Helvet

The bike in the pictures is set up with Hyperpro springs. This set-up includes dropping the front, and raising the rear. That is the difference you see on the pics.....

Just check these pictures out: http://blackbirdownersclub.eu/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=208

Well,since it is German magazine,2nd place by Metzeler is just ,things are very biased there,Avon last,,,,,,, FYI here in States,Germans and British,they hate each other,,,,,,,,,,soccer I guess Also if I`m not mistaken they used Gixxer 1000 as a test bike,,,,,,,,,,,litre bike and sport touring tires,,,, . Simply, it is a wrong bike to test ST tire,,,,,,,,,, That is all. They used VFR800 VTEC's for the test, and many riders (also 2 from England). The last place for the Avon's was considered correct by all riders (also the English ones). Metzeler is a German factory by name, but is produced in Spain (just like most Pirelli's and Michelin's). Historically Germans like English products better than French, so the good score for Michelin was not biased. I sell a lot of tires here in Holland, the last year I've becoma a major dealer through internet and through my shop. I sell very little Avons because pople here don't like them. When I did a testdrive I also found these very unpredictable and "fuzzy" (if that is the correct word for it). No feedback at all.... Somebody once told me it was because the tarmac here in Europe is totally different from the USA, but you are the only region in the world that likes Avons...... (as far as I know, that is).

The MPR2 is my best sold tire. I must have sold about 400 of them the last few months, and everybody loves them. The main competitor in sales is the Bridgestone BT021 (replacing the old BT020), but is not reviewed greatly in Europe. The big comparison test done here 2 months ago by Europes biggest motorcyclemagazine "das Motorrad" had the following result: 1. Michelin Pilot Road 2 2. Metzeler Roadtec Z-6 3. Pirelli Diablo Strada 4. Bridgestone BT021 5. Continental Road Attack 6. Dunlop D220ST 7. Avon Storm-ST

-1 here too...........

Same here (for weeks now......)

Yes, the tyre is bigger. I made a casing for an exhibition a few weeks ago, and I fit 24 different motorcycletires into it (all of them pairs of 120/70-17 and 180/55-17). To my surprise and embarrassement some did not fit the holes I had made for them. The biggest ones were the Metzelers and the Pirelli's. And here I was thinking all tires of the same size are the same size, but clearly not! The outter diameter can differ more than 1.5 Inch.....

Ask user "Helvet" in this forum, he is a Hyperpro representative and a trusty guy to do business with. This is true if you live in Europe, but in the 'states, you've either got to go through hyperprousa.com (price-wise), or through any of Race-Tech's distributors (basically, anybody who sells from Parts Unlimited)... In fact, Louie (Partmonster) has set up a 15% discount for cbrxx.com members on his website (check the "other" 'bird forum for details)... In my talking to Hyperpro on front springs to complement the Type 41 rear shock, their tech guy said that if you're going with linear springs in the front, Race-Tech was among the best... From what I've researched, the type of springs you get depends on what you want... Progressive springs (hyperpro) are good at being soft on the highway and such, but not so good at soaking up mid-corner bumps when you're hauling ass throught he twisties, and linear springs (race-tech, ohlins, etc) are a little harder just running down the highway, on small bumps, but soak up mid-corner, and larger bumps better... It's all in what you want, really... Generally, though, anything is an improvement over stock... Mike That is correct. Due to price-politics in the USA it is no use for me trying to sell there. You got about the same consumer-price there as my wholesale-price..... I also sell WP, Öhlins, HK, Wilbers, Technoflex..... (same deal...)

Prices did go down. I am selling them here in Holland, and I've sold about 30 pieces for Blackbirds for about $ 115,-- They are great, much improvement to the standard lights....

This is funny..... Two of my customers talking to eachother about the stuff I've sold them.... Keep up the good work guys!

You mean Gilles Tooling from Germany. http://www.gillestooling.com/en/produkte/as/index.php I have them too, and they're great! Only problem is you can't go much lower than original, because the side-stand is in the way of the gear-lever. First time I tried it and switched to first gear the bike seized because it activated the side-stand cut-off switch..... I changed the lever, and now it's fine....

Good for you! I am glad you like them, I do sell them a lot.... Is that you Michael? (Frank here....)

You must mean the Z-6 roadtec. As far as I know there is no M-6.......

The Metzeler Sportec M-3 is now sold for a few months, and gets very good reports from the users.

Yes, three of them in 60.000 miles.....

I am considering to change when they are available here in Europe. The reason is that I get a lot of F1 errors (even after replacing the complete wiring-loom). According to the specialists the PC2 changes the signal going into the Fuel Injection too much, therefore it signals it's out of parameters, and goes into safety-mode. The PC3 changes the signal created by the Fuel-Injection and sends it to the injectors. Changing to a PC3 should theoretically stop the system going into safe-mode.... Also the PC3 is more adjustable than a PC2 (every 250 rpm instead of every 500 rpm). This will make Dynoïng it more expensive (needs more time).

I strongly disagree with this method. Firstly it is quite easy to damage the housing. Secondly the position of the lever is not easy to use this way. If you only take of the smaller part of the side-tabs, and leave the bigger one on, you should make this fit perfectly inbetween the 2 gascables. That way the position is perfect to operate, and it's completely free from touching the gastank or any other parts. I also noticed there is quite a big difference between older and newer Blackbirds in the space between the switch-housing and the ridge on the gas-handle. With some bikes it fits without needing any work at all, in other cases you really need to use a Dremel on it.....

Did you know Yo is famous in Holland for having his nose on the pavement? Just ask him why, you'll never believe it...... Sorry Yo, just had to share...... Hmmmmmmmm, wasn't there video relating to this story? No, not with this one (although he made the national newspapers with his story). The video you mean was of the President of the Dutch CBR-club, who had to ride his bike from the showroom to the workshop (200 meters), and crashed after 2 meters (rear wheel slide) without wearing his helmet.

The Vista is not mounted on the grip, it's mounted inbetween the grip and the switch-housing. Therefore it does not matter what grip you use. In worst case you need to move the grip a little outwards, but that is all....

A digital relay (like the Clear Alternatives one) is not responsive to how much current you use, so if you use original bulbs front and LED flashers in the reaer is no different than any other combination. I also tried the LED-bulbs in the front, but I found out these are only visible from the right angle. How did you solve this? I am now looking for changing the clear front-lenses to be able to use emergency flashers like you see on police-cars (only orange....). These will flash in all directions, not just straight forward.....

The year doesn't matter, just make sure it's a VFR800 VTEC.

+1 for the Pyramid. It's the only one with a decent length of the chainguard. All others will splash chaingrease on the back and left side of the cowl. They are expensive, though.....

I'm 100% sure it will work. I've seen it done here in my shop last month.

Yes, it's available. Check out the bottom one here: http://clearalternatives.com/Merchant2/mer...Clear-cbr1100xx

There is supposed to be no difference between the function of these shocks. The only difference is (supposedly) the way it's mounted on top. They are not interchangeable.