skybluebird

See my post "410,000 mile XX" in the Pub. The guy uses only RK chains, they last longer (based on 2,000,000 miles experience!!). He uses a Scottoiler, which seems to be set to dispense a liberal amount of oil, and gets 80,000 miles per chain. His riding is mostly motorway (Interstate), at a steady 80-85 mph. He's a courier, who rides >3000 miles every 5 days, so is mindful of running costs in his riding style. Still pretty impressive, yes?

There are downloads for manuals covering most popular bikes (XX-FI included) on this page. http://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=41567 I haven't got the XX manual, though good feedback on the forum where I found it, so it should be OK.

Ted, if the battery's been fully flat a few times, it may well have lost some of it's capacity. Also, just in case, I'd check the generator is charging it OK. I've just had a run of electrical problems which traced back to burnt wiring on the generator. Cost me almost £8500 (in the shape of a shiny new R1150GS which I'm picking up tomorrow :grin: ) David

ASSuming the key's not damaged ('cos it opened the tank), it's probably just a bit of muck in the lock preventing the key from locating properly. Put a few drops of light oil on the key, work it in and out of the lock a few times and wipe of any dirt that's stuck to the key. Flush the lock with a squirt of WD40 (GT-85 is even better, it leaves a Teflon coat), and away you go David

Our law permits 1 repair to a tyre provided the hole is in the treaded part ( i.e. no sidewall repairs), the carcasse is not damaged and the hole is <2mm. Having said that, a lot of dealers won't do repairs at all and some manufacturers officially state that tyres should not be repaired. FWIW I had a spate of punctures a couple of years ago when I owned a VTR1000. I had no problems with plugs (fitted/glued from the inside, not DIY repairs). I tend not to spend much time above 100mph (solo, no luggage) but used all the acceleration below that. I'd use a plug in the XX if the dealer was prepared to fit it using the guidelines above.

What's wrong with 42 psi?

I've got a Scottoiler, set at maximum flow. There's almost no fling, anything that lands on the wheel rim wipes off quickly with a bit of WD-40. Even the chain and sprocket are clean David

Scot, thanks. I've just been chatting to a mechanic mate who asked if they'd checked the battery for warped plates? Since the r/r went, I've been charging the battery religiously to avoid giving the new r/r too much work to do. However circumstances prevented that for the last week or two, so maybe the battery's discharged to the point of not being able to run the bike. Definitely worth checking, it'd be a lot cheaper than a new generator David

It's the generator. Either wiring (£325) or the whole unit (£600). The dealer reckons it may be caused by the R1 r/r I've got fitted, though I think it must have been damaged when the old r/r started passing 15-19V. The dealer is very helpful, they are trying to trace a 2nd hand generator from the national parts database, and have suggested a couple of local places who may be able to rewind it. Thing is, I would pay for the new wiring if I could be sure that would fix it, but how will I know in advance? If it doesn't work I'd have to pay out again for a new unit... David

The dealer suggested the same thing. I've got an R1 r/r fitted (2nd hand), they're going to borrow another to see if that fixes it. If that's it, for peace of mind I'm tempted to go back to the Honda one. Did I remember reading here that it was uprated recently? If so, presumably it'll still be suitable for a '99 FI model? David

Cheers, Involute. A very timely post! David

I'd take an average of all the above

do it next to a repair van! Decided to go for a run since the sun has put in a long overdue appearence. A couple of miles from home I spotted a Ducati 851 parked up with some bodywork removed. Was about to pull over when I saw an AA repair van parked in a side street, with the mechanic chatting to the rider. Thought to myself "should have bought a Honda, mate" and carried on.... A mile or so later, I noticed the indicator repeaters not flashing, then the speedo and rev counter packed in. Decided to return home in case it got worse. The Duc and AA van were still there, so I thought, since I'm an AA member, I'll pull over and ask his advice. As I park beside the van the engine cut out and the whole electrical system is dead. AA man kindly offers to take a look, though he only had 5 minutes left for the Duc before going to his next job. Checked fuses - OK. Battery connections tight. Put jump leads on, bike starts but only showing ~11 volts, fluctuating. The bike wasn't charging at all. Either the alternator's packed in or there's a bad connection somewhere. I just had a new alarm transmitter set up a couple of days ago, which required the mechanic to cut and remake a few connections whilst programming the transmitter and alarm to each other. I'm hoping that a connection may not have been made properly (seems a coincidence) so have got the battery charger hooked up for a couple of hours so I can ride back to the dealers. The AA man stayed to get some charge in the battery then followed me to make sure it was enough to get me home. I'm a bit miffed about the bike being broke, but was bloody lucky that it packed in where it did. Another couple of hours and I'd have been in the middle of nowhere! The Duc had a loose +ve battery connection, whereas the Bird may need a new alternator? Must remember to stop knocking Italian electrics! David

My last refill was exactly like Chad's. Gauge touched the stop at about 155 miles, then at 160 the light came on. At 168 miles, I put 18.6l in, so about another gallon or so left. Pretty normal. David

Yup, we're scared of the dark It's a seasonal offer, buy 2, get one free. Thanks for the reminder, been meaning to get some of these.