What did you do to your bike today?

[fabiamk2SE]

OK I'll explain.... A bit obscure for you young un's I guess. The 7" and 12" refer to vinyl singles that were common years ago played at 45 rpm on a grammaphone .

Basically the 12" was the extended single which IIRC you paid more for so as anything to do with BM is a trousers down exercise and generally more expensive than other bikes that's where my warped sense of humour had strayed to....

Oooh haha. Sorry! Im abit uneducated on that perhaps. .

[Madrunner]

Well the bike had its top to bottom clean and polish today, looks mint again.

Tried some auto glym degreaser on the chain lube, just comes off with a hose down.

Wiped the chain over to get the muck off, fresh coat of lube applied.

Ready for another weeks commute !!

[fabiamk2SE]

Well the bike had its top to bottom clean and polish today, looks mint again.

Tried some auto glym degreaser on the chain lube, just comes off with a hose down.

Wiped the chain over to get the muck off, fresh coat of lube applied.

Ready for another weeks commute !!

Brill!

Get some wax/sealant on the paint n itd clean up easy peasy .

I gave the T a clean today too. Maybe polish it up tomorrow evening or in the week too.

Dont you just love tinkering about with bikes? Ahaa

[Madrunner]

Spot on mate, got a coat of Collinite insulator wax all over it. Looks great.

Absolutely love tinkering, the wife was away so had a day of man jobs today.

[littleade]

Oooh haha. Sorry! Im abit uneducated on that perhaps. .

Nope, just too young......

[fabiamk2SE]

Spot on mate, got a coat of Collinite insulator wax all over it. Looks great.

Absolutely love tinkering, the wife was away so had a day of man jobs today.

Oh brill. Thatll do the trick nicely!

Ooh nice one. Good having bike time isnt it haha. Yours should come up well shouldnt it, being brand new haha.

Dads away next week on his GSA. So loads more room in the garage to polish the T. Cant wait!

[Chriswright03]

Rode then both!  Did a back to back on them with the Daytona first and the Tiger next.  Different?  I'll say!

 

First of all the Daytona is far better with air in the tyres BUT the suspension is still way too hard.  To me adjusting suspension is a black art and it baffles me completely.  It is way too hard front and back and you can feel every bump in the road.  So obviously it needs to be softened up but is that the rebound, compresion or pre-load?  All three can be changed at the front and rebound and damping at the rear.  I plan to check to see where they are and if different to factory settings revert them to them and go from there.

 

At the moment I would say the Daytona is easy to ride fast but I would say (if it makes sense) the Tiger is easier to ride faster.  I think that is because I am used to the Tiger and that it needs hardly any input to change direction with having the wide bars.  Once I spend more time on the Daytona I am sure my confidence with it will improve and I will end up being quicker on it.

 

Took Jane out for a ride this afternoon on the Tiger and when we got back home went straight out on the Daytona and had to come back home before we got out of town as she just does not feel safe without a top box to stop her going backwards and she couldn't find anywhere comfortable to hang on.  Took it really steady and because we were in town never took it above 30mph. There is a non-standard grab handle which if she isn't going to be on the bike I will remove as it looks stupid.  I am quite happy that she does not want to go out on it in a selfish way as it was bought for me to tool around on when I am on my own.  Had she been happy on it I would have then found it hard to justify keeping the Tiger.

 

Oh and of course while we were out Cakey Chops struck again. :clap:

 

 

Banoffee  cheescake for me and a cream scone for Jane who has since gone out for an hours walk with Charlie to wear it off.  I just cut the lawn.

 

My stable after it's exercise and of course Charlie looking pi$$ed off because he had to stay at home and we didn't bring him anything back!

 

Edited 17 April, 2016 by Chriswright03

[Madrunner]

Great looking picture of the fleet Chris and nice to get a back to back ride in.

Suspension wise I'd advise changing only one thing at a time otherwise you'll get no where.

First thing is to get your pre load set for static sag ie measure the ride height with no weight on the bike then the same again with you on it. Not sure what trumpf recommend setting this to but 25 mm should be sensible.

Once this is right back off the damping to the middle setting for compression and rebound and tweak only one click at a time on one setting only at one end of the bike until it feels better. Try both directions to increase and reduce.

from memory having ridden quite a few of these they were set pretty hard from the factory.

Compression and rebound damping can make the bike feel rock hard just like you're feeling. Coming from the tex will probably exaggerate the Daytona too.

Or just eat loads more cake.

[Chriswright03]

Cheers Mad.  I will get Jane to help with checking the sag before and after cake and then go about it one step at the time starting at the front.  Actually the TEX is hard as nails as well but I just ride round it and ignore it rather than go the way of some who have spent about a grand on a new suspension. 

[Madrunner]

I like the plan - I'm not sure if trumpf calibrated the damping so that 1 additional click equates to one large slice of cake.....???

[punyXpress]

Hi Chris

Have you got a rider's handbook for it?

My Street Triple R one gives comfort settings.: see if yours does.

When I bought the bike it was solid - the bloke was selling due to lack of comfort, said he would soften it, but must have twiddled the wrong way!

[Madrunner]

Trouble is that Chris's bikes have to cope with cake and without cake - needs to buy adaptive suspension me thinks

[littleade]

Trouble is that Chris's bikes have to cope with cake and without cake - needs to buy adaptive suspension me thinks

If this isn't possible then he'd need to see a suspension expert and get individual settings for 1, 2 and maybe 3 slices solo plus double with a pillion too I guess.... 

[Chriswright03]

You guys should be on the stage!  It leaves in half an hour!!

 

So ignoring the second rate cabaret puny yes I do have the handbook and have been looking at videos and stuff this morning.  I want to check the sag before I do much else but I can see that the rebound damping is set to 4 instead of the factory setting of 5 so I will have a check to see what the other settings are by turning them completely one way and counting them all the way back so I know how many clicks there are to make sure it coincides with what the book says.  Once I have done that I shall put them back to factory and go for a ride to see what happens.

 

I think as Mad said it is a case of doing it one thing at a time and keeping notes of what I have done so I don't confuse myself.  I have always found that if things are getting out of hand a break with a brew and cake (biscuits also work) helps to go back with a fresh look at it.

 

Above all else I am determined to fathom this and other stuff out so I can do it myself rather than pay someone to do it.  Likewise with servicing I shall change oil and stuff myself and make sure that I have learned how to do brakes properly as well.  I realise that it isn't that complicated to check and change pads but it is just that I have not done it that is making me wary of it.  I have plenty of time on my hands and the less I have t give to others to do stuff for me leaves more money for me and ............................!

[fabiamk2SE]

Next customer isnt in till 4pm

So a little swingarm polishing happened..

[CWARD]

Check the spring hasn't been swapped out for heavier one before you waste your time on setting the sag. Handbooks are good for a general guide but the settings are usually for riders of 65-75kg in full kit depending on the manufacturer and unless you fall into that skinny bracket then you'll never get the best out of it. Since your starting at sag I assume you know what you're doing instead of just moving dials about and hoping for the best. I mention the spring as my brothers Fireblade had an uprated spring and we could barely get any sag before we realised it wasn't standard.

Don't forget to ensure the wheels are aligned too whilst you're at it as it makes a difference to the handling and often overlooked. I just use the string method which works well but takes longer.   

[Chriswright03]

Other than reading stuff and looking at youtube vids about it I know sod all.  I wouldn't have the faintest idea of what spring should be in it anyway.  What I have read is that if to get the sag right I have to use all the travel of the adjustment one way or the other then the springs will need changing.  So all I shal do for a start is go by what is should be set at, check the sag and go from there.

[CWARD]

Static sag with no rider, just the bike should be around 10% of available travel.

Rider sag should then take it to 25-30%. 25 beng more sporty, 30 for comfort.

You'll need to find the full travel by measuring with no load which is a matter of pulling the bike up on the side stand until you have a wheel of the ground, you'll obviously need a helper for this. Front is just a measurement of the exposed stantion. With the front check for stiction and if you're not getting full length of the travel and having to pull on the wheel to get the last bit then loosen the front wheel clamps and check again which usually cures it. All you need do then is ensure the front wheel is centred and tighten up again evenly.

Rear is a pain to measure the travel but look it up and you'll find the travel. From no load with the rear wheel off the ground measure between two fixed points i.e. Rear axle and a mark/tape on the tail. See this to determine the static and then the rider sag.

Rider sag you need your riding gear on and feet on the pegs, helper or wall to lean on required. Every adjustments pump the suspension up and down to settle and try and keep the same position between each setting.

Once you have the sag set then do rebound. You should have enough to control the spring so that there is no bounce if you push down on the suspension then release. When riding if it feels like the suspension is kicking back then back off on the rebound.

Compression is how quickly the suspension reacts to hits. Not sure if you high and low speed settings. High is for the small movements i.e. road imperfections whilst high is the reaction to larger hits like small potholes. If it feels harsh over imperfections then decrease the compression. If it slow to react and feels like it's not getting chance to recover before the next hit then increase compression.

Too much rebound can work against compression.

[fabiamk2SE]

Thats interesting to all i imagine. Certainly is for me . 

 

So, you can set the sag, but the only thing that controls how hard the suspension actually is, is the spring? Or have i got that wrong? . 

[Redboy]

Question. how do I get the pistons out of my rear brake caliper? They looked rather bronze vice silver when I cleaned them after I fitted new brake pads. I haven't bled the system yet but suspect that they will stick or prove troublesome. Can I simply remove the pads and pump the foot pedal to push the pistons out? I replaced my front disc pads and although the pistons seemed clean and silver after I had given them a good clean with muc off, they are binding. I haven't ridden it on the road to see if they'll free off naturally yet. A friend has told me to tap the midfle of the front calipers with a soft mallet to encourage them to come unstuck. Any better ideas? I don't really want to replace these pistons as well.

[fabiamk2SE]

Question. how do I get the pistons out of my rear brake caliper? They looked rather bronze vice silver when I cleaned them after I fitted new brake pads. I haven't bled the system yet but suspect that they will stick or prove troublesome. Can I simply remove the pads and pump the foot pedal to push the pistons out? I replaced my front disc pads and although the pistons seemed clean and silver after I had given them a good clean with muc off, they are binding. I haven't ridden it on the road to see if they'll free off naturally yet. A friend has told me to tap the midfle of the front calipers with a soft mallet to encourage them to come unstuck. Any better ideas? I don't really want to replace these pistons as well.

 

It's been a while since i did this. 

 

I seem to remember opening the bleed nipple, using a small hose and putting it into a jar. Then pumping the lever to get all the fluid out. 

Then pulling the piston out, cleaning up and replacing the seals, using red rubber grease. Pushing the piston back in. Do what you need to do, put pads back in etc  and caliper back on bike. 

 

Then putting new fluid in the reservoir, making sure the tube is submerged in the jar in blake fluid (so it cant suck air back in) then gently pumping the lever and keeping the reservoir topped up until no air bubbles came out of the hose. Then closing the nipple, put the level in the reservoir to the correct amount and pumped the brakes some more.

 

I think thats right, it has been about 4 years since i did a rebuilt on the SV650, so if anybody else see's anything in the above which is incorrect, please correct me . 

 

Its worth noting that i don't know how to do it on a linked brake system too! 

Edited 18 April, 2016 by fabiamk2SE

[Redboy]

Ok I will try to simply try to pull the piston out if I need to replace it.

[fabiamk2SE]

Ok I will try to simply try to pull the piston out if I need to replace it.

 

If you're replacing the piston, just get some grips on it ( remove the fluid first, of course). 

 

Once you've taken one apart and had a look, you'll be amazed how simple they actually are.. 

[Madrunner]

Next customer isnt in till 4pm

So a little swingarm polishing happened..

Looking well s**** Oli, very very nice.

[Madrunner]

You guys should be on the stage!  It leaves in half an hour!!

 

So ignoring the second rate cabaret puny yes I do have the handbook and have been looking at videos and stuff this morning.  I want to check the sag before I do much else but I can see that the rebound damping is set to 4 instead of the factory setting of 5 so I will have a check to see what the other settings are by turning them completely one way and counting them all the way back so I know how many clicks there are to make sure it coincides with what the book says.  Once I have done that I shall put them back to factory and go for a ride to see what happens.

 

I think as Mad said it is a case of doing it one thing at a time and keeping notes of what I have done so I don't confuse myself.  I have always found that if things are getting out of hand a break with a brew and cake (biscuits also work) helps to go back with a fresh look at it.

 

Above all else I am determined to fathom this and other stuff out so I can do it myself rather than pay someone to do it.  Likewise with servicing I shall change oil and stuff myself and make sure that I have learned how to do brakes properly as well.  I realise that it isn't that complicated to check and change pads but it is just that I have not done it that is making me wary of it.  I have plenty of time on my hands and the less I have t give to others to do stuff for me leaves more money for me and ............................!

That's the way to do it Chris, start from a known point, write down one change and see what happens. You'll get there.

Brakes really are easy. Just keep the grease on the right side of the pad, get everything clean, sliding freely and torqued to the right spec.