xrated

I wouldn't haul a bike in a Baxley without the rearend being strapped down and pulled forward, at least not on purpose, but it would probably stay just where I put it.....they are that good. I've got two of them in the trailer obviously, as I haul two track bikes, one is mine the other is my wife's bike.

Buy yourself a Baxley wheel chock, not a cheap knock-off. Roll the bike into the Baxley and flip the lock arm and pin it. Next, use two tie down straps and attach them to the passenger pegs and pull down and forward with them. Done! I've hauled both track bikes this way for the last 7 years and have NEVER had an issue. I know the Bird is heavier than my 600RR's but I've also hauled my ST1300 this same way and it outweighs the Bird by a couple hundred pounds.

And so it begins!

As a matter of fact, no I don't. Most of my tires wear out on the sides long before the middle, so I never really paid much attention to it. What is it?

OK, thanks for the pics Superhawk. Yes, those are the normal lines where the two different compounds of rubber come together. The Michelin Pilot Power III has a medium compound 50% of the tire, then on the last 25% of the tire (on both sides of course) is the softer compound of rubber. That would account for the defined lines at the location that you are pointing to with your fingers. Another thing that Michelin does with this tire is to run the harder (medium compound) all the way across the tire....from edge to edge....kind of a "base" material. Then, that softer compound is made/used over the top of the harder compound base. This method of manufacturing gives the Power III a stiffer tire in the corners (to cut down on flex or tire movement), all the while utilizing a much softer compound in that area for very good corner grip. Here are the pics that he sent to me, and I'm posting them with his permission. Then there is a link to sportbiketireservice.com that shows the layout of the tire. [url=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/vlklwood/media/Verns%20Pics/PilotPowerIII-1_zps0e31e4b1.jpg.html][/ URL] http://www.sportbiketireservice.com/Michelin-Pilot-Power-3-Rear.html

send them to my email address.......I'm PM it to you.

seriously, send me a picture or two and I'll look at it for you. I've got a Pilot Power III on the rear of my FZ09.

I'm thinking that the tire may be mounted backwards on the wheel.....but the biggest problem is that your rear tire is rolling forward!

A couple of good close up pics would help

I'm at the track all weekend, Instructing with Sportbike Track Time, so I'm not ignoring this thread, just don't really have time to pursue, contribute.

EVLXX wrote: It's OK.......I deserve it! I was so intent on stating what I know that I thought YOU were wrong. Problem is......I just didn't know enough! Could have used my ex-wife for this conversation.........she knows everything!

OK, I will be the first to admit when I'm wrong, and I apparently didn't know as much (little) as I thought I did about automotive/motorcycle electrics. I've been a maint. Electrician since 1980 and have never really dealt with automotive type electrical very much and simply wasn't aware that there was something called a shunt regulator. I still would like to know though, how do you know that it's a shunt regulator....as I've not been able to find any info in that regard concerning the XX. Obviously, having sold my Bird in 2005, I don't have a service manual on it anymore.

So now you have an understanding....basically, of what is going on...right? Most of the time, the term generator is associated with a device that produces A/C or alternating current...such as a back up generator that you may have out in your garage. But, there are also DC generators...or Direct Current generators. I've seen hundreds of them in my years in the steel mill. Some are so large that they wouldn't fit in a typical two car garage...and believe, there are bigger ones out there. Alternators are always going to produce....alternating voltage. The manufacturer will then equip it with a rectifier package if D.C. is needed, in order to convert the voltage to a direct voltage..which will be able to used to power a device that requires direct current. I kind of use the words voltage and current interchangeably because, the whole purpose of producing the voltage is to make it produce current flow for whatever you are trying to accomplish....charging a battery...operating the headlights...etc.

However... you Motorcycle does Not have an Alternator.... It has a Generator, that Yes, Is always producing power... and all the excess power, gets burnt up in the form of Heat energy by the Regulator Rectifier. So... the more electrical power usage you save with LED lights etc., the harder you make the Reg/Rectifier work. I will say one thing about you Eric.....you are consistent.....WRONG AGAIN! Motorcycles have alternators....NOT Generators. And furthermore, the regulator/rectifier controls the voltage output from the alternator.....not the current. The alternator will only produce enough power for what the needs of the bike is....up to its maximum wattage rating. There is NO excessive power made in either a generator OR an alternator...to be dissipated.

Thanks Krypt......That was the way it was explained to me back in the 70's when I was going through my apprenticeship for Electrician. There has to be current flow in order for there to be "power". Voltage alone does absolutely nothing.....unless there is a path for the voltage to make current flow.

Power, by definition in the electrical world is.....voltage times amperage which equals Watts. The alternator is producing a voltage which in turn causes current flow through the circuits. If you have fewer circuits or circuits that draw less current, there is less power consumed. Think of it just like you would a water line coming into your house. The water pressure is always there, but if you turn your faucet off, there is no flow. If you turn the faucet on only half way, there is only half the amount of water flow as there is during "fully open". So, the alternator has the ability to produce or supply 460, Watts of power, but if there is not devices running or turned on that consume that much power, it's not producing 460 Watts.

Not to be an Asshole, but you are exactly 100% wrong.

As far as I can tell, light patterns don't change that much unless you do a projector retrofit. The LED kit goes into the headlight housing just like a regular H4 bulb. The difference is that it operates off of a small ballast. Obviously, for better lighting concentration, a projector upgrade would be required. I rarely, if ever ride at night, but it is very visible during daylight hours.

Philip, here is a link to the kit that I bought, although it looks like it is currently out of stock. It is a H4 unit, as that is what the FZ09 requires. As I recall, the BlackBird is an H7???? .....I can't remember for sure. Mine was a pretty easy install for sure. Because of having to make a bracket for the ballast, it took a little longer, but all in all, pretty straight-forward. http://www.ebay.com/itm/261358074951?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 I'm sure there are many others out there, so don't let this be your only choice. Good seeing you again yesterday.

I may be wrong (I'm certainly not a suspension guru kind of guy), but as far as I know, there are no "high" speed compression adjustments on forks in general.

Thank You! Now the long grueling wait begins. 2014 Yamaha FZ 09 due to be released in Sept. of this year. Some say it may hit a little earlier, some say Sept, and I even saw one that was talking about Oct. Sheesh, get 'er done already. I'm ready for a sweet sounding three cylinder hooligan bike!

Sale of the Ape is PENDING. Guy is coming over tomorrow (Saturday) and taking it to N.C...........so, it's still going live it's life in the mountains, where is belongs!!

Me too, although I've never owned a G.W., just put a lot of miles on one during the summer of 2005 (our district sales manager's bike) I absolutely love the ST and cannot see me getting rid of it, except for a G.W. someday..........maybe!

Maybe someday, but I've got the ST1300 right now for the long days. I want something for my mountain riding days of 300 - 400 miles.

A lot of my riding days involve 350 to 400 miles and as much as I would like for that to be on the Ape, it's just not a bike that works for me for those distances........I'm getting old I guess. Don't get me wrong, it's totally capable in every other regard, except the longer distances. I hate that, butt fact is fact. it'll make a great bike for someone, but they will have to be either younger, tougher, or ride shorter distances.