Shirriffs and K Tech?

[proudwanker]

So did you pass this letter on to MNZ as a serious safety concern and request that everyone check their handlebars?

Very good point!

[worm13]

what brand are these clip ons? please dont say renthal, ive just brought a nice set

[Robert Taylor]

Its up to all personalities concerned to be totally honest about it all.

Yea sure does suck when people fabricate the truth especially to suit there own agenda's

Please elaborate.

[Robert Taylor]

So did you pass this letter on to MNZ as a serious safety concern and request that everyone check their handlebars?

That is a very good point. The letter was circulated to the distributor of the product who acted straight away. No Im not going to name the product, apart from this issue its an excellent product and when asked about the issue they didnt go into denial mode, as many would. The distributor also provides an excellent overall service within the industry and Im not going to bely a trust.Even the stock handlebar clamps have to be carefully torqued as the wall thickness of these forks is very marginal and the BPF design has a sliding ( rather than fixed ) bushing on the inner tube. When getting near to full closed position this sliding bushing encroaches into the distorted area of clamped fork tube.
As happened with Craig for a considerable period of time this ''squeezing'' was in no way apparent statically in the pits. But of course that cannot simulate race track loads and the further distortions that take place. It is notable that on the latest ZX10 BPF forks the position of the sliding bushing has been moved downwards by a sizable amount so that at full closed position the bushing never enters the area that can be ''squeezed''.
Forks that can be effected by handlebar clamping and distortion issues include CBR1000RR and GSXR600/ 750 1000 BPF type.Maybe some other makes / models. Several years ago Ohlins engineer Peter Goddard ( now Melandris crew chief ) came out and ran some suspension and bike setup schools. Handlebar clamping issues was one of many he spoke about.
Generally many racers are also to blame, often handlebar clamps ( especially stock ) have alignment divots that engage into a recess into the underside of the top triple clamp. So the position of the handlebars can only arc through a few degrees and it provides some degree of safety if the handlebars come loose. Racers often knock these off to arc to another position or where aftermarket clamps dont have these ( most ) they really swing on the lockbolts so that the handlebars wont come loose. Of course they are then seriously distorting the fork tubes out of shape.

[jellywrestler]

That is a very good point. The letter was circulated to the distributor of the product who acted straight away. No Im not going to name the product, apart from this issue its an excellent product and when asked about the issue they didnt go into denial mode, as many would. The distributor also provides an excellent overall service within the industry and Im not going to bely a trust.

If it's a SAFETY concern then a product recall would be in order, just like my Warehouse Wiggles adult Pyjamas with the sharp crutch stitching was.

[gixerracer]

Please elaborate.

No need.
NZ has a very small racing community and some people are in the know about what goes on and most of them cant keep screts which is pretty funny, if you are one of the people in the know ya know!

[Kevin G]

If it's a SAFETY concern then a product recall would be in order, just like my Warehouse Wiggles adult Pyjamas with the sharp crutch stitching was.

They were Vortex clip ons that I import and sell as Race Supplies Limited. When the issue became apparent on the BPF's I immediately contacted Vortex and they on the very same weekend we discovered it they had also discovered the issue during a test session with Suzuki in the USA. The problem only seemed to occur on BPF's and at the time Craig was the only rider I supplied with Vortex bars who had the BPF's. Vortex resolved the issues with a new design for the BPF's and now all my 50 mm clipons from Vortex are for BPF's, I do not stock the old type.
The BPF's were quite new at the time and as our racing season is often the first in the world to race the new models we tend to find any issues first.
If I believed it was a safety concern I would have advised MNZ immediately.

Kevin Goddard
Race Supplies Limited
www.racesupplies.co.nz

[CHOPPA]

They were Vortex clip ons that I import and sell as Race Supplies Limited. When the issue became apparent on the BPF's I immediately contacted Vortex and they on the very same weekend we discovered it they had also discovered the issue during a test session with Suzuki in the USA. The problem only seemed to occur on BPF's and at the time Craig was the only rider I supplied with Vortex bars who had the BPF's. Vortex resolved the issues with a new design for the BPF's and now all my 50 mm clipons from Vortex are for BPF's, I do not stock the old type.
The BPF's were quite new at the time and as our racing season is often the first in the world to race the new models we tend to find any issues first.
If I believed it was a safety concern I would have advised MNZ immediately.

Kevin Goddard
Race Supplies Limited
www.racesupplies.co.nz

Was Craig running standard forks?

[Kevin G]

Was Craig running standard forks?

They were Big Piston Forks that are std on the latest machines from Suzuki and some Hondas and Kawasakis. Not sure on others but RT may know more.

[Robert Taylor]

They were Vortex clip ons that I import and sell as Race Supplies Limited. When the issue became apparent on the BPF's I immediately contacted Vortex and they on the very same weekend we discovered it they had also discovered the issue during a test session with Suzuki in the USA. The problem only seemed to occur on BPF's and at the time Craig was the only rider I supplied with Vortex bars who had the BPF's. Vortex resolved the issues with a new design for the BPF's and now all my 50 mm clipons from Vortex are for BPF's, I do not stock the old type.
The BPF's were quite new at the time and as our racing season is often the first in the world to race the new models we tend to find any issues first.
If I believed it was a safety concern I would have advised MNZ immediately.

Kevin Goddard
Race Supplies Limited
www.racesupplies.co.nz

This is a good example of a LOCAL supplier who is proactive / attentive and keeping NZ working.

[gixerracer]

They were Vortex clip ons that I import and sell as Race Supplies Limited. When the issue became apparent on the BPF's I immediately contacted Vortex and they on the very same weekend we discovered it they had also discovered the issue during a test session with Suzuki in the USA. The problem only seemed to occur on BPF's and at the time Craig was the only rider I supplied with Vortex bars who had the BPF's. Vortex resolved the issues with a new design for the BPF's and now all my 50 mm clipons from Vortex are for BPF's, I do not stock the old type.
The BPF's were quite new at the time and as our racing season is often the first in the world to race the new models we tend to find any issues first.
If I believed it was a safety concern I would have advised MNZ immediately.

Kevin Goddard
Race Supplies Limited
www.racesupplies.co.nz

A big part of this problem was me not veing very clever and doing the bars up to the setting that Suzuki manual said( from what I recall around 15ftb)
In my hast when we worked out the problem I told kevin basically to shove them up his ares which was not a good response on my part.
Having been more on to this problem I can only tighten my standar bars to 6ftb before this problem starts again but the stock bars have a tag tht locks in under the top clamp so not a big drama. Nothing at all wrong with the vortex products I just needed to do more home work at my end

[Kevin G]

A big part of this problem was me not veing very clever and doing the bars up to the setting that Suzuki manual said( from what I recall around 15ftb)
In my hast when we worked out the problem I told kevin basically to shove them up his ares which was not a good response on my part.
Having been more on to this problem I can only tighten my standar bars to 6ftb before this problem starts again but the stock bars have a tag tht locks in under the top clamp so not a big drama. Nothing at all wrong with the vortex products I just needed to do more home work at my end

Cheers Craig.

[gixerracer]

Cheers Craig.

No probs Kevin. I know how easy it is for people to misunderstand what they read

[Kickaha]

We all know if Shirrifs does try something different that works all it will do is mean he's going even faster when he hits the sandtrap

[Robert Taylor]

We all know if Shirrifs does try something different that works all it will do is mean he's going even faster when he hits the sandtrap

We recieved another set of some suspension stuff today that is not working and I think the issue is there is a mistaken belief that it works straight out of the box. If we were mistaken that all of our stuff works out of the box we would be in trouble. Whomever sells whatever product, if the customer is unhappy you sort it. In the immortal words of the late LV Martin of Wellington ''Its the putting right that counts'' Better still though to send it out with settings that are a lot closer to the mark first off.