Geoff James

I've just fitted the newly-released Avon VP2 Sport tyre. It has three different rubber compounds in the construction. There is a durable medium compound in the centre for improved mileage and a softer compound out to the edges for maximum grip at high lean angles. A third low hysteresis compound (rapid rebound property) is applied across the tread base to improve the bond between the two road contact compounds and the carcass underneath. I've been a fan of Avon Storms since their release in late 2006 but went to an Avon Viper sport softer compound front last year. Both front and rear tyres lasted about 7000 km on coarse chip roads. Grip was exceptionally good but am now evaluating the VP2 (the successor to the Viper) both front and rear. I've only done 700 km on them so far but the grip is such in both wet and dry that my nerve gives out before the tyres do! The only unknown at this stage is how long they will last given the weight of the 'bird and its tendency to "push" the front end.

+1 for reg/rec. Whilst on the subject of electrics though, a mate who rides a Blackbird in the UK had his stator fail last week. Fortunately, he had an LED voltmeter fitted which showed that his voltages had gone out of range and he was able to get home. I wasn't so lucky when mine failed a couple of years back, getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. I've attached an article he wrote on his voltmeter as it sounds like a good bit of insurance. Cheers, Geoff Kuryakyn_Voltmeter_on_Blackbird.pdf

Mine was spot on compared with the OEM shock but I lengthened it to 8mm over standard as an experiment as I'd already had a 6mm on the standard shock. To be honest, I don't know whether it turns in any quicker or not but the improvement in handling is huge. In fact, it showed up the front end so badly that I upgraded the forks too and the difference is amazing. The other thing it's done is noticeably improve tyre life - a real side benefit. Makes sense when you think about it.

I’ve attached my long term evaluation of the Avon Viper Sport tyre. Everyone has favourite tyres and that’s how it should be but I’ve tried to bring some objectivity to tyre performance on my bike. I’m certainly not pushing this particular tyre over any other type for anything other than the Blackbird and how I ride it. However, I’ve made some observations on the probable impact of suspension set-up on tyre performance and life which may be of interest. It might be stating the obvious to suspension experts but it’s nice to get a handle on just what the benefits might be. Avon_Viper_Sport_tyre___final_evaluation.pdf

No, it's absolutely fine - that's how I've got mine secured and no movement whatsoever. Why over-complicate things?

No worries. There's a bit more info here which might be useful too: http://www.flyingferrets.eclipse.co.uk/inf...l/connector.htm.

Is this any good to you? Cheers, Geoff Blackbird_wiring_loom_issues.pdf

I use this..... It works superbly. Could have made it adjustable for differing tyre widths but when I made it, I wanted to use it quickly and simply knocked it up from materials I had laying around. Wheel_Alignment_using_a_Laser.pdf

For what it's worth, I've enclosed some pics of my Penske installation. There are no problems installing it but it does show where I located the remote adjustment. I wiped some copper-based grease on the pivot pins to reduce the risk of fretting corrosion but is isn't strictly necessary. Can't believe how good the result was and it really showed up the standard front end. I didn't go the whole hog with a subsequent front end upgrade, just used JAWS longer springs and shorter spacers but this gave a good result. Geoff

Had I realised just what a difference a good shock would make compared with the honda OEM, unit, I would have replaced it years ago. To give you an example of the difference, there is a fantastic twisty hill not far from home. The main thing which limited my speed on several corners was ripples in the surface caused mainly by the local logging trucks. I used to get bad wheel patter when leaned over to the extent that the back wheel would lose grip. Since fitting the Penske, it reacts so well that the road feels almost smooth and my control is just so much better. It's probably stating the obvious in retrospect, but I'd go for suspension over any other tuning mod such as aftermarket cans and Power Commander - it will have a better impact on performance. Geoff

+1 for the Penske. I bought an 8983 late last year and I cannot believe what an incredible difference it made. In fact, it made the standard front end look so poor that I upgraded that too. Now it REALLY handles! I bought mine from Rick and Joyce Tannenbaum at Cogent Dynamics: http://motocd.com/. Outstanding service.

I've just got back from the maiden test ride with the new Penske 8983 rear shock with remote damping adjustment in place of the OEM Honda unit. For a cynical bastard like me, the difference came as rather a shock and was pretty profound! Suspension gurus would say that this is stating the bleedin' obvious but sometimes, something like this simply has to be experienced!! It might sound contradictory but the most noticeable difference was that you simply didn't notice the suspension doing its job and maybe that's the biggest compliment that it's possible to give. On the OEM unit, rear wheel chatter over my local favourite bit of road was really noticeable and with the wheel not having constant contact, the impact on handling was way less than optimal in terms of grip, rate of turn-in and a whole load of other factors. With the new unit, the chatter had completely disappeared and I was able to corner with greater confidence because the bike felt much more stable. The shock was set up specifically for me by Cogent Dynamics as part of the group buy (spring rate, valving etc) and I haven’t played with ride height, sag, preload or any of the multitude of damping options. I don't doubt that that a suspension god could extract even more performance from it, but I'm leaving well alone for a while! Top suspension units like Penske and Ohlins are always going to outshine OEM units by a country mile but I'm also wondering how much of the improvement has been due to that imperceptible performance decline of the OEM unit over time which is very difficult to detect when you ride regularly. If there is a downside to fitting the new unit, it's because it's magnified just how crap my stock front fork setup is! Fortunately, the new internals arrived from the Jaws in the UK yesterday so I hope to address that shortly. Good suspension doesn't only give benefit to good riders but clearly applies to the whole spectrum of abilities and type of bike; conferring increased grip, quicker handling and probably a significant increase in tyre life which is another thing I'll try and monitor. Again, it's probably stating the bleedin' obvious but from my experience today; I'd opt for good suspension way before aftermarket cans, Power Commanders or any other form of tweak! BTW, if anyone is interested, there are 4 photos of the installed Penske unit here: http://picasaweb.google.com/geoff.james74/...SBikesAndStuff# Cheers, Geoff

To add to my evaluation of the Avon Storm posted in July, I've been testing the Avon Viper Sport on the front of the bike in combination with a Storm rear. This arose from a request by the NZ importer to test it on a heavier "hyperbike" which tends to push the front under hard cornering. The Viper Sport has an (almost) identical profile to the Storm and the same carcass construction. Tread pattern is a little different and it has a significantly softer compound. I was keen to try it out as some of my riding partners have sport bikes and when I'm really pushing in the twisties in an attempt to keep up, I've always been slightly nervous about washing out the front end, despite the Storms being a fantastic tyre. Winter in NZ has been unbelievably wet this year and I haven't done as much riding as normal so the attachment is an intermediate report to the importer and I'll do a final one at the end of the Viper life. I'll leave you guys to read the contents and draw your own conclusions. I've tried to be objective in my observations. It's fair to say however, that it's the grippiest tyre I've ever had in wet or dry and my confidence levels when pushing on grew enormously. The other side of the grip equation is a higher rate of wear and I'll be very interested to see whether my end of life estimate is a fair one. Given the cold conditions I've ridden in over winter, it may be that cold tearing might have skewed the results and now it's warm, that might have a different effect. Also, my "local" road is a bikers paradise with endless twisties and coarse chip. I'd imagine this would shorten tyre life too. Finally, I'm about to fit the Cogent Dynamics-supplied uprated suspension and am hopeful that this will have a positive impact too as the OEM suspension is stuffed. If I did trackdays, the Viper is definitely the tyre I'd have on the front. I'd be tempted to put one on the back too but hate to think how short the life would be. The more I think about it, the more complicated the whole thing becomes! anyway, hope you think it's a worthwhile post. Geoff Avon_Viper_Sport_tyre.pdf

I'm with Warchild. I fitted a Scottoiler when my 'bird had a chain and sprocket change at 20000 km (poor maintenance by original owner I assume). I've now reached 70000 km on the same chain and sprockets and I don't need to tension the chain between tyre changes. I do get a small amount of oil fling on the rim and the inside of the chain guard but it's not a big deal. The 50 ml reservoir of the Scottoiler is good for over 1500 km so you can see it doesn't use much.

I share your pain! :icon_pray: The renovations seem never-ending at our beach house. We renovated our bathroom a couple of years ago and put in one of those all-glass units held together with the silicone-based adhesive used for fish tanks. The base is tiled, the same as the rest of the bathroom, with a slight fall towards the drain. Works really well. As a matter if interest, I've just taken a break from from painting the master bedroom - it never stops! Lovely day outside too, I should be riding but need to keep my better half happy too! :icon_sad: Good luck with your renovations! Geoff