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Thread: Bending & Mending

  1. #1
    Join Date
    23rd June 2008 - 19:58
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    Yamaha YZF 600. 1995
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    Auckland
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    Bending & Mending

    At the Bernard training day, on Tuesday, I got first-hand experience with the dangers attached to poorly maintained forks.....Not that I knew they were poorly maintained until returning to the pits feeling just a tad sore in several places.

    Me and Mr Sinfull had been beating each other up...although I have to admit...but only for the moment....that he did most of the beating up.

    Belting down the front straight, each circuit seeing us cut braking times shorter and shorter, found us hoving up on a pair of slower riders.

    Just on that point for a moment; I can see now why cyclist present such a danger on the road. The cagers are used to doing one speed then come around a corner or over a hill and find a slowbie ahead. It's real hard to judge the speed differential at high speed on the track, so for the average driver who does maybe 100Ks a week, the problem must be much bigger.

    Anyway, Willie and I misjudged the closing rate. I was under him coming into the corner. The two slow guys decided to roll in early. Had I kept going inside, Willie would have taken out at least one of the slow guys.

    So I flicked left, straightened up (15M from the edge) and hauled on the picks and discovered what happens when lousy fork maintenance is coupled to emergency braking.

    The head went down, then up as the front wheel started the 'chatter'. Then the back wheel started to go loose, and poom! Into the pebbles.

    Hitting that shit at over 100 K's is like being swallowed by quicksand. At least with sand or fine scoria, you can stiff-arm your way to a standtill. Not in this shit.

    Boom. Went down on the right, left the bike to fly. It did, and so did I. I did the face-down splat, then dug my shoulder in. That hurt, but nothing broke.

    The bike, on the other hand, ended up with a rather tarnished, right-front fairing, and similar to the back left after it flipped, bending the sub-frame about 25 mm.

    However, the general consensus was that the bike just looked a bit sad, not unridable, so out I went again. Willie and I jousted. It was good fun.

    But over the last two days I have had the pleasure of fixing the damage myself.

    I know Jack-Shit about mechanical things. So there I was in Frosty's garage thinking, Holy shit! Where do I start?

    First issue was remove forks and have them serviced. Frosty gave me a heads up on how to do that. Turned out to be real simple.

    Gavin, from Henderson Yamaha managed to find the time (at this time of year) to do a complete service on the forks.

    He later told me he'd never seen or, in fact smelled, such old and useless oil. I got the impression he was slightly surprised I wasn't already dead from a serious trash with such parlous front suspension.

    And so, first up is a real big thank-you to Gavin and Paul at Henderson Yamaha. As always, they came to the rescue. Damned fine outfit, and Gavin really knows his stuff even though he's one of those totally fucking mad, Super Motard riders. I've watched him ride. He is mad. Mind you, they all are.

    Anyway, when the forks were done...in record time...I replaced them. The bike was rolled into my van and off to a friend who makes Gyro Gearloose look like a pussy. This man can fix anything.

    And hour later, the subframe was back in place, more or less (give or take a few mils here and there.

    Four hours later the bike was back together and I'm ready for Tomorrow at Puke.

    But what a great learn! Prior to reattaching the forks there was shit for Africa all over the floor. 'Will I ever remember which bolt goes where?'

    But trial and error got me there. Frosty, of course, has to run his business, so he was elsewhere during the reassembly phase. I have to say I felt a bit chuffed that such a mechanical bozo as I, managed to get the entire thing back together.

    It was a nice buzz.

    Obviously, there are hundreds, if not thousands of KBer's who could do all this shit standing on their heads. But it was a first for me.

    By hokie, next I'll even learn how to do an oil-change, or even discover the whereabouts of the carbs and stuff. :--))

    I think that's what's really attracting me to track-days and racing, and the obvious issues arising.....It's just such a big learn. An old fucker I may be, but when there's something to learn I feel like a kid in a candy store. :--))

    And so, tomorrow, at Puke, I will be fascinated to see if the steering issues, hobby-horsing issues, and braking issues have gone away.

    Fuck but I hope I've done all the bolts up properly. :--(((

    This is like rigging a glider. You rig, you check, you get another to check, then just as you leave the ground on the first flight, you goolies shrink as you catastrophise about some little nut or bolt, some little clip, some connection, which you might have missed.

    Too late to learn at 5,000 feet, and with the bike, too late to learn at 240K down the back straight at Puke.

    I'll be freaking a bit tomorrow, till a few laps let me know everything is done up properly....or not. :--(((

    Yeah, I know. 240K. But that's all she's got. I don't care that I'm never going to be competitive. I just adore the learning, the atmosphere at track and race-days, plus the folk I meet....and, of course, the speed and the incredibly fine margins between staying alive and becoming otherwise. :--))
    Only 'Now' exists in reality.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    21st August 2005 - 10:13
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    Good onya man. It's never too late for a shit stirring old dog to learn some new tricks Like you, I find the learning curve with racing is a huge part of the fun, as well as the help that turns up when you need it. Keep the smiles coming mate.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    22nd January 2008 - 20:12
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    GSX1400 K7
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    Christchurch, in Avonhead
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    what a great post, man. Its the truth. About . Suspension. I'd guess about 75% of bike owners never pay their suspension more than a passing glance, and watch them ride! Many riders have little confidence in their suspenders or tyres. The reason is that the suspension is primarily there to KEEP THE TYRES CONNECTED WITH THE ROAD. All the horsepower or massive brakes are of little use if the tyres are not on the road.
    It's relatively easy to fix, too. Linton at Dirt Action in Chch rebuilt my retro-fit GSX-R750 forks with revised valvling for around $400, and what a difference. Along with a decent rear shock, confidence levels shoot way up, especially the ability to brake later and use a lot of throttle early out of turns.

  4. #4
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    24th August 2007 - 11:31
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    A slow old Bus.a.
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    Quote Originally Posted by dpex View Post
    Just on that point for a moment; I can see now why cyclist present such a danger on the road. The cagers are used to doing one speed then come around a corner or over a hill and find a slowbie ahead. It's real hard to judge the speed differential at high speed on the track, so for the average driver who does maybe 100Ks a week, the problem must be much bigger.
    Two thoughts about this post.

    1. Cyclists present no danger, they wear lycra and polystyrene hats. Lack of forethought and not having the speed judgement is dangerous only to the cyclist.

    2. Chatter in the front, and then the back end got loose. Okay, the forks may have been a problem, but it sounds a lot like pilot error as well. Talk to Frosty about what to do when the chatter happens, and why it's happening - even perfectly set up bikes will dance around on the limit.

    Keep up the posts, they're really entertaining.

    MBB
    It’s diametrically opposed to the sanitised existence of the Lemmings around me in the Dilbert Cartoon hell I live in; it’s life at full volume, perfect colour with high resolution and 10,000 watts of amplification.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    13th January 2004 - 11:00
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    BY Jeysus i hope the 2 loose axle bolts i found and pointed out were tightened.
    To see a life newly created.To watch it grow and prosper. Isn't that the greatest gift a human being can be given?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    23rd June 2008 - 19:58
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    Quote Originally Posted by FROSTY View Post
    BY Jeysus i hope the 2 loose axle bolts i found and pointed out were tightened.
    Nar!. I decided they just added extra weight so I took'm out and popped them in my spares box. Bound to come in handy for something, one day. :--))
    Only 'Now' exists in reality.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    23rd June 2008 - 19:58
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    Quote Originally Posted by Clivoris View Post
    Good onya man. It's never too late for a shit stirring old dog to learn some new tricks Like you, I find the learning curve with racing is a huge part of the fun, as well as the help that turns up when you need it. Keep the smiles coming mate.
    Yeah, the learning is great. As are the people.

    Prior to getting involved in track-days the closest I came to doing maintenance or repair was checking tyre pressures or whizzing the bike off to Gavin for some repair or other.

    Although I did effect a road-side puncture repair, once.:--))

    Getting amongst it with spanner and wrench makes me feel a lot more connected with the nature of the beast which transports me so effortlessly.
    Only 'Now' exists in reality.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    23rd June 2008 - 19:58
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    Quote Originally Posted by madbikeboy View Post
    Two thoughts about this post.

    1. Cyclists present no danger, they wear lycra and polystyrene hats. Lack of forethought and not having the speed judgement is dangerous only to the cyclist.

    2. Chatter in the front, and then the back end got loose. Okay, the forks may have been a problem, but it sounds a lot like pilot error as well. Talk to Frosty about what to do when the chatter happens, and why it's happening - even perfectly set up bikes will dance around on the limit.

    Keep up the posts, they're really entertaining.

    MBB
    There's absolutely no question that munted forks were only a part of the problem. Pilot error, as you say, was the other part.
    Only 'Now' exists in reality.

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