SBBXX

Nice try buddy. You can't pull the "I'm too old for this" shit around here. Your age is not much higher than the mean age on this forum. Keep the bird and stop your whining.

Wide Open? Normally at the limiter.

The 012SS is a pure sport tire and will evaporate after just a few k on the back. Not much sticks better though and they're very predictable. They're up to temp in an instant and are one of the best tires I've seen in the cold and wet. If you're on the slab at all it will flatten out in the centre in no time. Not really for the XX unless you want to slap a set on at the track. If you put the 020 on the front, you run a very high risk that it will cup, and cup badly. You may get lucky, but don't count on it. No experience with it on the back. good luck marty

On the XX? If you haven't, made modifications to the bike as described above, then something is wrong. Look at your tires first. If you bought used then check to see if there are washers on top of the rear shock. Owners have reported some instability if they raise it too much. (above 6mm)

No one is really certain. A few theories. Heavy/powerful bikes seem to have the most problems with cupped tires. Tread pattern is a factor for sure. My theory is that the tire does not heat up evenly, and therefore doesn't wear evenly. I haven't tried the connies, but the Dunlop, and the Bridgestones all cupped. The Pilot road showed no sign of it at all and that's why there's a second one on there. I am confused as to why your dealer would suggest lowering PSI to prevent cupping. Mind asking him for me? marty

ok, enlighten me. Why do you feel you need one?

+1 Holy fuck, is there ever.

Thanks, that means it could be a good move, it will only increase the rpm by about 6 %, so I don't think it will be annoying. I stepped down from 17 to 16 on the GSX R1000, which feels real good. I'll order a 16 front to the Bird, which I believe will be fine for me. The bike feels to weak in midrange on 5th and 6th gear. Maybe the carb needles have to be raised to cure this midrange weakness. The bike is incredibly strong up in rpm and runs well all the way down in rpm so it seems to be a tuning question. When full throttle is given at 5 k on 6th, I can hear the throaty air sound, but the real response is missing. You're right. Things don't start to happen until 7k. Then it turns into a different bike. Do yourself a favour before you swap the primary. Try kicking it down one more if you're looking for some acceleration. Just get ready to shift again because it will hit the limiter before you know it. Took me a full season and more to get used to the powerband. I was always getting caught in the wrong gear. marty

Check the front, just to make sure.

Stick around then. The amount of knowledge on this board is frickin amazing. Welcome to the dark side.

Wow, never thought of that. Thanks for the info. I'm not saying it hasn't happened to other owners. I'm sure it has, but I actually tried to get the front to lock up on loose gravel by using the back and couldn't do it. marty

It sure grabs people's attention. I get the wierdest stares when I fire up.

With your fan going and at idle, your battery was discharging at quite a fast rate. It will not charge at idle at the best of times. Make sure you check the state of your battery. At any rate, charge it up fully before you run it in the bike. Try not to let your electical system charge a totally dead battery. If it's more than a few years old, replace it. marty

No, They're just a tad more pricy up here. Bet you sell them all Thanks a lot John marty

John I hope you got my PM, and are bringing one to NeXXt for me. See you there marty

How long is "a while" and does it still have the same gas in the tank?

Sounds normal to me as well. Don't waste any more of your money. On a side note: when you pull the lever in, you're dis-engaging the clutch. marty

They'e in PQ. I found what I needed on the website above and then phoned in the order. the CDN number is here. They were fast. order the clearcoat too. marty

+1 A stator normally fails because something(s) is drawing more current than it can produce, and it overheats. Nine times out of ten a bad battery is in the mix somewhere. If it's a new battery, get it tested, if its over three years old just get another one. Make sure it's the right size. A larger capacity is great for starting, but will also draw more from the system when it charges. marty

Just an update I ended up going to Zdeno Cycle (thanks Mike) yesterday because my dealer could not get a rear in until next month, and that plug was leaking really bad. He installed them for under $510.00 tax incl. Better than he quoted on the phone and much cheaper than my dealer even when I factor in the tank of gas. very happy marty

Crystal I bought mine with 16,000 on it and there was a new chain and sprockets on it, so maybe the original chain doesn't last that long. Since then I've put 87,000 km on it and I've just now gone through 2 sets, and I'm really hard on it. 25,000 doesn't sound like much at all. I lube mine every second tankful (500 - 600 km). I use the recommended gear oil unless I'm on a road trip. It's messy but it works. I've never had a problem with the front, and I'm sure you shouldn't be either at 25,000 km. Don't even know how to check/torque it, so maybe I'll learn something from this thread too.

You say they're slippery, but you don't say they've lost traction. From what you describe, you don't feel very confident with them. It could be you're used to a different profile. They do tend to feel a bit heavier than average but they make up for it in stability. What did you have mounted before? Maybe give it some more time to get used to them. My back is worn right to the edge and I can't tell where the arrows were. The front is now down to the wear bars and there is absolutely no sign of cupping. I'm just about to put another set on. That said, tires are very personal. If these don't suit your riding style, keep looking for something that does. marty

There is so much here on that, it will blow your mind. Do a search my friend and you'll find the HID install down to the smallest detail, pictures and all. It's a cakewalk, really. marty

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, is don't dick around with a bad battery. Just because it starts your bike, does not mean it's good. It could be sucking the life out of your electrical system. If it doesn't come back to max, replace it. If it's 4 yrs+ old, replace it. It's not worth it. It's the leading cause of RR and stator failure. In the future, do not jump a completly dead battery and charge it up in the bike. Sure way to burn up your stator. By the way. Something doesn't sound right. as soon as you got near the wrong poles with another battery, there should have been sparks flying everywhere, and you would not have had the chance to turn it on.

I totally agree with Mike, although I think we're a minority here in that respect. It all depends on your circumstances. I rarely get to leave my high beam on for extended lengths of time, so only the low beam is HID. It does just fine and seems to light up the sides really well to look for critters. The XX headlight assy it seams was almost designed with HID in mind. No one, and I mean no one as far as I know had any kind of problem with Andy for that group buy, and he sold us one hell of a lot of sets. He was very fast, all the hardware was there and it works like a charm. marty