| Author | Message | ||
     Jmartz |
I agree with Blake. Incorrect alignment could be the source of the problem but this left/right stuff might be an indication of something serious. | ||
| Aaron |
Jason, You should have plenty of clearance with a 180. Some people use 190's without issues. As Blake said, check the wheel alignment. But, the clarance from the belt to the tire shouldn't change appreciably when turning. If it really is changing, it almost has to be a problem with the swingarm or rear wheel bearings. The isolators have nothing to do with it, they just float the frame on the engine/rear wheel assembly. On the other hand, the symptoms you describe, of feeling something hitting or rubbing when turning, are indicative of a blown isolator. When that happens, it's not the belt hitting the tire that you're feeling, though, it's generally the isolator bolt hitting the frame. Inspect the isolator carefully, both inside and outside. Often there is no tear on the o.d. but there's a noticeable bulge in the i.d., around the bolt. If you've blown one out, Buell will fix it for you for free, get B-016B from the isolators page. Good luck, AW | ||
| Archer |
Anyone know where i can get a right side caliper and rotor ONLY. without buying the entire left and right side assembly? Trying to do dual disc without breaking the bank. Any ideas?????? thanks | ||
| Jasons1 |
Thanks to everyone for the advice. I guess the one thing I forgot to mention is that I did just install a 29 tooth front sprocket on the bike. I don't think that should have any affect, but it does bring the rear tire quite a bit further forward than it was with the stock 27 tooth. Do you guys think that this may be contibuting to something? - Jason | ||
| Jrh |
Archer There's some info on X1 Files about dual brake set-ups + Cap,who visits this site,is listed there with his e;mail address.It says to check with him for options + costs,probably around 5-6 hundred $. | ||
| Blake |
Jason, Hmmm... The old mechanic's addage of "when something goes wrong check the thing(s) that you most recently changed" may hold true in your case. Check your front sprocket and check your belt tension. With the rear suspension fully unloaded, the tranny in neutral, your belt should have at least 1.5" (1.75" is better) of total (up and down) play when acted upon midway between sprockets by a 10 lb vertical force. A too tight belt might overstress rear wheel bearings. I dunno, just a guess. Let us know what you find. | ||
| Rick_A |
Blake...my manual says 7/8" to 1" belt deflection. Where'd you come up with that? | ||
| Blake |
The new manuals. | ||
| Coop |
I have a question about my tires, on a warm day I can take corners and lean hard and the tires grip very good, but when its a little cooler it feels a little shaky sometimes in the corners, almost like the bike is sliding out from under me, is it just the way these tires are, they are D207's, I would like to lean hard whenever I want not just on warm days, I was told these are good tires, I just dont like that shaky feeling. | ||
| Blake |
On cold days even street tires need to be brought up to an optimum temperature before having optimum grip. Unless you are riding a very twisty road, you may not be able to get the tires warm. Still, if the bike was actually sliding, believe me, you WILL know it. You may be noticing a stiffer suspension due to the cold temperatures. Your suspension, being a bit stiffer in cold weather may not be holding the road quite as well compared to when it is warmer. Are your boots and/or pegs scraping?  | ||
| Coop |
Blake, sometimes I hear a noise when leaning hard into the corners, I just dont know what it is, maybe its the pegs, I will just take it easy on the cooler days, also when changing lanes on the highway sometimes I bounce like a pogo stick for a few seconds, is it possible that my suspension is a little stiffer now because of the fact that I lost 25 pounds since it was adjusted, summers here, getting into shape for the ladies | ||
| Rick_A |
Does the new manual tensioning recomendation apply to all Buells? | ||
| Blake |
I can't say for sure. Not sure the factory ever revised them for the pre-'99 Bikes or not. Court may know the answer to that. I apply the new specs to my '97 M2 though, and when the rear suspension is loaded the belt gets darn tight. I've put a bunch of track miles on the belt post Nallinization. No problems. | ||
| Andys |
The reason for the greater amount of slack in the drive belt is due to the recall shocks being shorter than the original units. When a shorter shock is installed on these bikes (all except the Blast and the XB9), the swingarm is pulled downward. As the swingarm rotates downward the rear axle moves closer to the swingarm pivot because the axle actually moves in an arc, not a straight line. So if you use the original spec of 3/4" of slack when you have the recall shock installed, the belt will not allow the swingarm to move through its arc properly. This causes two things to happen; 1)the rear suspension becomes very "springy" becasue the belt is actually determining what the swingarm does or 2)the belt will break because it doesn't have enough slack to allow the swingarm its full movement. Therefore the belt needs to have more slack to allow the axle to rotate AWAY from the swingarm pivot. Since the furthest distance the axle will ever be from the swingarm pivot is when it is straight back from the pivot you need to make sure the belt has the slack to allow it to get there. And with the recall shocks being shorter (and therefore the swingarm having much more downslope, which brings the axle CLOSER to the pivot) the belt tension numbers MUST change. With no load on the bike make sure you have at least 1.5" of free slack in the belt and you'll be just fine. | ||
| Rick_A |
Hmmm...didn't the shock recall also include new front mounts so that the suspension geometry stays the same? I do think the 1" slack setting seems too tight, though. | ||
| Pilk |
Well after about 120 mi on my new Bridgestones I must say I like them. They have a very neutral feel, turn in quicker than the 207s and stick like friggin glue! I hope they last better than the Dunlops. Pilk | ||
| Kevinhern |
Pilk, Which Bridgestones did you get? I'm trying to decide between the 010 or the 020. | ||
| Kevinhern |
Question for all..... I prefer to change my tires in sets. Naturally, the back is the first one to wear out. Therefore, I would like to try running a softer tire on the front for added grip and more even tire wear. For example, MEZ3/MEZ4 combo or BT010/BT020 combo, etc. What are the pros and cons of this type of tire combo. Is it safe, common, beneficial, ect.? | ||
| Blake |
After going from a set of worn tires to new tires, can you really judge the difference in feel between different models of tires? My point being that old tires have ong lost their optimum tread profile. I just don't think it's possible to gain any real conclusions unless you are testing new tires against new tires in a controlled test. Due to differing diameters, some tires will even significantly change the geometry of your bike. What do you think? For example, I read reports hear on the board two years ago about the better longevity of Michelin Mac 90's compared to D205's. So I gave them a try, putting them on my M2, front and rear, before leaving NY for the journey home to TX. I was easy on the Mac's, they lasted no better than the D205's. I may have to give the BT020's or Pirelli Dragons a try. If MikeyP (Pirelli proponent) can get 10K out of a rear tire, it damn sure must be durable. Problem is the 03/04's aren't available anymore.  I learned a lot about tire testing reading about the Road Racing World Racing Tire Tests. VERY good test. I just wish they would have also run a set of full on racing slicks too. I've always been curious how much better the slicks perform. BTW, the test track that RRW used is my local track. Since the test (actually this Spring), turns 1, 2 and 8 have been repaved. Already John Haner has set two new track records, besting his old record by close to a full second. | ||
| Jmartz |
Kevin I think you will still wear the rear tire 1st no matter what combo. For one who wear tires till the threads come out, new tires are so good and the memory of the last set so far in the past that I can never compare one brand to another. | ||
| Kevinhern |
Thanks for the feedback. Common sense tells me to stick with matching sets. Anybody else care to share an opinion or personal experience? Thanks Kevin | ||
| Blake |
I change each tire as it wears out. There is no problem running different models on front/back as long as they are same construction (radials). I ran a Dunlop D205 on back while waiting for a Michelin Mac90 front to wear out. Bike handled and rode just fine. | ||
| Jrh |
Blake For what its worth,the August issue of Sport Rider has a few paragraphs about racing slicks in their Mailbox section.Its not real informative so dont run out +buy the magazine just to read about what they say concerning them,but basically they say "racing slicks are extremely narrow-focus tires"blah,blah,blah,"very,very few riders out there will be able to use(or even approach)that performance." If the right compound for each different track,suspension,etc.isnt used you can end up with less grip than a treaded DOT Race tire. A couple issues ago they did a full test on a lot of the different brands of DOT race tires.I'm not sure if i still have it or not. A guy near here roadraces his S1W (at MidOhio Sports Car Track+im not sure where else,yah im just full of knowledge aint i)Anyway,whatever class he runs in he's got a real hopped up bike,last winter he said 112hp,he's got his own Dyno,flow bench,etc.He does run slicks on a set of PMs,+ they sure always look all shredded up. | ||
| Chrism |
Question, has anyone gone from the 5" rear to a 5.5" and found a noticable difference? If an appreciable difference, has anyone ever had their cast rim widened by the likes of Kosman Racing? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Chris | ||
| Jrh |
Chrism I put a 5.5" PM wheel on my bike so i could fit a 180 tire,havent been able to ride it yet(other parts problems)i have to admit,i only wanted the wider tire so the Buells tire didnt look so narrow sitting beside my R1(190) As for Kosman,when i was into drag racing (although almost 20 years ago),i bought a funny bike rolling chassis from them,all REAL top-notch stuff.They were pretty much the only way to go back then.On their current website,i had to laugh when they claimed to be the inovator of widening wheels,perhaps they are with cast style wheels but a friend of mine,in about 1978? had a local machinist do a bunch of spoke style alum. wheels + he said he sold 1 to Sandy Kosman.The procedure was to make one rim from two rims by mounting on a lathe,cutting what was to be the center of the finished rim as wide as possible(just removed each outside flange)then cutting the second rim as close in toward the raised spoke area as possible,+ welding the left over outside wide rim sections to the inside wide section.Welding done on both showing + underside of rim.All this got us a 5" rim from 2, 3.5"rims,at the time we used GoodYear R.Race slicks designed for a 3.5"rim(widest available)on the wider rim by pulling the tires sidewalls outward with sheet metal screws,which greatly distorted the tire shape(made it very similar to a drag racing slick,only much safer because if you leaned sideways going down the strip you didnt ride up on a sharp edge of a tire and get into speed wobbles. Afew months ago i noticed a not for street use warning on the Kosman widening section,i didnt find it tonight though.Also on our low tech widened rims,i remember they were definately softer from all the welding.Thats why i dont know about running them on the street,although no doubt with proper heat treating + welding it seems possible to get the safety. | ||
| Pilk |
Kevin, I got the 010s, I was going to get 020s but my local guy couldnt find them in his book. Anyhow I settled for the 010 and I will keep progress notes on them. Did 112 miles on them today 2-up no complaints yet. Blake, I think you are right for the most part about comparing new tires to well worn tires, but the dunlops never felt as good as the bridgestones do. Pilk | ||
| Jeffl |
I just had my bike in for it's 5k service and the tech found that my rear tire had a split in it from bead to bead along a mold line! Yikes! I'm sure glad he found that! That could have been disaterous. They replaced it under warranty. I just wanted to post this as a warning. Check your tires regularly! | ||
| Blake |
Jeff, What brand/model of tire was it? | ||
| Rick_A |
What kinda lifespan are people getting out of the old style cast iron brake rotors? I've only put a couple thousand miles on mine (previously owned '96 with 3000 apparently easy miles on it), and they've turned a bluish hue with dark spots...and look a bit glazed. The carrier is developing some excessive fore/aft play as well...and chatters a little under hard braking. Anyone know how the updated rotor/carrier stacks up against EBC or BrakeTech? | ||
| Jeffl |
Blake, Stock tires: Dunlop D205 SportMax Touring |
