So, my Saturday started at 4:45AM when the dog decided that he needed to go out and do his business, no biggie, I was planning on getting up early anyway to finally install my new valves and springs I got from Jamie D for my forks. So I get cleaned up and head downstairs and setup my bike on my makeshift "lift" i.e. A ratchet tie strap that I have on eye hooks in the ceiling (225lb weight load each hook). I remove the front wheel and get to the hex bolt on the bottom of the fork leg...Oops, I realized the hex/socket I have is not long enough or small enough to go through the hole in the bottom of the fork leg and it's too early to Harbor Freight/Sears, etc. to get the right tool I need, I'll see if I have anything else that will do the trick. No luck, damn I have been planning and procrastinating on working on this for some time now and I really wanted to get something done this weekend! So I decided to see if I can install my new steel braided clutch line I got fem HEL. So I go and open up the kit they sent and pull out the clutch line and the two banjo bolts...wait, these look too long and why are both bolts the kind made for stacking dual lines? I thought maybe for a second, these were part of the brake line kit I got, but after looking over the entire bike, there are no dual line banjo bolts anywhere on the bike! Well, so much for that, strike two! or was it? No biggie, I'll just borrow two regular banjos from the brake line kit I got and just have HEL send me the right ones later. At this point I was able to get the new line routed and installed and bled fairly quick but I really wanted to tackle the front end this weekend. So, I took one last final inventory of my tools and parts/pieces that I might need and went on a small shopping trip, got the long hex wrench (non rounded type with 3/8 socket), got a few washers that I missed from my earlier shopping trip and figured I would just get started early Sunday morning, as the wife and I had dinner plans with some friends that were coming in from Burbank defying the "Carmageddon" this weekend had in store (it's a So Cal thing), and I didn't want to have to rush what I was doing or leave it half complete just to continue the next day. Now my normal Sunday on MotoGP race day usually starts at 5AM so I can catch the race in "real time" and leave the afternoon for some riding or the inevitable "honey do" list, so 5AM I get up to catch the race, and I can say that I was happy to see the outcome I was hoping for (won't divulge the outcome just in case you haven't seen/heard the results yet). I then got myself ready and then gathered all my tools, parts, pieces I was going to need and then I went to it. Since it has been several decades since I have done any real wrenching on my vehicles I took things a little slow to make sure I didn't mess something up or miss any steps. I figured I would start and complete one leg at a time so not to get things mixed up and to make it easier to get the second one done, as I will have learned any lessons with the first one. Well, with a couple of interruptions, one for breakfast, walking the dog, taking a small break, I was able to get everything done and buttoned up before the start of the Moto2 race on the Speed channel later this afternoon. This has probably been the most busy weekend I spent in a long time and I can say that having to get up early all week and then do it on both Saturday and Sunday I am a bit tired! But, I did do a lot, I installed my steel braided clutch line, caught a great dinner and drinks with our friends, caught the MotoGP race, upgraded the forks, then caught the Moto2 race! BTW, the Moto2 race was much more exciting to watch than the MotoGP, but I'm sure most of you race fans no this anyway. I was going to post this in maintenance, but I really didn't document or photograph what I was doing as my phone was being used as my MP3 player and I didn't want to break out the "Nikon" with all the grease and oil I was handling, so I'm posting in the "anything goes" forum, as this is more like a blog of my weekend anyway. But to cap off this post, I have to say it feels really good to be able to do the work for yourself, and for me having done a majority of my own work on my previous rides (both car and bikes), I really feel great that I was able to do this myself. So good in fact, I'll be doing an oil change next weekend! Cheers!
I like reading about other peoples weekends, and I'm happy for your accomplishments, but how are the forks? John
That's a TBD at the moment as I need time to evaluate them. I should be able to update this post later this week, as I will have time to put some miles on the bike. I had put on the rear shock I got that was revalved and resprung by JD some time ago and I really like the way that felt right off the bat, but not having the front done at the same time I was waiting to give my final verdict. Cheers!
good on ya......always a good thing when things go your way even after snags and making everyone else in your life happy. Hahhahhaaaa. Those damn other people, always gettin in yer way ........:sarcasm:
OK, so I had to go to Poway yesterday and from Anaheim, that's 100 miles each way, so I did get some road time in (albeit all slab). I can say with 100% certainty that the bike is a lot smoother. The little stutter (braking) bumps and "wavy" sections on the highway are a lot less noticeable, the bike doesn't seem to "porpoise" through them but rather float across them. The small curb like edges on the freeway (the low to high height changes between concrete sections) are no longer harsh when hitting them, and when dropping off the higher sections to the lower, the bike just seems to just settle in right away (no bouncing afterward). Also, prior to the upgrade, when touching the front brake, the front end would immediately "dive" what felt like through the entire suspension travel but now that is much less. Yes, it still dives under hard braking which should be obvious, but the front seems to collapse more evenly and smoother with normal braking. More of like a slow dive. Having the modified rear shock on for a while with the stock front definitely gave the bike a different attitude, but now that the two are more matched, the improvement difference is readily apparent. That being said, the differences I speak of are between the "mixed" setup and not an all stock setup, but that shouldn't negate this evaluation. Yeah, I probably should have done them both at the same time, I just procrastinated too much and thought I would be installing the front a lot sooner. All in all, I am very happy with the results and can say it was money well spent and I am looking forward to trying the bike out on the twisty roads next. After my twist adventure, I'll give another update. Cheers!
So I was able to take the VFR out yesterday on the twisty stuff and can say that it really handles well there too (Not surprising). Since the "diving" action of the front end is much more "fluid" and less abrupt, taking on corners feels much more solid and smoother and I have more travel coming into the turn. Mid corner bumps did not seem to upset my line like before and when flipping back and forth for tight 'S' turns, the bike just felt more solid. I took on some high speed sweepers and it tracks very well at faster speeds too. Is this Ohlins level of performance, no, but for the price it is a great improvement and I still have money for other things. Although I use the Duc for sport riding more than the VFR, I can say that I would be happy on either now for sport riding. Cheers!
