Posts
1543
Joined
9/18/2013
Location
Wilmington, NC, USA
Edited Date/Time
4/11/2015 3:11pm
What tips and tricks have you learned over the years or seen top mechanics perform on factory bikes? Like splitting the ends of carb vent tubes, safety tying important bolts or running brake snakes.
What have you seen or what are you doing?
What have you seen or what are you doing?
Then they come back and tell you how good it is.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Free shipping: VITALMX
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Large screwdriver w/ rag in between chain/sprocket to achieve 3 finger tension without having to think.
You know how on the top of your filter, there's always all that dirt built up
right at the filter/box junction and it seems to fall in the boot when you pull
the filter? Put a strip of masking tape over that area after you put in a clean
filter. Then pull it off before taking the filter out. SHAZAM! No crud to fall
down into the boot.
"feels like my front end is diving in the corners"
Me-
"Alright man, Ill increase the compression by going 2 clicks in on the forks"
He comes back
"Damn dude it feels awesome now"
The secret? I didnt actually adjust anything
This is backwards but whatever. This book is a lifesaver.
Motorbooks Workshop
Motocross and Off-Road Motorcycle Setup Guide
First- why is Max Headroom in the background?
Second- anyone know where I could find an online copy of said book?
There you are homie.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=oLdAPgK3W7QC&printsec=frontcover#v=onep…
Pit Row
This keeps your chain looking brand new and makes it much easier to clean around your rear wheel/swingarm.
In mud races it never sticks to block the airflow,it shakes off like a dirtrack car.
If you need a tap take a spare bolt and a flat bastard file and file v notches down 3 sides on small ,4 on larger .This will straighten threads or cut new ones and can be left in place if need be.
I put a screwdriver between my sprocket and chain and roll the tire backwards before I tighten up the axle bolt. It guarantees the wheel is as far forward as possible.
I put my tires inside of a trash bag with a little space heater pointing on them, before I try to install them, it makes them more pliable and easier to work with.
It's important when torquing your triple clamps to go back and forth on the same bolts. Tightening them up multiple times. When you tighten one of them the other one becomes loose and vice versa. This is why many people end up having to over tighten their triple clamps to keep the forks from moving. Ttorque them correctly and they definitely will not move.
Clear spray paint makes great grip glue (clear so you don't see over spray on the bars or shrouds.
Duct tape on rims instead of the rubber spoke wrap. Throw that thing away. Also keeps dirt out of the tire/tube.
If changing a brake like, back bleed from the bottom up to push out air bubbles into the reservoir. Takes less time and less fluid.
For a leaky fork seal at the track, pop the dust seal out, cut a strip of an old tear off or some mylar film and slide it up under the oil seal. Make a round or two around the lower slider. Clean everything and put the dust seal back. You might get by without a leak for the rest of the day.
Never run the nut down all the way on the valve stem. The one that goes under the cap. Always run it up against the bottom of the cap. This will let you know when you need to rotate the tube to keep from ripping the stem out of the tube.
When it's time to rotate the tube on the rear, let the air out and lightly break the bead around the tire. Crank up the bike and stick it in gear letting the rear wheel turn a good speed in 1st. Pull the clutch and stab the rear brake. This will cause the tire and tube to slide back into place leaving a stem nice and perpendicular to the rim. Re-inflate and ride.
Run a heat gun over graphics after installation to make them stay in place longer.
To add to the triple clamp torque, any clamp with 2 or more bolts should be torqued back and forth to overcome load sharing of individual fasteners and ensure correct torque.
Bleeding brakes and hydraulic clutches with a syringe from the caliper or slave cylinder makes life so easy.
Front wheel change, tighten axle, take bike off stand and hold front brake while pushing front end down a few times. Tighten pinch bolts to specified torqued, checking each bolt a few times. This will align forks and reduce undesired stiction.
Change out the kids graphics and plastics after the early season crashes are out of the way ;-)
Make sure you tighten your front axle straight. Tighten axle, bang around a bit before tightening fork stay bolts. Makes fork seals and wheel bearings last longer.
I like the pam on your fenders tip... I had never heard that one.
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