TimXX

You're right Scot- I must be. However it still amazes me that bikes between 350 and 650lbs use the same tire. Also, if Mick is right that I get a max of 411lbs for rider and gear, what does that mean for the BMW 1200GT- do they get only 261lbs for rider, pillion, saddle bags and trunk? And the GT has 130hp and is supposed to cruise at 130mph with everyone on. Anyway- how much pressure will our tires [or tyres] take safely? TimXX BTW: tomorrow I am racing my car in Solo2. It is easy to set tire pressures here because I set it to 40fr and 38rr, mark the treads with chalk to the sidewall and then check where it wears to after a lap. Then I play with pressures [usually reducing them in stages] and shock damping to get the over/understeer balance I want. In any case, I never have to worry about carrying too much weight for the tires.

It seems that almost every bike uses 120/70-17 in front and 180/55-17 rears. This includes [because most people on this site are Americans, I will use lbs and psi instead of kg and bar :wink: ] [i did use cc instead of cubic inches,but Americans are gradually understanding metric :cool: ]: 350lb 600cc bikes, our own 500 lb Blackbirds, and even BMW K1200GTs that weigh 635lbs + can carry 2 passengers, saddle bags and a trunk for a total weight of about 1200lbs. It seems that the tire pressure recommendations don’t seem to cover the weight variations. If I ride my Blackbird [+tank bag and 2 saddle bags for a total weight of about 855lbs] with the recommended pressure of 42psi, what do I put in the tires when I ride 2 up and carry a total of 1015lbs? What is the safe weight carrying capacity of the 120fr and 180rr tires and at what pressure? What is the maximum capacity of each of these tires, and what is the max. pressure they will take safely? Also- how fast can you go safely without the tires failing? What happens to handling with these tires and different weights and ptressures? Are there any sites that show testing with these tires? All info [and even a few wise ass remarks] is appreciated. TimXX

Hi Cal, Here is a photo of my bike with Rick Mayer's seat on it. This seat really did feel more comfortable than the stock seat. I got it in basket weave vinyl because I live in rainy BC. Not sure yet how Barbara will like the pillion part. BTW: I had a wonderful time on the Cody trip and enjoyed pushing up my cornering and straight line speed in order to keep up with at least some of you guys. TimXX

Hi XXers, I still have my original Macadam 90Xs on my 2002. I just reached 12,000 km [7,450 miles]and there is lots of tread on both front and rears and no cupping. I know that everyone laughs at these tires for lack of grip- but I run 42 fr and rr, ride about 10-20 mph slower around corners than the Cody crazies [and try fruitlessly to catch them on the straights]. But- they do seem to last a long time and I tour faster than most [averaged 106 mph from Salt Lake to Reno]. I will want to replace these tires with ones that last as long and maybe stick a little bit better- especially on tar snakes] TimXX

Hi Guys, On my way back to Vancouver from San Francisco, I stopped at Rich Mayer's [after phoning him the day before]. He made a VERY comfortable seat for me after measuring my ass and riding position and getting info re: my pillion rider]. The 1200km home were much more comfortable than the stock seat. I definitly recommend getting your seat done by Rick. His son even made me lunch. Check his WEB page: http://www.homestead.com/prosites-rmcycle/...mayercycle.html TimXX

Hi XXers, It seems removing the oil filter is even easier than I thought. After the Cody run, I continued down to Santa Cruz to visit a friend. By that time I had 9,000 km on my filter and oil. So I bought Mobil1 15w-50 at KMart for $4 a quart and a very expensive Honda oil filter from a Honda dealer for $10US [thats more expensive than the $8CAD I paid in Vanc. Anyway- I had no filter wrench, and a guy showed me how to wrap my leather belt around the filter and twist it loose. It works!! BTW: it is cleaner to remove the filter before draining the oil- especially if you drop the filter into the pan. AND you don't have to remove ANY plastic. IT is HOT though-luckily I had a thick rag left from Cody's friendly motel maids. TimXX

Thanks for the info. It looks like I won't have time to do this before the Cody ride. But I will do this when I get back. TimXX

I have a question. My bike currently has a rider sag of 45mm front and rear. How easy is it to add preload shims to the front forks? I think 25mm should make the rider sag about 20mm. What sized washers or ? need to go in there [outside and inside diameter ]? I can then up the preload on the rear shock to match that. I don't want to change the rear unless I change the front to the same sag. Thanks for the help. TimXX

Mike, I don't think that is the problem [but I will check it]. There just seems to be a lot of free play before the handle bar brass? piston meets the rubber master cylinder piece.

Hi XXers, My bike came with Macadam 90s and after 4000 km I still have most of those little nipples sticking out of the tire. This is even after marking the tire to about 8mm [1/4"] from the edge. The bike seems to handle fine, though I am more a sport tourer than canyon carver [i am definitely paranoid enough about road surface and street vagaries to give myself maybe too much escape insurance]. I know stock tires are politically incorrect, but these 90s may take until 6000 km before they even wear the nipples off. TimXX

Hi XXers, Question- my front brake handle has about 25mm [1"] free play before it activates the brake. The small black wheel does not seem to change this- just the distance from the grip. How do I decrease this free play distance? Can the small piston that depresses the master cylinder be made longer? Is this distance a neccessary safety factor? All suggestions will be appreciated [make some of them relevant]. TimXX

Hi XXers, I got this plastic throttle lock 15 years ago for my FJ1100-I think it cost me about $12CAD then. When I bought my CBR, I transferred it to my new bike. I just had to make a metal plate to anchor it to the switch box. This operates with a thumb switch and is quite easy to use. They must still make this gismo, and even if the price has doubled, it's still worth it. I have no idea what brand name it is. But it has worked for 15 years- so it must be durable and reliable. TimXX

Hi XXers, I have never used motorcycle oils and have had my FJ1100 running well since 1985. Here is a comparison test of bike and car oils that I came across. As you can see, Mobil is still the best synthetic for bikes or cars. Motorcycle oil comparison Relative Viscosity Retention (as a percentage of initial viscosity retained after normal use in the same motorcycle) 0 miles 800mi 1500mi Mobil 1 100% 86.60% 83.00% Car oil Synthetic Castrol Syntec 100% 78.10% 74.50% Car oilSynthetic Castrol GTX 100% 72.20% 68.00% Car oil Petroleum Honda HP4 100% 69.20% 65.60% Motorcycle oil Synthetic Spectro 4 100% 68.00% 63.90% Motorcycle oil Petroleum Pardon the strange formatting. TimXX