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Post by rockynv on Mar 21, 2017 4:49:31 GMT -5
Most of us realize by now that ABS on most Chinese bikes is not really ABS but a pressure reducer or restricter to limit how fast you can lock up the front brakes. There are no sensors or intelligence just a spring to cause the valve to restict fluid flowing to the front brake when you do a fast pull on the lever. correct, the chinese ABS isn't a true anti-lock, but it does go a very long way at protecting the rider. you still need to be careful when navigating loose stuff, wet leaves, etc. plus, most people ride their scooters like they did their 10 speeds, squeezing both brake levers equally. this in itself teaches improper technique. hey, who's that guy in the middle of the atlantic ocean? The Chinese restricter does not do much else but fail giving you reduced control over your braking. Just a gimmic for the most part to lull folks into thinking they got more than they paid for. sMy Aprilia does not have ABS or the Chinese restrictor and the brakes are vastly superior to the fake ABS Equipped brakes that were on my Chinese bike. These artificial intelligence systems that are designed to fix stupid are mostly a crutch that people use to allow themselves to be lazy and unattentive drivers/riders. Just pay attention and learn how to drive/ride without ABS, etc when you go to driving school and you will be a better driver/rider and have the training required to handle the situation when these automated system throw a warning light on the dash and cease to function or in the case of the Chinese system just fail completely with absolutely no warning at all leaving you with no front brakes. Instead of going after the phone users, pokymon go players, texters, etc and forcing these folks to follow best practice we are now putting automated systems in cars to override the driver and slam on the brakes or even make lane corrections for them instead of just taking their licenses away getting them off the road. This is all the result of a society and mentallity that caters/panders to the stupid and lazy. It is unfortunately just as Forest Gump said. |
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Post by rockynv on Mar 20, 2017 12:14:53 GMT -5
He used to put it into his contract on appearances that a specific model Marshal amplifier was to be provided for him to plug into or they would have to pay him $2,000 cash up front or he would not go on stage. The amp did not exist and it was just his way to get party cash for after the show. After a while the managers of the venues would just put the $2,000 cash in an envelope and handed it to him without going into the act of indignation, etc for not having the specified amplifier. They still got their moneys worth when he was on stage.
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No Way
by: rockynv - Mar 20, 2017 12:06:16 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Mar 20, 2017 12:06:16 GMT -5
Most of us realize by now that ABS on most Chinese bikes is not really ABS but a pressure reducer or restricter to limit how fast you can lock up the front brakes. There are no sensors or intelligence just a spring to cause the valve to restict fluid flowing to the front brake when you do a fast pull on the lever.
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No Way
by: rockynv - Mar 20, 2017 4:20:26 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Mar 20, 2017 4:20:26 GMT -5
They sometimes get confused and apply braking to the wrong side causing a spinout and rollover such as when comming out of a corner on a wet road and hitting a small bump dislodging a bit of brake dust/road dirt partially blocking the sensor so that in the moment before the system recognizes the fault your out of control. You really need to be anal about flushing ABS systems and keeping everything around the sensors clean.
On some ABS vehicles I have owned the rarity was when the system went a full day without having an issue of some sorts. This was mostly on Ford Super Duty trucks in the 10 ton range.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 19, 2017 23:07:29 GMT -5
This is a bit sad since Aprilia had been making fuel injected 2 stokes since 2001 and through about 2014.
Kudos to KTM and their decade long effort to adapt more off the shelf automotive style fuel injection components to a 2 stroke bike.
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No Way
by: rockynv - Mar 19, 2017 22:59:41 GMT -5
Post by rockynv on Mar 19, 2017 22:59:41 GMT -5
Even without ABS you still need to flush the brakes and coolant every 2 years.
As for ABS and traction control even the engineers that design these systems, who have sat at my dining room table discussing this, admit that they are nowhere as close to the level of perfection that the industry would lead you to believe. Once you exceed their capabilities then all bets are off. Driving/riding to match road conditions is still the best coarse.
My 2009 Aprilia is my daily driver and it does not have ABS or Traction control niether does my 78 Fiat 124 Spider. Both brake and handle predictably while my more mordern vehicles with all the modern assists will suddenly get confused and not be able to cope with certain road conditions. If you do not hit the button fast enough to turn them off you could loose control.
Around here we see too many ABS, Traction and Stability controlled cars rolled over when the systems were overloaded or confused and acted inappropriatly. It sometimes seems like there's one of these rollover incidents per week.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 19, 2017 10:39:26 GMT -5
Yep too few RV builders match the OEM chassis when they extend it with many dropping the frame extensions to just a 4" channel. Then you have some builders comming out with economy models by using a short chassis with longer frame extensions out there. You have to do your homework on what the Coach Builder did and can't just go with Big Guy or Rocky did it so its fine for eveyone out there regardless of the class, make and model motor home they have.
Like I said I have surveyed a good many Class A motorhomes that had sagging rear frames with a hump in the floor rearward of the drive axle due to the use of hitch carriers that they set too far out from the back of the coach or even doubled up to carry two bikes. It really hasn't been until the past few years or so that they started building that many on gas chassis much over 20,000 to 22,000 lbs capacity. Prior to the year 2000 most gas powered motor homes were on 12,000 to 18,000 lb chassis and were so overloaded with just the coach that once you put in the people there was only reserve left for 1,000 lbs of food, clothing, camping gear, etc. If you used full sized frame extensions on those you could have been left with no capacity for people or gear. Put a 400 lb bike 3 feet out from the receiver on one of those and you barely have capacity for people.
BTW: Is that the Harbor Freight carrier? I find the receiver collar on that one not quite effective to, along with the ramp being a tad too short when loading a bike that weighs over 300 lbs.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 17, 2017 12:30:09 GMT -5
It's actually SOP to add two additional receivers to balance the load instead of just a locking collar on the main hitch when putting a motor bike carrier on a motor home. Some will go the extra and put a caster style wheel with a highway tire on it underneath the bike carrier after monting it to a hinge type coupling. A bike on the back of a motorhome can be like elderly Archamidies moving the world because he was handed a long enough lever to do so. I have most of the stock set aside to do the two receiver setup on mine and just have not been up to it. Confirmed with the Coach Builders that while the hitch is rated for 1,000 lbs tongue weight that the rear frames which are already supporting a few tons of coach plus a large propane tank and 5 KW Generator set are only capable of supporting a tongue weight of 400 lbs in addition to what they are already carrying as is the same with the rear axle and tires. Most times this is what we are talking about:  With whats underneath several feet shorter and added onto with much lighter duty materials:  |
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Post by rockynv on Mar 17, 2017 0:56:27 GMT -5
I feel really comfortable with the engineer's software results. He took measurements of ALL the structural metal, hitch, frame, etc., and the software generated the results. When you're talking hauling a motorcycle or scooter, I do believe 500-800 lbs can be carried by most... Remember, my hitch was already rated at 500 lbs tongue. This was a reinforcement to keep the carrier from tilting and the deck level. Thanks for your input though! -Rich I find most out there narrow sighted in this reguard and do not take a 4 corner weight of the vehicle on a scale first in order to do correct calculations nor do they calculate impact loads based on the spring and shock absorber ratings nor do they consider tire ratings and inflation tables. You have to survey the entire vehicle front to back. A 400 lb load placed 4 or so feet from the receiver and 20 some feet from the rear axle centers has a lot leverage and can really lighten the weight on the front axles even if the frameset can withstand the forces involved. The unknowing simply reading this may try to do the same without understanding all thats involved which is what gets very many folks into trouble. I have seen a lot of damaged motor homes at dealers that people were trying to get rid of after overloading the rear frames. The damage to the main cross frame over the rear axle can be very severe however most won't see it since its many times buried out of sight. Some even had the entire rear frame with the spare tire subframe or generator set come down dragging on the roadway since the guy who modified the hitch did not consult the RV Builders engineers. Remember that 500 lb tongue is within a foot of the receiver not a few feet back and its a tongue weight not a dead weight with its higher shock loads. |
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Post by rockynv on Mar 17, 2017 0:25:29 GMT -5
I was planning on doing the same however you do have to do the math and calculate weight transferance based on the distance of the load being carried from the center of the rear wheels to determine how much extending the carrier and load away from the hitch will have toward unloading the front wheels causing steering stability issues.
Motor homes usually do not have the hitch mounted to the chassis of the OEM vehicle its based on but an extension made of lighter gauge and strength steel. Motor home manufacturers may put a receiver that of iteself may have a very high tongue weight rating for a load placed within 12 inches of it however the sub frame its mounted on when talking motor homes is usually rated at less than 400 lbs unless your talking a HaulMark or similar SuperC based on an Interstate box truck cab and chassis. Air bags make no difference either. I have inspected a number of Class A and Class C Motor Homes where folks have beefed up hitches and after a few rides over rough roads end up with the rear frame over the axle cracked and a hump in the floor where the entire back of the motor home has dropped 1 to several inches. Trussing that back up and repairing the damage is very difficult since you have to evenly lift everthing back into its original location which may not be possible without removing the sidewalls, basement parts, etc. Been there helping others and its not pretty.
Blue OX used to have a calculation sheet that you could fill out with the length, front and rear axle locations along with the total weight and axle weights to see how much a load so many inches from the center of the rear axle would unload the front wheels. It was amazingly accurate at predicting the effects of the proposed load on steering but still did not overrride the Motor Home Builders rear frame limits. Unfortunately on many Motor Homes that info was on a sticky lable somewhere on the receiver, rear of the vehicle or possible on the wall in the back of a closet or some other obscure location.
Bottom line is that you can not rely on whats stamped on the receiver or what third party software indicates about the receiver itself especially when its mounted on a Class A or Class C motorhome and more so if its a gasoline powered front engine chassis.
I like the effort and would like even more to make the math work however its not going to for many and possibly most.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 16, 2017 23:45:52 GMT -5
Bummer about not up to the trip. And the family not doing water. You could always find some nice land bound tour for everyone to enjoy. Like a gator wrestling farm. Then later when you're up to it, take the African Queen tour. Btb that's one of Momma's fave movies. Its about 700 miles round trip and $  per person for the luncheon on the Queen. Add another 200 miles to get to the Western Union. You could call it a 1,000 mile round trip. At least the Muskegee Indians opened a gas station on Aligator Alley so you no longer have 80 miles with no facilities however I am not certain of its hours of operation. Yes while Florida is relatively narrow its quite long. If you enter the state from the West its about 1,000 miles from Pensicola to Key West where the Western Union is moored. While other members may be on the East coast and I am on the West our North to South distance can be well beyond the scope of a day trip especially if there is no straight road and you have to circle large tracts of wild lands to get to your destination adding hundreds of miles to what would be a 50 mile ride as the crow flies. Some day it will all mesh for me. For Gull if there are low mileage BV350 and 500's along with Aprilia Scarabeo's and Sport City out there in my part of Florida if he keeps his eyes open there should eventually be some in his. The Piaggio X9 500 is also a consideration too. One problem is with folks buying into the idea of riding without checking the real street values and after finding its not for them try to resell based on the original and rarely charged MSRP and not the actual street price of the bike or who list using the Dealer price and not the Private Sale values. My Sport City for example sold for the last few years it was available for $2,999 yet you see folks trying to sell them based on a $4,599 MSRP trying to get the full original purchase price back on the sale. Keep looking as bargains are out there and eventually one will find one close enough to jump on. |
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Post by rockynv on Mar 16, 2017 12:21:48 GMT -5
Oi!  You can't promote several Piggys then promote budget, Mr Rocky!  That's hanging on both sides of the fence (or some such cliche). And why can't you take the tour? Although you should really go in the car so everyone else can go with. Family trips really are the best! >'Kat Families afraid of boats and the water so I would be the only one who would enjoy it. Its one thing to show whats available but another to tease someone a tad over the top when they can't find their way clear to make an investment. Gull knows his limits and I can respect that. He has to do what feels right and we really should not pressure him too much. BTW: I have taken the tour a number of times to West Palm, Vero, Daytona, St Augustine and Miami but am not up for it right at this moment. |
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Post by rockynv on Mar 16, 2017 4:47:41 GMT -5
How long have you given it to run-in? Could be that the needle on the slide is off a step or two now and also needs to be adjusted to the new cylinder or that you got the float level off a bit when you rejetted the carb.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 15, 2017 22:33:00 GMT -5
Kat - When things are tight even a dollar over budget can hurt.
I get tempted too but the needs of the Family usually outway the wants and needs of the Dad. Otherwise I'd have a White Mana 850 GT Automatic with the Fairings and Full Touring Package.
Still want to take a ride to where they have Humphry Bogarts African Queen moored in the Florida Keys to take the Lunch Excursion and then go on to the Western Union while she is still sailing in the Keys but...
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Post by rockynv on Mar 15, 2017 11:49:45 GMT -5
Wheres your spirit of adventure? Riding back on an unknown scooter through Aligator Alley could be viewed as an entertaining. Could end up profitable too if you snag some of the larger Pythons during roundup season to help with the budget. They pay something like an extra $20 a foot over 9 or so feet long.
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per person for the luncheon on the Queen. Add another 200 miles to get to the Western Union. You could call it a 1,000 mile round trip. At least the Muskegee Indians opened a gas station on Aligator Alley so you no longer have 80 miles with no facilities however I am not certain of its hours of operation.