Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

Almost! lol

Came close to buying one of those but the reviews I found were less than mediocre and I figured I'd "roll my own"!

1. Bought a 1" piece of copper pipe and laid it between two jack stands,

2. Made sure it was level and put a bit of grease in the middle where the wheel rotates

3. Spin the wheel a few times to find the heavy point and then start fixing weights at the opposite side until I achieve "balance"!

I was worried that this method would have too much friction to be accurate but, 4 changes in and speeds at 120+ with no weird vibrations or tire wear, I think it works!

Bonus find: Spooning on the last part of tire about broke me a few times! Decided to put some 303 Aerospace Protectant around the tire lips the night before and damn if those suckers didn't slide on like... well, like tires coated in 303! So much easier! I was worried about the chance of the tire slipping around the rim under heavy braking or acceleration but have detected zero issues...

 

A few years ago at one of the FJR events I won a certificate for half off a Marc Parnes balancer and bought one. Really rudimentary but it just plain works. For the FJR I actually bought some OEM wheel weights from Partshark.com when I was ordering other parts and for other wheels Harbor Freight stick on weights have worked fine. I do need to get some black weights for black wheels though.

http://www.marcparnes.com/

 

Nah, just put a strip of black Gorilla or T-Rex tape over 'em! Or use black permanent marker...

 

i want one in the garage, have ridden a couple over the years but never owned one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJd_RgA7SO8

 

I thought about just grabbing another pack of silver and spray painting them before use. Tape or sharpie sound a little..........unprofessional?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzp05RdXzU0

 

Pretty sure you have to use tape if you do any track riding or racing. Keeps the weights from flying off at high speeds.

 

"the realization hit me like a massive Harley Davidson falling out of the sky"

 

Is this a good deal?
https://www.ericomotorsports.com/--xInventoryDetail?id=10013048

 

Price seems comparable to others.

But you could save $7k and just come by my Stripler in Windsor
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/colorado-trading-post.148930/page-1697#post-25706335

 

I would if I didn’t have one already. I love striplers

 

I'm curious to know how you like the Daytona as compared once you pick one up. I debated clip ons and a Daytona rear set for the Stripler at one time.

 

Pretty sure you're correct on this. Just don't like the appearance of silver weights stuck on black wheels if it can be avoided. Go lucky on the rear tire, zero weight required.

 

Damn, I wish I could justify dragging my trailer down there and back for this. A bit of a step up in power from the MT-07s and SV650s I'm leaning towards for my next bike but I think I could find a way to live with it.

 

I'd say it's more comparable to the MT-07. I was actually looking at the FZs before I determined I wanted a Triumph. They're just nicer built / finished machines in my opinion.

 

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

 

I use tape and it blends in very nicely. I'm pretty OCD about my and my bike's appearance and the only time I notice the tape is when I'm putting air in the tires or cleaning the wheels.

 

My 2014 FJR has all black wheels and to be honest I hate them. I saw one in Spearfish, SD in 2018 that the owner had the edges and flat areas up to the center curvature of the rim stripped and polished to create a 2-tone of polished aluminum and black that looked awesome. Would make a good winter project if I felt that energetic.

 

My F800 has basically purple wheels It takes the right light to see it, but once you do you can't unsee. They're excels and great, buttt still. Some day I'll get some alpina, better excels, or fleabay tubeless rims and go to a narrower 21" in the front and up to an 18" in the rear.