Suspension Fix (Wannabiker for President!)

[F5 Dave]

Thinking outside the suspension units themselves as well Robert will probably be able to write a book on the dredgy setups he's seen; but to give anything a chance there need to be no external factors screwing the pitch. We tend to get focussed on the problem as being a symptom of just one offending article.

Sorry this is going nowhere, I'll start again.

Start off with making sure that the rear suspension linkages are not seized or worn, have to whip the shock out to try it, but should become evident. Even the best Ohlins won't stand a chance with knackered pivot bearings. The forks of course need to be properly assembled and steering brgs top notch. Tyres matched & decent.

Maybe many of these things have been done, but wurf a mention.

[Robert Taylor]

Thinking outside the suspension units themselves as well Robert will probably be able to write a book on the dredgy setups he's seen; but to give anything a chance there need to be no external factors screwing the pitch. We tend to get focussed on the problem as being a symptom of just one offending article.

Sorry this is going nowhere, I'll start again.

Start off with making sure that the rear suspension linkages are not seized or worn, have to whip the shock out to try it, but should become evident. Even the best Ohlins won't stand a chance with knackered pivot bearings. The forks of course need to be properly assembled and steering brgs top notch. Tyres matched & decent.

Maybe many of these things have been done, but wurf a mention.

Ive got to concur with that, sometimes its too easy to overlook the basics.

[Grub]

Thanks Dave and Robert, valued thoughts.

I think the purpose of this post was not to applaud the perfect bike (now) but to just show how easy it is to be stuck in a place of ignorance and not know what to do about it. The bright side is finding out how every one of us could and should get with a buddy and perform these basic checks - and what a difference they can make.

Robert is surely right about all the things that one should do to get the perfect bike. My point was that you could believe someone has done a good job (surely you can trust the franchise service agent - right?) but in fact have a really bad bike and that there are ways of checking for yourself.

If I had not had a perfect handling bike in our '90 CBR600 then I would not have known that the 2000 one I was riding was a dog .. and I would not have kept questioning it.

We can all do this, get huge benefits and spend nothing. It's not over yet and I will get good gear and make improvements but at least I have a basis to work with now.

[McDuck]

Mcduck left my place at 3pm, headn over ther takas to napier, taupo and home. I put a second hand chain on ...one that wasnt soooo stretched, and wa able t o get it adjusted a bit better... the axle was in the back of the slots and the chain still slack last night. Skunk lent a couple of sprockets (but wrong mounting)...so just had to go with what he had.
Also bled front brake...as lever was coming back to handlebars!! He should notice the difference now!! But....it wasnt that easy (it never is). The screws that held the cap on the M/Cyl were siezed into the resivior, and the phillips screws pretty stripped....So, Drilled and tapped a hole in the cover, and after bleeding the brakes, put a screw in to seal the resivior!!

Thanks soooooo much for the help. In the defence of the brake, it was not that bad when i left home and it is now worse than that in that the lever gets all the way to the handle bar without resistance. AKA a leak in the system (bugger) so i will be have a close look when i re do the lines for the front brake. Could the air problem be the screw letting air in? (i dont think so but best to ask) I guess i have a few weeks of playing with the bike ahead.

Thanks again (and again) so much.

[Robert Taylor]

Thanks Dave and Robert, valued thoughts.

I think the purpose of this post was not to applaud the perfect bike (now) but to just show how easy it is to be stuck in a place of ignorance and not know what to do about it. The bright side is finding out how every one of us could and should get with a buddy and perform these basic checks - and what a difference they can make.

Robert is surely right about all the things that one should do to get the perfect bike. My point was that you could believe someone has done a good job (surely you can trust the franchise service agent - right?) but in fact have a really bad bike and that there are ways of checking for yourself.

If I had not had a perfect handling bike in our '90 CBR600 then I would not have known that the 2000 one I was riding was a dog .. and I would not have kept questioning it.

We can all do this, get huge benefits and spend nothing. It's not over yet and I will get good gear and make improvements but at least I have a basis to work with now.

I hear exactly what you are saying. Also, in real terms the whole suspension thing ( even basic set up ) has become a whole specialised field in itself. The motorcycle engineering trade has always been a VERY wide field meaning no-one person can be an expert in every aspect of it. And because of many negative factors just how many older very experienced and qualified motorcycle mechanics do you see practicing in the trade? That is one of our historical problems, previous Governments messed with the training system and the chickens have come home to roost.

[Katman]

But....it wasnt that easy (it never is). The screws that held the cap on the M/Cyl were siezed into the resivior, and the phillips screws pretty stripped....So, Drilled and tapped a hole in the cover, and after bleeding the brakes, put a screw in to seal the resivior!!

That would be one of the most irresponsible 'repair' jobs I have ever seen. When you drilled through the cap, did you drill through the rubber bladder under the cap as well? If so, what's to stop metal filings from the drilling and tapping of the thread getting into the master cylinder (and also moisture from the atmosphere - which the bladder is there to stop) and causing a brake failure (which sounds like might have happened)? If you didn't drill through the rubber bladder where did you think the brake fluid you were pouring in was going?

The correct procedure is to drill the heads off the two screws (no chance of filings getting into the cylinder), remove the cap and get vise grips onto the remainder of the screw sticking proud of the m/cyl body.

[F5 Dave]

oouh, I never even read that as it was off topic, but if that is indeed what was done then it is truly nasty. Well spotted Katman

Sometimes you can remove the screws by dremeling in a flat blade slot. On occasion I have used a tiny sharp chisel to make a groove on the perimeter & tapped with a sacrificial screwdriver in an arch to rotate it. The best start (if screws not too bad) is to tap the top of the screw with a punch to smear the damaged edges in & then fit a impact driver bit in with a bit of a tap. Always press down when removing. Some valve grind paste sometimes helps 'bite'.

Then when none of the above has worked reach for the drill.

I'd def remove this cover & assess damage straight away. Well possible the master cylinder has swarf in it. You'd want to take the seals out and check for damage & the bore.

[McDuck]

yep it is heading over to katmen tonite. At least it got me home safe (even if that was more to good luck than good managment). No hard feeling (as long as it dosnt cost to much )

[Katman]

Just pulled the master cylinder apart - sure enough, full of metal filings right down between the bore and the seals. Perhaps Wannabiker might want to thank his lucky stars he doesn't have a very serious issue on his hands right now.

(Clearly, green rep is given out way too easily on here).

[McDuck]

Just pulled the master cylinder apart - sure enough, full of metal filings right down between the bore and the seals. Perhaps Wannabiker might want to thank his lucky stars he doesn't have a very serious issue on his hands right now.

(Clearly, green rep is given out way too easily on here).

And red to IMHO

[nudemetalz]

It was good to see you got home okay, McDuck. That was the main thing here.

[Clivoris]

It was good to see you got home okay, McDuck. That was the main thing here.

Hear Hear. Well ridden young man.

[MSTRS:Me]

Obviously, it is wise to have suspension optimised - but whether it is 'right' in terms of static sag etc, the front and back must still work together . Ie, if you stand the bike up and press down on the tank, the front and rear move the same amount at the same time. A see-sawing action is baaad

[Katman]

It was good to see you got home okay, McDuck. That was the main thing here.

I totally agree. It was good to see he got home safely - because, quite realistically, that abortion of a repair job could have had fatal consequences.

It's a timely reminder to all that half a clue can sometimes be all it takes to get someone in deep shit.