Performance Bikes September 2009

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21/7/09 14:33:34

honda fireblade Composed and integrated from the crate, will it benefit from proper mods?

yamaha r1 On standard tyres and suspension this was Guy’s least favourite. Is it better now?

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23/7/09 12:34:59

MODIFIeD

1000s

WITH Guy MARTIn

What happens if you take four litre bikes, fit Öhlins shocks, Power Commanders, Akrapovic pipes and sticky Metzeler tyres, then hand them over to Guy Martin? words Matt Wildee and Guy Martin Pics Paul Bryant

suzukI gsx-r1000k9 Guy’s favourite litre bike as stock. The K9 could have the least to gain here.

kawasakI zx-10r Mad as standard, do two grands worth of tweaks really make it better?

p56-64 PB 1000 CDP.indd 3

B

ig bore sportsbikes are the track tools of choice. go to any trackday and the fast group is full of gsx-rs, Blades, r1s and zx-10rs. There’s a good reason for this – massive power and proper handling make them faster than anything else.

But which is going to be the best hardcore track bike? To find out, we took the four 2009 Japanese thousands and bolted on the best performance kit we could.

We gave each bike Metzeler Racetec Interact tyres, Öhlins rear suspension, Akrapovic exhausts and a Power Commander V with a custom map and remap by Crescent Performance Centre.

We then gave the bikes to Guy Martin who, let’s face it, isn’t exactly rubbish on a superstock bike. Guy tested the bikes at Brands Hatch and then we datalogged the hell out of them at Bruntingthorpe. The result is close, but there is a winner.   059 

23/7/09 12:37:34

p48-49 PB sept interviewCDP.indd.sp.indd 2

22/7/09 10:42:32

This ain’T for you Is what my dad said after my first road race practice session. My first race was Darley Moor, 1999, the UK Junior Challenge. I was on an Aprilia RS125. I was nearly 14. I could just touch the floor. I’d only learned to ride a bike (a motocrosser) with gears the week before and I’d knocked myself out. I tested at Darley Moor the day before the race. I made three corners and crashed. I asked for another chance and went really well, and got a first and a second in the races. i nEarLy PLayED fooTBaLL insTEaD I played football for years and was still playing when I started racing bikes. But I had to make a decision because I was turning up to race bikes with a dislocated knee from football, and turning up to football with broken arms and wrists from bike racing.

My managers weren’t too impressed. When I finally decided I wanted to race I was in the football academy at Coventry City. I think I could’ve been offered a deal there.

‘I LOVE IT WHEN OTHER RIDERS HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ME. IT SHOWS I’M A THREAT’ Crutchlow and Laverty battle it out

i racED casEy sTonEr in ThE aPriLia chaLLEngE That year Chaz Davies, Leon Camier, Casey Stoner and me were all in it at the same time. I think so many good riders came out of that class because there were a few riders from Europe and Australia coming over and doing well, and that pissed us off a bit. i’m gLaD Tommy hiLL won ThE r6 cuP Because I didn’t want to ride a Rob Mac Superbike the next year [the prize for the first year’s R6 Cup was a season on the Virgin Mobile R1]. I’d already told them I wanted to race a 600 if I won it. The jump to Superbike wasn’t right. It was good, because the prize was massive, but I thought Supersport was better and I made the right choice at the time. i’m namED afTEr caL rayBorn A lot of people have told me about him over the years. When I was over in America they were saying ‘We used to have a rider called Cal.’ Old racers have told me what Cal was like [as a racer] and it sounds like we were pretty similar. suPErsPorT mEans a LoT To yamaha They haven’t won it since 2000 and I think they’re sick of losing to Honda. The Yamaha factory team will go to whatever extent it takes to make things happen. If I ask for something it’ll more or likely be there for the next race. Which is beneficial, but sometimes keeping things simple is good. suPErsPorT is cLosEr Than any oThEr cLass It’s easy to string a race out in Superbike, but in Supersport everyone is a similar speed, the bikes are very similar spec, and even the bloke in 30th has got a fast bike. Half the time it’s about having that little bit extra. We’ve had some good close races this year. It’s better for me when it’s like that. The Donington race, when I was on my own, was boring [Cal won by 5s]. Some people like to lead by 15s, but I’ve got less nerves and less worries when I’m battling – when it turns into a battle I normally have the edge. i nEvEr havE Braking markErs I just brake when I think I need to stop. I don’t look where I’ve got to brake, I just do it. gPs arE suPPosED To havE ThE worLD’s BEsT riDErs But I don’t think that’s the case. If me or Eugene [Laverty] went into the 250 class on the best bike we’d be doing just as well.

i know my PLans for nExT yEar I can tell you it’s 90 per cent sure I won’t be doing the Moto2 class. I’ve had offers to go with very good teams, but I want a relationship with a manufacturer and I’ve got that now. Hopefully, I’ll be staying with Yamaha next year. i haTE my rivaLs Things go on, on and off the track, that make me hate my rivals. I don’t really like any of them, except Eugene – we get on really well. I don’t speak to Fabien Foret, my team-mate. I haven’t spoken to him since Assen. oThEr riDErs havE a ProBLEm wiTh mE I love it, I thrive on it. It pisses other riders off and makes me even more determined. It shows I’m a threat.

i’m a TighT BasTarD I want to be able to retire and not have to do anything. I have a couple of houses, but they’re investments. And all motorcycle racers have got a few toys. I’ve got a nice car [BMW X6], but I’m sensible with my money and I’m harsh at negotiating.

I’m not in racing to make money. I’d race if I had to pay to race, but I want to be able to not have to. i Don’T sEE young BriTish riDErs coming Through Not riders like Tom Sykes or Leon Haslam. If anything, although he’s not young, I think Stuart Easton on the right package is capable of winning world championship races, especially in Supersport. I also think Leon Camier will be the next [from BSB] to go into World Superbikes.

DETErminaTion makEs ThE DiffErEncE There is nobody in that championship more determined than me.

It’s easy to say you want it, but you’ve got to prove it. Hudson Kennaugh is a perfect example. He said he was going to win in South Africa if he could get a wild card, but he didn’t race because he couldn’t get the money. He came to Donington, where he’d raced as much as anyone else, and finished 14th.

ThE gP2 BikEs Look mEga But racing for me is about competitiveness. Why do they have to make everything single-make or one engine supplier? It should be Yamaha against Honda, Ducati and Kawasaki, and Pirelli versus Bridgestone, Dunlop and Michelin. Riders should work to make the package they chose at the beginning of the year better. mE anD JonEsy usED To yiP iT uP in ThE wEEk Driving cars like idiots, thinking we were heroes. When you can’t ring him [Craig Jones], the next day to say ‘Let’s go and do something,’ things change a lot. It [his death] changed my attitude to life, because I lost a best mate, but it didn’t change my attitude to racing. I raced at Knockhill the weekend after he died last year and had the worst weekend imaginable. I thought ‘I’ve obviously had enough of it,’ then I started going well again and realised nothing had changed. I know Craig wouldn’t want anyone to stop racing because he had a bad crash and died. I know he’ll be up there looking at me, thinking ‘Pull the pin.’ i crashED aT DoningTon on ThE firsT PracTicE LaP It was difficult to ride, but I had to get on with it. An MRI scan showed I had three compression fractures and some ruptured ligaments. It hurt, but it backs up what I said – it’s whoever wants it most. I didn’t have any painkilling injections because I didn’t want my ankle to be numb. It was just grit and determination and some good strapping.

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22/7/09 10:42:45

moDERN LEgEND

words MATT WILDEE pics PAUL BRYANT

ELEVEN YEARS SINCE ITS END, THE CbR600f IS STILL THE PERfoRmANCE TooL of THE PEoPLE...

In a radially mounted, alloy-framed world, the CBR600F should be an irrelevant, wobbly anachronism. But it’s not.

I

t should be a perfect example of the built down-to a price, slightly patronising attitude that pervaded the 600s class in the mid 90s. The CbR600f was a bike built to what Honda thought riders needed, not what they really wanted. Cynics say it is a 150mph sportsbike that has all the sex appeal and desirability of a ford mondeo. forget HRC, this was more like HRT.

But the truth is, the steel-framed CBR600 is the greatest 600 ever made. By miles. Look past the looks and you’ll find a machine of supreme ability, a bike that is perfectly capable of tackling anything, but one that has the ability to be honed and refined to be absolutely brilliant at one thing. Want a comfortable sporty road bike you can do distance on?

Just strap on some luggage and fill the tank. Want a disposable track bike that’s still capable of running in the fast group?

Just sling on some sticky tyres and a race shock, and, if you’re up to it, it will confound the fast boys. This is still a proper performance bike – 10 years after the last one rolled off the production line.

The ‘steelie,’ as it has become known, first saw the light of day in 1991 as the CBR600FM. This was the second generation of the CBR600. The first, the ‘jelly mould’ thanks to its faired-in looks, was a competent piece of kit, if lacking in sporting ability and image when you compare it to the scratcher’s favourite, the FZR600. And it had an engine that felt pedestrian compared to the turbine-like thrust of the Kawasaki ZZ-R600R. The CBR600 was Honda’s answer – part supersports bike, part sports-tourer. And it managed to be brilliant at everything. But even back then, the CBR’s spec meant it looked like nothing special. A revvy, across-the-frame four in a steel frame with the engine as a stressed member was clever, provided a stable platform and consistent geometry but wasn’t really anything radical. And the smooth, non-threatening   

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23/7/09 11:35:14

Sumptuous finish, legendary reliability. Eleven years hasn’t dulled its potential

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23/7/09 11:35:43

chooser words Melanie Falconer Pics john noble, K-Tech

Improving your front end will give you more feel, confidence and control. Here’s what you need to know

forks 110

p110-112 PB Sept Chooser LB CDP.indd.sp.indd 1

23/7/09 11:56:35

mArzoCChi

rAC 50s front forks ● £1099.95 ● ContaCt: 02392 505322 or www.marzoCChi.Co.uk

n 50mm titanium nitride coated stanchions and hard anodised sliders n Stanchions are made absolutely parallel to sliders by using a Marzocchi own-design boring machine n 120mm fork stroke n Externally adjustable preload, compression (13 clicks) and rebound (32 clicks) n Coil/hydraulic cartridge damping system n Lightweight Ergal aluminum alloy fork bottoms (for increased strength-to-weight ratio, low density and good fatigue strength)

Compression AnD rebounD

Cartridge forks have all their valving inside a metal cylinder, or cartridge. This is bolted to the bottom of the fork so it moves up and down (compresses and rebounds) as the suspension hits bumps in the road.

There are two pistons in the cartridge: the rebound, fixed to the end of the damper rod, and the compression, fixed to the cartridge bottom. Both remain stationary as the suspension compresses and rebounds.

The oil within the cartridge must be metered during both the compression and the rebound stroke to achieve damping control. The pistons have two different sizes of hole in them. The bigger ones, while offering no restriction, have a one-way valve so their flow only works in one direction. In the other direction, the flap in the valve shuts off and the smaller holes start working – creating the piston’s damping. As the pistons face in opposite directions, they divide the damping equally without disturbing one another.

So when the fork compresses, more of the damper rod pushes into the cartridge, which forces oil through the smaller holes in the compression piston. As the forks extend, the two pistons effectively change jobs, with the rebound piston then providing its damping.

shims AnD pistons

Öhlins

roAD AnD trACk front forks ● £2021.70 ● ContaCt: 01992 532501 or harris-performanCe.Com

n 43mm USD forks with inner steel tubes with polished titanium nitride surfaces for low friction and increased durability n Fully externally adjustable rebound, compression damping and spring preload 25 potential compression and rebound clicks (although 15-20 is a more useable range expectancy) n Forks come stock with 9.5 N/m fork springs.

Additional fork springs available n Developed from experience gained by top GP racing teams

To refine damping control further, shims (flexible metal washers) are used. The oil flowing through the piston holes also has to pass through a shim stack. Shims are generally arranged in a pyramid shape with the biggest ones closest to the piston.

When the oil flows through the piston it forces the shims to deflect, or bend, away from the piston face. Depending on the speed of wheel movement (velocity), the shims will bend quickly or slowly, and either a little or a lot. This shim movement is translated into feel. This feel (stiffer, harder, plusher, softer) can be altered via different shim diameters, thicknesses and quantities, depending on the rider’s requirements and style of riding (see Revalving). Smaller shims affect the higher end of the speed range while bigger shims affect the lower end. Most damping systems are velocity dependent.

Your bike made faster

ADjusters

Compression and rebound valves each have a small secondary passage controlled by external adjusters, or cone-shaped needles.

They work by raising and lowering through the passage. The further the needle is wound in, the more it plugs the hole, restricting the oil flow. If the needle is turned out, opening the hole, the oil will flow more freely. More clicks ‘out’ give a softer ride, more clicks ‘in’ stiffen things up.

CloseD CArtriDges

A completely closed cartridge system means having the lubricating oil for the inner and outer tube totally segregated from the damping cartridge itself. The benefits are no oil contamination so the whole system will last longer and operate more consistently and therefore efficiently.

Cavitation is also greatly reduced (where oil and air mix and ‘foam’, resulting in loss of damping).

fork DiAmeter

revAlving

The number quoted on forks, be it 41mm, 43mm or 50mm, refers to the lower slider (or inner tube) diameter. The reason diameters vary is that the bigger the tube, the more rigidity there is, which can give more front-end feel. However, the bigger tubes can be too stiff for some riders.

With racing forks, the inner tube’s diameter can have the biggest effect on air pressure, or air spring. If you compare a 41mm diameter fork to a 48mm one, assuming the oil level is the same (say, 150mm), when the fork compresses, you get what’s known as an exponentional curve of air pressure. With the smaller fork diameter, the curve will rise very quickly, and with the larger diameter the curve will be much more gradual.

In the 41mm forks the air pressure will build up quickly, so, on track in a brakehard, turn-in hard situation, the front end may be lost. Air pressure doesn’t build up so quickly in bigger diameter forks and the result is a plusher, more stable feel. A fork diameter between 43mm and 45mm should be right for most fast road/trackday riders.

DAmping Curves

An OE fork is designed to work on a wide variety of road surfaces, coping with potholes, bumps and unevenness.

Standard forks, although pretty good, will have a tendency to dive too quickly when you use them on track as the internal damping isn’t controlled enough. Most springs are also harder than needed for track use, to compensate for the lack of correct damping. Superbike forks are slightly heavier than OE ones as more rigidity is needed. The materials used are of a much higher quality, with aircraft-standard metal put in certain areas such as the fork bottom and axle clamp, to provide the right amount of strength where needed.

The upper tubes have a bigger sliding action as this reduces excess flex, which can induce drag on the bushes. Lower fork tubes can have a DLC (diamond-like carbon) or TiN (titanium nitride) coating to reduce friction and eliminate potential binding.

They are taper-machined inside like a cone, a process that provides more rigidity.

Tolerances are also much closer, for example the running clearance between the bush and the fork tube. Low friction PFTE coated or special oil seals are often used to reduce drag.

With OE forks, the only thing that can be improved is the internals. By revalving you are increasing or decreasing the damping forces at different velocities. A common problem is fork dive. To slow the dive rate down, damping can be increased to provide a stiffer feel. This is commonly done via the shim stacks.

A lot also depends on the original piston size. The bigger the piston, the bigger the shims that can be used. The bigger the shim diameter, the more shim ‘bend’ you can get. Generally, if you want a stiffer set-up, changing the shims closest to the piston face will help.

Revalving starts with changing the shim stacks. Sometimes new pistons will be needed to fine-tune the feel still further.

You can also try using a different viscosity or quantity of oil – the amount and density of the fluid inside the damper affects damping forces. The less fluid there is the hotter it will run, leading to fork fade. There must also be enough oil to lubricate the mechanism properly, including the seals.

Changing the spring rate by using springs suitable for your weight can also help.

A damping curve is the measured force of the shims opening. It’s all about the speed at which the shims start to open. Most riders prefer a set-up that is plush, with resistance to bottoming.

For example, if you want bumps to be soaked up but you’re also after good low-speed feel and mid-turn stability, a digressive damping curve that climbs sharply to start off with, followed by a more gradual rise should do the job. Top suspension tuners can determine what combination of shim, piston, spring and oil will mirror any particular curve.

oe

v

superbike forks



p110-112 PB Sept Chooser LB CDP.indd.sp.indd 2





111

23/7/09 11:57:33

sportsbike britain

CHASSIS Kais rebuilt Showa 54mm USD forks hold the Nissin SIX-pot calipers, which in turn are fed by Goodridge lines. The front wheel is a 17in item from an RVF400 and wears an MV Agusta carbon-fibre mudguard, while the rear brake is thumB-operated. Rear wheel is a 17in one from an early Fireblade.

BODYWORK Steve fitted a single seat unit from a CB1300, took a sheet of aluminium and hand beat it into the shape of a seat cowl and flyscreen. Paint job is out of a Halfords rattlecan.

mOtOR 83mm piston and liner kit takes the capacity northward. Lots of engine work, including a skimmed and gas-flowed head, CBR1000 cams and improved oil flow. Also uses a ZXR750 radiator and EBC heavy-duty clutch.

NAKEDS SPECIAL

4

BIKeS We lIKe tHIS mOntH words and pics kar lee

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1996 HOnDA CB1187 BIg One Steve tAYlOR

WHAt An endurance-inspired special, this owned-from-new CB1000 is a beast of an obsession for its owner and builder, assembled with blood, grit and desire to do things slightly leftfield.

WHY? If there’s ever proof that every cloud has a silver lining, this is it. The end result of an encounter with a u-turning car in which Steve ‘escaped’ with eight broken ribs, a broken scapula and dislocated collarbone, this CB has history.

Impressed by the way it survived the prang, he bought it back from the insurance company for just £230. It was on the road again within three months.

HOW? After another chance meeting – this time with a traffic island – ending in a busted ankle, Steve rebuilt the bike (again), with 17in wheels to replace the 18in ones, which themselves prompted a fork rebuild and a 19mm drop through the yokes. The rear piggyback shocks are custom-built WP items.

Steve had only just begun his quest though. On a trip to the US he acquired a full stainless steel Two Brothers system (‘you can pick it up with your little finger!’), and a set of 41mm Keihin FCR flatslides for $750. After a bad experience with a third party that fitted oversize pistons and liner, he’s since done all the engine work himself.

More suspension mods include Showa 54mm USD forks, re-valved and re-sprung by Kais suspension. Extra engine tweaks are CBR1000 cams, cross-boring under the crank journals (for improved oil flow), gas flowing the head, new piston rings, and some valve and jetting work. The whole project has been a massive learning experience for Steve, but is it finished? ‘It feels much stronger than it was, so I can’t be far away. I’ll never part with it, but I’ll build another as I know what I’m doing now,’ he says.

69%

23%

8%

brutal

nutty owner

accident prone

22/7/09 10:08:45

1997 Suzuki GSF1200 BanDiT GaRY ROBinS

Spotted terrorizing race reps around the Silverstone GP circuit, Gary’s heroically-ridden Bandit has seen action in a spot of Streetstock road racing, national hill climbing and a couple of sprint events, ‘for a laugh.’ Nowadays, despite being road legal, it serves as a trackday bike. It’s so quick because it’s been gradually modified for performance over the last 12 years: a Wiseco 1216cc big bore kit, GSX-R1100 cams, Roger Upperton gas-flowed head, Holeshot carb kit, Goodridge oil cooler, full Akrapovic system (£80 eBay bargain) and K&N filters all add up to a true 148bhp at the back wheel. There’s also GSX-R750 forks, K4 calipers, a GSX-R1100 shock, powder-coated Metmachex swingarm and Yoshimura rearsets. So how much has Gary actually spent? He stopped counting when he got to £5000. ‘It’s scary when you add it all up,’ he says.

RaCe ReaDY Gary entered the 2001 NGRRC streetstock championship on the Bandit but reckons he was ‘too old, too slow and too fat but it was the best fun I ever had.’

100% performance bandit

2002 hOnDa hORneT Paul DavieS

1098 or seven year-old Hornet? We’d take the Hornet every time if it’s a soggy Rockingham trackday, especially so if it’s Paul Davies’ Hornet.

While the Ducati’s being pushed back into the warm van, this Hornet will be lapping up the circuit on its Bridgestone wets. Paul picked it up for £1800 three years ago without the suspension mods he’s since added (Öhlins springs and valves in the front plus an Öhlins unit on the rear) and it now serves him faithfully as a track hound, after a stint racing it.

The CBR-spec re-ground Kent cams boost mid and top-end grunt to the tune of 8bhp. ‘It’s awesome on the brakes,’ says Paul, no doubt helped by the SBS pads and braided lines. ‘You can get away with loads of stuff, especially at Cadwell,’ he says. From the way it was splashing past big GSX-Rs, we’d say it was getting away with it at Rockingham as well.

we aRe The mODS Paul’s favourite addition is the all-round Öhlins suspension which allows him to push the bike much, much harder. It also sports the planet’s biggest track bungs.

90%

10%

giant killer

zinging in the rain

1986 Yamaha SDR200 aDam FRewin

It’s a crying shame that Japan can’t build machines like this anymore. Bought on eBay two years ago, Adam’s spent the best part of a year and £1500 getting a barely-running grey import SDR to the immaculate example you see now. It’s been overbored by one mm to rectify a scored barrel and mate Martin Johnson has performed the porting work and made an expansion pipe, to the tune of 29bhp at the wheel. Adam couldn’t face the prospect of rebuilding the SDR tatty so stripped it right down and started again. Aeromax coated frame and engine covers, a modified swingarm to allow the fitment of a 140-section rear tyre, Jaguar British Racing Green paint (courtesy of Andy Peck) and a TZR125RR front caliper are some of the changes. Clearly the work of a perfectionist, the SDR’s no cabinet showpiece – it’s used for ‘general hooning about, trackdays and superbike baiting.’

85% rarity

15% waif-like dimensions

whaT’S neXT? The fitment of an R1-Z 250 rear wheel and TZR250 2XT front wheel to allow for some sticky BT090 rubber, plus a 240cc big bore and US stroker crank originally intended for a Blaster quad bike.

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22/7/09 10:09:11

pb100 feature tagline

the bikes to ride before you die

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‘IF YOU COULDN’T PLACE SLIDER TO TARMAC IT WAS PROBABLY SNOWING’ 22/7/09 18:23:48

p84 PB sept PB100 CDP.indd.sp.indd 2

22/7/09 18:22:42

pB MetaL

Project bikes piCs pb team, rory game, paul bryaNt

OuR RelICS MAde fASTeR* 01 suzuki rG500 Owner Ben Wilkins BOught fOr £500 in 2003 MissiOn stateMent To not seize during The Feud (Pt 2) Budget I’m skint, so not much deadline The Feud MOst used tOOl this MOnth Beta screwdrivers

An air of calm has settled around the ageing Suzuki square four. There’s another jet change to be done but that should be the final one. I’m going to try 145 mains in the front cylinders and leave the 150s in the rear two. This should allow for the rear cylinders running hotter because they’re out of the airflow that the front pair enjoy.

I’ve been marking up a spare set of disc valves with my old school protractor. The theory is if the degree point at which the intake port is closed is delayed, there’s more time for the fuel mixture to fill the crankcases at high revs. This should give a decent gain in the upper revs when there’s less time to fill the crankcases (because the intake port timing is fixed, the port is only open for half the time at 10,000rpm as it is at 5000rpm).

This might see the RG break the 90bhp barrier. BW

02 Honda cbr600Fs Owner Ben Wilkins BOught fOr £500 in 2008 MissiOn stateMent To mount a dawn raid on the No Budget Cup Budget £600 (£1100 total) deadline Passed and met MOst used tOOl this MOnth Lockwire pliers

GO tO p76 tO see hOW the CBR faRed in the nO BudGet Cup

03 suzuki sV650 Owner Alan Seeley BOught £2000 in 2003 MissiOn stateMent To build a tasty Thunderbike racer cheaply Budget Let’s call it a grand deadline The next PB trackday MOst used tOOl this MOnth Modified Workmate engine stand

A frisson of anticipation courses through my veins every time I set about an engine strip. Painted covers are portals to an arcane world of perfection and precision; a self-

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contained universe which for all the violent whirling, flailing and exploding that goes on within, is a comforting adjunct to the big bad world outside.

As I strip the SV’s motor, details such as the cam lobes, polished to chrome perfection, enthrall me. Honed liners cause me to pause as they catch the light. I’m happy. as

04 kawasaki kr-1s Owner Tim Thompson BOught fOr £2500 in 1990 MissiOn stateMent To sort the clutch and gearbox problems Budget £160 left deadline Hopefully by next month MOst used tOOl this MOnth Telescopic dentist’s mirror (to look for leaks)

One of the nicest bi-products of a project is the shakedown test. With the engine finally running, you grab your lid and gloves and head out, still in your overalls, feeling like Caractacus Potts.

This month I’ve been shaking down the usual suspects: leaking base gaskets, water in the gearbox and a slipping clutch. The gaskets are now good, but the rest is awful. I have a box full of used clutch spares, so I got the verniers out and pooled the best springs and plates, which made no difference. Three miles out from home the clutch was still slipping at high rpm.

While the clutch was out I also took off the water pump to check if the mechanical seal that separates the cooling system from the gearbox oil was intact. It seemed to be, but five miles out the gearbox sight glass had misted yet again. Then I remembered that the bike had been on reserve since April and that I had come out without money or a phone. And not an awful lot of tax…tt

05 suzuki GsX-r750H Owner Matt Wildee BOught fOr £950 in October 2008 MissiOn stateMent To get it riding properly Budget £500 deadline A work in progress MOst used tOOl this MOnth Muc-off cleaning brush

What a practical, commutable,

modern classic the GSX-R is. Apart from the handling, which gets worse by the day. With every passing mile as the tyre squares off, it gets more upset by camber changes and bumps. But I love it – there isn’t anything better than a 120mph speed wobble to shake you awake in the morning.

I was impressed with the present Avon Roadrider tyres, but I’ve just ordered some Avon AM22/23 race rubber for it, and I’ve gone for a smaller 130-section rear, which is what Avon Racing recommends for a 3.5in rear.

The 140 was always quite square on the rim, so hopefully the narrower tyre should make the bike nimbler and potentially more stable too. MW

rivets and cleaning the pads has eased things slightly but not cured it. So I’ve bought some of eBC’s new X discs with square-sided rivets. fitment was a breeze. No swearwords were used, and the whole thing took me less than two hours, including tea breaks. Having the right tools helped; a star drive was needed to remove the disc bolts, a 22mm ring spanner for the spindle and a rock-steady Champion front paddock stand to hold the front end aloft for the wheel removal. easy. KL

08 suzuki rG250 Gamma Owner Kar Lee BOught fOr £950 in April 2008 MissiOn stateMent Get it roadworthy again Budget £150 deadline Before end of summer MOst used tOOl this MOnth Telephone

After the incident at Cadwell, a stripdown is needed to check for any damage, but all my garage time has been spent on the R1 this month. I’ve also just got myself some Hagon fork springs, which should hopefully, together with thicker weight oil, stiffen 06 kawasaki zXr750r (k1) up the front end nicely. KL

Owner John McAvoy BOught fOr £1500 in 2006 MissiOn stateMent To spend more time riding it than fixing it Budget Petrol money only deadline None this month, just miles MOst used tOOl this MOnth The ignition key

MOT sorted, tax disc bought, the last of the lawnmower’s petrol is now in the ZXR’s fuel tank. I’ve just got to ride it.

At Cadwell, it felt planted and safe. On the road it feels lazy and reluctant. The rear shock holds a lot of the answers.

Raising the rear ride height and reducing the rear sag will help. The engine is a different story. Its blueprint and port was worth every single penny of the £600 that I blew my budget by.

The difference on the road is night and day. The extra midrange and torque makes riding it so much easier. JM

07 2004 YamaHa r1

NeW PROJeCT BIKe!

Owner Kar Lee BOught fOr £5500 in 2005 MissiOn stateMent Spruce it up Budget Whatever it takes deadline Before autumn arrives MOst used tOOl Star drive key

09 aPrilia Falco sl10000 Owner Ben Wilkins BOught fOr £6500 in 2000 MissiOn stateMent To improve the midrange fuelling myself Budget £300 deadline Summer jaunt MOst used tOOl this MOnth 8mm T-bar socket

The dynojet PCIII that I’ve been planning to put on looks like it will be simple to fit. There’s an earth lead and some connectors for the injectors, not exactly rocket science. There’s also an lCd unit that allows the storage of multiple fuelling maps that can be trimmed on the fly too. BW NeW PROJeCT 10 YamaHa YzF750r BIKe!

Owner Kevin Smith BOught fOr £780 in November 2007 MissiOn stateMent To get the old girl to stop, go and handle Budget As little as possible deadline Before winter ends play MOst used tOOl this MOnth Spare parts bin

When I quickly slung my new Honda coloured £780 Yam into a van without even riding it, I thought I had got a steal.

With 21,000 miles on the clock, the R1’s Wrong. After taking the YZf to an old suspension’s not as taut as it was – I’m airfield for a test ride it was soon thinking a K-Tech fork kit and new rear apparent my cheap wheels were just shock – but more urgently, the front that. The brakes hardly work, the fork discs have had it. Braking hard from seals leak and the rear shock is so knackered the frame feels bent. And it’s speed is like operating a hammer drill, the vibration is terrible. Soaking the disc gutless. An interesting project then. Ks

*Or made slower. With a worrying pull to the left...

22/7/09 17:23:26

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NEW PROJECT BIKE!

NEW PROJECT BIKE!

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