Hey, what's up.

[jeffcoslacker]

My last bike, a 1995 Intruder 800, the first thing that contacts the ground on them is the bracket that spans from peg to peg and wraps under the motor and frame...it's really not the best idea they ever had, most (in fact every one I can think of) bikes have something moveable or less solid that touches down first, like a footpeg, and gives you an indication you've reached the limit of bank angle...

Not so on these, this is a huge solid slab of about 3/8" chrome steel, and when it touches down there is no give and the sparks fly, and it tries to lever a wheel off the ground, which one depends on your size, whether you are accelerating or coasting when it happens, etc. Most other Intruder riders tell me theirs tried to hoist the front wheel when it hit, but I weigh more than any of them too...

I found out the second day I had it...dove off to the right very sharply to take a highway entrance ramp at high speed, and GRRAAAATTTTCCCHHHHHHH!!!!!!!...and the rear wheel came up and chirped sideways about 4 times in rapid succession, which turned me a few degrees inside of the angle I was actually wanting. The only thing that saved me was the tire spun as soon as it broke loose, because I was accelerating pretty hard at the time, it couldn't get a decisive bite that would try to power the bike into the now crooked trajectory, which would have resulted in that sudden "snap" to the highside that you see pitching those MotoGP guys off the top when they suddenly catch traction in a drift...

Was able to ride it out like a dirtbike powerslide, countersteer and get it back under me....then had to put on my patented "I meant to do that" facial expression for the other drivers who saw it, and go home to remove the seat pad from my ass....

[richtazz]

I had quite a few of those type issues with My 85 Magna I used to ride. Great, smooth, powerful bike, but not an ultimate canyon carver. The frame is hollow, and is actually the coolant pipe between the engine and radiator. At the limit, the frame would flex and then uncoil, which would attempt to yank the bars out of your hand. I had a blue-hair in Daytona during bike week pull out in front of me, and the frame uncoiled so violently after the evasive maneuver that it broke the fork brace in two. I was lucky and never even layed it down, but that pleather suppository (also known as the seat)was difficult to remove afterward.

[rubix777]

I ordered some PJ1 Blue Label lube for my chain--I heard they were great for o-ring chains.

My manual says to use diesel fuel or kerosene to clean my chain so as soon as I get the lube in the mail I'm heading to the gas station to get a gallon of diesel.

It'll be my first time cleaning and lubing my chain so I'm sure I'll take time to to get it right.

[aussieidiot]

when i was learning on my 250, i just rode. didn't concentrate on any one thing in particular. once i could ride i started to push harder through some favourite corners and developed my style as a way of cornering on less than smooth surfaces. i've had lecturers tell me i'm doing it wrong but it works for me. a guy i know through my usual bike shop racers and rides the same way.

if you hang your body off the side, you change the position of the centre of gravity. it is now outside the drive line of the tyres. if the bike is perfectly upright, it will turn due to the mass centralised to the side of the drive line.
that means you can corner without as much of a lean. lean and slide of the seat will give the max corner speed/lean. sticking a knee out does it as well. (also aerodynamics mean the knee acts as an airbrake to a small degree. try going really fast and stick one knee out on a straight)

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by rubix777

I ordered some PJ1 Blue Label lube for my chain--I heard they were great for o-ring chains.

My manual says to use diesel fuel or kerosene to clean my chain so as soon as I get the lube in the mail I'm heading to the gas station to get a gallon of diesel.

It'll be my first time cleaning and lubing my chain so I'm sure I'll take time to to get it right.

I had my own (weird) system for chain maintenance....

I'd take the chain off the bike.

I'd change the oil in the car after driving, while it was good and hot. Then I drop the chain into the hot oil, and let it bathe for 15 minutes or so, then hang the chain from a peg with a bucket under to catch the drips.

Next day, I'd put the chain back on. They always seemed very supple and clean after. That hot oil cooks out the trapped greasy crud real nicely.

I'm not recommending, just commenting.

[richtazz]

what's chain maintenance? My Magna had shaft drive and my Fat Boy has a belt.

Seriously though, when I had my dirt bikes, part of my winter storage was to pull the chain off, soak it in kerosene overnight, then blow it dry with my air compressor. I then sprayed it with Gunk chain lube (PJ-1 is a great choice too) and put it in a zip-loc sandwich size freezer bag (because they're thicker than regular ones), and squeezed all the air out. It went into a cool-whip bowl (in case the zip-lock sprung a leak, and the wife hated me using good tupperware, ) and was beautiful, like new clean when riding time arrived