Alpha gets squidly

[spc]

is their 150/60/17 one of the rare 150's that'll fit a stock GS rim properly???

[Turd Ferguson]

You can't properly fit the Sportec M3's without swapping to a Bandit 400 or Katana wheel.

-Turd.

[spc]

Aww  f%$k   I gotta buy a tire like tommorow   this damn thing is even slipping out in turns now

[SmartDrug]

is their 150/60/17 one of the rare 150's that'll fit a stock GS rim properly???

Depends on your definition of properly.  It fit and didn't rub on my 1990 GSe, it was extremely different handling than the BT45s.  Much less effort required to fall into corners, to the point of scaring me at first.  This is contrary to what everyone says about how the wider the tire the more difficult it is to initiate the turn.  They would be correct if the wider tire were on a wider rim, but since it is not, the argument holds no water.  That being said, the handling is wonderful but a bit twitchy if you're not aware of it.  I should mention that I'm not sure how well they're going to handle as they begin to wear, but they were great while they lasted (I sold the bike after running only 3k miles on the M3).  Not the level of grip that a sticky 190 rear supports, but way more than enough for the GS in most cases.  If you do decide to switch to the M3, don't attempt to run the BT45 up front, you'll wash your front out WAY before that back gives up it's traction, not good.

[SmartDrug]

Turd, I ran a 150 on the stock rim with no issues.  I'll check for pics.


Here's my ass ugly GS500e in all her former glory (notice the incredible chicken strips... ha!):

[spc]

The front is a bt-020 or 021 i dont remember....Came with the Gix front damn near brand new too..... 

[SmartDrug]

The BT-020 is a decent tire, but the M3 is still stickier, so watch the front.  The new BT-002 is amazing though, even better than Pilot Powers (yes, that's possible).

[spc]

Yeah I like the front, it sticks fairly well, especially compared to the 45   My local shop just laughs at me now.  they all want to know why the hell i'm doing all this to a 500   then I mention my total investment 

[SmartDrug]

Do you have a thread on here about the work done to that guy?  How about pictures?  Send me a link if you do, the Avatar looks sweet, but it awfully tiny.

[spc]

Here's that pic blown up. I've posted it a few times but no thread of it's own   Note the falling apart headlight and that I still haven't painted that damn rear wheel   I don't have the availability of down time right now to paint it

[SmartDrug]

I like it man, very rat-rod looking.  The front end really changes the look of that bike, reminds me of a matte black version of my old Speed Four:



Ok, going to bed now, my wife is gonna kill me, another night where I'm up until 3:40 talking about bikes

[spc]

Pretty much dead on the look i'm goin for
  I tried to go to sleep like 4 hours ago and got caught up on here shaZam! I have to work in 11 hours and sometime before that fix the dishwasher, get a new tire and mow the lawn

[Jake D]

I was trying to power it up.  Not clutch it up.  I pulled on the bars, but not too hard, rolling about about 20 mph in first.  The rear would just spin up. 

Do you really spend 30% of your time with the front wheel up?   You pullin' my leg?

[Alphamazing]

I was trying to power it up.  Not clutch it up.  I pulled on the bars, but not too hard, rolling about about 20 mph in first.  The rear would just spin up. 

Do you really spend 30% of your time with the front wheel up?   You pullin' my leg?

For a power wheelie, try rolling on the throttle a little bit to unload the suspension, then letting off and rolling on a little more quickly than before.

[Jake D]

Okay.

[Alphamazing]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6656191590638402466

[Stephen072774]

and cover the rear brake!!!


I've found it easier to preload the front while standing...

[SmartDrug]

The Daytona is geared quite high, so power wheelies work well, but I end up putting the front end down at about 95-110 mph and that can get hairy quickly, so I've begun to clutch it up instead.  I thought this would be difficult at first, but it's definitely much easier than power wheelies and much more controllable too.  Get going in first gear to the point where your powerband starts to gently kick in (5k rpms or so on the 955i), keep your throttle hand steady (don't hit the gas hard or anything), pull in the clutch for about 1/2 second and then let go.  The jerking action picks the front of the Daytona right up and that way I have another 6k rpms before redline to find the balance point and ample time to shift into second gear.  If you find that this isn't enough to lift the front end, try it again at 1k rpms higher and then 1k higher until you get it.  As an alternative, try twisting the throttle a little more before you release the clutch (go easy on this though, a little bit goes a long way and once the front end gets picked up, it's very easy to get to the balance point quickly on our literbikes).  When pulling power wheelies I  wouldn't lift until I hit around 45 mph due to gearing, I can clutch it up at 20 mph if I concentrate.  Make sure you keep a ready foot on the rear brake though in case you push her past noon.

I really do wheelie every chance I get, but I'm not stupid about it.  I don't wheelie in traffic (unless there's a YWB next to me and no one in front), I don't lane split or pull stupid shaZam! like that.  But if I'm in front at a stop light or there's an audience, it's always up.  30% of my commute might be an exaggeration, but I'd say 40% of every stoplight I'm lifting the front for a few hundred feet.  Lord knows how the engine loves the oil starvation (Poor triple).  Bear in mind that the Daytona/Speed Triple are considered to be one of the easiest streetbikes to wheelie, so it's really not as difficult as people make it seem and infinitely easier than the GS500.


As Stephen said, standing or sitting upright is MUCH easier to find the balance point, but I found it difficult to try this technique when I first started because I wasn't comfortable with the jerk that you feel when you land (when you drop the front too hard) at first.



EDIT:  From the looks of things, you want to try the clutch up at about 6-7k rpms:

[spc]

That new Street Speed with the 675 in it looks like it would be a serious wheelie king   The GS is a pig when it comes to poppin a wheel.  With rare exception ( droppin the clutch from a dead stop with 6-8k ) you always have to work it a little   i can't wait to see what my re-up bonus is gonna look like so I can figure out whats in my price range

[SmartDrug]

That new Street Speed with the 675 in it looks like it would be a serious wheelie king   The GS is a pig when it comes to poppin a wheel.  With rare exception ( droppin the clutch from a dead stop with 6-8k ) you always have to work it a little   i can't wait to see what my re-up bonus is gonna look like so I can figure out whats in my price range

I'm selling the Daytona to buy one of those Street Speeds next year, so let me know if you're interested.

Dyno tested at 145 RWHP and 71.8 lb/ft. of torque with the K&N, High mount Triumph race can, iridium plugs and Re-Mapped TOR tuning=  WHEELIE TIME!!! and a 1/4 mile time of 10.2 at 133mph (my buddy riding my bike).