KB4
Whilst I agree that if a person is not competent then they should leave it to those that are BUT
I have been in and round the motor industry most of my life and I can categorically tell you that dealer workshops are the worst when it comes to cutting corners and using substandard people and methods inthe guise of factory trained techs.
For a time I worked as a tyre "techician"by the end of my first day of training I realised that I knew as much if not more about bike and car tyres than the instructor (not trucks, that's another skillset altogether)
Basically the tyre shops only aim is to sell you the tyres with the biggest profit margin, fit them in the shortest time, upsell you some service or product you don't need then move on to the next punter, The actual quality of the work is a long way down their list of priorities.
Which is why
my wheels are cleaned of rubber on the bead shoulders before every fitting, and cleaned of weights, dirt and adhesive of course
the wheels (plus valves are then balanced sans tyres to establish the true heavy spot (if there is one)
The tyre is then fitted accordingly, if there are no balance marks on the tyre I'll check balance and if needed slide the tyre on the rim to get a better balance
Only once I've got it close that way will I use weights..
Show me a tyre shop that will willingly do that!
the same slapdash applies to workshops in my experience...someone on here recently had a gearbox killed because the monkey in the shop did't re-fill the box ..Boys it not hard..pour 2 measures into 2 jugs, 240ml and 800ml....if one still has oil in it you've not topped up the component.
I do the same with engine oil, I have a 5L container marked for "with and without filter" changes ...Simply fill it to the mark you require and then no matter how many interruptions you get you'll not over or underfill your engine
KB5
As along distance bike rider, I can and do ride for 10 or more hours some days...
... Here's my top tip for preventing SBS (Sore Butt Syndrome)
Change your underwear for lycra shorts...not the cycling ones with the foam and chamois just the tight fitting lycra ones (or cut out the chamois pad from cycling shorts.)
A pair of these under your ordinary riding pants will transform your "personal" comfort.
Essentially you are doing away with the pressure points caused by the seams in the underclothing. I first started doing this when racing Enduro as SBS developed in full blown MBS (Monkey Butt Syndrome) at the longer 2 day events
I only write this because yesterday I forgot and went off in a hurry with my normal cotton underkeks still in place, After 150 miles I arrived at my delivery point and my posterior was complaining (and that's using a Corbin saddle with a gel pack inserted)
Realising my error I used the disabled toilet to undress, and with my old underkeks in my pocket I had a very comfortable return leg as I returned to my usual state of BBAD
Blissful Butt All Day
KB 6
my experience of brembo brakes is this
Over time water and road salt/dirt/etc settles under the the outer brake seal. Once there the salt corrodes the brake caliper slightly the crystals grow, causing the outer seal to tighten against the brake piston.
The first evidence of this on the front will be unevenly worn pads as one piston will drag/bind more than the others
The same applies ( the corrosion problem) to the rear but the single side wear on the rear is more do do with bad lubrication of the slider pins
Best course of action is
Buy some red rubber grease http://www.redrubbergrease.com/ and a scriber as in the pic a Brake piston removing tool ..... I have the blue handled type in this link http://www.bikerstoolbox.co.uk/.../Brake_Service_Tools.html
a. front. Pump your pistons out as far as you dare on both calipers, top up your master cylinder if you need to. use a pair of old pads to stop the pistons coming out fully just yet.
You'll see that they don't come out evenly, one or more will be binding in the bore.this is exactly what I mentioned above as a symptom
b. Now is the time to get brave and disconnect the caliper at the Banjo union on the brake pipe, be ready for fluid loss, it is VERY DAMAGING TO PAINT
Now you need to gently but firmly push ONE piston back into the bore and use the tool inside the piston opposite to get it out...if you are VERY carefull you can use pipe grips and a rag or a strip if hard rubber as protection and grab the outside of the piston...do it this way at your own risk!
Once out use the straight end of the scriber to get under the outer seal and gently ease it out A close inspection will reveal all manner of dirt and crap on the back of it, give the seal a good clean and set it aside
Using the right angle of the Scriber (I have blunted mine into a scraper blade for this very job) run it around the seal groove in the caliper and you'll feel it go from smooth to rough, rough is where the corrosion is, at the gravitational bottom of the caliper.
Scrape out all the corrosion, clean out the bore (an airline is ideal but a clean rag can do it if you are carefull. lube the seal with RRG and re-install
Inspect the piston, clean off rubber residue from the outer edge (I use GT85 for that) is there is corrosion damage to the outer edge it's not a big deal as this part is exposed to the elements in any case so a touch up with fine wet and dry should suffice...if the piston is badly corroded where it passes through the inner seal it's time for new pistons.
Assuming the pistons are OK lube with RRG and reinstall....a paint dot on the caliper will remind you where you are at should you get disturbed
Repeat for the other pistons and the other caliper, re-assemble and bleed the brakes....prepare to be amazed at how powerful the brakes are!
To bring the other pistons forward you can use an airline (once the first piston is back in place) BUT you need to realise that the newly lubed piston will move first so you'll need to hold back the pistons you don't want moving or the piston removing tool
Rears are similar but being a one sided caliper you can pump them out without too much difficulty, remember to keep them even.
In all cases remove and renovate ONE piston at a time to prevent mixing up seals as the bore sizes differ
KB7 Filtering for Bikers
According to my bike cop friend the police view is that it is all about speed differential.....for example
traffic doing 15 mph...you filtering at 20 to 25mph OK, you filtering at 50 not ok
In my job as a bike courier I filter for much of the time and my rule is 20 mph max difference, that gives me enough time to scrub off the 20 mph if someones does a quick lane change.....I always ride with headlights on and some high viz. .... in very heavy or grossly unaware traffic (such as holidaymakers, people going to events etc) I'll use main beam and have my thumb hovering over the horn button
Also people are odd when filtering...some won't go between two vehicles, they wait until there is just one to pass...why,? that one is the one who will change lanes into the gap
Also creeping past a line of traffic on a single carriageway hugging the white line...why do that ? get out as wide as you can, well into the other lane if it is free, you'll then have some time to react to other drivers actions and plenty of time to tuck back alongside or behind someone when you need to
What amazes me is the bikers who will sit in a stationery queue or not drop in behind people like me who are by definition cutting a swathe through the traffic that they could easily occupy!
KB8
Clutch
cable adjustment R1100RT
These clutches need freeplay at
the handlebars or they will slip and wear out very quickly, so here
is how you set the free play correctly.
Remove the rear wheel
and the plastic side panels
undo the clutch lever lock nut* at the back of the gearbox and then wind the adjuster bolt out a couple of turns, you'll now have loads of slack at the bars
* I use a long socket
on a universal joint on a long extension bar to get at the adjuster
from the left rear. It can be done from the right but not with my big
hands.
Back at the bars, screw the adjuster out until you have
around 12mm of thread showing
Now here's where having a helper
is handy....
Go back to the gearbox end and screw the adjuster
in until your helper confirms there is around 6mm of freeplay at the
handlebar end
Next get your helper (or use a zip tie) to hold
the clutch lever tight up to the handlebar grip...this will prevent
the rear adjuster moving as you re-tighten the lock nut, it only need
a decent nip not a squillion Nm
Wheel on, side panels on,
test ride and use the bar adjuster to fine tune your freeplay for
optimum gear shifting. Every gearbox will have a different sweet spot
for free play...too much and it will crunch into gear, too little and
it will do the same so experiment until you get it right BUT always
have some free play, I'd say 4mm was the minimum for a long lived
clutch disc
NB #1 in an ideal world a conscientious owner
would disassemble all the mechanisms and grease all the pivots and
oil the cable while they are at it.... I do this once a year and I
have a spare cable zip tied to my working one so I can do a
relatively quick change on the side of the road if needed
NB#2 these cables are in two parts, an inner and an outer cable, IF you feel a click at the lever and gain a lot of free play at the bars it means your outer has started to let go...the inner will hang on for quite a while so there is no excuse for getting stranded with a broken cable
KB9
Oil level checking
Oilheads (all)
These engines can hide oil like you would not
believe possible, especially in the oil cooler as it has a
thermostatic valve to aid quick warm up, the downside of this valve
is that if you don't have the engine fully hot, then the valve closes
before the oil cooler is fully drained into the sump for
checking
The result is that you look at the window, see the
oil below the centre line and top it up not realising there is up to
another 1.25 litre hiding in the oil cooler and oil lines...then you
get over filling problems such as oil in the airbox as the crankcase
breather blows this excess out.
So here is how I do it for oil
changes and oil level checks...
Bring the bike into the work
area good and hot, now I mean really HOT like after a good fast run
of 30 or more miles (not just up to temp showing 5 bars on a
notoriously cheap and unreliable temp gauge)
Park the bike
on the side stand for 20 minutes at least, this aids oil cooler
emptying because the angle of the machine means the cooler is also
angled down also.
Then put the machine on the centre stand for
another 20 minutes (or longer)...it's a good point proving exercise
to lie down beside the bike with a flashlight on the window as soon
as you get it on the centre stand and you will actually see the oil
level rise as the other oil chambers drain into the sump
After
the second 20 minutes you should be seeing a fairly true oil level, I
leave mine over night as a matter of course.
The oil should be
in the centre of the window, bear in mind that from bottom to top of
the window is only 500ml or 1 pint.
Now you can do your top up
and I only top up with no more than 200ml at a time (usually just
100ml as my highest mileage bike uses 100ml per 1000 miles) and then
wait for it to register on the window usually within 5 minutes, it
has a fairly tortuous route to follow.
For best results only
top up to the centre line and not above, this will give you the
smoothest running as the camshaft sprocket and chain will only be
dipping into the oil by 10mm or so rather than thrashing it around
like a magimix on steroids when overfilled.
As a point to
consider at an oil change....if you think your level is OK and when
you drain your oil you only get 2.5 litres out then there is still
1.25 litres hiding in there somewhere, usually in the oil cooler
because you didn't drain it hot enough or for long enough
My
oil change method is as above and I always leave the bike overnight
with sump plug out and the filter out
NB to avoid the
horrible death rattle you get when you first start the engine with
your newly changed oil and filter, spend 5 minutes filling your
filter before you screw it on.
So there you have it, 3.5L
without a filter change or 3.75L with one using good old 20/50 but
done using the above method and you should be fine...My high miler is
getting close to 270,000 miles on this method so I'm pretty sure it
works.
KB10
Clutch lube points