New convert

Greetings all!

First things first - where do I get my cookie?

Next, to the board operators THANK YOU! Its nice to have someplace to learn and discuss without every other post being an ignorant flametard.

Now to the rest... I'm riding an 03 VTX 1800 Retro in something of an Interstate setup - trunk, bags & fairing, 1300 final drive, etc.. The scoot has 40k on it and I have been clocking right around 20-22k a year. I switched from a an Avon Cobra that only made it to 10k before it started cupping. I got 19k out of my previous Venom and am frankly ticked Avon is no longer making the Venom in this size. Anyway that fancy new Cobra tread pattern isn't evenly spaced so when it started cupping it introduced rear end takeoff wiggle, low speed rear wobble and a bouncy vibe above back street speeds. At 12k I decided it was time to at least visit the Darkside....

Currently I have a new stock sized Avon Cobra on the front @40psi and a General Altimax HP 205/60R16 (V rated) @ 40psi. Dynabeeds 3oz each front and back (front still had a hop to it with on 2oz front).



After 400miles I think I have a handle on the handling differences and really like the ride and even the parking lot isn't a problem. The Missus noticed she couldn't feel the gravel in the driveway after only 10 feet of travel. There is this little issue with my driveway but that's not the tire's fault..

Where I'm feeling differences that have me still somewhat unsettled is curves that run up onto the tire shoulder and interstate speed jitters:

Curves at 30-50 where the rear is I assume rotating more weight onto the tip of the shoulder it feels like the rear squirms (that's a technical term ) and it feels like it slips an inch or so. I'm over fairly far but still inches from dragging boards (which I *seldom* did on an MC tire anyway though the bottom of the board would betray me if I said *never*) but these are usually somewhat banked anyway.

On the interstate in my lane cruising 75-80 and I kick it up 5mph while swinging out to the passing lane to pass Grandma then back and drop my speed back. If I'm transitioning direction quickly (hard?) I get weird top wiggle - its not like the wiggle such as wobbling the handlebars - more like the wiggle of passing through a bad 18-wheeler's air front Honestly, I can't really describe it better than that at this point but its unsettling none the less! I'll make more mental notes on this during tomorrow's commute...

I'm thinking break in but at 400 should be about there. So are these pressure issues adjusting a few pounds will eliminate or reduce? Any suggestions? And "slow down" doesn't count!

what pressure are you running now? a few PSI have made a difference for some folks in that department...

with the mileage you have, are your shock bushings good, settings? Neck bearings tight? There's a few little things that the CT's appearantly can magnify for some folks... just askin'


Welcome!

nodakbassmaster wrote:what pressure are you running now? a few PSI have made a difference for some folks in that department...

with the mileage you have, are your shock bushings good, settings? Neck bearings tight? There's a few little things that the CT's appearantly can magnify for some folks... just askin'


Welcome!

+1 all these are magnafied by the CT. And all are easy to check/fix. I am running 34 psi in my mich. hydro edge and ran the same in my toyo proxxes.

Welcome to the darkside


See you out there
Smokey

I'm running 40psi front/back currently. I adjusted the neck bearing a month or so back and replaced the bushings not too long before that. Checked bearings front and back when I did the tires and they all turn smoothly though have full sets on hand and am tempted to do them anyway.

Other than those two easily repeatable oddities she's rock solid.

Welcome Pointman! I like that.....man of valor!


..................bobby


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I had a few issues when I first started out. I am not sure what it was exactly that fixed it but it was either adjusting the air pressure or the wind shield. Maybe a combo of both. Not sure. Once you find the sweet spot your set.

Good luck.
Moon

Thanks all, as I trip 600 miles (slow week) on the tire it just keeps improving, I figure the tire continues to breaks in. Still running 39-40psi and will give it til 1k before playing with the pressure much as its pretty good right where it is.

The side to side transitions are smoothing out now, it isn't wanting to stick at straight up on its way by nearly as bad. And the squiggle in mid and high speed leans where the tire is up onto the shoulder seems to be slowly fading, too.

The only "issue" at this point is though there is a couple mm clearance when stopped at some point it is rubbing the shaft cover just enough to knock the dust off the raised lettering. I'm not worried about it at this point but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it.

Much to my chagrin I'm finding I lost mpg ( getting 35.5-36.9mpg DS and was avg 39 mpg with m/t) somewhere, too. These things don't have much in the way of legs as it is so having the fuel light come on 10-15 mile sooner doesn't make me too happy. My hunch is its only partially the c/t and partially that I stuck a 1300 final drive on at the same time... at 1k on the c/t I may swap final drives (if I'm not feeling too lazy) and do a thou on the 1800 final to compare notes.

*** at 1k on the c/t I may swap final drives (if I'm not feeling too lazy) and do a thou on the 1800 final to compare notes.***

Uh? I guess I am, or Have, missed something. Theres a difference in the final drives between a 1300, and an 1800? ? ?

How much? When I got my 1800, the salesman,(may have been more stupid than I thought) said the only difference was displacement, brakes, and FI., so, hell, I took his word for it.

greyboyfan wrote:*** at 1k on the c/t I may swap final drives (if I'm not feeling too lazy) and do a thou on the 1800 final to compare notes.***

Uh? I guess I am, or Have, missed something. Theres a difference in the final drives between a 1300, and an 1800? ? ?

How much? When I got my 1800, the salesman,(may have been more stupid than I thought) said the only difference was displacement, brakes, and FI., so, hell, I took his word for it.

The gearing is a little taller in the 1300 final drive which is a drop-in swap for the 1800 unit. I like not shifting to 2nd 1/2 way through an intersection and that its a few hundred rpm lower on the interstate. So between the ct and the taller final it is noticeably quieter on the super slab... and my spedo is within 1mph of the GPS, too.

But its not all roses.. hard acceleration took a hit. And I'm still adapting to a no-mans land between 60 and 65mph (maybe 70) where 4th too busy and 5th is lugging a little too much. This is likely where I'm loosing my mpgs: Is it the higher revs of running 60 in 4th or the lugging in 5th that is using more fuel.

Pointman wrote:Greetings all!

First things first - where do I get my cookie?

Hay that is a personal thing , and it sounds kinky to me.

Welcome Aboard PM The 1300 final makes 1800 odometer read about 10% less mileage than actual, even though speedo is more accurate. That's probably why your mpg seems off. Try dropping air pressure 5 psi for your handling quirks, I'm running the same tire in a little bigger size and 27-30 psi works best for me. Have Fun

Dan wrote:Welcome Aboard PM The 1300 final makes odometer read 10% less mileage than actual, even though speedo is more accurate. That's probably why your mpg seems off. Try dropping air pressure 5 psi for your handling quirks, I'm running the same tire in a bigger size and 27-30 psi works best for me. Have Fun

Thanks Dan, hm.. so the spedo is pretty much right on but now my on-the-clock mileage is off? Doesn't that mean Honda knew the spedo was off 10% so adjusted the odo to accommodate?

Sure, makes sense. Speedo reads more than actual by design but odo is accurate with stock final drive, so the 1300 gears bring speedo more in line, but at the same time throw odo off. Add 10% to your odo mileage when checking mpg. Check odo trip mileage against your GPS and let us know result.

Dan wrote:Speedo reads more than actual by design, and odo is accurate with stock final drive, so the 1300 gears bring speedo more in line, but at the same time throw odo off. Add 10% to your odo mileage when checking mpg. Check trip mileage against your GPS and let us know result.

Well, that fits - I normally get 140-150 miles on a tank depending on how much of my commute I spend at +85mph... Now the light is coming on 130 - 135 miles.....

Thanks Dan, that wouldn't have occurred to me as I had assumed the odo linked to the spedo if one was off 10% the other would be as well. Considering Honda was sued over this issue sometime back with their cars where the spedo read 10% fast and their odo's were likewise reading more miles than actually traveled, I ASSUMED the scenario would be the same with the X.

THANKS! Mystery solved!

Honda can get away with speed reading a little more, but clocking more mileage than actual would be fraudulent for warranty issues. My first couple tanks after 1300 FD swap had me puzzled, until a known 100 mile run showed 90