Anyone here compete at Tough Like RORR this past weekend? Looks like it was a fun ride. 😳
Gas powered bikes?
- Thread starter Blair
- Start date
mfennell
Well-Known Member
Took a quick ride on a '96(ish) Buell S1 Lightning on Sunday. What a neat bike. Amazingly compact considering the 1200cc Harley v-twin. Torque for days. I expected the transmission to be like something that belonged on farm equipment but it was super precise with very short throws.
I found one for sale in my town a few hours later (cursing my friend for sending me out on the thing). 🙂 He had already tried to contact the guy but got no response. I don't have anywhere to put it anyway...
I found one for sale in my town a few hours later (cursing my friend for sending me out on the thing). 🙂 He had already tried to contact the guy but got no response. I don't have anywhere to put it anyway...
mfennell
Well-Known Member
And this is why I'm going through everything on the new-to-me Aprilia.
I've never seen anything like this before (it's a disassembled front caliper. only had to drill out two bolts!)
The ultrasonic cleaner is my new favorite thing. The baked on brake dust in the top pic was after several applications of brake cleaner and some scrubbing. Below is after 10 minutes in the cleaner with a mix of water and Simple Green Extreme Aircraft at 50C (122F).
Someone on an Aprilia forum is giving me a hard time about pulling the crank and replacing the seals. For the uninitiated, 2 strokes route the fuel/air mixture through the crankcase. A leaking seal allows extra air in and creates a lean condition which can result in expensive shenanigans with the pistons. I had the foresight to order a seal kit but I feel like splitting the cases is really at the edge of my skillset. I'll have to think it over.
I managed to actually finish something. Changed the fork oil, which required acquiring a new tool. Non stock springs of unknown source in there. I wish I had thought to check sag before I took it all apart. I found a stiffer than stock spring on the shock, so I'm hoping the front is the same.
I've never seen anything like this before (it's a disassembled front caliper. only had to drill out two bolts!)
The ultrasonic cleaner is my new favorite thing. The baked on brake dust in the top pic was after several applications of brake cleaner and some scrubbing. Below is after 10 minutes in the cleaner with a mix of water and Simple Green Extreme Aircraft at 50C (122F).
Someone on an Aprilia forum is giving me a hard time about pulling the crank and replacing the seals. For the uninitiated, 2 strokes route the fuel/air mixture through the crankcase. A leaking seal allows extra air in and creates a lean condition which can result in expensive shenanigans with the pistons. I had the foresight to order a seal kit but I feel like splitting the cases is really at the edge of my skillset. I'll have to think it over.
I managed to actually finish something. Changed the fork oil, which required acquiring a new tool. Non stock springs of unknown source in there. I wish I had thought to check sag before I took it all apart. I found a stiffer than stock spring on the shock, so I'm hoping the front is the same.
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THATmanMANNY
Well-Known Member
He is not falling off? Haha. NUTS
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Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
That's an epic save. When hard parts start dragging on those bikes, you're usually in the process of crashing.
THATmanMANNY
Well-Known Member
Finally 1 hour of self reflection
Another street triple. Previous gen was meh in comparison
Another street triple. Previous gen was meh in comparison
Now you've got me going down this rabbit hole. My buddy has an early Cyclone collecting dust but he wants a little more for it than I think is reasonable. There's a fair number of Buell's on FB but it makes me nervous when the manufacturer is long gone and every small part is a sourcing disaster. So now I'm looking at XR1200's...a nice one is a little spendy but there's a few deals to be had. Saw a early Brutale 750 which looked really fun but again, limited production older Italian stuff might be challenging.
Meanwhile my poor Bandit continues to run and ride just fine....
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
I would think you should be able to source any critical engine components from Harley.
I think Eric Buell was onto something, its a shame he didn't get the support that he needed. Objectively though, aside from the novelty and uniqueness of a Buell, every Japanese sport bike from the same era performs and handles far better and is more reliable.
mfennell
Well-Known Member
It seems like the only thing the XR1200 and Buell have is the engine. The S1 Lightning is 100+lbs lighter and more than 5" shorter.
As Cap'n points out, all the drivetrain stuff will be easily available. There are probably very few bespoke Buell parts on it. Frame, bodywork, maybe some foot controls.
mfennell
Well-Known Member
Well, yeah. 🙂 That's the whole point.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
I mean I get it it, the Buell has some unique talking points like the radial braking and the way the oil is stored in the frame, but at the end of the day its an ancient motor in a more modern package. The riding experience is unique, but I can also argue that an older R1 or Gixxer is equally unique. When I ride, I'm trying to scratch a specific itch, and those older ricers make power and speed that is still considered fast even by todays standards, but with shorter wheel-bases, without traction control, anti-wheelie programming, slipper clutches, or antilock brakes. All of that stuff is located in your right wrist.
But if you have to scratch that air-cooled itch with something other than a 900ss (of which there are zillions), then the Buell is for you.
Yeah, I'm looking for something...different. First pick would be a 916/748 even though they have hideous ergos. Unfortunately they are moving into classic car type pricing for a decent one. Even the 900ss (well the early, pretty ones anyway) are getting up there too. Buddy of mine sold his old racebike version as a pile of parts for decent money in a day.
Probably the right bike would be a VTR1000 "Superhawk" or maybe another VFR. But the VTR's are carbs (kinda want FI) and I've had a VFR. For how I ride these days I want something fun, sporty, with some looks and a little character. I've never had anything not Japanese best I can recall so maybe not that.
Due to a cycling problem the budget is not unlimited. 😛
Probably the right bike would be a VTR1000 "Superhawk" or maybe another VFR. But the VTR's are carbs (kinda want FI) and I've had a VFR. For how I ride these days I want something fun, sporty, with some looks and a little character. I've never had anything not Japanese best I can recall so maybe not that.
Due to a cycling problem the budget is not unlimited. 😛
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
You don't want a 900ss anyway, they're dogs. Nostalgia is a powerful drug. You should checkout the Suzuki TL1000R. Not many of them around, good power, they sound amazing, and Japanese reliability.
Been glancing at SV1000's, the rotary damper on the TL's is a little spooky but I think somebody made a adaptor kit for a real shock.
mfennell
Well-Known Member
Progress continues gradually on the Aprilia Cup bike. Last weekend, I pulled the broken engine out of the transit case to see if anything was useable.
Not so much!
I ordered a new crank for the good engine from a guy in Washington who was hoarding 8 (!) of them. He's sending it to Ed Toomey (a legend in 2 strokes) in NC for truing before it comes up to me.
I started bolting some parts back together, mostly to get them off the floor/out of boxes. Fresh grease on all the pivot points. New brake lines. Fresh oil in the forks.
I'm not sure it's going to be ready for the track this season.
Frustratingly, I've only done 3 events so far thanks to scheduling conflicts but my last one was friggin' awesome and I finally felt kind of fast. Turned a few lap times that were Expert-group-worthy while still being pretty conservative.
Not so much!
I ordered a new crank for the good engine from a guy in Washington who was hoarding 8 (!) of them. He's sending it to Ed Toomey (a legend in 2 strokes) in NC for truing before it comes up to me.
I started bolting some parts back together, mostly to get them off the floor/out of boxes. Fresh grease on all the pivot points. New brake lines. Fresh oil in the forks.
I'm not sure it's going to be ready for the track this season.
Frustratingly, I've only done 3 events so far thanks to scheduling conflicts but my last one was friggin' awesome and I finally felt kind of fast. Turned a few lap times that were Expert-group-worthy while still being pretty conservative.
Anybody using in-helmet audio/communications? I really just want music but I'll take audio turn by turn and phone calls as they come like that. I've used wired in-helmet speakers decades ago and they sucked, I'm sure it's better now but gun shy.
Looking at the Cardo Spirit HD currently. Other option is to zip-tie my JBL Flip to the handlebars. 😛
Looking at the Cardo Spirit HD currently. Other option is to zip-tie my JBL Flip to the handlebars. 😛
I have Sena. I don't ride alone so using it for communication with other people in the group and find it very useful.
Music will not sound good unless your helmet is very quiet. Mine is not. Make sure that your helmet has pockets for the speakers. On my off-road helmet I had to carve the pockets out, but that was a $100 helmet, so oh well
EDIT: if you ride with other people I'd suggest to use the same brand as they do. Cross-brand compatibility is not great
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All good info. Little disappointing on the audio volume (which could vary by unit). Hmm. Thank you!