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What did you guys do on your bikes today?

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  • obisteve
    obisteve
    2 years ago
    New dancing shoes.
    The 21 for the front of the Sportster, I am having strange thoughts about a trip where it will get dirty.
    The 16 for the front of one of the Vic's.


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  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    2 years ago
    Quoting obisteve on 16 Mar 2023 11:17 AMedited: 16 Mar 2023 11:19 AM

    New dancing shoes.

    The 21 for the front of the Sportster, I am having strange thoughts about a trip where it will get dirty.
    The 16 for the front of one of the Vic's.


    20230316_123628.jpg
    20230316_123057.jpg
    What you thinking Steve....hopefully its not to the brothel at kunda park to get dirty...
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    2 years ago
    Not Kunda Park, I'm a happily married man who adores his wife. Thinking of a couple of beers at Noccundra, then down to Broken Hill, then Willcania, then up the river through Tilpa and Louth to Bourke, then zig zag east, maybe see if anything has happened at Come by Chance since I last went through in 2010.
    Need to let some more water flow downstream first, probably best to drop a new set of S&S lifters in too, finally finish mounting the StreetBob tail light too.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    2 years ago
    Quoting obisteve on 17 Mar 2023 01:58 PM

    Not Kunda Park, I'm a happily married man who adores his wife. Thinking of a couple of beers at Noccundra, then down to Broken Hill, then Willcania, then up the river through Tilpa and Louth to Bourke, then zig zag east, maybe see if anything has happened at Come by Chance since I last went through in 2010.

    Need to let some more water flow downstream first, probably best to drop a new set of S&S lifters in too, finally finish mounting the StreetBob tail light too.

    Just stirring mate. Sounds a good run....very good point about the water, caught us out a week or so ago as well.
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    If it's wet around Tilpa and Louth ya stop moving forward, Tilpa still got a pub? Louth races a thing anymore? Been awhile since I been out there, mid to late 80's, was a lot of fun back then, FJ1200 handled the dirt ok, had to, didn't have a car 😁
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    2 years ago
    Know you're just stirring PB, but I did have a couple of practice wives first, so am very aware of how good I have it now, and for the last 25 years in this wifetime.
    I know the Louth races are running this year, one of the funny things about living in the sticks and getting free to air satellite TV is all the ads from strange places, seen ads for the Louth races in August already.
    Dunno if the Tilpa pub is still there, I last went through in 91? on the Sportster, that will be a thirsty leg of the trip if it's not. Can I be bothered to do a search for it yet? Nah.
    A few things have to fall into place  before I do it, and if it doesn't happen this year I'll enjoy wearing out the new Avon Trekrider within a few hundred kms of home. I'm probably going to be very busy late winter through spring, giving all indications so far of being a bad year for fires . And just for a complete change, we spent 6 hours last Saturday night in pissing down rain trying to get a crew from their bogged ambulance up a mountain goat track to where someone had made a poor decision and rolled 50 metres off the side. All crews pulled back off the mountain at 2am abandoning the ambulance, and a technical rescue truck that couldn't be safely extracted in those conditions. Last bad decision that bloke will make.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    2 years ago
    Quoting Grease Monkey on 18 Mar 2023 02:30 AM

    If it's wet around Tilpa and Louth ya stop moving forward, Tilpa still got a pub? Louth races a thing anymore? Been awhile since I been out there, mid to late 80's, was a lot of fun back then, FJ1200 handled the dirt ok, had to, didn't have a car 😁

    There's 2 different opinions on what works best in soft loose country like that, a 21 skinny front, or a fat smaller diameter front like old Yank desert sleds, that can be run at lower pressure to resist sinking in. Your FJ have the 16" front?
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    Yeah it did, the next year it went to 17, the mud just builds so fast, dry it's no drama at all but you probably know that already.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    2 years ago
    Your on the money Hilly, on a road bike its usually the mud that builds to such a state that the mudguard and the tire become one and then you become one with the mud!...Ha Ha. Ahh the fun of it all.. 
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    2 years ago
    Quoting obisteve on 18 Mar 2023 10:52 AM

    Know you're just stirring PB, but I did have a couple of practice wives first, so am very aware of how good I have it now, and for the last 25 years in this wifetime.

    I know the Louth races are running this year, one of the funny things about living in the sticks and getting free to air satellite TV is all the ads from strange places, seen ads for the Louth races in August already.
    Dunno if the Tilpa pub is still there, I last went through in 91? on the Sportster, that will be a thirsty leg of the trip if it's not. Can I be bothered to do a search for it yet? Nah.
    A few things have to fall into place  before I do it, and if it doesn't happen this year I'll enjoy wearing out the new Avon Trekrider within a few hundred kms of home. I'm probably going to be very busy late winter through spring, giving all indications so far of being a bad year for fires . And just for a complete change, we spent 6 hours last Saturday night in pissing down rain trying to get a crew from their bogged ambulance up a mountain goat track to where someone had made a poor decision and rolled 50 metres off the side. All crews pulled back off the mountain at 2am abandoning the ambulance, and a technical rescue truck that couldn't be safely extracted in those conditions. Last bad decision that bloke will make.

    Hey Steve where did you get those Avon Trek riders from....i couldn't get them at all.
  • obisteve
    obisteve
    2 years ago
    Did it the old fashioned way, went to my local bike shop, Reparren Motorcycles in Yarraman. Said I wanted a Trekrider 21" for the front of the Sporty, Cobra Chrome whitewall 16" for the front of the Vic High Ball. They couldn't source a Cobra whitewall, had to settle for a Metzler ME888, but the Trekrider wasn't a problem. Took 6 days to arrive. They're a great shop, good people, I'm glad that they're doing OK, and happy to support them. 
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    2 years ago
    Far out! I did a bit of homework and couldn't source them....keen to get your feedback. Settled on Motoz again for two reasons....long life and you can reverse the tire rotation and go from 50:50 to a 80:20. I had them reversed in Cairns for the Cape trip and they where okay. The downside was how noisy they are on the tar that way.
  • Benno
    Benno
    2 years ago
    Getting ready for a ride out to Broken Hill, so I put a new Avon Cobra Chrome tyre on my bike today, one of my many OCD's includes keeping records of the life I get out of the tyres, this one is the third Avon Cobra I have put on the wide glide. As I was adding the details to my notes I noticed that the first one I put on was not the "Chrome" model it was the older original Avon Cobra and I got just over 11k out of it, the second one (Chrome), I got 20.5k out of it. I put Race Tech Gold Valves and Springs in the front end just before I put the second Avon Chrome tyre on, what do you think, could that have made that much difference to the wear rate.  
    Front Tyre.jpg
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    Hey Benno, I doubt it mate, while the mods help the suspension heaps I be thinking the main difference would be rubber compound/case.
  • Ultramick
    Ultramick
    2 years ago
    Quoting Benno on 21 Mar 2023 05:50 AMedited: 21 Mar 2023 05:51 AM

    Getting ready for a ride out to Broken Hill, so I put a new Avon Cobra Chrome tyre on my bike today, one of my many OCD's includes keeping records of the life I get out of the tyres, this one is the third Avon Cobra I have put on the wide glide. As I was adding the details to my notes I noticed that the first one I put on was not the "Chrome" model it was the older original Avon Cobra and I got just over 11k out of it, the second one (Chrome), I got 20.5k out of it. I put Race Tech Gold Valves and Springs in the front end just before I put the second Avon Chrome tyre on, what do you think, could that have made that much difference to the wear rate.  

    Front Tyre.jpg
    Dunno why you would want chrome tyres. Chrome air cleaners are enough to look after !! (joke OK ?)
    While I am not disagreeing with GM, I have owned and ridden 4 Ultra Classics / Limited for lottza miles and they have all been different in the tyre  wear department. Not wanting to go into the specifics .............. my last Ultra (2012) got approx 12 to 15,000 kms from a back tyre. I now get 18 to 20,000 kms from the exact same tyre (2012) . I put this down to the suspension as it is pretty good compared to previous models and the weight and all other specs are the same.
  • paulybronco
    paulybronco
    2 years ago
    I know full well that my Street Glide is very sensitive to tyre pressure......cold 42 rear.....37/38 front. Any variance to these numbers chews the crap out of the tyre.  
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    2 years ago
    Not denying either of you right in what you are saying my point was that they are two different tyres he is talking about, old Avon cobra and the new Avon cobra chrome.
  • Ultramick
    Ultramick
    2 years ago
    Quoting Grease Monkey on 21 Mar 2023 10:06 AM

    Not denying either of you right in what you are saying my point was that they are two different tyres he is talking about, old Avon cobra and the new Avon cobra chrome.

    You are right GM ...... I was comparing same tyres and different bikes. 

    While I'm at it ....... has anyone seen my reading glasses. I can't find them anywhere.  They are a silvery colour with black plastic bits that go over my ears.
  • Benno
    Benno
    2 years ago
    As you all know, Avon tyres are quite a soft compound, I knew that and was happy with the first one getting 11k, because it instantly felt better going into corners at a good clip on a 21" wheel, compared to the previous Dunlop . When I put the chrome version on, it felt just as good as the old model, I was hoping for a 20% increase in wear from the new version, based on what I read about the changes they had made. Getting close to double is great, I was just wondering how much influence the Race Tech upgrades may have had on the longevity, they sure made a hell of a difference to the way the bike handles. 
    I run around 34psi in the chrome version, I used to run the older version @ around 32, but installing the race tech gear has allowed me to increase the pressure without rattling my teeth loose on the crappy Qld roads. I also invested in a good quality pressure gauge a couple of years back. 
  • Streetbob10
    Streetbob10
    2 years ago
    Yeah it’s tricky to know if suspension made much of a difference but no way nearly double tyre life/km’s. It would come down to the roads you have driven, the pressures being exact through the whole time. The weather and temperature you rode in and the long journeys versus short. Some many variables before suspension comes into play. But bottom line you found a great tyre with good mileage and performance you happy with Enjoy!!
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