Warchild
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Posts posted by Warchild
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Would it be possible to buy them in England when I am there next month and bring them back with me to save even more on customs and shipping ?
No... in fact, the opposite would occur: these will be more expensive, because you're going to also have to pay VAT if you buy them in England, or anywhere in Europe.
Reason: the Pro-Oilers are made by a British ex-pat (Pablo Crofts) who now lives in Antwerp, Belgium.
Now, for us here in the USA, we have the "exempt of duty" HTSUS 8413.19.0000 (a customs "binding ruling" which classes the Pro-Oiler as a pump!) So we will not have to pay any customs fee. That $185 gets it all the way to our doorstep.
For my Aussie brethren, however... the $185 gets it delivered halfway around the world to Austrailia, but they still have their local regulations to deal with... sorry, mates!
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Don't lower the front.
Raise the rear instead.
This ASSumes that you are after quicker steering here... if it's an issue that you are inseamed-challenged dude looking to reach the ground at stoplights, that's a different story, obviously.
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- bike up on centerstand, in gear, drive lash taken up.
- have a helper get on the bike and more-or-less stand on the brake lever while squeezing brake lever.
- use a 1/2" breaker bar with the proper leverage, use a proper fitting socket, and that baby should come off without much issue.
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OK I am ready now
Hit me with the cost ?
$185 total, includes shipping from Europe. This price is for USA and Aussie sales.
Normal retail is around $230, so we're getting a pretty killer deal.
Especially for what you get... believe me.
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Do you use the Avons on your XX?
Oh, yeah.... this photo taken just a couple days ago:
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Dale.....will you marry me?
Um.... hell yes, momma!!!
That is, had you hit me up 11 years ago before I met my gorgeous bride.... :icon_wall:
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I need this! I am outriding my stock suspension capabilities. I was quite angry about it yesterday actually. Where do I sign?
I won't be ready for this for a little bit (week or so); I got a lot of stuff on my plate at the moment, and I believe CTS Moto is still working out the Penske numbers.... but this GB will definitely be happening, no question.
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Here... does my filthy wheel help?
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The first thing that struck me when I got the tire was the tread pattern. Although it looks kinda cool, my worries came true this weekend...
Corners and speeds below 15 mph..(like coming to a stop) the bike seems to wallow signifigantly more than before. Kinda like a 80's jap cruiser. Very funny feeling. Has anyone else noticed this with this tire??
This low-speed "walking" is 100% normal for the Avon. It's nothing to be concerned about, trust me. Within a couple hundred miles, you'll hardly even notice it. It only occurs at low speeds; once you're moving along, it vanishes.
Once your Avons are thoroughly scrubbed in, go take the bike through some triple-digit sweepers, or go ride some cornors in the rain, and you'll find out why the tire is among the top favorites in most sport-touring communities.
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Talked to Pablo again; we are a go here. Prolly line this GB up in another week or so.
One of the awesome upgrades Pro-Oiler has done in the last year or so is the creation of an entirely new "self-centering" dual nozzle system, so oil is uniformly distributed on both sides of the chain:
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Very nice. Can you powder coat a matte or flat finish, instead of the gloss?
I got a bud who actually does the shooting. And yeah, matte black is not a problem. I did toy with the notion of doing these in matte black also, so they would match the matte black done on the Traxxion forks:
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Forgot to include this little photo in the original post.....
Here's something you don't see every day on the fork cap of a Blackbird: external adjustments for pre-load and rebound damping:
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So while the forks were off to Traxxion Dynamics, I decided to do a lot of the same 90% gloss black powder-coating game I did on my FJR durings its rebuild.
Todays fun: muffler hangars and rearsets!
Here are the muffler hangars/passenger footpegs just after cooling off from the oven:
And some shots of the hardware installed back on the bike. Unfortunately, these are some unusually crummy photos; they don't do justice to how killer the powder-coating job looks in the flesh:
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Where is Traxxion located (where you're sending the forks to)?
Traxxion Dynamics is located Woodstock, Georgia
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Are you still running the SuperBrace with the new fork mods Dale?
In fact, no, I am not.
Wth stock forks, the Superbrace, IMO, did make a noteworthy improvement in front end feel and in your ability to hold a line during high-speed sweepers.
However, with my testing this past few days, the Traxxion cartridges have made such a vast improvement in the forks, I almost can't tell the Superbrace is even on the bike. So I removed it for now.
Re: Group Buy for these Traxxion units
I'm working on this. If we could get a minimum of 10 dudes, the price could drop another $40-ish from each of the options. Obtaining one of these AK-20 kits for $860 - delivered - is a killer score!
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Yeah, I can check check with Pablo and see if he's interested.....
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So, if I put a Pyramid CF Hugger (potentially another GB, John??) on my Bird, would there be any problems with installation of the oiler in that configuration?? WC???
You are all hooked up... I have a Red Fox hugger on my Blackbird, and it has no impact on the Pro Oiler whatsover.
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What was the general turn around time once Traxxion Dynamics got the forks in their hands?
~ 5 days.... not including shipping.
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Would this have to be something where the forks were sent in? Looks like a "drop and go" type thing (yes I realize that is over simpifying it).
Kinley
If you install the kits yourself, then obviously your forks don't have to go anywhere. Otherwise, you'll need to ship them off to Traxxion to do the job. For this Group Buy, here's the four options being looked at now:
Kit Only:
1. AK-20 kit with no external preload or rebound: $900 shipped to your door. Normal retail is $1000 + shipping for this kit.
2. AK-20 with external preload and rebound caps: $1000 shipped to your door. Normal retail on this is $1150 + shipping.
The above two options means you install the kit, which doesn't appear to be a difficult exercise. There are some detailed step-by-step instructions on the Traxxion web site. But for those who would rather let Traxxion do the install....
Installation options:
1: Send in forks and have Traxxion do the install and return forks: additional $150 (shipping is included in the cost of the parts)
2: Send in forks and have Traxxion do the install and powder-coat the lowers black for an additional $250 (shipping is included in the cost of the parts)
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Allllllllllrighty, then..... time to reveal Warchild's latest XX upgrade!
Most of the hard-core XX Faithful will admit that just about the only weakness the Blackbird has that can't be overcome by the aftermarket is the front suspension. It is generally acknowledged that the Blackbird's stock suspension is found wanting; the primary complaints are that the bike is too softly sprung, and, in the case of the front, significantly overdamped. The lack of any external adjustment capability on the forks seems particularly glaring.
Folks have tried a number of approaches over the years to address the XX forks - different springs, different combination of fork oil weights, different pre-load spacer lengths, different air-gap heights, etc. While these measures can help to some degree, still, for those demanding the best from their front end, it usually means a very expensive custom re-valve exercise (where the forks may have to go back and forth to the tuner a couple times to get them "just right"). Alternatively, you could consider bolting on RC-51 forks, but then have to deal with the brake conversions, etc. Otherwise, you could look at bolting on seriously expensive Ohlins Superbike forks, etc.
Until now!
Traxxion Dynamics has created a full-blown internal cartrige kit that can now be fitted to most modern forks! The "AK-20 Cartridge Kit" has been available for about a year now. To the best of my knowledge, my Night Train is the very first Blackbird in the country to have one of these AK-20 Cartridge Kits installed. The results are just unbelieveable... I can not begin to describe what an incredible ride the new fork internals afford. The Blackbird rides like a completely different bike, and that is no shit.
Here are the forks to my beloved Night Train in early March....
And here is the right leg upon their return! Since the forks were going to be *completely* torn down for the cartridge install, I elected to have the fork lowers powder-coated a nice matte-black finish. As you can see, Traxxion did an outstanding job powdercoating the fork lower:
One of the options (that you DEFINITELY want to get) when installing this kit is to obtain the custom fork tower which houses the two external adjustments for pre-load and rebound:
Bitchin' fork leg lowers, eh?
Below is a photo of the full Traxxion Dynamic AK-20 Cartridge Kit. It replaces everything inside your stock XX forks... you will re-use the original outer slider and the fork lower only :
You can read about it here: http://www.traxxion.com/cruisers/sport_touring_home.htm
Um, yeah.... anyone for a Group Buy?
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Ok. I want an automatic chain oiler. Any comments on the various types would be appreciated. Anyone had experience with...
Scott oiler....Gravity feed?
Pro oiler... Automatic Pump feed?
Hawkeoiler... Manual pump feed?
etc (any others?)
Pros and cons??????
I posted this originally on the Australian site but thought I'd share it around.
I'm a sharing kinda guy.I have tried them all over the years.
There is NO QUESTION that the Pro Oiler is the FINEST oiler out there. A bit more spendy than the others, and worth every cent, I promise you!
Those are the damn things that merit a Group Buy!
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What I did was simply take up the excess space with a gasket from a garden hose:
Then, after your test fitment determines one gasket isn't enough , you add a second gasket:
Now when you install the bulb and hook up the retaining latch, these bulbs remain rock-solid in their housings. See how the circular gromment the wires pass through make for an absolutely perfect seal with the OEM rubber boot:
Here both HID bulbs have just been installed. You also see the ballast for my low-beam, which resides just above the horizontal knob for headlight adjustment:
To place the high-beam ballast, I used the open space behind the instrument panel at the base of the fairing mount (where it forms a natural 'Y'), and zip-tied both the ballast and the ignitor directly to the fairing mount. This was an excellent placement; the zip-ties (see 4 yellow arrows) made for another rock-solid mounting job:
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You do know that the XX has a hydraulic clutch
Only since county's initial post on this thread......
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Definitely a spare clutch cable. They're hard to find in a pinch.
Concur! Sound advice, here! Never go on a long trip on your XX without carrying a spare clutch cable!
Chain Oilers
in The Garage
Posted
Correct; the one kit is a universal fit, so if you have a couple of chain-drive bikes you want to get a Pro-Oiler for, no problemo; order away.
Correct.
Yeah, he is an exceptionally helpful dude. If you run into any snags installing/calibrating, the guy is right there for you. He'll even call you up on the phone from Belgium and talk you through it... serious customer service, there!