Got this yesterday - first bike (happy b day to me)

[Billy Golightly]

Apparently there are people that have them up in the 200's with meticulous maintenance. These folks treated their bikes like children, even with the mileage I got a smoking hot deal on it so I am not too concerned about it but I don't think it would have lived this long if it had not been taken care of! I gotta put brake pads on it and probably tires in a couple more thousand miles, but It rides and runs (sounds perfect also) excellent so far.

[tripledog]

Holy crap that's a lot of miles for a small mill, isn't it? It looks so clean and well taken care of. Wonder what a person can expect for total miles before a refresh is needed?

Liquid cooling drastically improves the longevity of 4 stroke street bike motors as compared to their air cooled counterparts. I had a 1985 Yamaha Maxim 700X that I put over 43,000 miles on and it just seemed to get stronger with age.

[El Camexican]

I always hate to strap a bike. My cousin had a GSXR 1000, Still don't know how me made it stay upright in the truck's bed...

Butterfly straps on the forks above the lower tree works on a GSXR 1000, but if a second bike is added to the truck it gets messy with sport bikes and you end up scratching something

[barnett468]

I gotta put brake pads on it...

BRAKES


BRAKE LINES

I don't know a lot about those bikes but it you plan to road race it, I would consider installing braided stainless lines, however, those are really overkill unless you are an intermediate or expert level rider . . These lines will make the brakes feel a little less "spongy" under all conditions.


BRAKE PADS

You will see 10 different suggestions from 10 different people on bike sites, and brake pads don't work exactly the same on all different types of rotors . If it were mine and I was just using it for cruising, I would get either stock pads or Vesrah JL pads . . If I planed to use the brakes moderately aggressively, I would get the Vesrah RJL pads for the front . . They do not make the RJL's for the rear, however, most of the load is on the front brake anyway . . The RJL front and JL rear combo is good enough for aggressive intermediate level racing and will not fade . . The RJL'S will also work well on the street, however, they work a little better when warm/hot.

I would not use the stock pads for racing or long periods of aggressive riding.


The place below has the lowest price on the Vesrah fronts and includes shipping for purchases more than $89.00 . . Contact them to see if they have the rears.

http://www.bdtrackside.com/all-pads/vd-352435-rjl


This place has both front and rears.

https://www.kurveygirl.com/shop/inde...7c8n0sk6938id5



ROTORS

If your rotors or not perfectly flat/smooth, the brakes will not be as effective until they wear into the existing grooves.

All brake pads should be properly "bedded in" . . Improper bedding will cause reduced performance.

The brake pads actually transfer some material onto the rotors and this aids in braking . . The material left on the rotors by the previous pads should be removed to help insure proper bedding in of the new pads . . This can easily be done by simply sanding the rotors a little with around 600 wet sand paper and water . . A sanding block can also be used but it won't get into any grooves/low spots.



BRAKE FLUID

This is a complicated subject, so to make it easy, if you plan to race, I would use Castrol React SRF . . It will not fade, its that simple . . It will also last longer than other performance fluids and performs better than other fluids with the same amount of moisture in it, so the higher cost will easily be offset by having to bleed or drain it far less frequently . . This fluid was also used by some Formula 1 teams.

The Castrol must say "React" AND "SRF" on the label because they make three different kinds.

I would avoid silicon brake fluids unless it has ABS brakes and that is what the mfg recommends . . If you race it, I would not use "normal"/non racing brake fluid because it may boil, and if it does, your brakes will fade . . If it currently has silicone brake fluid and you change it to non silicone fluid, you should take every piece of the brake system apart and thoroughly clean it to remove every trace of the silicone fluid.

http://www.amazon.com/Castrol-SRF-Br...ds=castrol+srf

http://www.castrol.com/en_au/austral...rf-racing.html


BRAKE FLUID MOISTURE CONTENT TESTER

You can get one of these testers for as little as $9.00 from the link below . . If you want one shipped from the US, you can order one from Amazon for around $13.00.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/2916243...chn=ps&lpid=82
.

[Billy Golightly]

I had no idea until after I bought the bike these are so commonly used as track bikes, that is pretty interesting... It does already have stainless front brake lines I just need to do pads, possibly a rear disc on it as well. I mean I've been riding it and everything is working fine, I just can tell the pad life is about down to nill.

[barnett468]

I gotta put brake pads on it and probably tires in a couple more thousand miles,

There are a zillion different tires to choose from, and the fact is, most "performance" tires will perform more than sufficiently for most recreational sport riders both on the street and the track, so there is absolutely no need to buy the purported best [Pirelli Supercorsa's] because they won't work any better than most others at the lower speeds non pros ride at, plus they are around $400.00 a set.

Both tires below are extremely good performance tires and are good enough for top intermediate road racers . . If you race at an intermediate or expert level, you might only get 5 or 6 race days out of them plus some street miles . . At a novice level, you might get 8 -10 race days plus some street miles . . imo, you would not notice much of a difference between the two if you rode them back to back . . If I were going to race, I would not use a lesser quality [lower priced] tire, because bike and body parts are very expensive

The stock size tires for your bike are, Front 120/60-17, Rear 160/60-17 . . The only safe options for racing other than these sizes are, Front 120/70-17, Rear 150/60-17.

Rocky Mountain has some of the lowest prices on tires and they have 3 day shipping for only $7.00

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/Free-Shipping-Offer


The Dunlop Q3 tires are by far the best tire in their price range and are better than some more expensive tires and would be my first choice . . They work good cold, they work good hot, plus they work decent in the rain . . For racing, try the tire pressure at 30 front and 28 rear when they are cool to a little warm . . You could then try 28 and 26 to compare.

DUNLOP Q3 FRONT 120/60ZR-17 . . $100.00

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...unlop+sportmax


DUNLOP Q3 FRONT 120/70ZR-17 . . $100.00

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...unlop+sportmax


DUNLOP Q3 REAR 160/60ZR-17 . . $124.00

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...otorcycle-Tire


The Bridgestone BATTLAX BT016 PRO tires, which are also referred to as BATTLAX BT016 PRO HYPERSORT tires, cost a little less than the Dunlop's and are the best in their price range and are comparable to the Dunlops . . Be careful if you buy these because some places are selling the plain, non PRO, BT016 tires as the BT016 PRO tires and they are nothing alike . . To be sure it is a PRO series tire look for the word "PRO" in very tiny letters on the tire after BT016.

BS makes, or made, 120/70-17, 120/60-17 and 160/60-17, unfortunately, of these sizes, I can only find the 120/70-17 and Rocky Mountain carries it . . They show the other two as not available, so if you are interested in these, I would call or email BS and see if they have been discontinued, and if they haven't, find out where you can get them, however, i you have to buy them from someone other than Rocky Mountain, the Q3's will likely be the best deal . . I would be hesitant to use the S20 or BT003RS models in their place.

Bridgestone Phone: 615-937-1000

BRIDGESTONE BATTLAX BT016 PRO HYPERSPORT 120x70ZR-17 . . $80.00

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...otorcycle-Tire


Here's a short video of a guy at Willow Race Track on a GSX-R1000 humiliating everyone there and passing some people on the outside of the turns at over 80 mph with the Q3 tires, lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWxAcn_NCTI

[Scootertrash]

Nice Bike!! And Happy Birthday!!

[Billy Golightly]

Rode it over a 100 miles yesterday - all good. loving the thing in fact.

[Billy Golightly]

Curt and I did about 400 miles last week riding together, me on the SV and him on the Buell. Love this bike the more I ride it, but it is a little uncomfortable for long hauls. We were each entertaining the idea of bringing our bikes to Haspin and riding the indiana back roads some - anyone got any interest in picking a day during the week and pounding some asphalt?

[coolpool]

That sounds like a great idea Billy; unfortunately I won't be there this year. I sure did enjoy the country down there, big trees, meandering streams, winding roads, no bugs and it's warm in June!

[sweetip2000]

That kinda reminds me of the suzuki bandit. The great thing about that bike is the ergonomics. Your not all hunched over and whatnot. What a nice way to treat yourself for your birthday. Keep the shiny side up and many miles of fun for you.
BTW if your ever in NY and want some awesome cliff riding twisty's and sweepers to get down on look me up.
Tons of bikers here in the summer from all over the place.