Messages

16

Photos & Videos / Re: first and only production bike that used Honda's development "Active Radical Sys

« on: December 24, 2010, 03:49:12 PM »

Wow, what a nice idle. Such a shame though... Why did they have to drop the two strokes . Honda made some great bikes :\.

17

Photos & Videos / Re: Bit of 500 action !!!

« on: December 23, 2010, 02:24:10 AM »

This is really amazing. That sound just says "Raw Power" like nothing else. I Hope one day I will own one of these beasts .

18

Photos & Videos / Re: Think your good at ruts ?

« on: December 21, 2010, 08:32:10 AM »

Wow, that is actually quite clever. This might be a good way to practice doing ruts. Will have to try it out myself .

19

Photos & Videos / Re: A 4 stroke KTM, I would love to have.

« on: December 20, 2010, 04:42:43 AM »

Well if we started talking about road racing bikes, check this one out. It's a two stroke! .

Tul-Aris 2-stroke racer

20

Open Forum / Re: Graphic designers?

« on: November 08, 2010, 09:49:21 AM »

Sent you a PM.

21

General Two Stroke Talk / Re: China now making 2 stroke dirt bikes!

« on: October 13, 2010, 09:56:23 AM »

It seems that a bunch of you guys are not old enough to remember when the term "Made in Japan" meant what you had in your hands was crap!! 30, 40 or 50 years ago

I wasn't even born back then .

Anyways, if they make something that is of really good quality and has a good price, I would definitely buy it. Hell, it will be a dark day for Japan when China starts producing quality products for low prices because I could see how most of their current costumers would choose the cheaper brands.

Interesting fact: did you know that the engines of the BMW S1000RR (quite new and amazingly successful sport bike model) and the G450X enduro are being made by Kymco (a.k.a. Kwang Yang Motor Co ) based in Taiwan. Even Taiwan finally made something good . Come on China...

22

General Two Stroke Talk / Re: China now making 2 stroke dirt bikes!

« on: October 12, 2010, 09:07:19 AM »

One guy I know had a Chinese ATV. One day he lost a front wheel while riding. And i mean literally LOST. Axle snapped and his wheel basically passed him and his quad (well at that point it was a trike ). We had lots of laugh, but it's a good thing he wasn't going fast or jumping stuff, it could have been much worse. To sum up, I would never EVER buy ANY Chinese motorcycle for ANY price (unless it was free ). I saw too many Chinese scooters and small displacement "motorcycles" that really are a shame to mankind .

23

Technical / Re: What is the safest way to get dents out of my exhaust pipe?

« on: September 28, 2010, 09:03:12 AM »

There are several ways. You could get someone else to do it for you. I've heard lots of good things about Pacific Crest Pipe Repair company that John pointed out. If, on the other hand, you are a bit of a DIY fan like myself, you could try fixing it on your own .

The first method is to fashion some sort of plugs for the ends of the pipe. They have to seal properly and stay in there pretty tight. Then partially fill the pipe with water and place it in the freezer. As the water turns to ice it expands and pushes the dents out. The downside of this method is that it can actually tear your pipe in half if you fill it up to much or leave it in the fridge for too long. I've heard some people plugging up only one end so that the excess ice can go out the other end, but i would imagine it might relieve the pressure to much and then nothing will happen.

The other, far more popular method is the old compressor and blowtorch approach. You seal the pipe, heat the dent until it's glowing hot, and then apply pressure (or vice versa). I tried it myself with a propane torch, and i don't think it was hot enough, even though I raised the pressure until one of the seals failed and shot some 20 meters down the street (good thing no one was walking by ). Then again, i tried it on a thick stainless steal four stroke vintage russian motorcycle header pipe . It might be hot enough for the thinner modern two stroke pipe. Also you can even use a manual car tire pump if you have one, instead of a compressor, just put a tire valve in one of the plugs... Just be carefull not to actually melt the pipe if you use something like oxy acetylene torch.

And finally, you can drill a hole, put a hook through it, and pull (or hammer) on the hook until the pipe is straight (or weld the hook straight to the pipe and cut it off later). You will have to weld the hole shut again and it will look a tad rough, but it works .

24

General Two Stroke Talk / Re: My first race EVER!

« on: September 20, 2010, 05:22:40 AM »

like a pack of cattle running for their lives

Interesting way to put it  .

25

General Two Stroke Talk / Re: My first race EVER!

« on: September 19, 2010, 02:02:40 AM »

Wow man, that's great ! . I hope some day I will have my first race as well . By the way, you said you tried long distance running? Me too . How far far did you run and what was your time?

26

Photos & Videos / Re: my kawasaki kx 250

« on: September 05, 2010, 01:35:23 AM »

I've heard that some people use black front mudguards on purpose. They say that it is harder to spot for other riders when you are passing them. If a bright red or green or whatever colored mudguard flashes in the corner of your eye you know at once that someone is passing you and you can try to cut him off. A black fender is much harder to register in this regard so it gives an advantage when you are passing someone. Or so they say .

27

General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Hondas NOT so surprising anti 2-stroke stance.

« on: July 18, 2010, 12:28:36 PM »

Bu who cares really? Honda, KTM, BMW whatever... As long as one can buy a motorcycle that is good, who the hell cares if its got red plastics or blue ? I mean seriously? They're all made by people. Just buy a motorcycle that you like most, not the one which has the best commercial campaign and if you do that, the manufacturer doesn't really make a difference... I would have nothing against Honda if they started making two strokes, and I'm pretty sure they would be good ones too, and I would seriously consider buying one.

Therefore, I don't hate Honda, I could only say I don't like the direction which a few people are making this company take.

28

Photos & Videos / Re: Cycles is a Mean Toy

« on: July 18, 2010, 02:17:03 AM »

Great video !

I'd prefer she was on the front so that she could absorb some of the impact... Sort of like an airbag .

29

General Two Stroke Talk / Re: Rotary Engines and Dirtbikes?

« on: July 16, 2010, 12:38:02 PM »

You probably mean Wankel engine, as a Rotary engine might refer to a piston engine where the pistons are arranged in a circle like in old aircraft engines, and yet, even these engines were used for a motorcycle . It looks something like this :



Wankel engines have also been used in motorcycles, one that I've heard of was designed for road racing :


and actually, here's a dirt bike with a Wankel : Hercules Wankel GS




It would be really interesting to try this one out and see what it's like to ride. I suppose there might have been some issues with reliability maybe? That's just a guess though, I wonder why no one tried a Wankel engine in any newer motorcycles. Maybe the same reasons why Mazda is the only manufacturer using them in the automotive industry (could anybody more knowledgeable point out these reasons ? )

30

Technical / Re: Steel sleeve for YZ 144?

« on: July 15, 2010, 11:24:29 AM »

I've had my KTM sx 144 sleeved because it's problematic to get it replated where I live (would have to ship it abroad etc...) and because it's cheaper. Can't say I was disappointed. As long as the job is done right and you are a beginner (or maybe even an intermediate rider) I think sleeves are OK .