Any sportbike guys around here ?

[TucsonDon]

Originally Posted By: ZGRider
Then they ought to start building Ford Model A's again, that was a proven, reliable design, how about air-cooled VW Bettles?

Originally Posted By: ZGRider
That's why young people don't buy Harleys much, because they are considered an old mans' motorcycle.

Several points --

• There's lots of money to be made in nostalgia
• H-D may have outdated technology, but they're not stupid
• A lot of those young people give up their crotch rockets when they get a whiff of mortality

I am quite certain H-D's R&D department has designs on the table ready to go. From a sale point of view, they are "market skimming" right now -- taking the high margin sales where they can get them. If they abandoned their existing design and went all water-cooled, fuel-injected ... they'd be just another Yamaha or Suzuki. They are brilliantly maintaining their brand separation while it lasts.

It won't last long. Various government mandates are going to force they go water cooled and fuel injected. They'll make the transition, but not before they've skimmed the last dollar from their current exclusive position.

As I said, they're not stupid. They are, in fact, some of the smartest marketing people I've ever seen. They have created a whole mystique around their "outdated" technology. And they're milking it. For all it's worth.

The next five years will be telling. And you can bet your bottom dollar they're positioning themselves. They may or may not be successful in the transition. But I'm certain they're not unaware.

Good for them. It's a free country (for now, at any rate).

I applaud them.

 

[rraiderr]

I just switched to Maxim4 Ultra 5W-50 in my 08 GSR-R750.

I ran Rotella dino for break in and that Amsoil 10W-40 and now the Maxima stuff based on some feedback from one of the site guru's.

Could not be happier with the oil. Smooth shifts, much quieter top end even after a track day in the blasing heat.

Now if I could only find tires that last.

 

[milo]

Hi all.. i'm a newbie here.
Currently running Kawasaki ZXR250.
Inline 4 - 250cc bike. Even though its a
very small bike, it runs on a high rpm.
Redline started at 19,000 rpm. (yes 19,000)
Therefore, it has quite a number of sheer & stress.

I use this..

And for my 125cc 4stroke moped too..

and i use HAMP oil filter. The USA version & Thailand version.
both are the same. Picture here is the USA version.

p/s: its summer all the time with 75 - 90 F here.

 

[milo]

The price for this oil is USD16 for 5 liter.
I've never test the used oil on the lab before.
I dunno wheter i'll be doing that.

My testimonial so far, it did very good. Better than most major
motorcyle oil.

Never thought of changing back to "motorcycle oil" anymore.
And, this dino oil didn't get burnt.

Delvac 1 or Delvac 1300 is quite expensive.. Will try that later.

p/s: Delvac MX is only CI-4+

 

[02zx9r]

interesting. I have the delvac 1300 but have not run it yet.

I see you have a scotts (im guessing) stainless steel filter for the moped) i use one on my dirtbike

 

[milo]

What kind of oil do u use for ur ZX9R rite now?
I would say that Delvac 1300 is gonna perform well.
Better than MX i supposed.

I only buy oil when i need to use it. Never had
extra oil in my garage & never had 'oil rebate'
here in Malaysia.

The moped is 2009 Suzuki 125cc with manual clutch.
The oil filter is the original suzuki genuine parts.
But they are interchangeable with so many moped & dirtbike..

The green oil filter is for Honda passenger car. I used it
for my ZXR250.

p/s: how much the Delvac 1300 costs u? 1 gallon pack?

 

[02zx9r]

right now there is Valvoline Synpower 20W50, i got a case of it buy one get one so just using it up.

I have a lot of oil stahsed away, when it is all said and done, it will be one of the hdeo's. Mobil delvac 1300, chevron delo 400 or Rotella 15W40's

I will have to look at the prices now a days, I bought that probably a year to two years ago. Maybe $12 for the gallon???

 

[milo]

We dont have Valvoline oil here..
And Shell Rotella are know as Shell Rimula.
Chevron is Caltex here.

Delo400 & Rotella / Rotella T have a very good
feedback so far. But it will be no harm to
try Delvac 1300.

But until u finished all of the stashed oil u have,
it will be 2010 i think..

 

[02zx9r]

or later.

8 quarts Brad Penn 20W50
8 quarts Val Synpower 20W50
8 quarts Castrol gtx 10W40
1.5 gal rotella 15W40
1 gal chevron delo 15W40
1 gal Mobil Delvac 15W40
4 quarts M1 15W50
7 quarts amsoil XL 10W40 i may use as well.

lots more car oil. too much oil really

 

[milo]

i bet u have the most happiest zx9 in the world..

 

[02zx9r]

she runs great. Not too aggressive riding position. I can normally go 3-4 hours before I really have to get off and stretch the legs and walk around a bit. I have a corbin seat, really does make a difference.

I do mostly highway miles and when I am riding with a group, we stop around every 150 miles to gas up and take a quick break.

She has served me well. Hoping to get 100K miles out of the bike, if not more.

 

[mmmmoil]

Just to chime in:

07 GSXR 750
around 9500 miles....changed according to the manual. Up until this April it had the factory suzuki oil 10w40 and a factory filter. It's been ran hard on that oil. Aggressive riding up and down Palomar mtn at least twice a week and one track day (wish I could afford to do it more). This April I put Rotella 5w-40 syn in it. Haven't ran it nearly as hard. No noticable difference yet. All other changes the oil looked like it was supposed to.

 

[ZGRider]

TucsonDon:

Would you rather buy a motorcycle because of the marketing dept. or the engineering dept?

Harley certainly knows marketing, but they come up short in the engineering dept. The Japanesse know how to engineer motorcycles, but come up short in the marketing dept. They give their T-shirts away for free for cripes sake, while H-D could make a great living just selling their shirts only.

Me? I choose engineering over marketing any day. That's exactly what got the British motorcycle industry in trouble in the 1960's and 70's. They quit innovating and just had slick advertising. Like the housing bubble, sooner or later the Harley "bubble" will break -- eventually people come around to quality and innovation. Just like how people came around to Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, while GM, & Chrysler went into bankruptcy.

 

[47HO]

That "bubble" you speak of is over a 100 years old. Don't you think that nostalgia, or "lack of innovation", is actually what attracts HD buyers?

 

[ViragoBry]

Originally Posted By: Drew2000
"Shim under bucket" The shim comes in various thicknesses, usually in .005" increments. The shim determines the clearance between the bucket and camshaft. Very reliable, used in high-rpm sport bike (and other) applications, high-tech in it's simplicity.

Older (Japanese) bikes had the shim on top of the bucket in a recess and the cam would push against the shim. As RPM's increased beyond 10000rpm on newer bike engine designs, it was possible for the shim to be "spit out" by the cam causing all sorts of problems, hence the shim now under the bucket.

The shims are the little disks on the left of the photo....

http://www.triumphperformanceusa.com/images/Carlos PICS 570.jpg


My 07 Ninja 650R has this setup, and it just makes me ask what was wrong with the screw & locknut setup that the Ninja 250 had until 2007. I could do a valve adjustment on my 250 by just removing the valve cover. Apparently the cams have to come out of the 650 for a valve adjustment. It may be newer and high-tech, but at a price. I'm not looking forward to that maintenance bill when it comes due, as I don't see myself disassembling my engine to that extent.

I appreciate all that's new and modern as much as the next guy, but was this REALLY an improvement? The 2008 250 went with the shim / bucket design too, so I must be missing the significance or advantages it offers when compared to the labor-intensive maintenance it causes.

 

[ZGRider]

Originally Posted By: 47HO

That "bubble" you speak of is over a 100 years old. Don't you think that nostalgia, or "lack of innovation", is actually what attracts HD buyers?


Are you referring to the AMF bubble? Or maybe the motorcycle bubble of 70's and early 80's when almost mobody wanted a H-D? Maybe when Harley was synonymous with poor quality and dated designs? Harleys didn't become popular again until the "Baby Boom" generation came of age and affluence. Remember, the average age of H-D buyers is 49, so we know who their target market is. Harley knows that their buyers are getting older and as they die off, then their market share will plummet. You can only market nostalgia so long and then time catches up -- thus the bursting "bubble." Did I lose you anywhere? Why do you think H-D is designing (or hiring Porsche to design) new engine types? Which BTW, these new designs are not competing very well against European and Asian competition. Even H-D themselves have made know their concerns about this paradox.

So, my advice..... if you like Harleys, then enjoy, but know that technology never stands still, and change is the only certainty -- H-D doesn't change fast enough, they will revisit the AMF days.

 

[47HO]

Quote:
Did I lose you anywhere?

No loss here, buddy.

Most of your "facts" are just speculation and conjecture. But that's OK, you have made the point that you are not an HD fan.

It's all good.

 

[ZGRider]

Originally Posted By: 47HO
Quote:
Did I lose you anywhere?

No loss here, buddy.

Most of your "facts" are just speculation and conjecture. But that's OK, you have made the point that you are not an HD fan.

It's all good.

Do some research and read some trade publications and you'll find I'm not speculating. Just because you don't like to hear information doesn't make it "conjecture." Why do you think Harley built the V-Rod? Willie G. said it himself that they were trying to "recapture" the youth motorcycle market "owned" by the Japanese. And yes, it is a fact that the average age of the H-D buyer is 49 -- I got that from Harley's own marketing research analysis and other sources. Do you need me to post them or will you just deny that too?

BTW, didn't this thread start out as a "sportbike" thread?

 

[47HO]

It's all good.

 

[02zx9r]

buddy has the 100th ann v-rod. that is about the only HD I would buy if I wanted one