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spent the day chasing my mate james on his KTM round the mourn moutains...and had the tank slapper to end all slappers . so bad i left marks on the frame rails... .. steering damper time lol

fabiostar wrote:spent the day chasing my mate james on his KTM round the mourn moutains...and had the tank slapper to end all slappers . so bad i left marks on the frame rails... .. steering damper time lol

rare to get a tank slapper on these bikes mate, give the bike a good check over to make sure there isn't something causing the problem.

as for my bike, I can't even be arsed to go for a sunday ride atm, as sundays are my only day off.
all I did today was to move my bike outta the way, to get to my friends bike, his battery had gone flat after not being used in quite a while, so I charged it up and it started first time, I also put some better condition oem fairing bolts and caliper mounting bolts on his bike. his bike is an all year round bike that's mechanically spot on, but it's a tad rough around the edges, the wheels are scabby as hell, the brake banjo's are rusty and so on.
if I had the time and parts i'd totally go over the bike for him, sadly I have neither atm...

Just going to warm the big girl up and put her to bed

Not much for you old fogeys, but I changed my chain and sprockets by myself today

Replaced the skinny std Varadero rear wheel with a wider Vtr wheel shod with a Z8 tyre. I left the 19"er on the front though.

Then went for a test ride & popped to Halfrawds for paint for the front wheel to match the rear.

Felt nice'n lazy in corners, ideal for winter riding

I'm really impressed with the Z8's grip & the tread pattern is very similar to the Tourance next as they don't do a 19" Z8 front

'Un bozokued the tail today with my wife. Added foam and tried to whack the valves out with the socket method. No go.... Keepers wont let loose. Tried with the big hammer and still no. Taking the head to my buddy.

Check out the changes I made to the tail and comment guys. I aint got a mind for beauty. All I care about is it does not look like a 16 year old did it and it holds my fat butt off the tire. I am trying to find a good line to cut the bottom on photo shop at the moment as the bottom is ugly.

the forks got a valve kit and heavier springs al,similar to the standard storm.under sprung and crap valving.its hugley improved now.a decent pair of tyres in the spring and im back in buisness

countrymick wrote:the forks got a valve kit and heavier springs

Me Too
Got the springs in and some fresh oil last night. Gave it a little test ride on the way into work this morning and it feels so much better. Base settings feel pretty good at the moment. No doubt I willl have a play once I get more used to it....and then do it again next spring when it warms up and I can push it a bit harder

Pete.l

Pete.L wrote:

countrymick wrote:the forks got a valve kit and heavier springs

Me Too
Got the springs in and some fresh oil last night. Gave it a little test ride on the way into work this morning and it feels so much better. Base settings feel pretty good at the moment. No doubt I willl have a play once I get more used to it....and then do it again next spring when it warms up and I can push it a bit harder

Pete.l

i thought it handled well in standard form pete....

It wasn't bad Marty. I was just after a little extra is all.
It used to get out out of shape if the roads were a little rough, which is probably why it felt so good in Spain
Now it feels like it's on rails and I don't have a saggy rear end. Gave it a good test tonight and other than it feeling a little heavy on the steering and wanting to run with the white lines it was pretty good.
Of course i couldn't leave it at that. I thought it was just a worn front tyre, turns out I only had 30 psi in the front
Guess I should be a little more diligent with my not so daily checks

Pete.L wrote:It wasn't bad Marty. I was just after a little extra is all.
It used to get out out of shape if the roads were a little rough, which is probably why it felt so good in Spain
Now it feels like it's on rails and I don't have a saggy rear end. Gave it a good test tonight and other than it feeling a little heavy on the steering and wanting to run with the white lines it was pretty good.
Of course i couldn't leave it at that. I thought it was just a worn front tyre, turns out I only had 30 psi in the front
Guess I should be a little more diligent with my not so daily checks

doh!!!
i'm sure you'll have it handling sweet in no time mate....
and yes i'm very lucky that the roads are that good over here...

i think kermit and james ktm's are the best machines for the motox tracks we have for roads around here.

Possibly ruined my paint job on the tank today making a mold. used hair spray and wax so I hope it separates nice.

Valves came in so I hope the tank does not come out with cow spots.

My materials judging skills needs a re tune, did not buy enough resin. I hope that there is enough glass to not tear when I remove it, Ill have to back it with another layer after I pull it.
EDIT:
I should have added the layer but I wanted to pull it while it was still a bit soft and am I glad that I did.... Got some breaks and two dime sized spots but that can be fixed with more resin and some more mat. I cant wait to cut the carbonfiber and lay it but thats another 100 in materials. I think that I should need two more sheets of carbinfiber giving me 6 layers. I may go less as 6 is enough to stand on.

Now its time to get the splinters out of my hand and have a big a** .
phone charger said no more so no photos. Ill probably take some tomorrow.

countrymick wrote:i think kermit and james ktm's are the best machines for the motox tracks we have for roads around here.

Fitted a fresh air filter to the KTM and found a couple of dodgy bolts last night. Final test thrash this morning. What a beautiful day, sunny and dry but a little chilly at 4deg. Only 40 miles but stopped half way for a coffee and cake outdoors. Tis running well. No leaks. Front now feels a bit harsh compared with the rear. It really shows the benefit of having a decent re-buildable shock and having it rebuilt when necessary. Front brake needs a bit of a bleed though.

So, did the mo'bike shuffle, fairing off the Storm and now it's staring at Als favourite carpet, ready for the winter strip down. Tyres and pads needed but the main thing is the head bearings (plus all those other little anal bits we like to fiddle with....).

Filled in the dime sized holes on the tank mold. Got photos.