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Bueaddicted
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 06:18 pm: |
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Why do we have to have "Ernesto" mess up Labor Day?! I had all these plans to get over the 500 mile mark on my R, and now I'm sitting home twisting my fingers... I'm no expert in these V-twins, but I find that on turns I have to constantly keep the pressure on the grip to maintain the bike on a smooth turn. It feels like the bike wants to stand up! Kind of different from my previous bikes, but it doesn't matter, I still love it! I think I just have to ride it more and longer. I also noticed that the bike tends to dive more than I'm comfortable with when I brake. I've read the manual on suspension settings, but I don't trust myself changing anything at this time. Maybe in the future... Oh, btw, did I mention that I LOVE the bike? |
Hammer71
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 07:19 pm: |
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Your not too far from us Hudson Valley guys. Get that machine up our way and we can dial in that suspension for you and all your issues will be gone. There are a ton of factors with the standing up issue that I think can be fixed with a little tinkering and feedback after a few runs up and down our "test road" Mikexlr had some of the same issues until we got it dialed in. Now he rips better than he did before. |
Ebuella_virus
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 07:38 pm: |
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Bummer Bueaddicted!! What year is your R. Regarding the "standup" issue, I have not messed with my suspension settings at all ('05 12R) and had the same thing happen as you. If yours is a pre '07, then it has those Dunlops on them. I switched my tires over to Michelin Pilots and it took care of issue. A week later, I read an article in a sportbike magazine talking about the '07 XB's and how the bike is now "neutral" in the turns rather than wanting to stand up in the turns because they have changed the stock tire to the Pirellis. I know that many have mentioned how the grip is much better on other tires like the Pilots and Diablos, but did not know that it would also make them more "in-turn" friendly. I would also take Hammer's advice and get the suspension tuned for your weight and, if possible, riding style. Stock setting for the XB is just perfect for me. |
Pwnzor
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 07:55 pm: |
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Yep, just gotta get your shocks and tire pressures dialed in just right. Takes a bit of fiddlin'. |
M2nc
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 08:04 pm: |
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http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/4062/224607.html?1157177405 No what you mean. |
Hammer71
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 08:04 pm: |
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Looked at his profile and seems as though its an 07. This leads me to believe its all in the suspension and tire pressure. Also there is no way to take it in to have it "set up" for you. Only the basic reccomended settings can be set as you alone are the one that is going to feel it every day. I use the book settings as a starting point then ask a bunch of questions after each run then adjust..so on and so on until I can see the huge smile on the return lap. |
Pwnzor
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 08:18 pm: |
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It's good to find a place with a few turns and some bumps and no traffic so you can repeat the same conditions over and over. Same process, less time consuming. |
Bueaddicted
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 09:38 pm: |
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Thanks for the info guys. Tomorrow if its not raining I'm going to go for another ride and see what can be adjusted. Don't get me wrong, it's not something I can't deal with. Maybe I'm just not used to the geometry of this bike. I'm sure in a few days I'll feel comfortable with it. BTW, I have a '07 12R, and this is my first Buell! I've only managed to accumulate slightly over 100 miles on it, so I'm taking it extremely easy. I haven't even had time to take pictures of the bike, but I will as soon as possible. What a great bike it is!! Paul |
Hammer71
| Posted on Saturday, September 02, 2006 - 09:44 pm: |
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Paul. Having to deal with it shouldn't be an option. Once it's properly set up it will be an entirely different and more enjoyable bike. Nice twisty roads here to get you set up just let us know if your up for it. Could meet up at Bear Mtn and get you going in the right direction. |
Bueaddicted
| Posted on Sunday, September 03, 2006 - 09:03 pm: |
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Well, today before I got on the bike I checked the tire pressure both the front and back - guess what? The front was off by 6 psi, while the back was 5 psi. After getting them up to the correct pressure, the bike doesn't seem to want to stand up like before. I don't understand how tire pressure influences the handling of the bike, but you guys were right. I also decided to note how much the front front compresses when I apply the front brake, and I would say, based on the marks in the front fork, that it compresses leaving around an inch free. Does this seem normal? And this is without braking hard! I don't know how to explain this in technical terms, but I hope you guys can understand what I mean by 1 inch free. Thanks for all the input, Paul PS Oops, almost forgot - today I got around 150 miles more. (Message edited by BueAddicted on September 03, 2006) |
Jaimec
| Posted on Wednesday, September 06, 2006 - 10:10 am: |
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I know what you mean about Ernesto. I was up at the Finger Lakes Rally, an annual event held in Watkins Glen over Labor Day weekend. The ride up Friday was nice, the ride back on Monday was nice. Saturday just plain SUCKED! It started raining about 4:00 AM and continued without a break until about 2:00 AM Sunday morning. My tent held out for most of the day, but finally gave up the ghost and developed multiple leaks. Fortunately, I was warm and comfortable inside my synthetic sleeping bag on top of my Thermarest pad. The tent pretty much dried out on Sunday, but condensation and an occasional drizzle during the night prevented me from actually packing up a dry tent. Normally a group rents the track nearby and allows rally goers to do a few laps, but that was canceled since they considered the wet track unsafe. Oh well... I'm sure the vendors selling rain suits and all weather riding gear made a tidy profit this weekend! |
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