exskibum

+1

Well, shit, boys . . . I guess it's time to actually answer Scated's question. Redbird, FliteMedic, oh shit, too many others . . . attended TBME and drooled or jacked off over it. (Ok -- I jacked off over it, too. So what?) Too bad you can't also see what said XX and its owner did to a front Michelin Pilot Power in exceeding the speed limits in 140+ miles of twisties with the likes of Randy, Robin, Jeff and the midget from San Diego County with some of the largest testicles on record1. On this site, though he seldom participates, there is a gentleman from San Jose, CA who has THE baddest handling Bird, name is Howie, and he can scrub the shoulders off his 01's nearly new Pilot Powers in just a few sortees across Hwy 36 and its environs. Do a search for TBME (June 9, 2006 west coast meet in Red Bluff, CA), and you're bound to find pics of Howie's bike (he goes by "xrdracer" which means exactly what it seems to mean). It's a red '01 with an RC51 grafted-on front suspension, a $2,500 TSR (??) racing swing arm, MANY more cool, expensive and weight or handling tricks, and more examples of racing performance/functional bling (but nothing extreme done for more power) than you will find elsewhere on this site, I suspect. It is the equivalent of Chris's and Forest's extreme/reliable uber-power-output engines in the suspension and cool engineering division. Testify with me, brothers who have seen this specimen at arms length! 1Paulie, of course: the "brass balled monkey" of a LIDAR recorded 188 mph, IIRC.

On my '03, the first three via Group Buys from here: Traxxion AK-20 kit up front -- cartridge with valving and adjusters for preload and rebound damping fine tuning, as well as stiffer springs matched to weight and riding style. Penske in the rear -- spring and shock matched to weight and riding style. (8981?? -- too lazy to check) Carozzerria wheels -- 3.5 lb savings up front, 5 lb savings in rear (all of which is unsprung rotating weight). Micron 4-2-1 with carbon fiber can -- about 15 lb savings less the minimal added weight of the PCIII to get the most benefit out of the system. Brand new set of Michelin Pilot Powers on her right now -- Birdie enjoys the twisties of the Sierras and Sierra foothills where she lives and gets to play.

Sounds like the typical undersprung and undervalved XX suspension, probably not set up perfectly (and/or maybe an under-torqued steering stem nut) is the problem. The front suspension is the biggest deficiency in the stock XX, IMO. I put a Traxxion AK-20 kit in mine (and a Penske on the rear) and it rocks. (Pricey, though.) Only steering damper I've seen on an XX is on Howie's '01 (xrdracer), but that bike is a LOONNNNGGGG way from being a stock or even normally farkled XX -- RC-51 front forks, $2500 TSR swingarm and more racing goodies on it (suiting the rider/owner) than on any XX I've seen. I have to say that the stretch of Hwy 1 from where it turns away from the coast to where it hits 101 at Leggett (in either direction) has to be one of the VERY BEST twisty roads (esp with the resurfacing a year or two ago) anywhere, and with where I live, I'm not saying that because I lack for GREAT twisty roads. Enjoy and welcome!

That's about where I run mine, too. (46 T in the rear, since it's available for a ZX12, which is the sprocket that fits the Carozzerria wheels.) But in mountain twisties I'm usually between 5000 and 7000, mostly for the engine braking.

Setting aside the comments above for a moment, the answer to your question is yes if it's detonating. Generally, high summer temperatures, especially at relatively low altitudes, can make an engine more susceptible to detonation in the summer than it might be in cooler seasons. Lug it in the heat of summer and you're likely to see more detonation than if you do the same thing in 70 degree weather.

Be still my heart!!! IF that's true, Para, that's pretty much my dream tire for both the FJR adn the XX. I just pray that Michelin makes them available for us over here.

I believe they are to be available in the US in or about September. Looking forward to reports from those of you who are lucky enough already to be riding on them in other parts of the world. Thinking they *may be* pretty close to exactly what I have been hoping for -- possibly with a Power up front, like you are running.

Yep -- but I get 4,500 miles from new to belts ready to show on the rear Powers. Have one to change out right now, so Bird is sitting until I get a few hours free to do the work. I'm running Pilot Roads on the FJR and like tehm on that bike, not to mention a little better mileage out of them on anotehr bike that eats tires.

I was thinking exactly the same thing -- about the nicest rear signal set up I've seen on a bird. And looking at your license plate set up, Eric, did you do the mod of putting a bit of clear plastic in as a lens in the bottom of the tail light to light the plate? Can't wait to see the results of the dyno runs.

Muchas gracias. After reading the responses, I began to think that might be the case, so thanks for the clarity on the two different bikes I'm confused with. All this tells me two things: (1) I haven't been riding the XX enough lately, and (2) alzheimers is probably in my future. Isn't that what happens? You go out for a drive (ride), get disoriented and start waxing paranoiac that something is wrong. (In Dylan's words: "You know something is happening, . . . but you don't know what it is. Do you, . . . Mr. Jones?") Well, at least I haven't started forgetting how to get home yet.

Thank you, Keith. Now I can stop imagining that something has changed and that I need to diagnose a non-problem. I'm wondering if this sort of thing is going to be happening more as I get older and older?

Exactly my thoughts (when I thought that the oil light had previously been off in that mode). So, to check my perception and that reasoning, I got home and checked the FJR. On it, the oil pressure light is off when not running (after initially lighting up when the key is first turned on). Hmmmm -- so much for that telling me the story. So . . . does anyone with a FI Bird know for sure if the oil light is on or off before starting? Is yours on, Joe? Shit, this is my second Bird (1 carbed, 1 FI) and I can't remember for sure? I must be getting old and senile -- it's as bad as getting a jingle stuck in my subconscious. Please help an old fart out. :icon_pray:

I haven't been on the Bird much lately, since it needs a new rear tire. So, maybe what I've seen is the result of too much recent familiarity with the FJR. After turning the key on, all status lights light up for a few seconds normally, but . . . last Friday, after a brief ride, I went to start the bike again, and with it in neutral (after getting all status lights lit) most went out normally, but BOTH the oil and the neutral stayed lit. I started it and the oil light went out. I've repeated this a few times and get the same result now. I would have sworn that, normally, the oil light went off before starting (when the bike isn't running), but the only thing the manual addresses is that the oil light should be off when the bike is running. And it is. But am I imagining that it used to be the case that the oil light was off before starting it? If it is supposed to be off, any idea what is causing it to light before starting? Bad oil pressure sensor?

Group buy?!? :icon_hand: :icon_shifty: FUCKER! :icon_nono: I already have a spendy CF can on my Micron 4-2-1. If'n this thing adds 10 to 20 HP on top of that, just how in HELL do you expect me to resist a GB on it?!? CRAP! I have no resistance to GBs anyway, and I can only imagine how much faster I'll be going through rear Pilot Powers with something like this. :icon_wall: :icon_wall: Nice work, FUCKER!

Huh??? Ohhh -- last line may explain. Get some sleep Paul and relax a bit.

Not unless you're talking politics to us. Even the liberals on the board trust you on the tech stuff, Stan. NBL

That set you have is actually THE kit I bought last year and never installed. I sold it to disputnyc in November, maybe 5 months after he first contacted me inquiring if I wanted to sell them (before I moved over the mountains and later had trouble finding shit that was still packed away). It looks like the set keeps moving on at progressively lower prices with each location change. The little package of banjo washers that was separate in the pics are all extras. I ordered and paid a nominal amount for the extras just in case I F'd something up on the install I never did. The main reason I sold the lines (with full disclosure) was that they were not enough like the full line for line replacement for the OEM set I wanted. I believe that I would have to get either HEL or maybe Spieglers at considerably greater cost to have the section for section swap I am seeking. Ran into a guy this last weekend who told me there is a place in Sacramento that will build such SS lines on my OEM connectors, too, but that will be for next winter if I don't get a set of HELs in the mean time.

Alright, that's a starting point. Now, please explain what you mean and how balancing the pulses effects this HP increase. Are you talking about something like airbox resonance effecting the amount of air flow in the inlet tract, but in the exhaust tract in this application? If so, how does that work? Are you talking about this somehow generating (or increasing) a negative pressure wave up the exhaust tract of individual cylinders that effectively acts as a vacuum to increase gas velocity through the cylinder during overlap (when exhaust and intake valves are both open), thereby getting more mixture at higher pressure into the combustion chamber and generating HP from that increased charge like a tuned header does? And if this works with the OEM 4-2-1-2 Blackbird header, why wouldn't you get even more HP from a 4-2-1 aftermarket header with these cans? Seriously, I'm interested if there's a mechanism at work here that I don't understand, but I'm not following how the physics work here. A more complete explanation would be appreciated.

Why wait? I'd love to hear how it works. There are plenty of us familiar with engines, with header function and skeptical but interested in something that actually does give a 20 hp boost. I'd love to hear the reason why I can allay my natural skepticism of something that sounds too good to be true.

+3 -- Heli bars

I sold my '97 and now have an '03, so I can't go look again, but my recollections from having the '97 apart are that the purpose was to keep the carbureted models form having a ram air effect from the oil cooler air inlets on the nose. The FI models have ram air ducting and are tuned for that. The carbureted models are not tuned for that additional air, so as soon as you hit speeds where you get that compressor effect, you get a big lag and drop off in power. Important pieces you need to put in. Hopefully rockmeup Joe or Northman will tell me I'm full of shit or confirm that. Seems we had this discussed a year or two ago, though.

Thanks, Ben -- that definitely helps. Looking forward to doing this and my HIDs this winter.

Did you ever do an instructional thread on how you (did or didn't :icon_shhh: ) set it up, Ben? I have to do some splicing or trick modifying to get my shorter harness '97 Euro pod to work for the longer harness "03 FI setup (thought I'd do it right, possibly by pirating a good part of the longer harness from the '03's U.S. pod) and might as well do it like you (may or may not ) have done it.

On the right side, there's a switch directly above the starter switch that turns the lights on and off. I have this one to install this winter. Not sure on the left, but I believe there's a headlight flasher switch for flashing your beams at oncoming cars.