Get down and get dirty

Manual or Automatic Chain Oilers.

There's no getting away from it, if you want your motorcycle chain to last, you need to oil it regularly. Automatic chain oilers I mean of course such products as Scottoilers,

which has been on the market for many years, and still one of the best systems out there. The Scottoiler vSystem, when set-up properly works well, although I find it can initially take a while to get the settings right, and depending on the location of the Reservoir Metering Valve (RMV), can be a bit fiddly to fill up. The Scottoiler Magnum High Capacity Reservoir (HCR) is a great add-on, as it fits behind the Motorcycle Number Plate, it gives a greater range, and easy access to filling. Fantastic value for money. New on the market is the eSystem, a fully electronic chain oiler a bit more pricey than the vSystem.

Also on the market is the Acumen Electronics CL10 Intelligent Chain Oiler, which looks very good, although I haven't tried one yet, hopefully soon. So what is it:-

A fully automatic and intelligent chain oiler. The faster you go, the more lubricant. Simple.
How does it work? - in a Nutshell. A pressurised can of PTFE-based chain lubricant is controlled by a purpose designed and made solenoid (with only one moving part!) . The Solenoid is controlled by the 'brain' within the display housing, which is linked to the motorcycle speedometer. There is a 3D-map of lubricant flow within the brain - dependent upon the flow rate setting of the display unit (Rider selectable) AND the speed of the motorcycle. The display will also tell you the oil level within the lubricant can every time the Rider switches on the ignition - and also tell when the can is empty.

Looks great on paper, and in the flesh, looks simple to fiil up the oil i.e. simply replace the cartridge. Looks a little less messy than the Scottoiler, but as I say I am yet to try one.

Fit it and forget it.

Well NO. I think many people fit Automatic Chain Oilers, thinking that is the end of the story. Fit it and forget it. Many bikers fit them, who don't do the the mileage to justify the cost. At around £85 for a basic set-up, and for many doing less than a 1000 miles a year, it just doesn't justify the cost. When a can of decent Chain lube costing around £8!! This is the manual Chain oiling option, cheaper, but a little more hassle, but how long does it take to get the bike on its stand and lube the chain - Not long.
This is another thing I can't understand, WHY do people remove the centre stand??? The early CBR 600 is a great example of this, I think the first thing people did was remove it??? Ground clearance? Doesn't look Sporty? Maybe not, but a very practical application at the end of the day. A lot less hassle than getting a paddock stand out. I know modern sports bike a centre stand is not fitted.
If you want your chain to last, keep it lubricated, a worn chain, dry or loose chain can rob your horse power, depending on the bike, this can be a couple of horse power. Also, there's no getting away from it, the chain needs to be cleaned!! So fitting a Chain Oiler isn't fit it and forget it, as many people think. The chain needs to be adjusted regularly, and most importantly cleaned. Yes oiling and adjusting the chain will make the chain last longer, but cleaning is unfortunately often missed as it is one of the messiest jobs that you have to do.

Chain oil + grit = grinding paste.

Chain lubricant by it's very design is sticky, which is great as you don't want it to fling off soon as you set off, but it also attracts road grit, which acts as a grinding paste, reducing the life of the chain. So regular cleaning is of the utmost importance. There are a few chain cleaners on the market, one that springs to mind is the Motrax Kettenmax Chain Cleaner/Lube System, never tried one but it looks a bit fiddly to me. What I found best was elbow grease. Basically getting down and getting dirty. What you need:-

1. Time
2. A brush, a tooth brush or a Chain Cleaning Brush
3. Chain cleaner, as with Chain Lubricants there are many out there. Silkolene - Motorcycle Chain Cleaner is a good one.
4. protective gloves - try to avoid latex, as they disintegrate with the chain cleaner.
5. Overalls
6. A plastic tub (to catch the the residue)
7. Rag or Newspaper.

Method

• Get the bikes back wheel off the ground
• Lay lots of newspaper down or rag, I even wrapped it around the wheel, as it can get very dirty, then the tub under the rear wheel
• Turn the back wheel slowly (clockwise, don't as my friend did and start the engine, and then got his fingers caught between back sprocket and chain = minus 2 fingers - OUCH. Yes please keep fingers from getting caught) spray the chain liberally with the chain cleaner.
• Then get scrubbing the chain on the back sprocket

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  Turn the wheel slowly clockwise, scrubbing and adding lots of chain cleaner. You will be amazed how much muck and grime comes out.
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  Keep on turning the back wheel until the whole chain is cleaned, not forgetting to do both sides of the chain.
• 
  
  The next part is the messiest, turn the bike wheel as fast as you can and spray the chain cleaner directly on to the chain this will hopefully get the last residue of grime from the chain - yes it goes everywhere.
• 
  
  carefully turning the wheel clockwise, keeping those fingers from the chain and sprocket, wipe the chain using a rag wipe the chain and sprocket dry.
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  Using the chain cleaner, clean the mess on the wheel and bike.
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  Let it dry.
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  I know I keep on saying it but it is too easy to do it - KEEP your fingers from getting caught in the back sprocket
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  Then lube the chain as you normally would.

Osram Night Racer - Halogen Headlight Bulbs

Tried these Osram Night Racer - Halogen Headlight Bulbs myself, and I must say I was quite impressed. The price is expensive I know, but I think that little bit more is worth it. Plus you can carry a spare bulb in the miniature Schuberth helmet box. find them at msa-direct.co.uk

Subaru Kickboxer Concept? Are you nuts???

I'm still catching up with the 21st Century, so this one completely missed me. The Subaru WRX powered concept motorcycle!!!!! Lets hope it stays like that!!!!

In a car I've heard they are a bit of a handful........ but in a bike frame = NUTS. Don't get me wrong it looks fantastic. I mean some concept bikes are completely mad and will never or should never get passed the concept process, bikes such as this:-

Would be doubtful about the handling though??? Utter madness!! See more at Flickr and at The Kneeslider

Have the Japs Lost the Plot? Has the Rising Sun Set?

I've been reading that the price of the Japanese 1000cc sports bikes are set to rocket this year, by as much as 25%!!!!! Have they not heard of the global recession? Well of course they have, but I thought it would be a time to try to keep bikers on the road, by offering better deals, and cheaper sports bikes. But now it's going to cost us even more. I suppose the price of O.E. parts are also set to rise. Yamaha are the first to hike up the prices of their Sports bikes, and the rest are sure to follow.

Are the Japanese are going to loose out to other Eastern Manufacturers? Hyosung, offer the GT 650 R, for around £4,700, compared to Suzuki's SV650 at around £5,500, and with the price set to rise, has the Sun set for the Japanese? (Pun intended) Isn't this what happened to the British bike industry in the 1970's? Well almost. How long will it be before we are going on a Sunday blast on our crazy Korean sports Exotica?

Is this a Motorcycle?

Found this at The Kneeslider

They call it an Electic Motorcycle??? What they say:

"Jeff Hirsch has designed and built a lightweight (118 pounds!) electric motorcycle called the Comoto, it's about the size of a mountain bike. In fact, it looks a lot like a mountain bike without pedals and from the photos, you would expect this to be very nimble and easy to maneuver. With a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 30+ miles, Jeff says it's well suited for police patrol, airports, emergency response, campus and mall security, commuting, trail riding, and other recreational uses. The monocoque frame is built from the ground up, using only high strength 6061-T6 alloy aircraft aluminum sheet metal. There's almost no welding to affect the structural integrity of the T6. Charge time is 2 hours. This looks like it would be fun to ride and the build quality looks first rate. His target markets listed above, campus and mall security, police patrols and the like, do seem to be a great place to take advantage of something like this.Jeff's company, Hirsch Design, is planning production early this year. Looks good!"

Surely it's a Mountain Bike with and Electric motor, that's it??? Not a Motorcycle. Marketed as a "Motorcycle" but NOT a Motorcycle.

MCN - Top Ten Best Brakes

I thought I'd catch up with the 21st century and adventure out into "CyberSpace." This is my first ever "Blog" but first I need to get back into the real world and read the latest edition of MCN. Well what should my first blog be about? The doom and gloom of the weather, the economic climate. I think we've all had enough of that.
Apart from how few bikes there are for sale. I read (with great surprise) that out of the Top Ten "Bikes with the best brakes" only two are Japense! Of these none are really out and out sports bikes. Infact I would say that only four of the ten were. Not even the Yamaha R1 was in?? Although the TDM 900 has the R1 brakes. That does surprise me.
Also how all bikers are looking forward to the estimared 1.3 million potholes the latest freeze has created, that is to add to the 1.3 million that were already there. More road works, and frustration, well more for car drivers. I look forward to April when the councils have there budgets to use up and the "Good??" weather is here.