Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Clutch Tip.
Clutch Tip
How badly do you want to win? It sounds like a simple question, but it involves a number of improvements on your bike. They might be simple tweaks individually, but taken together they make the difference between first and second place.
One of the most important things you can do to tweak your bike is to tune up your clutch. Every time you engage or release the clutch, valuable seconds may be spent or lost on the lap’s time.
The clutch has been a pivotal part of the forward momentum formula for as long as bikes graced the pavement (or dirt), but really haven’t changed much as far as utility is concerned. It gives you access to the different gearing that will give you an advantage over your rivals when changing speeds or angles of attack.
Slipping clutches will penalize you, so this is something to guard against. It will drag or slip and cause your rivals to scoot past you. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s time for a tune-up; no doubt about it.
Number 1: You’ll need to install new clutch plates; the first thing to do is soak them in gear oil. This will make certain that they are completely lubricated. The easiest way to do this is to put them in order in a Ziploc bag and then fill the bag with the recommended grade of gear oil. After a short period of time, they will be ready for installation.
Number 2: By all means, be sure the entire bike is clean. Any outside contaminants stand an easy chance of getting into your bike’s insides if you are not vigilant with what happens outside it. Now back-bleed the rear break. When you apply to pressure to the calliper, you can move the brake fluid into the line.
Step 3: Don’t try to loosen the bolts willy-nilly. Loosen them in a rotational matter one at a time. It’s best to do this once the whole assembly is completely cooled off. Once this is achieved, disassemble the remainder and take out the stack of cooked plates.
When all the clutch plates are out, check the condition of the clutch basket. Change it if needed
Step 4: Install your new clutch plates. Starting with a fiber plate, make sure that each plate has an even coat of oil, slide the plate into the basket with either side facing out. The next plate in should be metal, and it’s important that it goes in with the flat, machined surface facing out. Proceed with this process until the last fibre plate has been installed. The height of the stack will be nearly flush with the edge of the basket.
Step 5: Reassemble everything in reverse order and you should be good to go!
Hot tip: We recommend that you change the clutch springs every second or third clutch changes.
How badly do you want to win? It sounds like a simple question, but it involves a number of improvements on your bike. They might be simple tweaks individually, but taken together they make the difference between first and second place.
One of the most important things you can do to tweak your bike is to tune up your clutch. Every time you engage or release the clutch, valuable seconds may be spent or lost on the lap’s time.
The clutch has been a pivotal part of the forward momentum formula for as long as bikes graced the pavement (or dirt), but really haven’t changed much as far as utility is concerned. It gives you access to the different gearing that will give you an advantage over your rivals when changing speeds or angles of attack.
Slipping clutches will penalize you, so this is something to guard against. It will drag or slip and cause your rivals to scoot past you. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s time for a tune-up; no doubt about it.
Number 1: You’ll need to install new clutch plates; the first thing to do is soak them in gear oil. This will make certain that they are completely lubricated. The easiest way to do this is to put them in order in a Ziploc bag and then fill the bag with the recommended grade of gear oil. After a short period of time, they will be ready for installation.
Number 2: By all means, be sure the entire bike is clean. Any outside contaminants stand an easy chance of getting into your bike’s insides if you are not vigilant with what happens outside it. Now back-bleed the rear break. When you apply to pressure to the calliper, you can move the brake fluid into the line.
Step 3: Don’t try to loosen the bolts willy-nilly. Loosen them in a rotational matter one at a time. It’s best to do this once the whole assembly is completely cooled off. Once this is achieved, disassemble the remainder and take out the stack of cooked plates.
When all the clutch plates are out, check the condition of the clutch basket. Change it if needed
Step 4: Install your new clutch plates. Starting with a fiber plate, make sure that each plate has an even coat of oil, slide the plate into the basket with either side facing out. The next plate in should be metal, and it’s important that it goes in with the flat, machined surface facing out. Proceed with this process until the last fibre plate has been installed. The height of the stack will be nearly flush with the edge of the basket.
Step 5: Reassemble everything in reverse order and you should be good to go!
Hot tip: We recommend that you change the clutch springs every second or third clutch changes.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Suspension Setup
Suspension Setup
As you know, there's a lot more customization that goes on with a dirt bike than a pocket rocket. Why? The riding conditions are different and if you want to be competitive, your bike has to fit you like a glove. One of the first things to tweak is the suspension. Right out of the box your bike's compression clickers and the rebound setting might be set anywhere.
The best place to start is to set these two settings in whatever the manufacturer recommends as “standard”. This is a good starting point. If no setting is recommended, just choose a middle setting. This is what an average might employ.
The rear spring may or may not be right for you. Did you buy your bike second hand? In that case, it might not be standard for you model; the former owner might have customized it. Take it for a test ride. Does it feel right for you? If so, you're on the right track. Otherwise, before you start tuning the suspension to your liking you might want to consider installing the standard spring.
You'll want to set your rear shock's static sag. Follow these steps to configure the preload.
1.Locate the locking ring and loosen it.
2.Adjust the main ring to adjust the shock's preload.
3.With the bike elevated so that the back wheel is not in contact with the ground, take a measurement from your axle nut to a reference point on the bike somewhere above it.
4.Now set the bike back on the ground.
5.Measure the distance between the axle nut and the reference point.
6.Subtract one measurement from the other.
7.Adjust the ring until the difference is about 25mm of sag.
Now it's time to set what's called the laden sag or racing sag.
1.Stand the bike it an upright position and write down the vertical height.
2.Put on all your race battle gear and assume your best attack position on the bike.
3.Have a friend take the measurement now on the fully loaded bike.
4.Do the math again as before. Now adjust the preload again to get it between 90mm and 110mm.
Going through these set-up routines might seem to be a hassle but they are worth the effort. No factory setting is going to satisfy every motocross racer. If you've been in the game for any time at all, you know that the devil is in the details. Who can afford to throw away even the tiniest of advantages?
Moto x
MX Training Journal
As you know, there's a lot more customization that goes on with a dirt bike than a pocket rocket. Why? The riding conditions are different and if you want to be competitive, your bike has to fit you like a glove. One of the first things to tweak is the suspension. Right out of the box your bike's compression clickers and the rebound setting might be set anywhere.
The best place to start is to set these two settings in whatever the manufacturer recommends as “standard”. This is a good starting point. If no setting is recommended, just choose a middle setting. This is what an average might employ.
The rear spring may or may not be right for you. Did you buy your bike second hand? In that case, it might not be standard for you model; the former owner might have customized it. Take it for a test ride. Does it feel right for you? If so, you're on the right track. Otherwise, before you start tuning the suspension to your liking you might want to consider installing the standard spring.
You'll want to set your rear shock's static sag. Follow these steps to configure the preload.
1.Locate the locking ring and loosen it.
2.Adjust the main ring to adjust the shock's preload.
3.With the bike elevated so that the back wheel is not in contact with the ground, take a measurement from your axle nut to a reference point on the bike somewhere above it.
4.Now set the bike back on the ground.
5.Measure the distance between the axle nut and the reference point.
6.Subtract one measurement from the other.
7.Adjust the ring until the difference is about 25mm of sag.
Now it's time to set what's called the laden sag or racing sag.
1.Stand the bike it an upright position and write down the vertical height.
2.Put on all your race battle gear and assume your best attack position on the bike.
3.Have a friend take the measurement now on the fully loaded bike.
4.Do the math again as before. Now adjust the preload again to get it between 90mm and 110mm.
Going through these set-up routines might seem to be a hassle but they are worth the effort. No factory setting is going to satisfy every motocross racer. If you've been in the game for any time at all, you know that the devil is in the details. Who can afford to throw away even the tiniest of advantages?
Moto x
MX Training Journal
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