Bike mod madness

[JMR]

OK, you have a bike that does 160kph (100mph) in first gear and accelerates at warp speed from 200 to 300. So, you make your youtube clip, then what do you do.
Noel

Noel

Well, if you would settle for 200+ mph (really), it only has one gear, no clutch or transmission, and owns
the Bonneville Land Speed Record for production bikes.  It also won Pikes Peak, against all other bikes.  
They call it the Lightning LS-218.

http://lightningmotorcycle.com/
               
Cheers,
Red

I sat on this thing at the weekend, about as near as you'd get to a test ride without plonking down the full price.



334 hp/214nm's of torque - NO fairing.

I don't believe it has heated seats or a stereo but it probably should come with a body harness and tether.





This is how we build bikes in Oz!

I would make an exception in this case but have a small problem with the $180,000 price tag.

Noel

A good friend of mine has a Drysdale (which that engine/frame design looks like). I ported the FZR heads for it. I call it the worlds most expensive kit bike.

[ribbert]

A good friend of mine has a Drysdale (which that engine/frame design looks like). I ported the FZR heads for it. I call it the worlds most expensive kit bike.

You're spot on, this bike has it roots in the Drysdale, the company was taken over several years ago by a new player who beefed it up (doubled the capacity for starters) into this incarnation. He apparently has a 400hp model on the drawing board (might be safer to leave it there!)

It is, I believe, two R1's made into a V8. Such an obvious and simple thing to do I'm surprised no one thought of it before.

Noel

[ribbert]

[.....]
I don't know about the rest of you, but I reckon this blokes having more fun in his Fiat 500 than the guys in the works rally cars.

This "race car" is not fiat 500.
On that clip You can see Fiat 126p with 650ccm engine and 25-30 horsepower. Really skillful mechanic could squeeze out from this engine 75-90 HP.

And top speed was totally depend on wind strength and direction.... 

OK, I knew that, but other than you and me, who else did. I suspect pretty much no one outside of Europe knows what a 126p is but everyone knows what a Fiat 500 is and I wanted folks to watch the video.

Good catch on the correct model ID. The extra 10-15hp was a dead give away anyway! 

Fiat 500's and it's variants were popular during my years on the bench, what a hoot to drive. I would love one in the garage now.

Noel

[PaulG]

And to think your great grandaddy would have been shaking his fist at this yelling  "Damn those two wheeled monstrisities! Be gone with ye!"   

A modern bike for comfort and convenience I can understand.  Keyless everything - no thanks.  I try to subscribe to function over form, something which BMW has abandoned in regards to bikes.  Why must they be made as (or more) complicated as cars?  The inflexibility of design to appeal to the law of averages hasn't seemed to sink in yet (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=15027.msg151840#msg151840).

I think the only one that comes close is actually HD who provide a wide range of options for some models to customize to your taste/needs straight from the factory.  Bombardier has now 5-way adustable bars and foot rests for the Spyders.

Hitting the price point for marketing purposes is the main factor in most of this.  Shaving literally pennies off the cost can result in a bike with a fantastick engine with a mediocre suspension.  Yes you could spend the extra cash for something in the +$20K range that would solve this, but that market is drying up.  The surge in mid range performance and priced bikes shows that.  If they could only offer more options with the new bikes - like upgraded suspensions - over unuseable horsepower - and ease up on the overly complex electronics...  Oh wait... they are trying to do that now especially Honda and Yamaha, ... never mind....

[JMR]

A good friend of mine has a Drysdale (which that engine/frame design looks like). I ported the FZR heads for it. I call it the worlds most expensive kit bike.

You're spot on, this bike has it roots in the Drysdale, the company was taken over several years ago by a new player who beefed it up (doubled the capacity for starters) into this incarnation. He apparently has a 400hp model on the drawing board (might be safer to leave it there!)

It is, I believe, two R1's made into a V8. Such an obvious and simple thing to do I'm surprised no one thought of it before.

Noel

2 R1 engines is certainly ambitious. The original Drysdale utilized FXR-600 top end components.

[Bones]

Here's another Drysdale invention that was on display at the Haigslea motorcycle museum, two wheel drive, two wheel steering.



Here's a write up about it if interested

http://www.gizmag.com/drysdale-dryvtech-2x2x2/35103/

[JMR]

Here's another Drysdale invention that was on display at the Haigslea motorcycle museum, two wheel drive, two wheel steering.



Here's a write up about it if interested

http://www.gizmag.com/drysdale-dryvtech-2x2x2/35103/

Ian has too much time on his hands.

[FJ_Hooligan]

On my S1000XR, BMW has plumbed the valve stem into one of the solid spokes.  This spoke is drilled into the air chamber of the rim/tire.  The resulting valve stem (which is actually a metal fitting screwed into the spoke which contains a Schrader valve) sticks out perpendicular to the plane of the tire (just like a 90 degree stem).

Oh yeah, the BMW also has a sane riding position, cruise control, comfortable (but not adjustable, they offer seats with height options) seat, has adjustable brake (but not clutch) lever, my daughters love the passenger accommodations, and the mirrors are totally useable.  Not sure about the horn as I haven't had to use it yet.

I think I may have found the 99% perfect bike as it also has electronic suspension, 4 ride modes, 3-D traction control and ABS, and it even has heated grips.

Oh, and it goes like greased stink!

[Country Joe]

On my S1000XR, BMW has plumbed the valve stem into one of the solid spokes.  This spoke is drilled into the air chamber of the rim/tire.  The resulting valve stem (which is actually a metal fitting screwed into the spoke which contains a Schrader valve) sticks out perpendicular to the plane of the tire (just like a 90 degree stem).

Oh yeah, the BMW also has a sane riding position, cruise control, comfortable (but not adjustable, they offer seats with height options) seat, has adjustable brake (but not clutch) lever, my daughters love the passenger accommodations, and the mirrors are totally useable.  Not sure about the horn as I haven't had to use it yet.

I think I may have found the 99% perfect bike as it also has electronic suspension, 4 ride modes, 3-D traction control and ABS, and it even has heated grips.

Oh, and it goes like greased stink!

Just wait up at the stop sign, that's all I'm asking for......

[FJ_Hooligan]

No worries Joe, it's the FJ's turn to make the Arkansas trip.

[ribbert]

On my S1000XR, BMW has plumbed the valve stem into one of the solid spokes.  This spoke is drilled into the air chamber of the rim/tire.  The resulting valve stem (which is actually a metal fitting screwed into the spoke which contains a Schrader valve) sticks out perpendicular to the plane of the tire (just like a 90 degree stem).

Oh yeah, the BMW also has a sane riding position, cruise control, comfortable (but not adjustable, they offer seats with height options) seat, has adjustable brake (but not clutch) lever, my daughters love the passenger accommodations, and the mirrors are totally useable.  Not sure about the horn as I haven't had to use it yet.

I think I may have found the 99% perfect bike as it also has electronic suspension, 4 ride modes, 3-D traction control and ABS, and it even has heated grips.

Oh, and it goes like greased stink!

You're right Dave, they do go like greased stink and when I read the specs, I too thought I had found the 99% perfect bike, a GS with a hot 4 cyl motor in it, a marriage made in heaven. It was the first bike to get me into a showroom in 30 years.
I arranged a half day test ride from a dealer on the outskirts of town, nearer the hills and open road. I took it back after half an hour. I didn't like it. Horses for courses I guess. I can fully understand why you love it, but not for me. I found it to be a niche bike rather than the all rounder "Ultimate sports tourer" it was touted as. It is a sports bike with a better riding position and from what I read of your riding, I can understand why it suits you and yes, the electronic wizardry is amazing.

I have been looking on and off for a post 2010 BMW RT for a while, my enthusiasm waxing and waning, but a few weeks back I had the chance to ride a new (1 week old) water cooled RT, and like you,  I knew immediately I had found my 99% perfect bike.
I have set the wheels in motion to make it happen (a stable mate, not a replacement, for the FJ)

It's rare to get on a bike that fits you so well there's not even a hint of doubt.

I'm glad you're enjoying the XR so much, they're a lot of bike.

Noel

[FJ_Hooligan]

Noel,
I'm curious, what did you not like about it?

I'll admit to a few warts:

It's not a highway bike, despite advertising it as an Adventure Touring bike.  Not nearly enough gearing.  It's at least 1000PRM above any of my other bikes in top gear at a given speed.  6th gear should really be about 4th and a half gear.  I agree with your statement that it's a sport bike with a better riding position.  From your travel write ups, I guess I can see why it's not the bike for you.

I thought I was going to absolutely hate the seat as it kind of locks you in place and has a slight slope toward the tank.  But, 3 full days riding in Arkansas last Fall have me about 95% convinced that Corbin will not be getting any more of my money.

The bar vibration is well documented in the press and on the S1KXR forum (topic is currently up to 31 pages).  However, what you don't hear is the vibes start out BAD but they get better with every ride.  There are plenty of theories and bar end weights are said to be a 90% solution.  At 4000 miles I have to be looking for vibes to notice them.  It's not '93 FJ smooth, but at this point it's really no worse than my '85 FJ or '02 FZ1.

I wouldn't want it to be my commuter bike and that's not why I bought it.  I bought it because riding it on twisty roads makes me smile and hoot in my helmet.  It's my first "brand new" streetbike in the last 31 years.  I couldn't have chosen better.

Although my friend has a new '14 Tuano V4 and that motor is absolutely amazing.  TORQUE, smooth transmission, geared to the moon, unfortunately I don't like the ergos and there is no wind protection.

It's also interesting to hear the new XR owners compare it to their previous BMW (probably the second biggest thread on the forum).

[Pat Conlon]

Thanks Hooli, can you change the counter shaft and rear sprocket to suit your gearing?

[FJ_Hooligan]

Pat,
That was my first thought; however, it has one other wart that I forget to mention.

It's kind of soft right off idle.  It needs quite a bit of throttle to get going.  A few people have stalled theirs taking off and dropped it due to how tall it is.

So, gearing for reduced RPM would only make that worse.  And really, I'm just getting used to a different style of riding.  With the FJ, I get it in 5th gear and just surf that massive torque wave.  While the XR has torque in spades, that quickshifter is a blast to use so I find myself using it more often.  While I'm not used to reving the FJ out to redline (as it's hardly ever required), the XR loves to rev.  After 30+years of riding the FJ, it's going to take some time to adjust my riding style.  It's not bad, only different and I find myself enjoying it more with every ride.

All that said, I still try to share equal time with the FJ.  That bike is a part of me and it's still a blast to ride and gets as much attention as the XR.

[ribbert]

Noel,
I'm curious, what did you not like about it?
...............
It's also interesting to hear the new XR owners compare it to their previous BMW (probably the second biggest thread on the forum).

Well Hooli, in the interest of brevity, I told the somewhat surprised salesman that it didn't leave a smile I couldn't wipe off my face, I would not go to bed dreaming about it and I didn't want to keep riding it, hence, it failed the test.

It was the motor I wasn't keen on. A quick fang up through some twisties definitely put a smile on my face and I believe some hootin' and hollerin' from under my helmet. I gave it plenty of full throttle up to redline through the gears out of and in between corners, braking harder than you would ever dare on the FJ and it was spectacular, the electronics keeping everything tidy, (many side by side road tests report the XR's are much faster through the twisties than the RR's) but that was where my enjoyment of it ended.

In the battle between modern tyres speeding me up and age slowing me down, the tyres are winning and I'm riding faster than ever and I'm lucky enough to spend more time in the twisties than most.
My scratched belly pan, brake and gear levers, exhausts and discoloured brakes bear testament to that. But, I like all round touring and unless you ride the same roads all the time, you need to travel and the roads to and from are not always back to back twisties. I also like doing long trips with multiple big days (800km+) and a day that long takes you through a lot of terrain, twisties are only ever going to a part of it over that sort of distance, not all of it.
My rides are never less than 8 hours, in the Summer, 10-12 hrs, you can't keep up "race pace" over that sort of distance anyway, even if it was all twisties.

I found the XR to be like a caged animal, primed and just waiting for the next set of corners and not happy in between, despite not having the FJ's grunt at highway speeds when overtaking without going back a couple of gears. It's an angry motor just waiting to be unleashed and was not relaxing nor sounded happy when not being thrashed.

I find the sound and feel of the FJ engine a cruising speeds, as I do the boxer engine, relaxing, almost cathartic, the XR engine grated on me.

Then there's the vibration. The turbine smoothness of the FJ at cruising revs is something I consciously think about many times per ride. Even by modern standards, I don't believe there is an in line 4 that's any smoother.

I'm lucky that I still get to ride plenty of new bikes and the comparison was not just between it and the FJ but between it and many of it's contemporaries.

IMO the attributes of the XR are narrowly focused and it is not, as you agreed, an all rounder. It's none the less a stunner being flogged through the mountains.

Simply put, I want a good all rounder. I love the feel and sound of the new generation boxer twins, vastly different from the previous air cooled models, they are quicker, very torquey and despite the bikes bulky appearance, very nimble.

There is nothing wrong with the XR, it's just not the bike best suited to my needs. It's a personal thing, not a slight on the bike itself.

I'm well accustomed to all the other electronics on the GS but the quickshifter on the newer models is something else.

I was determined I wouldn't like it but within 5 minutes I was using it seamlessly without even thinking about it. Nearly 50 years of habit dispensed with in a few minutes. Unlike a paddle shifter in a car where blokes pretend they're driving a Ferrari or F1 when all they're doing is changing an automatic transmission manually (just like we did in the 60's with the stick) this bit of electronic wizardry is truly wonderful and actually enhances the enjoyment of the manual gearbox and takes away nothing. More recently I have put in a couple of hundred km's on the RT with the same shifter, love it.

As I said Hooli, horses for courses, nothing really wrong with the XR, just not the package that best suits my particular riding needs.

If I had to answer what I specifically did NOT like about the bike, it would only be the vibes and the almost too loud induction noise without ear plugs (probably no worse than the FJ, which also hurts my ears without plugs)

Noel