Kookaloo and beyond!

[charleygofast]

Yes, I finally did it I finally got balls enough to take my new to me 84FJ  into " the zone" in top gear. Goin along about 65 I dropped down to 4th and pinned it! Whoopee!!! 8k and beyond, shifted to 5th past 10k and yes, I automatically yelled KOOKAF-NLOO!!! Then I realized how fast I was going, so I backed her down, rode back home  and popped open a cold one, I couldn't stop grinning the rest of the evening. Now I can go back to riding like a sane man again...I hope.                                       ... I don't condone speeding, I just had to check it out for myself!                                                                                                                                          Kookaloo everyone! Charley.

[JoBrCo]

That sounds awesome!

"My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about.
He says it used to be a farm
Before the Motor Law.
And on Sundays I elude the Eyes,
And hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the Wire
Where my white-haired uncle waits.

Jump to the ground
As the Turbo slows to cross the borderline.
Run like the wind
As excitement shivers up and down my spine.
Down in his barn
My uncle preserved for me an old machine
For fifty-odd years.
To keep it as new has been his dearest dream.

I strip away the old debris
That hides a shining car:
A brilliant red Barchetta
From a better vanished time.
We fire up the willing engine
Responding with a roar.
Tires spitting gravel,
I commit my weekly crime.

Wind
In my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge...

Well-weathered leather,
Hot metal and oil,
The scented country air.
Sunlight on chrome,
The blur of the landscape,
Every nerve aware.

Suddenly ahead of me
Across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air-car
Shoots towards me, two lanes wide.
I spin around with shrieking tires
To run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley
As another joins the chase.

Drive like the wind
Straining the limits of machine and man.
Laughing out loud with fear and hope
I've got a desperate plan.
At the one-lane bridge
I leave the giants stranded at the riverside.
Race back to the farm
To dream with my uncle at the fireside."    --Rush - Red Barchetta--

But it could easily be "Red FJ, actually in my case Red and white with a navy blue stripe."

I always try and keep in mind what good old Clint said, "a man's got to know his limitations."  Before I get it on, I always know where I'm at, ie., weather conditions; road surface conditions; location of turns, on ramps and aerial traffic, (johnny is sneaky), all so as to anticipate potentiality five or more errors deep, and I always ensure that if something does go wrong, it's only me and maybe a gopher, or some other animal found in the boons that will get taken out if I fail to know my limitations.  Not to sound preachy, I'm just covering my tracks, a disclaimer if you will, because one never knows for sure, how their words are taken.

FJ Forever!  


JoBrCo

[charleygofast]

Nice!!! Have you ever read any of Neil Pearts books about his travels aboard his BMWs ? A brilliant man and writer of Lyrics an literature for sure! And yes be carefull what you talk to others about... but everyone with an FJ who goes there knows that feeling... that Rush...(pun intended) kind of like W.F.O. on a 490 Maico!!! same feeling. My only trouble with my Kookaloo experience was I couldn't get her into 6th gear!                                                                         Charley.

[JoBrCo]

Nice!!! Have you ever read any of Neil Pearts books about his travels aboard his BMWs ? A brilliant man and writer of Lyrics an literature for sure! And yes be carefull what you talk to others about... but everyone with an FJ who goes there knows that feeling... that Rush...(pun intended) kind of like W.F.O. on a 490 Maico!!! same feeling. My only trouble with my Kookaloo experience was I couldn't get her into 6th gear!                                                                        Charley.

Never read any of his books, yet! But I know of his journey on that BMW and bicycles too.  Unfortunately I know why he took that journey down through the Americas, and how my soul cried out for him, first his daughter, then his wife, I know he was in pain, just glad he made it back from the trip, finding a new love, something to live for.

If only it had a 6th, huh? Super Kookaloooooooooooooo!

Here's to that Canadian, consummate rocker and fellow rider.  

"Straining the limits of machine and man." -Peart-

[Burns]

Yes, I finally did it I finally got balls enough to take my new to me 84FJ  into " the zone" in top gear.

What was the speedo reading (if you took your eyes off the road long enough to take a peek) ?

I'm wondering what things are like over 130.

[Pat Conlon]

Smooth as glass. On a Arizona hwy (north of Why) I had my '84 pinned in 5th for a long count of 30...

17/38 gearing running at 9500 rpm hunkered down behind the windscreen, chin bar resting on the tank, the bike squatted low, no front end lift at all, nice and steady. She was singing her kookaloo song. She was happy.

The speedo was wiggling between 150 and 160 so no telling how fast I was going but she felt just fine.

[RD56]

First post in a long time that really made me smile. That's what this bike is all about. 

[TexasDave]

Glad to see you are still young at heart.    Dave

[charleygofast]

My speedo is 5mph off at 60 and I've got stock 17/42 gearing and 16" wheels. Speedo was 140 plus and I backed down. Lots of Law on the highway. But if there werent......kooka-fn-loo!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                To good times! Charley.         

[moparman70]

at century plus speed my speedo bounces way too much to even bother with.  my good ole Gps mounted on the bars is a much better substitute.   My last really really speed run was on the 395 going north -- GPS at 137 with saddle bags and rear tail and all moved smoothly through the desert air.

I have no issues with the FJ at speed --- it does everything well at least a 7 to 8 but when it comes to the high speed runs I rate it a 10 plus.  Truth be told 150 is my limit so buying a Busa or zx14 would be a waste as I am not going past that mark but it is good for the soul to venture into speed land once in awhile.

The boys will tell you I am quick to full throttle it when the time is right --- couldn't get any of the Lambos to run the 210 with me on our last ride but it was fun playing.  ( note they can't use all of their power either so -- fair race)  kookaloo

OH ya -- as far as the 6th gear -- many of times I keep looking and its never there---- But when I ride my 84 gpz900 all of sudden its there and when I get into it I do think of the WOW I would get from an FJ with Overdrive---

[Steve_in_Florida]

I *NEVER* speed, and none of my bikes have *EVER* been past the posted speed limit!   

...think of the WOW I would get from an FJ with Overdrive---

NOW you've got me thinkin'...

The Triumph Spitfire transmission in my MG has an option for an electric overdrive unit that's highly coveted. It consists of a planetary gear unit on the output shaft, actuated electrically via a switch on the gearshift.

I wonder... Something like that incorporated into the hub of the rear wheel? Still driven by the chain and sprocket, but slightly multiplied, "on demand" within the hub?

Hmmmm.....

Steve

[moparman70]

Maybe after Randy perfects the injection system he can work on the overdrive..

[FJscott]

+1...I would be happy with a taller 5th gear

[Steve_in_Florida]

NOW you've got me thinkin'...

The Triumph Spitfire transmission in my MG has an option for an electric overdrive unit that's highly coveted. It consists of a planetary gear unit on the output shaft, actuated electrically via a switch on the gearshift.

I wonder... Something like that incorporated into the hub of the rear wheel? Still driven by the chain and sprocket, but slightly multiplied, "on demand" within the hub?

Hmmmm.....

Steve

So, why _NOT_ this concept for motorcycles?  [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hub_gear/url]

Is the input torque too high for the gears?

Sure would be an interesting, possibly bolt-on mod for ANY sport-touring bike. Seems like any reduction in RPM, especially at sustained cruising speed would be a plus.

Steve

[ribbert]

NOW you've got me thinkin'...

The Triumph Spitfire transmission in my MG has an option for an electric overdrive unit that's highly coveted. It consists of a planetary gear unit on the output shaft, actuated electrically via a switch on the gearshift.

I wonder... Something like that incorporated into the hub of the rear wheel? Still driven by the chain and sprocket, but slightly multiplied, "on demand" within the hub?

Hmmmm.....

Steve

So, why _NOT_ this concept for motorcycles?  [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hub_gear/url]

Is the input torque too high for the gears?

Sure would be an interesting, possibly bolt-on mod for ANY sport-touring bike. Seems like any reduction in RPM, especially at sustained cruising speed would be a plus.

Steve

Steve, I have habit of replying to people who ask "I wonder if it's possible to ........" (and I cut them off before they even get to the question and say) "yes, of course it is, it's only a matter of time and money" However, I think in this case I would have to retract that. Not so much because it's impossible but because it's impractical and the need isn't that great.

I had actually given passing thought to this some time back, for about a nano second, before the impracticality of doing so became obvious. Not for me though, I don't have a problem with the revs my bike sits on at cruising or even high speeds but because it is the sort of project that interests me, like my power assisted clutch for an arthritic rider I'm working on (or for non arthritic FJ riders who want to run 3 or even 4 clutch springs)

I am familiar with overdrive units and in principle anything with enough bits in it to do the job and withstand the power and the weight is going to too big and too heavy and anything mounted at the wheel is going to double your unsprung weight which will do horrible things to your handling.

Yes, I have roughly thought of ways it could be done at the engine end but keeping in mind the small gain, the cost and the engineering make it not even worth thinking about.
While the concept in the link you posted is interesting, the push bike size hub weighs 8lbs. Imagine the weight of one for the FJ. Also many of these sort of drives ( I have no idea about this one in particular) do no lend themselves to being scaled up.

The bottom line remains the weight, the bulk, the time and the cost balanced against the gain.

What I devoted slightly more thought to was transplanting a six speed box from something else in to the crankcase!!

Our bikes are not Harleys, I actually like the sound of mine when it gets to about 5000+ cruising. It sort of develops a pitch and sounds very happy, or maybe that's just me that's happy when cruising at 5000+

The fuel injection Randy is working on is an entirely different proposition. While there are plenty of bugs to iron out it's not a mammoth engineering challenge, the system is largely off the shelf, the cost is not great and the outcome will deliver significant advantages.

We are fortuneate in Australia still having unadulterated fuel. Carbies here are pretty much set and forget and maybe service every 100,000km's and fuel injection does not have the same appeal as it would in the US.

Now, if Randy wants to sell stuff here maybe his next project could be an electronic kangaroo repellent/deflector.

Noel