flyv65

I've only got 150 miles on my pair, but they're noticeably less "squirmy" when new: the tread isn't as deep, and they scrub in pretty frikkin' fast (maybe 25-30 miles or so). When I get rain out here I'll let you know about the silica compound and how well they stick. Bryan...they spooned on easier than the 45/46 combo...

Dale about hit it spot on, but I didn't remove the tank, just lifted the rear up far enough to get some room to undo the shock kingpin nut. With the bike on the centerstand, I put a flat-bladed shovel under the rear tire and let the weight of the rear tire/suspension/swingarm fall onto the blade of the shovel, leaving the handle rising up behind. After pulling the bottom shock bolt I dis assembled the dog bones, checked the linkage and cleaned and re-lubed everything for the installation. I set up the Penske about 5mm longer top to bottom, mounted it on the kingpin, and reinstalled the kingpin inot the frame, routing the remote reservoir out the left side and strapping it onto the outside of the rear subframe inside the plastic in front of the handle for the center stand. That way, I could adjust the 6 position knob easily with the seat off without screwing with the plastic. I put the rest of the rear shock parts back on the bike, and just pressed down on the shovel handle to raise the rear tire to the height I needed to slip the lower shock bolt through the linkage-piece of cake. Torque evertything back to spec, set your sag, and hit the road. Bryan...If I can do this, anybody can...

New canister came in at lunch, and it's an honest 2.5" ID...success is just around the corner. i'll try it out tonight and see if everything clears the swingarm, then button it up. Right now I'm scheduled for a custom map on the 16th, so I'll let youse guys know how it goes. Bryan...thanks for the help, guys...

Don't gap the new plugs: they come from the manufacturer properly gapped. Use a wire (not blade) gauge to check the gap and just put them in. If they aren't gapped correctly, take them back and bitch about it. By the way, changing plugs takes way more time than it needs to 'cuz of where they are (behind the oil cooler/radiator/lower panels/inner panels, etc.) Rumour has it you can go in through the air box easier. Check Dale's (Warchild) site for the How To write up. Bryan...I already had the radiator moved out of the way to put on the exhaust...

So *that's* what the Iraqis did with the missile tubes: made exhaust headers out of them! Those cheeky monkeys! I just want this thing mounted properly so I can get back to the important things in life: a quick ride now and again, and... . Bryan...cancelled the custom dyno map time I had reserved for tomorrow...

That's some funny shit. My bud brought his pipes up to put them on and he has Microns. The collector/can issue was the same. The collector seems HUGE and the end of the can goes right inside it with plenty of room to spare. After looking the whole thing over, we were under the assumption that Micron sent him the wrong mid pipes, but they looked just like those in the picture. Were we supposed to flare the hell out of the can to fit it on the mid, or should it fit over the mid with no modification?? If we WERE supposed to flare it severly (which doesn't seem right to me) he is gonna be PISSED. Well I just called Micron this morning and said that I thought I got the wrong canister for the 'bird: after all, you shouldn't be able to slip the canister "inside" the collector, right? The fellow I spoke with agreed with me, and after I gave him a credit card number (they'll credit it back when they get the other one in), said I'd be receiving a can from FedEx on Wednesday. I'll probably dick with the collector some tonight to get the mounting tab on the inside, and keep my fingers crossed that the canister they send me isn't the same. Bryan...thanks for the help, guys...

Yeah, every other system I've seen went "on", not "in". When I got home last night I measured the parts: the slipon is 2.25 inches, and the collector is 2.5 inches...one of them is not right for the bike, so I'm calling first thing tomorrow morning and getting *that* straightened out. One more thing bturd: the instructions say that the collector mounts on the inside of the old mounting point, but it sure doen't look like it'll fit...is that where yours mounted up? Bryan...I'm not used to having issues with shit like this and it pisses me off... :icon_wall:

Yeah, it seems like header/downpipe ! is the one I can't quite get all the way in, so I keep loosening the header bolts and I've gotten the mounting bolt through the collar-but it's fuckin' tight, my friends. I'm going to keep whacking away at it after work today. One more thing: the instructions said that the canister goes over the collector, but the one they sent slides (with room) inside the collector. Did anybody have to flare the piss out of the canister opening to get on the collector? Bryan...if it isn't one thing, it's another...

...'cuz I'm trying to put one on my bike, and I can't get the frikkin' mid pipe mounting bracket to quite get ot the mounting pont under the right foot peg. Did anybody else have this issue? Bryan...missed it by that much... :icon_banghead:

The stock rear shock is woefully undervalved and painfully oversprung: this leads to the sensation of getting your ass spanked when riding over stuff like expansion joints. If you're good with handling shock springs you can swap out the stocker for one suited to your weight and ridnig style for about $150-or you can pay a suspension shop $250 to do it. In these cases, the shock is now proper for yuor weight, but the valving is shit soft, and the ride gets unstable. As mentioned above, Ohlins makes some shit hot boingers for our bikes, but they aren't cheap. you can also check w/ Traxxion Dynamics in Woodstock, GA for other choices: I bought my Penske adjustable (8981? remote reservoir, limited adjustability) from them for about $750, but they also make a sport type Penske for around $550, if I recall. Replacing the shock will give you the best results; then do the fork springs and set up the sag properly-this will make you faster than if you added 15 horsepower to the bike. Bryan...I'm not kidding...

Yup, I do it a quarter turn at a time, myself.

'Cuz the chain adjuster is only as good as the kid who assembled it at the shop where your bike was put together-and that is one of the lowest paying positions in the service shop (learn where everything goes-then we'll tell you what it does). When I've got the axle properly snugged down, there is about 1/8th inch travel in the left adjuster and over 1/4 on the right; I suspect becausethere is too much play between the snap ring and the sliding marker. I guess that the adjuster marker is often accurate enough, but I trust my eyes alot more than a sliding marker I can wiggle back and forth on the swing-arm. YMMV. Bryan...or we could sell our Blackbirds and buy VFR800's: they have concentric self-adjusters, IIRC...

I called them yesterday AM and got a kid in service, who gave me a service ticket number and instructions on how to send it back so they could take a look at it. I'm hoping that fixing the bloody thing won't be too expensive; I sure don't want to buy a new PCIII for the bike if I've got this one available. Almost all the mods I've done to the bike have been for handling, not horsepower: Ohlins fork springs and RaceTec Comp and Rebound valves in front, Penske rear shock out back, Carrozeria wheels, the usual SSBL, heated grips, garage door opener. The only thing I'd done close to performance-wise was the K&N filter and the PCII...I wanted to level out the flat spot around 5K rpm and put in a map eventually. Now the time is "eventually", and it turns out the PCII shit itself sometime in the last two years (I bought it in Feb '02 and had it hooked up to my PC in '04, so I know it worked then). Bryan...waitin' to hear back from Dynojet on cost to repair...

Firstly, it takes some big-ass sockets (6 point, preferably) to get a hold of those nuts (heh, heh, I said "nuts"). Secondly, the rear axle torque value is 93 Nm, IIRC-which isn't exactly "finger tight"... it takes a bit of oomph to break loose. Thirdly, I have yet to see the Blackbird that has a decent set of chain adjusters on them: it seems they all wobble and float some, and you for sure can't trust the stamped marks on the swingarm. So you check the slack, put the bike on the centerstand, adjust the left side first, then adjust the right side so that when you spin the rear tire, the teeth on the rear sprocket are centered on the chain. Now you snug up the axle, and spin the wheel again to make sure the axle didn't drift while you tightened it. Bump the bike off the centerstand and check the slack. Look good? go ahead and torque the axle nut, check the slack again, then put the bike back on the centerstand and make sure the chain is still centered. I know it sounds like you're doing alot to adjust a loose chain, but once you get used to it, it's only about a 5 minute project. Bryan...don't forget-"too loose" is better than "too tight"...

Nope, we live in Stoney Brook, Between Wadsworth and Garrison, just north of Ken Caryl. We're gettin' ready to put the house on the market (Tracy wants more room, and I want a three car gargage with a south-facing driveway), but we want to stay on the southwest side of town. I doubt we'll wind up more than 4 or 5 miles away from where we are now. I need to get the house in shape to sell, but wouldn't mind meeting up soon to sniff bikes, if you want. Bryan...I hate moving, 'cuz I hate packing all my shit...