Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 08, 2003 07:03 AM
First Ride w/ New Suspension Settings, Pirellis, & 180/55 Rear
Ok, first off I have to thank Lucky for giving me some tips on setting Lil' Red up, and for sending me a set of Pirellis to try out. The bike was worlds above what it was in stock form already, now I've taken it to another level.
I've lowered the front 6mm, have incresed the rear spring preload to 4 turns over the stock setting, put the Pirellis on. (180 Rear) All I can say at this time is JESUS H. CHRIST what a difference!!!
The new suspension settings really allow me to even further appreciate the boys down at GMD Computrack Atlanta. The forks are excellent. The roads were cold yesterday, it never reached to projected high temp., proabably made it to 50*. Still a lot of sand and stuff on the road due to the snow we've had recently. BUT I still got to push the bike enough to get a real good feel for what it can do now. Turn in is seemingly effortless compaired to what it was. Going to the 180 and changing the suspension quite a bit, all in one lick, made a drastic difference. I figured it'd take awhile to get used to it, but it didn't. It didn't because it felt GOOD. Adjusting your line on the Big Zed was never so easy. Didn't seem to want to stand up as much under braking if you went in hot either.
Stability felt good, the tires worked flawlessly. I was juicin' the biatch pretty hard before the apex of some nice second gear stuff and it just hooked up and went. That really impressed me because of the cold roads. It also let me know just how much traction the 010s were giving up. All the guys here that have rode with me can verify that I'm a darkie layin' MF, but I'll have to really work if I'm gonna paint any stripes with these Pirellis. If I'd been on the 010s yesterday, I'd have dropped my air pressure to about 32/33 to help with the cold road etc., but I'd have still been dirt trackin' on exit. Yesterday on the Pirellis I just progressively kept exiting harder and harder with nary a shake or shimmy from the rear. Finally I said hell let's go on and do some full whack exits and see what happens. All that happened was that I just exited harder. I detected NO wheelspin. I feel like the tires are going to even impress me more when the temps get better.
Now to my 180 vs. 200 section of the post. I've been a supporter of the 200 for 2 reasons. Number one it looks friggin' cool.  Number two is the fact that the bike really feels planted and stable at max lean angles in the really super mondo shit your pants fast sweepers.
(side note: That's the only thing left for the 180 to totally win me over. some really, really fast sweepers. Foothills Pkwy. & Cherohala Skyway type stuff, of which I do not have access to here. But what decent 120-130 mph stuff I went through yesterday felt good. Still, the Foothills & Cherohala will be MUCH more demanding. I'm pretty sure they'll do fine. I'm talking ignorant speeds too. So don't let this "side note" scare you away from trying a 180.)
I just figured that with the way I spun up the 200 on exits and having the bike stepping out and get mildly squirely, that the 180 would be even worse, and it may have been with a different compound tire. Yesterday put my fears to rest. I've read where some of you guys have went to the 180/55 and swear by it. Add me to the list please. I've riden quite a few miles with Lucky and he has told me more than once to try a 180. I just wasn't going to. Then the persistant bastard sends me a set of tires to "try". He knew all along I'd really like them. He's ridden with me and knows I like to go, and knew the tires would suit me. I on the other hand knew that the 180 (and the Pirellis) did work because I've been running about as hard as anyone needs to run on the Cherohala, with my chin draggin' the ground , only to have Lucky come around me on the outside. (Sonofabitch ) But I still was reluctant to try them, just like some of you who are reading this are. Well if you never believe another fucking thing I post believe this, for a twisty rider it's the way to go. You owe it to yourself to atleast buy one 180 tire and try it. If you are like me the thing won't be on there but 1000-1500 miles tops. It isn't like it'll be permanent. If you don't like it go back to a 200 the next time. DO IT NOW, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER. If you don't like them, call Lucky and cuss his ass out. It's all his fault.
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
  
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted March 08, 2003 11:08 AM
great writeup ninjaboy, thx. ya finally broke the camel's back; i'm sold. can't complain about them 180s bein cheaper too! my broke ass just cant afford the 200s.
|
Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 08, 2003 11:41 AM
Yep....
A little extra loot left in yer pocket can't hurt.
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
|
LUCKY12
Expert Class
Posts: 198
|
posted March 08, 2003 01:26 PM
Glad you like that set up Rick.I was able to ride about 170 miles today think god spring is just around the corner.It was my first trip down to the store at the gap the road was in good shape and not much traffic.I was thinking for dg5 about running 240 avon on the rear just to fuck with your head those 180 suck LOL.Call me when you get time i need to talk with you about your one eye sister dam that bitch is good.
|
Zhooligan
Moderator
Post Whore Extraordinaire!
Posts: 3829
|
posted March 08, 2003 02:00 PM
Welcome to the club! Glad to bring you over from the dark side.
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
|
Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 08, 2003 03:46 PM
Hmmmm......
Lucky,
I told lil' sis to keep an eye out for ya. You crazy bastard. I'll run a goddamned Hyster Forklift tire on Lil' Red if you'll run one. Either way it's still Bart's ass.
Zhooligan,
Man life is good eh? I have seen the light. Just finished a 200 mile 2-up ride and the bike is still impressing me. Too bad my right fork seal took a shit  , and the mysterious wiring harness oil leak has reared its' head again. I did my own fix (so I thought) before the Gap trip last September and it never leaked a drop until today. Kinda bummed as that all means more downtime, and that translates into less time to sharpen up before DG5. Oh well,...Shit Happens as they say.
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
|
Zhooligan
Moderator
Post Whore Extraordinaire!
Posts: 3829
|
posted March 08, 2003 11:23 PM
One other thing to do if you have not already done so; drop the nose of your bike a touch. Push your fork tubes up into the triple clamps 5mm to start over the stock position. You will be very pleasantly suprised!
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
|
harryzx-12
Needs a job
Posts: 3643
|
posted March 09, 2003 03:32 AM
I guess I'll have to ride in the back with bart and redelk now hugh?
____________
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways- Body thoroughly used up, totally worn out...Screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride !!!"
|
Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 09, 2003 12:11 PM
Roger That..........
quote:
One other thing to do if you have not already done so; drop the nose of your bike a touch. Push your fork tubes up into the triple clamps 5mm to start over the stock position. You will be very pleasantly suprised!
Already done it Z, I went 6mm though. Such a small amount, yet a it feels vastly different. Even visually the bikes' stance looks more aggressive. I kinda like the "Attack Mode" look. But I wouldn't give a damn what it looked like in all honesty, just as long as it worked. It does.
Harry, somehow me thinks that ye shall not be vacating any spot in the back. Even for a "Wore Out" worthless MF from Florida, you ride pretty damned fast. I'll ride with you any day my friend. Name the time and place. Remeber the first day of the trip Last September??? We fookin' smoked while we were on good rubber. I'll never forget when we hit the Foothills. Bart and Rob won't either. We were qualifying that day for sure.  I abused my front tire worse that day than I ever have in my life. At the Gap that day I remember the right hander that I wheelied up to, and was just a shade too hot. I think you know when I talking about. I said to myself , she ain't gonna do this but I'm gonna try and make it stick. The only braking I got was when I tapped the rear to bring the fron end down. Somehow it stuck and I didn't go wide. I pretty much took a leap of faith there. Kinda pissed in one way for getting a little crazy, but proud I made it. If I'd tried to sneak some more braking in I'd have surely stood the bike up and did some custom landscaping.
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
|
Zhooligan
Moderator
Post Whore Extraordinaire!
Posts: 3829
|
posted March 09, 2003 12:19 PM
I tell people 5mm to start with. That way they don't have headshake issues! I am running 8mm myself and I do have a Scott damper so no consequences. But Glad to hear you have dropped yours. Sure makes a difference!
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
|
Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 09, 2003 12:29 PM
 Edited By: Ninjaman12R on 9 Mar 2003 12:29
Yeah....
It appears to really work well, gives tons more feedback which , IMHO, ultimately gives you more confidence. I'm running a Scotts as well and so far nary a hint of headshake. I've got to pull the right fork off the bike to send to RaceTech, and even though I'm bummed about only getting two good rides in after all the work I've done. I'm more stoked about just getting the thing back together and having it 100% READY. Then I can get back to the business of enjoying its' newfound "Prowess".
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
|
Zhooligan
Moderator
Post Whore Extraordinaire!
Posts: 3829
|
posted March 09, 2003 12:36 PM
I had Race Tech do my Forks for my petite 255 pond body size. They revalved and sprung them for my weight and riding ability. Best damn investment for the money. They do great work.
____________
To those who do not count their life in years, but in how life
has touched them in the past and how much it can hold in the
future; -- Youth is forever.
|
Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 09, 2003 02:30 PM
Forks.........
Yeah, getting the forks done was a good investment for me as well. GMD put heavier springs in, did a custom valving,installed Circuit One compression pistons ,used Spectro "Very Light" fork oil, and of course new seals and wipers. It is actually hard to put into words how different it made the bike feel. Compliant maybe, definitely a more planted feel. I am however a little concerned that the same side (RH) has had its' second seal failure in a years time. GMD said they checked the tube for straightness and for scratches and imperfections that might "chew" the seal up. I think they polished the tubes as well. I just hope they didn't overlook anything. A new tube is $261.99 from Ron Ayers so it wouldn't be a huge problem, but hopefully that's money I can use to stockpile some tires for the season. We'll see because I just finished pulling the fork off the bike an hour ago. It will be shipped out tomorrow if anyone is at the shop. More than likely they'll all stay down @ Daytona until after the race tomorrow, and I can't blame them for that. It'll all work out, just a minor setback
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
|
Otis
Needs a job
Captain Kickstand
Posts: 3028
|
posted March 10, 2003 04:20 AM
I'll ride in the back with you Harry. Now that Bart has gone to school and Rick's got a new set of skins, we're stuck in the back. LOL
Rick call me today.
____________
It's a free country brother
|
Ninjaman12R
Needs a job
as a Deal's Gap tour guide.
Posts: 4767
|
posted March 10, 2003 07:36 AM
Very Doubtful C...........
Chris pipe the fuck down. You guys are not going to be in the back!!!
I just hope I get all the "little" kinks out of the bike before May. I hated to put it back up on the stands and start tearing it down after only 2 rides. But I must admit it was two VERY fun rides.
____________
What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
|
jonwright
Needs a job
Posts: 2416
|
posted March 10, 2003 01:50 PM
What kind of Pirelli's are your tires?
I'm running BT-010's and looking for a good replacement tire. Funny, the front wore out as quickly as the rear. 'Course, I AM used to the braking distances of my little 600...
|
ballisticzx12r
Zone Head
& Deals Gap Board Member
Posts: 940
|
posted March 10, 2003 02:55 PM
Otis,
Don't worry about me, I'm just glad I know I won't be the slowest this trip. Sherms coming.
Bart
____________
Be fast and Be safe
|
|
|
HOME
NEW TOPIC