$50 modification thread

[bwringer]

Good post!!!

A good way to make a bike better is to make a rider better.

Excellent idea. In Indiana, the BRC is $75. However, that includes a $25 membership to ABATE. If you fill out a form saying you don't want to be in ABATE, they'll send you the $25 back.

So the BRC is $50. Wotta deal!

[jabberjoe87]

Yes, it's a bolt-on, instant displacement. And I have a top end off an 850 for you too.

how much hp would that gain me?

[bwringer]

Just thought of a few more:

If you have one of the 8 valve engines, RealGasket silicone valve cover and breather gaskets will run you around $40 shipped, and will last a lifetime if you treat them right. http://realgaskets.com/files/motorcycle.htm
(They don't work as well on some 16V engines.)


A set of stainless steel case bolts will run about $30 or so shipped from http://Z1enterprises.com and will make your bike much easier to work on and look great.


New wheel bearings and valve stems should total around $30 - $40, and will give you valuable peace of mind. If you don't know how old these parts are, or if they're looking a little haggard, change 'em out during your next tire change.

[GQROD]

Can't hurt to have this when you ride. For less than $50.00 to fix your flat tires, the local wally world string ones are less than $6.00 but why chance it on a long ride?

[bwringer]

Can't hurt to have this when you ride. For less than $50.00 to fix your flat tires, the local wally world string ones are less than $6.00 but why chance it on a long ride?

The problem is that Stop-n-Go plugs do not work in motorcycle tires. Been there, done that. Repeatedly. And I had the expensive kit with the little gun device. Every single one of these I placed in a motorcycle tire failed. They do work OK in car tires.

Believe it or not, the sticky string-style plugs actually do work very, very well in motorcycle tires. Ream the hole, slather the string with rubber cement, insert, and trim. Done. Never had a failure.

Yeah, I know... every party needs a pooper...



But on a related note, a small 12V air compressor costs anywhere from $10 - $30 and will save your bacon when you catch that nail out where the kids are all crosseyed. The "Slime" brand compressor is available just about everywhere, and is a very nice, compact package.

[kilog55]

use the self vulcanizing ones us big riggers use pull what popped the tire, lube the reamer, ream it out, lube the plug fill and good to go

plus they are 6 inches long or so just trim em up and go on your way.

safety seal brand you can find em for just under $50 and you can get replacement plugs at any big truck shop

http://www.safetyseal.com/

they make ATV kits and car kits for a bit less as well

[pkbjamn]

I also give a large "thumbs up" to the string type of tire repair. I had a brand new Conti Blitz (approx. 500 miles) on an 81 GS750L when I was in college. I picked up a nail in the rear tire and was not happy. I figured that I'd fix the hole temporarily, so that I could still ride to class. Anyway, I kind of forgot about the repair until a riding buddy asked me about it.... 3 years later!! I had ridden over 15,000 miles without incident. That sold me. Fortunately, I haven't had to complete another repair in over 15 years. (...Knocking sound on computer desk!!!)

[GQROD]

The problem is that Stop-n-Go plugs do not work in motorcycle tires. Been there, done that. Repeatedly. And I had the expensive kit with the little gun device. Every single one of these I placed in a motorcycle tire failed. They do work OK in car tires.

Believe it or not, the sticky string-style plugs actually do work very, very well in motorcycle tires. Ream the hole, slather the string with rubber cement, insert, and trim. Done. Never had a failure.

Yeah, I know... every party needs a pooper...



But on a related note, a small 12V air compressor costs anywhere from $10 - $30 and will save your bacon when you catch that nail out where the kids are all crosseyed. The "Slime" brand compressor is available just about everywhere, and is a very nice, compact package.

Good advice from experience is never a pooper!

I thought this would work better at sealing the punctures but you learn something new every day. Could the stop and go plugs have failed because there was no adhesive to properly seal around it?

Found this link to explain the problem with the mushroom plugs but even so the idea is to get you home so you can get a new tire on the bike and not to ride 1500 miles or more as was stated in the pdf link.

Having a couple of different options is always good sense though.

http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/letters/06LettersB.pdf

Thanks for the warning!

[bwringer]

I think the Stop-n-Go mushroom plugs fail in motorcycle tires because they are simply very soft rubber, and the cords and belts in the tire cut right through them. You aren't supposed to use them with adhesive. I just found the mushroom heads inside the tire, with little to nothing left of the stems.

A motorcycle tire is much thinner and flexes more than a car tire, so I think that accounts for the difference.

A string plug forms a ball inside the tire -- it ends up looking like a wad of chewing gum stuck tight to the inside of the tire. The string is very tough and cannot be cut by the belts. The weakness of these is that you have to replace the tube of rubber cement every so often -- the rubber cement is essential to a strong repair, but the tubes of cement usually dry out after a year or so. The fragile foil tubes are also rather vulnerable. I also prefer to replace the strings every year so they remain nice and sticky.

Fortunately, these kits are very cheap -- once you have the reamer/inserter tools, $2 will fetch the year's supply of fresh strings and cement, and they're available in nearly every truck stop, grocery store, and convenience mart in the land.


Here's a tire repair string that does not require glue, and I've heard very good things about these Nealey repairs:

http://www.tirerepairkit.com/whichkit.htm

Only $11.95 for the mini kit, which seems a lot more compact and reasonably priced than the Safety Seal kit. There's a simple technique to using these that basically ties a knot inside the tire and ensures they stay in place. I'll probably order a kit this spring, in hopes that it will not be needed.

[GQROD]

I also heard good things about the nealy plugs, thanks for the info it really is good to know from someones experience how the mushrooms perform that advice alone is priceless!

[kilog55]

the nealeys are about the same as the safety seals cept they are black not brown same concept and the safety seals do not require a cement just the lube to aid in insertion on large thick tires

[bwringer]

the nealeys are about the same as the safety seals cept they are black not brown same concept and the safety seals do not require a cement just the lube to aid in insertion on large thick tires

Good to know!

OK, so a tube of the Nealey string plugs is $11.95 plus shipping. Add in about $30 (less on sale) for a Slime brand electric pump, and you're in the roadside motorcycle tire repair business for less than $50. At least for tubeless tires.

If you run tubes, patch kits are super-cheap and easy to find. I've had good luck with Skabs patches ("Pick 'em and stick 'em!") on bicycle tubes, but I dunno if they work on motorcycles.

[jfsebastian]

Lowering forks

Guys, an inexpensive trick to get he forks to sag and give your bike a sweet and low look, often seen on japanese bobbers.
Please follow this link or check my blog.

Does this seem like a safe way to go?

JF

[bwringer]

Guys, an inexpensive trick to get he forks to sag and give your bike a sweet and low look, often seen on japanese bobbers.
Please follow this link or check my blog.

Does this seem like a safe way to go?

JF

No, it's not really safe, but when has that ever stopped chopper people?

That said, it's not really mechanically unsafe -- the forks won't fall apart or anything. Since you're still using the original damper rod, it shouldn't cause any clearance problems, either.

It's unsafe simply because it severely compromises the function of the front suspension by limiting suspension travel. You can't use the brakes nearly as well when the forks bottom out too quickly.

Aside from the cut spring, it's also easily reversible. And in fact, you could simply save the cut end of the spring and put it back in with a washer between the pieces if you wanted to, and it would function the same.

If you're a "chopper" person, you won't care. If you're not, you'd never do this to your bike.

[Hammered]

First off, its not making the forks "sag". Its lowering the forks by cutting the springs and adding a shim to keep the load the same and keep them from diving and bottoming out. And if this wasnt a safe thing to do, why does Suzuki sell kits to do it? The fact that youve been given wrong infomation here jfsebastian doesnt make this the "wrong" thing or way to do it. This is infact the correct way to lower your bike's front. You put yourself in more of harms way by raising the height of your bick without doing more than just adding to the height. A great many tech advances have come from just such people.