and attach the nut to the threads underneath. Torque that nut now.

At this juncture, you are ready to adjust the free play correctly. For that process, read the article on adjusting the clutch cable – we don’t need to take your time up here with that.


The Author:
Dave Moss is the Founder of Catalyst Reaction and Host of OnTheThrottle video programming specializing in technical analysis and how too segments. He has been working with street, track and race riders and motorcycle suspension and chassis geometry since 1995 and has become an internationally recognized authority in his field through his work with regard to testing and tuning. Dave is an avid rider and races with AFM in Northern California and is the 2011 & 2012 450 Superbike Class Champion. For further information go to www.feelthetrack.com and Facebook: davemosstuning ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2755-Cleaning-Clutch-cables adjusting clutch cables https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2754-adjusting-clutch-cables Sat, 11 May 2013 22:52:21 GMT ADJUSTING CLUTCH CABLES There’s a common misconception that this cable doesn’t need much in the way of adjustment. Nothing could be further from the truth! Like the throttle cables, this needs regular inspection and adjustment, not to mention the occasional “love” with some lube and grease.... ADJUSTING CLUTCH CABLES



There’s a common misconception that this cable doesn’t need much in the way of adjustment. Nothing could be further from the truth! Like the throttle cables, this needs regular inspection and adjustment, not to mention the occasional “love” with some lube and grease. Poor adjustment means poor shifting plus accelerated friction plate wear and that can create a very expensive and premature repair bill if you can’t do a clutch replacement yourself.

Most clutch cables are adjusted in 2 places – at the lever with the clutch perch using some kind of slotted hollow bolt and locking nut or fixed knurled slotted ring against a spring plate. At the engine end of the cable there are many different forms of adjustment generally using one threaded length of bolt and two locking nuts to secure it in place once the adjustment is done.

In terms of correct adjustment at the lever you need to have free play in the cable of 1-2mm of daylight between the lever and the perch when you pull the lever back towards the bar taking up the free play. That ensures free play can be taken up once the clutch gets hot and that the length of pull on the clutch lever fully disengages the clutch to make up and down shifting eliminating any friction plate drag.

PICTURE OF THE CLUTCH ARM AND CABLE LOCK NUT LOCATION

Do you know what you have? Is the clutch cable visible at both ends? Is it only visible at the bar perch? Does it have adjustment at both ends? How much free play do you have now? Don’t know – then go out to the bike and take a look or pull out your owner or service manual to check! That means now……. vamoose….. go!

So,…….. what do you have that is visible for adjustments? How much free play is at the lever now? What can’t you see?

GETTING IT RIGHT
The first place to start is by making sure that the perch adjuster on the handle bar is all the way in by screwing it clockwise until it stops (if there is a lock ring, turn it counter clockwise until it bottoms out on the adjuster first). Now follow the cable and find the clutch arm – is it visible on the top or bottom of the clutch cover or hidden behind an inspection plate, sprocket cover or other cover? It isn’t always on the clutch side – it can be on the opposite side of the engine, hence asking you to follow the cable!

Once you have found it, how is the end of the clutch cable connected to the arm or mechanism? Does the arm or mechanism move freely and then stop? That will be the free play in the mechanism and it is there for a reason, so don’t take all of it out! Loosen the lock nut(s) and manipulate the threaded end of the clutch cable in both directions to get the desired free play in the cable at the clutch arm. Once you are happy with the setting snug the lock nut(s) and go to the clutch lever and see if there is any free play there. Is it the correct amount, more or none? No free play? Go back to the engine end of the cable and adjust the threaded piece again, then check the free play at the lever end. Once you have finished with the lever adjustment, secure the threaded part of the clutch cable by tightening the nut(s) on the engine end and set the gap on the clutch perch to the correct specs of 1-2mm.

PICTURE OF FREE PLAY AND ADJUSTER

Wait! You are not done yet…… don’t head to the kitchen for a sandwich and a cold one. We need just a few more minutes!

As always with any adjustment made, you need to check your work. Get your helmet on, put your bike in the street and put the bike in gear with the clutch lever pulled all the way to the bar. Does the bike sit perfectly still? Is it trying to creep forward? If it is creeping you have clutch drag so there’s not enough free play. Start over and retest. Once the bike sits in gear with the clutch fully disengaged consider this part of the job complete.

If you want to take a break do so.

There’s one more adjustment to work with that is often hidden and requires a service manual to 1. find it and 2. understand how to use it. The adjustment is “bite point” and it is really nice to have this because we all have different length fingers and almost all OEM clutch levers don’t have adjustability. Some of us like the bite point to be close to the bar, others in the middle, of the range and a few right at the end of lever travel.

The adjustment is normally a locking nut and bolt and is very quickly and simply done. It changes the free play between the clutch rod and the clutch itself and should be checked at least twice a year – even more regularly if this is your daily driver! The process is simple enough, but it might take quite a bit of work to get to the components.


The Author:
Dave Moss is the Founder of Catalyst Reaction and Host of OnTheThrottle video programming specializing in technical analysis and how too segments. He has been working with street, track and race riders and motorcycle suspension and chassis geometry since 1995 and has become an internationally recognized authority in his field through his work with regard to testing and tuning. Dave is an avid rider and races with AFM in Northern California and is the 2011 450 Superbike Class Champion. For further information go to www.feelthetrack.com and Facebook: davemosstuning ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2754-adjusting-clutch-cables adjusting chains https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2753-adjusting-chains Sat, 11 May 2013 22:50:45 GMT ADJUSTING A CHAIN There are several benefits of doing this on a regular basis: - chains can last up to 20,000 miles or more with street use - rear suspension action is constant and not impeded - ride quality is improved in all facets of the transmission shifting - the countershaft bearing is... ADJUSTING A CHAIN

There are several benefits of doing this on a regular basis:
- chains can last up to 20,000 miles or more with street use
- rear suspension action is constant and not impeded
- ride quality is improved in all facets of the transmission shifting
- the countershaft bearing is never stressed in the engine case

The most serious of these issues is the countershaft bearing. If a chain is too tight, the only thing that isn’t steel in the entire engine assembly are the engine cases in that area. Therefore a tight chain will seek out the weak spot and start pulling the steel output shaft bearing back into the case which results in destroyed engine cases and a used engine purchase (much cheaper than a full rebuild and new cases).

NOTE:
Now that the chain has been cleaned check it for overall condition:-
- do the bushings rattle
- are the links binding causing them so sit at odd angles to each other?
- can you pull the chain away from the rear sprocket?
- Is there a lot of side to side play in the chain under the swing arm?
- is the clip link on the master link?

If there are problems that are immediately obvious, is it better to replace the chain or leave it as is? Would you prefer the chain to break and suffer the consequences of that from being stranded to having a large hole in the engine crank cases? Chains in the grand scheme of amortized expenditure don’t cost a lot compared to tires and oil – so why wouldn’t you replace it?


At this juncture it is also very important to check the chain to see if there is a tight spot in it. This must be found before you start any chain adjustment. Why? The tight spot of the chain sets the chain tension, so you must use that point for the adjustment. Obviously if the chain is far too loose to compensate for the tight spot, you need to replace the chain. Keep the person on the bike and roll the rear wheel around half a turn at a time and check the entire chain starting at the master link to identify the tight spot and go from there.

In terms of adjustment, some are easy to assess. On most bikes you can lift the chain just behind the left rear set and you should be able to just touch the underside of the plastic guide that protects the swing arm without having to force the chain up against it. Not sure if you are forcing the chain? Sit someone on the bike the same weight as you (feet on the ground, hands off the bars) and check again. If the chain touches the guide easily, the chain is too loose. If not, then it needs to be adjusted.

Other bikes such as the Daytona 675 and Yamaha R6 don’t allow this test as the chain is a long way down below the swing arm, so you have to measure from the chains natural resting spot whether it will rise above and below by ¾ of an inch and that requires a tape measure and some accurate measuring. Tedious yes, but worth the effort!

If you need to adjust your chain tension, this does requires a great deal of time, observation and attention to detail – but you only need to make that level of commitment once. I NEVER trust the marks on any OEM swing arm so I make a point with every bike that is new to me to make sure I know that the rear wheel is perfectly straight and mark the swing arm to reflect that with a punch mark (nail polish etc will chip off over time). There are 3 ways to get this accomplished:

- use a rod type tool that fits in the hollow swing arm pivot and hollow rear axle. Set one side and then go to the other side of the bike and check the alignment. There are a few variables in terms of positioning, angle and view point but it should be close.
- Use Vernier calipers to measure the position of the front side of the axle blocks to the beginning of the cast swing arm slot. That measures the total distance of the adjusting bolts very accurately to make sure they are the same length.
- Personally I prefer to use the string line method so that I can get it perfect, but that is very time consuming.

Once completed you should mark the swing arm so you know that at that point the rear wheel is perfectly straight. Then you can adjust fore and aft with Vernier calipers knowing the rear wheel is perfectly aligned, or count the number of turns or faces of the adjusting bolt.

On single sided swing arms chain adjustment is in one way very simple with the concentric drum to reduce or increase chain tension. There are very specialized tools made for these drums so make sure you acquire the correct one and don’t forget to tighten the pinch bolt(s) once you are done to lock the drum in place! Make sure you also know which way to turn the drum to get the end result you need for tension or free play.

There’s no really easy way to assess the chain slack on a single sided swing arm is it runs almost immediately adjacent to the underside guide on the swing arm. I will always check the free play ABOVE the swing arm close to the frame as the chain can be lifted easily at that point. Again, sit someone on the bike and see if there is any free play in the chain. If it looks like a dirt bike chain, add some tension. If you can’t pull the chain up very easily, back it off a little.

One other note:- these drums have a high and a low spot so you need to know where you are in the arc. Take it to the lowest spot, detach the chain and move the drum to its highest spot. Mark the drum at for high and low ends of rotation so you can see where you are in the range. This is critical in regards to swing arm angle.

Be patient with this task – your engine cases will thank you, not to mention your tires, rear shock and your spine.

Video links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ljRtU-pjTk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGCmpHLdxB4



The Author:
Dave Moss is the Founder of Catalyst Reaction and Host of OnTheThrottle video programming specializing in technical analysis and how too segments. He has been working with street, track and race riders and motorcycle suspension and chassis geometry since 1995 and has become an internationally recognized authority in his field through his work with regard to testing and tuning. Dave is an avid rider and races with AFM in Northern California and is the 2011 & 2012 450 Superbike Class Champion. For further information go to www.feelthetrack.com and Facebook: davemosstuning ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2753-adjusting-chains Brake Fluid https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2720-Brake-Fluid Wed, 06 Mar 2013 18:03:28 GMT One of the common questions I asked all riders was for an interval on brake fluid changes. The norm seemed to be every 1-2 years for most road riders. Various intervals were given by track riders and racers like from very regularly to annually.

The follow up question on "How long is a bottle of brake fluid good for once the seal is broken?" again received a common answer of 30 days which is correct.

After 30 seconds of silence, puzzled looks and a little discomfort, the obvious question would come back to me - "Are you saying we should change brake fluid every 30 days?".

It's your bike - you choose.

I change my brake fluid every race weekend on the race bike. My track coaching bike is monthly. My street bike every 90 days. Why so frequently? How much do we depend on our front brakes? Depending on your braking technique the answer is 80-100% for all stopping power.

Rather than take up pages on brake fluid, read this link and come back:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fluid

The core of that article looks at native climates and DOT needs and also highlights the key point on brake fluid - dry versus wet boiling points. Do you really want the boiling point dropping by 200F or more with old wet fluid? How's that going to effect your braking distance and stopping performance?

Ever wonder why brakes get mushy after a while? Now you understand why as the brake fluid slowly gets diluted by water coming into the system. Ever seen white crud in the bottom of your master cylinder/reservoir?

If your bike calls for DOT4 on the cap use it. I've tried synthetic and it doesn't work as well so stay away from it on bikes. Way too spongy and no real stopping power compared to conventional fluid. There are all kinds of fluids out there so do some research and see what have the closest and highest dry and wet boiling points. Those products will change annually as new ones are launched, so don't get behind in your research!

That's the first part - the next is splitting the calipers. Many riders think just changing the fluid is enough. It's not - no where near enough. The brake fluid is polluted by brake dust, dirt and debris and water, all sitting inside the calipers growing as goo and sludge all the time. It is critical to split the calipers and pull out all the debris and muck and then polish the brake pistons as well as clean/lube or replace the dust and oil seals. If you have monoblock calipers, you'll need to remove the pistons and then flush the calipers with clean fluid and use lots air to blow all the excess grime and grit out. We wary of using paper towels etc as you may 'lose' some inside the caliper - not a god thing! How often should you do this?

That's right - it's your bike, you choose.

At all the classes I taught during the trip, the one thing I pushed more than anything is "community". Here's a great opportunity to get together and share the work load and cost and get brake fluid changed on multiple bikes at once. gather a group together and rotate the purchaser every 3 months so it all works out $$ wise.

Help each other become more knowledgeable and safer through that knowledge. ]]> davemosstuning https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/entry.php/2720-Brake-Fluid