What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today? - Page 47

woodlandsprite · 05-21-2018, 02:44 PM

Not "today" but quite some time ago, I installed the CSC LED bulb and swapped out my headlamp housing to the newer version. It's much brighter now

2LZ · 05-21-2018, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodlandsprite

Not "today" but quite some time ago, I installed the CSC LED bulb and swapped out my headlamp housing to the newer version. It's much brighter now

That looks like a vast improvement. If I road more at night, which I rarely do, I'd definitely upgrade. Since I'm a fair weather, day time rider now I think the little LED strips in the older headlight are kind of cool in an "80's" sort of way. ;-)

woodlandsprite · 05-21-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2LZ

That looks like a vast improvement. If I road more at night, which I rarely do, I'd definitely upgrade. Since I'm a fair weather, day time rider now I think the little LED strips in the older headlight are kind of cool in an "80's" sort of way. ;-)

LOL! I'm also a fair weather day time rider but I'm pretty much wanting anything that increases my visibility to other drivers.

sqwert · 05-22-2018, 02:49 PM

Anybody not strong enough to steer a 180/80 front tire needs physical therapy to build strength, or simply needs to learn to ride a motorcycle. The skinny tires are faster on a MX track, and wheelie easier when booking down trails, so they have their places on certain types of motorcycles in certain conditions, when chasing trophies, or pretending to, when the only time the front tire is on the ground is when sliding to a berm. It's the quality of the berm that then determines a bike's cornering ability, not the size of the tire.

I started with fat fronts when I rode flat trackers 50 years ago. My SL and XL350s loved gravel roads with a Barum ISDT 4.50-18 6PR on both ends. Huge difference. Even used the same combination for enduros, hare-and-hounds, and other cross country stuff with big loops because berms were scarce. Stuck with the stock front wheel and 2.75-21 knobbies for motocross, scrambles, and other shorter track events with good berms.

However, skinny tires can be deadly for most of us most of the time. My experience over the years has resulted in refusing to ride with anyone with a skinny front tire outside racing type riding, because if I do ride with such fools, one will break a bone and ruin my day since I'm usually the only one with sufficient all-around knowledge of how to rectify such situations to figure out what to tell all the specialists (EMTs, truckers, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, ratchet jaws, etc.) what each needs to be doing as part of a team working to rectify the situation.

Here are the problems with skinny tires I see:

1. Rapid wear. Not much rubber on the ground means high loads which results in rapid wear. Usually the more aggressive the tread the more rapid the wear. Rapid wear multiplies the low traction tendencies because, well, the tires are almost always worn out.

2. Low carrying capacity. Results in higher temperatures on the highway and rapid wear. Add #1.

3. Less traction. Less rubber in contact with the road. Type of road doesn't matter. Great if there are berms to bounce off of, but when a TW200 with a stock engine can keep up on a sort of maintained twisty dirt road with no berms with a 500 Husky under a rider with many years desert racing experience ..., well, that's the proof tire size matters. Period.

4. Less control. Bikes with skinny front tires are typically the ones that run into rocks and off cliffs alongside gravel roads with no berms. TWs and such are often ridden up and down the cliffs to check on the crash victims. More proof. Maybe all that skidding around gives you a hormonal high? Do you really need everyone's attention so badly you have to injure yourself? Really, most of us outgrew that stage when we learned to slap on our own bandaids.

5. Lack of plane/flotation. Ever see what happens on a moderately course, loose surface, with any depth, when a front tire loses its plane, digs in, and cocks the forks against the steering lock? Guess where the term "Flying W" comes from. OUCH! Deaths from Flying Ws are not uncommon in such conditions. Even the Paris/Dakar GS riders lost a few just this way. A few riders across North America do this on dunes every year and never wake up.

6. Adrenaline provides all the extra strength one needs when a wheelie is really necessary, even with a heavy front tire and an adventure load spread along the length of the bike to keep weight distribution reasonable. On several occasions unexpected hazards have seen my TW with a 6-ply rated 120/90-18 at speed stand straight up when a hazard pops up. Twice high enough to wipe out the stock taillight.

So, it is plain to see that the 100/90, equivalent to a 3.25/3.50, is about a minimum for a 250cc motorcycle for adventure riding. If skinnier there is an increase in risk. If you really need a skinny tire for your riding style, either slow down to legal speeds or get yourself a more appropriate motorcycle for the type of riding you enjoy.

sqwert · 05-22-2018, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChopperCharles

Hrm, any chance the RX3 could be fitted with a dual-sprocket setup? It's a common mod on the TW200, and it's something that was fitted to a lot of enduros back in the 70s.

Charles.

My experience with dual sprockets has been misalignment--either one sprocket or the other is misaligned too much, or both sprockets are misaligned not quite so much. I then tried swapping out one sprocket or the other and multiple master links and chain sections. What a hassle remembering what goes with what, and weird noises from uneven wear on various components. I took to keeping a complete final drive for each ratio and just swapped them out, but that was simply not pratical when I discovered TWs. I did fit one bike with custom countershafts and twin wheels chosen so the same chain would fit both sets. SWEET! Finally, I discovered the best solution was different bikes tweeked for different purposes.

I could probably get by with misaligned sprockets today since I could line up the set used 99% of the time and misalignment wouldn't be that big a deal 1% of the time.

sqwert · 05-22-2018, 03:04 PM

Oh, I bought an electronic flasher to "modulate" my new LED headlights between high and low beam. Can't wait to get home and try it out.

NzBrakelathes · 06-07-2018, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dualsport Chic

Got a new chain and sprockets on Rex, going down a tooth in the front. While hard to tell if it has more grunt down low, I do feel I lost some top end. We'll have to see how it fares up on the highway.

Time to upgrade to the BIG BORE kit luv

hit me up n I will sort you out quick smart, order today and it will be in the USA about Wednesday next week if not a day earlier

NzBrakelathes · 06-07-2018, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodlandsprite

Not "today" but quite some time ago, I installed the CSC LED bulb and swapped out my headlamp housing to the newer version. It's much brighter now

Hows this for a cool light - I have to test it yet as my past 2 didnot have the LED type head lamp.
the USA models got the really really boring light where as the Chinese version had a better light then the Transformer style

sqwert · 06-07-2018, 11:17 PM

Didn't do a thing today, back out on the road making money. 5 days ago started taking apart my adorable little Chinese girlfriend, 2 days ago got her back together with a 300cc kit from NZ. Past 2 days 450 miles (725km) of breaking in. If you are one of the dozens who wants just a little more humph, seems like the 300 kit is a good way to go.

Thinking about buying another RX3 for parts, and making mods on one engine while having the other in the bike. Thinking about measuring for a stroked crank, looking into bigger valves, port and polish work, lower restriction air intake and exhaust, ... . Might need a fatter throttle body, maybe bigger injectors, too. Am I getting carried away?

NzBrakelathes · 06-08-2018, 12:15 AM

Past week or 2 I bought an RX3 fitted the big bore kit, upgraded to 320mm front disc 4 piston caliper and radial master cylinder. Added a longer clutch lever fixed the head light solved some EFi issues and got it running fine.

2LZ · 06-08-2018, 10:10 AM

Nz, you are just having WAY too much fun!

NzBrakelathes · 06-09-2018, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2LZ

Nz, you are just having WAY too much fun!

The "fun" is for sale lol!

vickytulla · 07-11-2018, 08:03 AM

Excellent.... now I know what I would be doing tonight... when My super half is asleep

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjmorel

Easy peasy to do. 100% better to see. What where you thinking Zong?

sqwert · 07-11-2018, 10:41 PM

300 kit from NZbrakelathe finally broken in. Back to Mobil 1. Very nice. Nice to have more low and mid range power. Top end is about the same on flat, a couple faster on up hills, a couple slower on down hills. Speed is a lot more consistent overall. Paved winding roads keep it in 6th until curves so tight 30mph is too fast. Just a fraction of the downshifting there used to be. Of course, if you want to make time, downshifting is now an option, no longer a requirement.

CSC's 19-inch front wheel and bigger rotor now mounted. Speedometer is still optimistic. Considering a taller tire, perhaps a 110/90-19, 3.50-19, or 4.00-19. Taller tire lessens rake so adds highway stability. Tightened up the stem a bit more, seems to chase the wobbles away. New Kenda adventure style tires on both ends. Set of 6-ply Kenda cruiser tires in stock sizes on the way. Supposed to have good traction and wear. About 99% of my miles are pavement these days.

New bigger rotor for front brake working well, takes about twice the squeeze to make work at low speeds when cold, half the squeeze works well at speed. Typical of metallic pads.

CSC billet, skid plate, and original design center stand installed. Center stand is useless without help. CSC now has a redesigned center stand that is supposed to work a lot better.

CSC LED bulb installed. Odd pattern, gap between low on ground too close, high in trees, not on road. Tiny bit brighter than SYLVANIA 9003/H4 SilverStar Ultra Halogen but pattern is not full like halogen bulbs. Going back to a pair of 4x6 headlights with both high/low with J. W. Speaker military spec bulbs or active motorcycle bulbs with auto turn illumination after court fight with dumb cop.

Over 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) on OEM chain and sprockets, about half a mark until out of slot set is so worn. Did get enough miles out of the set to figure out 14/44 tooth counts are still a bit high for my low speed maneuvering so going with 14/46 this time. New chain and sprockets going on tomorrow as soon as new tires arrive. Would have done chain and sprockets today but car needed brakes bled and decided to shredded alternator belt, 97F (36C) and I got hot and needed a shower. Bad.

Been a busy vacation.

Working_ZS · 07-12-2018, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sqwert

CSC billet, skid plate, and original design center stand installed. Center stand is useless without help. CSC now has a redesigned center stand that is supposed to work a lot better.

CSC LED bulb installed. Odd pattern, gap between low on ground too close, high in trees, not on road. Tiny bit brighter than SYLVANIA 9003/H4 SilverStar Ultra Halogen but pattern is not full like halogen bulbs. Going back to a pair of 4x6 headlights with both high/low with J. W. Speaker military spec bulbs or active motorcycle bulbs with auto turn illumination after court fight with dumb cop.

Been a busy vacation.

Regarding the center stand, yes, the redesigned one works much better. It's one piece and allows you to put the bike up on it without assistance,
just like every other center stand out there. It does have interference with the side stand, though, so you have to put the side stand down first and then the lower the center stand. Raising requires the reverse, center stand up first and then the side stand.

For the H4 headlight bulb, there is a much better alternative to CSC's offering available: GENSSI's Elite model. It is available off of eBay, in both 2 packs for cars and singles for motorcycles. It features LED emitters that match the size and location of the filaments on halogen H4 bulbs as well as having a low beam cutoff, so it functions correctly with the RX3's headlight reflector. At least it does with the newer, late 2015 and on US / Canada headlight assemblies. I can't say anything for the early 2015 models, so you might need to upgrade yours if that is what you have in order to reap the benefits of the GENSSI bulb. I can say that it puts out a lot more lumens than the stock OEM 35 watt H4, in the proper light dispersal pattern, and does not overheat and melt the headlight reflector since it uses the same 35 watts as the stock bulb. I consider the bike unsuitable for night riding with the OEM bulb unless you have added auxiliary lights or installed this GENSSI unit.

Vacations - more work than work, in my opinion.

06-08-2018, 10:10 AM	#701
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,112	Nz, you are just having WAY too much fun! __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
	0

05-21-2018, 02:44 PM	#691
woodlandsprite Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 366	Not "today" but quite some time ago, I installed the CSC LED bulb and swapped out my headlamp housing to the newer version. It's much brighter now
	2

05-22-2018, 02:49 PM	#694
sqwert Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 382	Anybody not strong enough to steer a 180/80 front tire needs physical therapy to build strength, or simply needs to learn to ride a motorcycle. The skinny tires are faster on a MX track, and wheelie easier when booking down trails, so they have their places on certain types of motorcycles in certain conditions, when chasing trophies, or pretending to, when the only time the front tire is on the ground is when sliding to a berm. It's the quality of the berm that then determines a bike's cornering ability, not the size of the tire. I started with fat fronts when I rode flat trackers 50 years ago. My SL and XL350s loved gravel roads with a Barum ISDT 4.50-18 6PR on both ends. Huge difference. Even used the same combination for enduros, hare-and-hounds, and other cross country stuff with big loops because berms were scarce. Stuck with the stock front wheel and 2.75-21 knobbies for motocross, scrambles, and other shorter track events with good berms. However, skinny tires can be deadly for most of us most of the time. My experience over the years has resulted in refusing to ride with anyone with a skinny front tire outside racing type riding, because if I do ride with such fools, one will break a bone and ruin my day since I'm usually the only one with sufficient all-around knowledge of how to rectify such situations to figure out what to tell all the specialists (EMTs, truckers, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, ratchet jaws, etc.) what each needs to be doing as part of a team working to rectify the situation. Here are the problems with skinny tires I see: 1. Rapid wear. Not much rubber on the ground means high loads which results in rapid wear. Usually the more aggressive the tread the more rapid the wear. Rapid wear multiplies the low traction tendencies because, well, the tires are almost always worn out. 2. Low carrying capacity. Results in higher temperatures on the highway and rapid wear. Add #1. 3. Less traction. Less rubber in contact with the road. Type of road doesn't matter. Great if there are berms to bounce off of, but when a TW200 with a stock engine can keep up on a sort of maintained twisty dirt road with no berms with a 500 Husky under a rider with many years desert racing experience ..., well, that's the proof tire size matters. Period. 4. Less control. Bikes with skinny front tires are typically the ones that run into rocks and off cliffs alongside gravel roads with no berms. TWs and such are often ridden up and down the cliffs to check on the crash victims. More proof. Maybe all that skidding around gives you a hormonal high? Do you really need everyone's attention so badly you have to injure yourself? Really, most of us outgrew that stage when we learned to slap on our own bandaids. 5. Lack of plane/flotation. Ever see what happens on a moderately course, loose surface, with any depth, when a front tire loses its plane, digs in, and cocks the forks against the steering lock? Guess where the term "Flying W" comes from. OUCH! Deaths from Flying Ws are not uncommon in such conditions. Even the Paris/Dakar GS riders lost a few just this way. A few riders across North America do this on dunes every year and never wake up. 6. Adrenaline provides all the extra strength one needs when a wheelie is really necessary, even with a heavy front tire and an adventure load spread along the length of the bike to keep weight distribution reasonable. On several occasions unexpected hazards have seen my TW with a 6-ply rated 120/90-18 at speed stand straight up when a hazard pops up. Twice high enough to wipe out the stock taillight. So, it is plain to see that the 100/90, equivalent to a 3.25/3.50, is about a minimum for a 250cc motorcycle for adventure riding. If skinnier there is an increase in risk. If you really need a skinny tire for your riding style, either slow down to legal speeds or get yourself a more appropriate motorcycle for the type of riding you enjoy.
	0

05-22-2018, 03:04 PM	#696
sqwert Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 382	Oh, I bought an electronic flasher to "modulate" my new LED headlights between high and low beam. Can't wait to get home and try it out.
	0

06-07-2018, 11:17 PM	#699
sqwert Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 382	Didn't do a thing today, back out on the road making money. 5 days ago started taking apart my adorable little Chinese girlfriend, 2 days ago got her back together with a 300cc kit from NZ. Past 2 days 450 miles (725km) of breaking in. If you are one of the dozens who wants just a little more humph, seems like the 300 kit is a good way to go. Thinking about buying another RX3 for parts, and making mods on one engine while having the other in the bike. Thinking about measuring for a stroked crank, looking into bigger valves, port and polish work, lower restriction air intake and exhaust, ... . Might need a fatter throttle body, maybe bigger injectors, too. Am I getting carried away?
	2

07-11-2018, 10:41 PM	#704
sqwert Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 382	300 kit from NZbrakelathe finally broken in. Back to Mobil 1. Very nice. Nice to have more low and mid range power. Top end is about the same on flat, a couple faster on up hills, a couple slower on down hills. Speed is a lot more consistent overall. Paved winding roads keep it in 6th until curves so tight 30mph is too fast. Just a fraction of the downshifting there used to be. Of course, if you want to make time, downshifting is now an option, no longer a requirement. CSC's 19-inch front wheel and bigger rotor now mounted. Speedometer is still optimistic. Considering a taller tire, perhaps a 110/90-19, 3.50-19, or 4.00-19. Taller tire lessens rake so adds highway stability. Tightened up the stem a bit more, seems to chase the wobbles away. New Kenda adventure style tires on both ends. Set of 6-ply Kenda cruiser tires in stock sizes on the way. Supposed to have good traction and wear. About 99% of my miles are pavement these days. New bigger rotor for front brake working well, takes about twice the squeeze to make work at low speeds when cold, half the squeeze works well at speed. Typical of metallic pads. CSC billet, skid plate, and original design center stand installed. Center stand is useless without help. CSC now has a redesigned center stand that is supposed to work a lot better. CSC LED bulb installed. Odd pattern, gap between low on ground too close, high in trees, not on road. Tiny bit brighter than SYLVANIA 9003/H4 SilverStar Ultra Halogen but pattern is not full like halogen bulbs. Going back to a pair of 4x6 headlights with both high/low with J. W. Speaker military spec bulbs or active motorcycle bulbs with auto turn illumination after court fight with dumb cop. Over 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) on OEM chain and sprockets, about half a mark until out of slot set is so worn. Did get enough miles out of the set to figure out 14/44 tooth counts are still a bit high for my low speed maneuvering so going with 14/46 this time. New chain and sprockets going on tomorrow as soon as new tires arrive. Would have done chain and sprockets today but car needed brakes bled and decided to shredded alternator belt, 97F (36C) and I got hot and needed a shower. Bad. Been a busy vacation.
	2