FJ1346 from ashes to... Well, we'll see...

[FJ_Hooligan]

Here's my solution:
My bladder is usually full before my tank is empty.
Kill 2 birds with one stop.

[fintip]

If you're peeing every 3-4 hours, you should probably get that checked.   

[Pat Conlon]

Wrong....If you are not peeing every 3-4 hours, you are not hydrating correctly.

You don't understand this at your young age laddie, but give it another 20 years and you'll understand.

[1tinindian]

Wrong....If you are not peeing every 3-4 hours, you are not hydrating correctly.

You don't understand this at your young age laddie, but give it another 20 years and you'll understand.

My thoughts, also!

Leon

[skymasteres]

Well I didn't realize this would turn into a conversation about the prostate, but to each his own.  :-P

And we're back to my terminal moditus. As if it's not enough that I just went down, I'm still changing stuff.  Sometimes it's for a "Good reason" Like finding a Kerker 4 into 1 exhaust for a good price.




(Thanks 85-FJ) I can now say for a fact that an 86 Kerker  midpipe won't fit on an 89-90. But that didn't matter since I really wanted to install this titanium exhaust off of a GSXR.



Of course we didn't find out that it was solid titanium and not plated stainless until I cut the power valve off of it.  (Lots of solid white sparks the whole time I was running the cutoff wheel.)


And here are the parts as I contemplate putting them on the bike.

The problem with the Kerker is that it completely blocks access to the oil pan drain plug.



There were multiple problems with trying to make the GSXR muffler fit. The bracket on the muffler itself doesn't have the right offset to allow the can to bypass the swingarm. 

Of course titanium is fairly tough stuff. First I cut the weld holding the two halves of the mounting tab together. Simply pry that apart to straighten it out. That and drilling it for the mounting bolt.

Titanium becomes much more formable when it's red hot. I was able to get the shape I wanted using an anvil and masonry chisel. On a side note though, titanium BURNS! (That's a real surprise when you find out the disadvantage of not cleaning up your drilled holes before heating the part.)


One of the cool things about having the exhaust hung on just one side is that you can see the swingarm. That and you can now put the bike up on the center stand without having to get off of it. (Handy for fueling up)

[Pat Conlon]

Did you articulate that swing arm up and down checking clearance? Looks a bit tight.

Got a pict of the other side of the bike? (Muffler side)

[skymasteres]

Yeah Pat. I put it through the whole range. The clearance is tight, and I had to modify the brake switch bracket. I guess I missed half of the details and pictures. I'll get them up later.

[JMR]

 My exhaust covers the oil pan drain bolt too. I built up weld on the left side of my oil pan, drilled, milled and tapped it for a 10mm bolt. It works perfectly.

[fintip]

geez, titanium tri-oval. No mention of how it sounds??

With that red piping on the seat, you should consider a thin red trim line around the rims. Would look super sharp.

[FJmonkey]

geez, titanium tri-oval. No mention of how it sounds??

With that red piping on the seat, you should consider a thin red trim line around the rims. Would look super sharp.

It sounds really good, I can vouch for that. Mike's bike does not need Red, it just needs the love he really wants to give it, but too damn busy ridding it...

[skymasteres]

Okay, so I am so far behind again I really need to get back on the update wagon. Case in point, I've already burned through that Conti Motion tire that I put on two months ago.

JMR, if I had a TIG welder I'd be getting myself into even deeper trouble mod wise. But that's a good mod. I've also gone the welding a threaded bung route on steel pans for turbo drain fittings.

Fintip, I know I know. Now that you mention it, I haven't posted a video of the bike with the new muffler on it. The first video that I have ready to go up that comes to mind is the one of my Crystal Lake crash. (Happened six days after the crash in my last video actually. That one really shook me up) But I agree Mark. I think it sounds amazing. I am COMPLETELY satisfied with this as a final exhaust solution. (Well until Randy starts shipping his 4 into 2 into 1...)

So there I was, in the... Well actually in the garage trying to figure out how to make the two ends of very different exhaust components fit. The solution was to throw the Kerker midpipe and new muffler on the tail section of the bike and ride it down to a muffler shop to get a custom midpipe made.

We started out with something like this.



The fellows at the shop were really accommodating to all of my poking around and being particular. It turned into a cut and check marathon.



About an hour and $30 later they tack welded it into place for me and I rode the bike home.



HOLY CRAP WAS THAT THING LOUD WITH OPEN HEADERS!

Getting back to forming the bracket for the exhaust. It needed to be heated to make it formable enough to adjust.



Did I mention that titanium burns? Well it does. Anyway, after a lot of hammering with a mini sledge and a 3" wide chisel I got the tabs bent the way I wanted them.

Then there was the quasi ridiculous process of getting my "Custom" midpipe to fit properly and tuck the exhaust up right where I wanted it.  This required a LOT of marking and cutting angled segments to make this weird little double curve.



Once I was FINALLY satisfied with the shape I tack welded it all and checked the fit again.



Once I was really, REALLY sure it was right I fully welded all of the seams that it was solid.



It actually tucked up right where I wanted it too. I thought that part was so cool. :-)




Of course, just a couple days later I freaked out and lost it in a turn at Chrystal Lake.



It's really impressive how much punishment these scoops can absorb.



That and these engine guards are getting a heck of a workout.




Unfortunately the turn signals don't like having the whole weight of the bike dropped on them.



The real bummer is I scraped up my new exhaust pretty badly.



Although, I'm really glad I always ride with gear. This time around there were some pretty good scuffs on my shoulder.



The rest of the ride went well though.  It was a great view up where the road was closed.




This gate was HUGE. About the only way that you would be able to get past it is on foot or a dirt bike.



It was certainly a nice little group...




Riding Chrystal Lake.

[Capn Ron]

Hey Mike...A couple of thoughts while reading your latest update:

$30 for the muffler shop guys??  I think I need their contact info!

That was a righteous job on all the little slices of tubing to make the bend you wanted.  Major respect.

I had no idea you went down again!  Damn!  That sand is like riding on ball bearings...same way I went down.  Glad you're okay and now the two engine bars match!   

Cap'n Ron. . .

[ribbert]

MIke, indeed a gut wrenching moment. The vid shows a sudden near full compression of the forks and and a wheel lock up with the bike near vertical, what went on there?

Noel

[X-Ray]

Front brake grab I would say, (according to the vid). Wow, not a good thing to happen. 

[skymasteres]

Yeah, this one was solidly rider error. (Well that and I cut my luck zip tie off :-p) The sand was actually a non-factor in this one. I got around the worst of it. The issue was I panicked. I saw the sand and since it had been less than a week since my last dismount I tried to dodge it. Got around the worst of it, but in maneuvering I suddenly rolled off of the throttle, this was like throwing in some rear brake. I got the bike back over to make the turn, but then I started to feel the rear break loose. I lost it at that point, well mentally at least. I could have made the turn if I'd just held the throttle and pushed the right bar. But when I felt the rear start to slip in my already upset situation I panicked and my brain locked into "Gotta stop NOW!" mode.

I was convinced that I was going to blow the turn and go over the edge at that moment. So I grabbed a lot of front brake. This is the third time that I have locked up the front wheel in a panic situation. The difference is, this time I actually felt the suspension compress, felt the front end dive, felt the fork brace slam into the brake splitter banjo bolt, and felt the shudder as the tire began to slip. (I never heard the screech of the tire through my earplugs. I heard something, but it was much "grumblier")  There was just enough time for me to process that the front was slipping, but not enough for me to get off of the brake before the tire started to slide, changing the lean of the bike. The thing is, there was only about two tenths of a second between the moment I applied the brake and the instant the wheel started to slide. Then another four tenths of a second passes before the engine guard makes contact with the road. (I'd say at that point there was no saving it as it unloaded the front wheel)

This REALLY short timeline also explains the perceived violence of the accident that I experienced. I mean, I still had some lean angle when I applied the brake. But the bike went from what I had to solid contact in well under a second.  This was not a gentle washing the bike out from under me like the last time around. My hip got driven into the road REALLY HARD when I touched. That's where most of the energy went. The shoulder scuff was minor in comparison. That and surprisingly the knuckles on my gloves were scuffed up pretty well too.

I have to say though. I am a HUGE FAN of running with a goPro. I find that it's an invaluable tool for breaking down an event and determining the root cause. The interesting thing is how subtle some of the cues are and how some things aren't even seen until you look at the high resolution video frame by frame.  But even with the video, you need a solid understanding of the dynamics involved to interpret what these subtle visual cues even mean. I have been watching a lot of Mulholland crash videos lately and trying to pinpoint the cause of the crash from the slow motion replay. I was surprised when I really got into it to see that a great many riders that loose the rear in a high speed turn (where they're dragging a knee) rolled abruptly off of the throttle moments before they lost traction.  This sudden roll off of the throttle does a couple things to the suspension. It shifts weight to the front of the bike, which reduces the load on the rear tire, which reduces traction. It turns the engine into a brake because the clutch is still let out and the RPM starts to drop. This adds a braking force to an already loaded wheel that is losing available traction. I have been finding in my riding since this crash, while trying to get my "Mojo" back, that anything done abruptly while seeking your performance limits is a universally bad thing. Seems like a lot of guys go down because they have something that makes them twitch, and it brings them down.

But the videos allow you to learn so much about the dynamics of what happens when things go awry. Case in point, with my last crash, there was the perception that I lost the front wheel first followed by the rear. This is most certainly not the case. If you look at the way the bike spins as it goes down you can state conclusively that the front was still gripping while the rear let go. (Otherwise the bike would have washed out and not spun, or spun just a little) The other cool thing that you can see is how the front wheel turns into the skid due to the self-correcting tendency of the steering geometry. This doesn't happen on four wheels, but does on two.  It's also why you can generally "save" the bike when the rear end slips out just a little. It's an automatic thing that just requires you hang on for the ride. Most of the time the bike has already corrected by the time you feel it. You get that "pucker moment" and you're on your way again before you know it.
 
But, root cause of the accident? PANIC, followed immediately by locking the front wheel.