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nanotech9

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  1. well... I might yet. Went out today and practiced stoppies... The brakes definitely work and stop the bike but they're not exactly "good" brakes... As the bike slows they get a little "grabby"... Almost like they get exponentially stronger the slower the bike goes... Maybe its just because its a 18yr old bike. I swear if i could transplant the 2-pot caliper and brake system of my TTR 125 It would be perfect. Those brakes are smoooooth. I can't complain too much though - the bike stops now and definitely does stoppies... Pretty forgiving compared to doing them on a regular bike in the seated position... I definitely need lots of practice. Time to catch up with some local riders now and get some tips on riding these things. I'm tired of doing wheelies and stoppies - i want to ride up or over something!!!
  2. Didnt get home until well after dark, but she fired right off on the first kick... prepped the hose, turned it on and left it sitting there ready to pull the trigger... Rode once around the block in 5th gear dragging the brake lightly... the closer i got back to the yard the harder i drug it pulsing on and off harder and harder building up heat. Hosed it down thoroughly rolling the wheel back and forth to get all of the rotor on both sides... Took off again and thought i might feel a little better... ran around the block again and it definitely felt improved... built up the heat again and doused it down the same way... took off, cleared up the water, and gave it a shot... I'll be damned if she didn't pop that back tire right up in the air and right under balance point. No wobble. I stand utterly amazed. I've never ever heard of this trick before, and I've messed with a lot of bikes, talked to a lot of mechanics, and tried a lot of things to improve brakes (including letting my ZX-10 sit over night with a rubber band on the lever to help let the piston seals "relax" with the pistons up against the rotors). I'm glad everyone chimed in that did else I probably wouldn't have tried it based on one or two persons suggestions. Thanks a ton! Excited to get back out there this weekend and play some more!
  3. Alright, i'll give it a go with the disc on the bike... Having dabbled in machine work, it doesn't make much sense in my head, as it would seem its just heat treating it a bit, but lots of times "field research" (you guys!) knows WAY more about something than some dummy like me sitting at home guessing. I know our engineers here at work try to ignore people that give them "field research" sometimes and end up learning the hard way later... Looks like the rain has let off today and the sun is shining... Might have to head home early and give it a go.
  4. I don't mind the work too much... its borrowed but with the option to buy... so potentially i'm doing all this work for my own benefit. I'm really wanting to try a newer lighter bike now though just to see exactly how much better and lighter they really area... I would feel much better removing the rotor, heating it evenly in a 500deg oven and dousing it in a controlled manner... Any thoughts against that or any reason it would be less effective as opposed to the bucket of water after dragging the brake method? I will try re-bleeding it once more. I generally finish off a vacuum bleed with a couple of squeezes on the lever with the nipple closed and effectively bleed it the normal way but i don't recall doing that this time. Pretty easy to give it a go.... I'll try it as soon as this rain lets up. Thanks for all the suggestions so far!
  5. Bike has blue steel braided hoses on it. Not sure if they are factory or not. Front and rear are the same as is the sheath for the throttle cable. (all blue matching, not faded at all so maybe fairly new?) Running MOTUL RBF 600 racing fluid that i use on all my bikes - has the highest temp wet/dry that i've found. Always worked awesome on my ZX10 on track days. Rode around several miles dragging the front brake just to see if the new pads needed seating... no difference. When i say scuffed... its the 3M scotch-brite pad... I always use it to "freshen" up the steel clutch plates in other bikes, and scuff up car and truck rotors the same way. It helps seat new pads and takes out some of the high spots or any ridges from the discs. Its a fairly coarse pad, but not as strong as sand-paper. No leaks from the caliper - I've pumped both pistons out about half way (one on each side) to check them. One side was reluctant to move but once freed up and cleaned they both move equally. Lots of resistance at the lever - the amount of force i'm putting on the lever would flip even the big 12GS over easily. The rear brake works VERY well. Haven't touched it - I didn't even change the fluid. I'll think about the heat-cool method. Very risky on a bike thats hard to find parts for. The idea is to get the rotor very hot then quickly cool it right? Like a heat-treat of sorts?
  6. So, I've got this '94 model i'm fixing up and riding a bit... long list so far, but just on the brakes / forks: I've replaced the fork seals and oil, cleaned and buffed the front rotor with 3M scotchbrite pad on an air-tool, replaced the brake pads with pads from the Tryals Shop here in the USA, and replaced all the front brake fluid and vacuum bled the system. Its much better than it was, but it will barely pull the back tire off the ground even when i bounce the rear end and compress the forks. I used to ride stoppies on sportbikes and supermoto, and even did a few on my '05 BMW 1200 GS but almost nothing on this aprilia. Has anyone ever made or mounted a larger rotor and caliper extension kit on one of these bikes? Or maybe replaced the master cylinder with a master that uses a slightly smaller diameter piston? (This should give higher pressures on the slave cylinder making it brake harder). I mean the stock brakes on my TTR 125 are 5 times better... I can two-finger the lever and raise the rear wheel in the air. Ideas / Suggestions welcome! If someone knows of a larger rotor, I have a mill and lathe and can make a bracket to extend the caliper to fit it I think.
  7. quick update... popped the side cover off, pulled the kick shaft off did a bit of fishing and found the two o-rings, the c-clip, and the thrust washer down in the bottom of the right case half... flattened them back out and decided that the circlip is the weak link... added some thin safety wire to wire it closed. checked for clearance and problems and it looks like it'll work OK. Added a groove in the outer end of the shift rod to hold an extra o-ring to prevent dirt and water from entering the space between it and the kick shaft. re-assembeled. the starter spring isn't too hard... had to think about it a bit. Made a video of the re-installation process and will post it and pictures soon.
  8. Decided to call Mike at the Tryals Shop and order some fork seals ($16) and front brake pads ($21) and ask for advice at the same time... Super helpful fella - hes told me that the entire kickstart assembly will come out as a whole on the later models (i have a '94 - purple, red seat, gray side covers, hydraulic clutch) by removing the clutch basket and the left side case cover... Very happy to hear this - going to give it a go tonight and report back. Maybe this info will be useful to someone years down the road as there seems to be little published info on these bikes. Mikes contact info / website: http://www.tryalsshop.com/ (315) 947-2904
  9. no case cover on the right side... Darn. Looks like i'm going to have to split the cases... Not what i wanted to do on a bike thats been in my possession less than 4 days.
  10. I just picked up a '94 Climber and was going through it... pulled the kicker and shifter off and clutch cover to check on the clutch, and noticed "play" in the shifter shaft and started tugging on it lightly. Thought it was very odd that it would come out far enough that a smaller diameter portion of the shaft was visible and would let it rock around. Moved it in and out a few times and it finally just came all the way out. I checked the manual as described above... it shows two orings, a C-clip, and a thrust washer... The clip seems obvious - goes in a groove... but where to the Orings go exactly? Kinda vague in the manual, and nothing specifically noticeable that holds them in place on the shaft. Bike is on its side full of oil to inspect the clutch... Going to button it back up and flip it over and hope theres a case cover on the other side for easy access... (I've only had it in my possession three days so my memory is lacking on the right side design.) Also, just for fun... is the allen bolt the oil drain, or the hex head bolt? and just WHERE is the oil fill? Someone mentioned its hard to find (and it is) but didn't say where it was...
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