A picture a day....biker banter (Vol 4)
Discussion
Chipchap said:
The old Italian girl awaiting collection to go get mot'd oil and filter as well as a general check over. Also take a look see if the mouse that used it as storage chewed any wires.
That mouse is a cheeky git! 
That is a lovely looking bike - something I could own one day as a fun bike once I leave London and have a nice garage to fill with bikes.
One question whats up with the lower fork leg on the right hand side with the discolouration is the fork seal or something else marking it up?
Chipchap said:
The old Italian girl awaiting collection to go get mot'd oil and filter as well as a general check over. Also take a look see if the mouse that used it as storage chewed any wires.
Oh dear how funny! FZ wasnt that USA spec? Or am I mistaken? I never rode the 1078 but it was meant to be a much more engaging (brutal) bike compared to the later modelpodman said:
mak said:
podman said:
[
Continues to be a total w@nker...
Sounds like power valves ? I am just about getting my head around the settings and understanding of how they calibrate, A picture of mine stripped for inspection. Continues to be a total w@nker...
Check in the manual if there's a self test function or owner test. The Aprilia RS has a grey (?) wire which when you ground open the PV's half way for setting up.
Good luck whatever it is
Mak,.... when you set up the RS Power Valves, double check you leave the correct slack in the cables. Over pulling the valves can damage the cams and servo motor. Also stretches the PV cables so they go out of whack quickly.
sjtscott said:
That mouse is a cheeky git!
That is a lovely looking bike - something I could own one day as a fun bike once I leave London and have a nice garage to fill with bikes.
One question whats up with the lower fork leg on the right hand side with the discolouration is the fork seal or something else marking it up?
The fork tubes are coated in some sort of black finish from new. Its still in excellent order as you would expect at 8530 miles. Perhaps my skills as a photographer are wanting.That is a lovely looking bike - something I could own one day as a fun bike once I leave London and have a nice garage to fill with bikes.
One question whats up with the lower fork leg on the right hand side with the discolouration is the fork seal or something else marking it up?
Steve Bass said:
Mak,.... when you set up the RS Power Valves, double check you leave the correct slack in the cables. Over pulling the valves can damage the cams and servo motor. Also stretches the PV cables so they go out of whack quickly.
All looks good thanks, from delving in there and stripping the pulley wheels and components down I can understand the set up now. Its also plain to feel the safety over reach spring working in each direction. The power valves would seem to set there middle position naturally with the internal blade springs so without the cables attached they will be at there mid position. This means there will always be tension on the pulling side of the cable in either its lowest or highest position but slack on the opposite cable. I can also feel perfect mid position against the safety over reach spring from turning the pulley retaining bolt gently. From the grey wire test my mid timing marks are out as expected.
This would seem to correspond to the finger feel test through the exhaust port also.
Does my understanding make sense Steve or am I talking complete b
ks 
Birky_41 said:
Oh dear how funny! FZ wasnt that USA spec? Or am I mistaken? I never rode the 1078 but it was meant to be a much more engaging (brutal) bike compared to the later model
Its actually F4 but the script chosen looks like FZ at a quick glance. The 1078 came about as a result of the factory deciding to build a 1078cc 200 BHP Limited Edition named The CC [Claudio Casteglioni} They downspecced the engine slightly by removing the variable inlet trumpets and down specced the rolling chassis by not using every trinketfrom the CRC Division and no carbon fibre bodywork etc.
But in the main as the June Edition of PB says The MV Agusta F4 312RR is the best bike that they ever built. Standard it had Marchesini forged wheels, Brembo floating rotors, Brembo monoblock calipers, Titanium valves, slipper clutch, adjustable footrests and a whole hoard of minor things over the standard F4 1000 R and a number of other variants.
Whenit was standard it was more brutal than now as the throttle was a tad sensitive although the BHP was lower the torque pattern was peaky and fierce so 100mph 4th gear wheelies were surprisingly easy. I don't do wheelies so you can imagine my eyes when it jumped on one wheel under hard acceleration.
At a year old I had Chris Wells at X-Bikes supply/install and map a Microtec ECU and core the silencers similar to RG3 Arrows. I have carried out a number of mods/tweaks since then and the last being a BODIS Titanium exhaust which has made it run fairly rich at around 11.75:1 and yet it still delivers around 177 BHP at the tyre and 88lb-ft from 7000 to 11000rpm.
I imagine that if we trimmed the map to around 13:1 AFR then we would be at or around 185 BHP at the tyre but the ferocity wold return as it will be leaner and sharper. I quite like it currently as its fairly docile for such a beast.
See July edition of PB page 16 she is featured there as Bike of the Month.
Allan
Edited by Chipchap on Thursday 15th June 20:05
Chipchap said:
The fork tubes are coated in some sort of black finish from new. Its still in excellent order as you would expect at 8530 miles. Perhaps my skills as a photographer are wanting.
Sure ok noted on the coating/finishMaybe its just how the light was falling on it thats all - I just asked as it looked a little strange thats all.
I'm sure if you showed me a closeup photo I'd see its a trick of the light
Chipchap said:
sjtscott said:
That mouse is a cheeky git!
That is a lovely looking bike - something I could own one day as a fun bike once I leave London and have a nice garage to fill with bikes.
One question whats up with the lower fork leg on the right hand side with the discolouration is the fork seal or something else marking it up?
The fork tubes are coated in some sort of black finish from new. Its still in excellent order as you would expect at 8530 miles. Perhaps my skills as a photographer are wanting.That is a lovely looking bike - something I could own one day as a fun bike once I leave London and have a nice garage to fill with bikes.
One question whats up with the lower fork leg on the right hand side with the discolouration is the fork seal or something else marking it up?
A few pics from the recent French trip with the Old Gits. Just over 3000 miles over the course of the week and a bit. Took 2 days through France on the way down avoiding motorways; but did the 1100 mile return using motorways and just a single overnight stop. Bike performed faultlessly, and no aches and pains. And certainly 'on pace' with the folks I was riding with; it's quite happy hacking up and down hairpin bends with a low centre of gravity, big wide bars and monster torque from idle. Anyway...
Miserable drive down - lost 3 hours in roadworks/congestion on the M6, then caught in a thunderstorm just short of Ashford. Couldn't see a damned thing so hid under a flyover until the monsoon changed to just plain rain before I continued.
Fuel stop in France having met some of the other Old Gits...and it's sunny
Bikes....somewhere in France...
Some town near the Gorges du Verdon.
Pic from a viewpoint on the way up to the Gorges du Verdon
...and the Gorge itself.
some road or other up one side of the alps over a col, with ski-lifts in the background..,
break for the view...
...and down the other side again.
my go at an arty one, somewhere near Gap or thereabouts.
Bike and town.
Route Napoleon down to Cannes, with road in the distance too.
Having to push start a BMW K1600 at Cannes on the prom - should be on everyone's bucket-list.
I had a really nice ride home through France in 28-30 degree temperatures, no wind, light traffic and good roads. Hit the UK and back to congestion, 500 miles of nasty gusty crosswinds, and pi$$ing with rain from about York north. Ah well...and they say it's good to be home
Miserable drive down - lost 3 hours in roadworks/congestion on the M6, then caught in a thunderstorm just short of Ashford. Couldn't see a damned thing so hid under a flyover until the monsoon changed to just plain rain before I continued.
Fuel stop in France having met some of the other Old Gits...and it's sunny
Bikes....somewhere in France...
Some town near the Gorges du Verdon.
Pic from a viewpoint on the way up to the Gorges du Verdon
...and the Gorge itself.
some road or other up one side of the alps over a col, with ski-lifts in the background..,
break for the view...
...and down the other side again.
my go at an arty one, somewhere near Gap or thereabouts.
Bike and town.
Route Napoleon down to Cannes, with road in the distance too.
Having to push start a BMW K1600 at Cannes on the prom - should be on everyone's bucket-list.
I had a really nice ride home through France in 28-30 degree temperatures, no wind, light traffic and good roads. Hit the UK and back to congestion, 500 miles of nasty gusty crosswinds, and pi$$ing with rain from about York north. Ah well...and they say it's good to be home
Jazoli said:
Great pics, what on earth is going on with the numberplate on that Indian? looks stupid
I think it's a bit of fun, as do most folks seeing it - but feel free to post it in the bad numberplates thread... Jazoli said:
is it just to make sure everyone knows it isn't a Harley?
It goes at a fair old pace, handles and stops so that mistake in identification has never been made yet...Jazoli said:
you'd think the badge on the tank would give it away.
...plus the numerous other badges and logos on engine cases, bar-ends, bags etc; but as above it's just so quick that folks don't get a chance to see it go by side-on; so it lets them know what it is as it disappears into the distance That and the Indian script across the back of my fan-boy jacket.Or I could have just put on any old random boring '14' plate, but what would be the fun in that?
tvrolet said:
Jazoli said:
Great pics, what on earth is going on with the numberplate on that Indian? looks stupid
I think it's a bit of fun, as do most folks seeing it - but feel free to post it in the bad numberplates thread... Jazoli said:
is it just to make sure everyone knows it isn't a Harley?
It goes at a fair old pace, handles and stops so that mistake in identification has never been made yet...Jazoli said:
you'd think the badge on the tank would give it away.
...plus the numerous other badges and logos on engine cases, bar-ends, bags etc; but as above it's just so quick that folks don't get a chance to see it go by side-on; so it lets them know what it is as it disappears into the distance That and the Indian script across the back of my fan-boy jacket.Or I could have just put on any old random boring '14' plate, but what would be the fun in that?
tvrolet said:
Jazoli said:
Great pics, what on earth is going on with the numberplate on that Indian? looks stupid
I think it's a bit of fun, as do most folks seeing it - but feel free to post it in the bad numberplates thread... Jazoli said:
is it just to make sure everyone knows it isn't a Harley?
It goes at a fair old pace, handles and stops so that mistake in identification has never been made yet...Jazoli said:
you'd think the badge on the tank would give it away.
...plus the numerous other badges and logos on engine cases, bar-ends, bags etc; but as above it's just so quick that folks don't get a chance to see it go by side-on; so it lets them know what it is as it disappears into the distance That and the Indian script across the back of my fan-boy jacket.Or I could have just put on any old random boring '14' plate, but what would be the fun in that?
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff