Dirtbike

Started by giant_mtb, October 04, 2015, 05:33:27 PM

MX793

You can frequently find ethanol free fuel at marinas, or gas stations near marinas.  Boats no like ethanol fuel.

Premium grade fuel (91+) at a couple of chains around here is ethanol free.  Generally try to gas up the bike at those places (since it requires at least 91 anyway).  Will also use those with the Mustang as the end of the season approaches so it's got a tank full of ethanol free fuel when I put it away.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

SVT_Power

Quote from: CaminoRacer on December 10, 2016, 08:33:33 AM
Only in Canada. Most US stations add 10% ethanol to V-Power too.

Dang
"On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, 'Okay, this is the limit'. And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high." - Ayrton Senna

Eye of the Tiger

2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

giant_mtb

Riding season is back. Some shadier sections still have snow but it's damn close to being all open.  Of course, that also means it's mudding season, but that's kinda fun, too. :rockon:

Starting the summer with 2,780 on the odometer.  Gotta get a 2017 trail permit/sticker and I'll be set.  Gave 'er a good wash after a couple muddy rides.






giant_mtb

My LED auxiliary lights stopped working today. Hopefully just a fuse or the connector on the battery wiggled lose or something.

giant_mtb

Just crossed 3,000 miles last weekend. It had 340 miles when I bought it, so I've put over 2,600 on it since I bought it, and I'm just going into my third summer with it (strictly dirt riding).  Hasn't given me a single issue that wasn't self-inflicted (like when I bent the shifter shaft last spring dropping onto a rock).  Oil changes, fresh spark plug every spring, and keeping the chain clean/lubed is all it has needed.

Dunno if it's just 'cause I'm really in tune with how it sounds, but I feel like I have some valve tick.  I only really know what that sounds like because of my A4 (lol), but I know valve adjustments are a thing on motors like this. Anyone have any experience with valve checking/adjustment?  I'd like to do it myself if possible...I'm fairly inclined when it comes to small engines. 

68_427

Quotewhere were you when automotive dream died
i was sat at home drinking brake fluid when wife ring
'racecar is die'
no


CaminoRacer

Quote from: giant_mtb on May 24, 2017, 09:02:52 PM
Just crossed 3,000 miles last weekend. It had 340 miles when I bought it, so I've put over 2,600 on it since I bought it, and I'm just going into my third summer with it (strictly dirt riding).  Hasn't given me a single issue that wasn't self-inflicted (like when I bent the shifter shaft last spring dropping onto a rock).  Oil changes, fresh spark plug every spring, and keeping the chain clean/lubed is all it has needed.

Dunno if it's just 'cause I'm really in tune with how it sounds, but I feel like I have some valve tick.  I only really know what that sounds like because of my A4 (lol), but I know valve adjustments are a thing on motors like this. Anyone have any experience with valve checking/adjustment?  I'd like to do it myself if possible...I'm fairly inclined when it comes to small engines. 

It should be pretty easy on your engine. You just need to remove the valve cover and buy a feeler gauge to check the clearance.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

giant_mtb

Think I figured out why/how Bikebandit sent me the wrong brake pads when I ordered rears...I think they may have the fronts and rears mixed up, based on the pictures.  Bent my rear brake pedal pretty good a couple weekends ago riding some gnarly shit a 230L had no business riding (was with some good riders on sweet bikes).  Tried torching it and bending it back, but it's a no-go.  So I'm taking a chance and ordering "front" pads, which I think are actually the rear pads along with the new brake pedal. 

Fingers crossed, and if all goes well, I'll have new pads all around.  Stock fronts are still good, and one of the "rears" I got before works, but the other doesn't.

giant_mtb

Ordered new tires finally.  Front still has plenty of tread left, but I don't like it that much.  Doesn't have much bite.  Rear is ready to go, though still usable.  Hoping the rear tire I got fits...not a whole lot of good options in the stock size of 120/80/18, so I went 110/100. :mask:

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/tires-and-wheels/motoz-xtreme-hybrid-tire-p?s=1354320



https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/tires-and-wheels/bridgestone-battlecross-x30-intermediate-terrain-tire-p?s=999288



MX793

That rear doesn't look like it would be very good on anything but hardpack.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

giant_mtb

Quote from: MX793 on May 15, 2019, 08:14:42 AM
That rear doesn't look like it would be very good on anything but hardpack.

I know, right?

The XTREME HYBRID is like a Mountain Hybrid, but with a more aggressive tread for extreme conditions, with serious straight line drive for those soft hill climbs and muddy bogs. It has traction characteristics of a trials tire, with the dimensions of a serious off-road enduro tire to maintain the bike's handling characteristics.

Has good reviews, sounds like it's good for single track, rocks, roots, trails.  Probably not the best sand tire, but 230L is no sand bike to begin with.

Eye of the Tiger

What you really need is a limited slip diff.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

MX793

Obviously not a sand tire, but also looks like it would suck in cling, clay-rich mud and deep loam.  The lugs are stocky and without a lot of space between to allow self-cleaning.  Lug profile looks more like a trials or aggressive dual-sport tire.  Both good on hard surfaces.  Not so much on loose soil or mud.  Probably fine on groomed or semi groomed trails.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

giant_mtb

Quote from: MX793 on May 15, 2019, 09:01:00 AM
Obviously not a sand tire, but also looks like it would suck in cling, clay-rich mud and deep loam.  The lugs are stocky and without a lot of space between to allow self-cleaning.  Lug profile looks more like a trials or aggressive dual-sport tire.  Both good on hard surfaces.  Not so much on loose soil or mud.  Probably fine on groomed or semi groomed trails.

Well, let's hope I like it.

Otherwise, I'll go with another Sedona.


giant_mtb

Seeing it in somebody's hand makes me feel better...the lugs are spaced apart farther than the picture leads one to believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqqCfAGnhPI

giant_mtb

New tires are in, pretty sweeeeeeet...but this weekend is supposed to be chilly and rainy, so pooooo.  But perhaps I'll take a rainy day to get them onto the wheels....sounds like a lotta work, though.  Last time I did it, I wrestled with the fuckin' rear tire for probably an hour before I finally got it on, and apparently the rear tire I just got has a pretty stiff carcass as well........might just take it to the local powersports shop and have them do it. :lol:

Might need an extra chain link, dunno.  I got away with the last tire by cutting off the lowest portion of the mudflap that protects the rear shock (tisk tisk, I know), but this new tire is also, theoretically, another .2" larger in OD, so we'll see.

giant_mtb

If I don't end up liking rear tire - or simply for next time - I'll try one of these.  I wonder how a more MX-style knobby would work with 230L's fifteen steeds of fury...maybe it'd be too much knob. :lol:  I mean, it has done just fine with the Sedona, which has (well, had) pretty serious knobs, though not in the paddle-style of a more MX-y tire.


MX793

It really comes down to the type of terrain you ride on.  Mostly hardpack trails, dirt/gravel roads, and some pavement between?  Use a hard terrain tire with broader and more tightly packed knobs.  You'll get better traction and much longer wear.  For deep, soft loam, sand, or a lot of mud, get a soft terrain.  For an equal mix, medium terrain.  I did far more MX than trail riding.  Soil in the area was a mix.  Some sandy tracks, some tracks that could be loamy or somewhat hardpack do depending on the weather and when they were last groomed, and if it rained the mud tended to be deep and tire-filling.  Didn't want to change tires all the time, so I typically ran a soft-medium terrain front paired with a medium terrain rear.  I tended to like rear tires with a bit of paddle shape.  Before I stopped riding off-road, the Michelin M12 was my rear tire of choice.  Good traction and knobs tended to round off rather than chunk (not a problem on a 12 hp machine, but a 40+hp machine could tear knobs off, particularly on soft terrain tires).  Before that was a Dunlop with similar characteristics, but I switched to Michelin after that Dunlop was discontinued.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

giant_mtb

Yeah, I have a pretty solid mix of terrain here.  Most of my riding is ORV trails and single track, so it varies from some sandy sections, to hardpack, to mud, and everything in between, though once everything dries out, it's a lot of medium/hard with rocks and roots.  This Motoz might be a good all-around tire, while excelling at some of the more technical stuff I like to fuck around with.  Albeit, as noted, it's probably not an excellent sand or mud tire).  But 230L isn't a sand-/mud-slinger anyway...it just chugs along and gets you through when you need it.  Big sand hills?  Not a chance, even if you had a paddle tire...it just doesn't have the power.  So I wanted to try a tire that might be more appropriate for a 14hp machine.  We'll see!  If I like it, I like it.  If I don't, I don't. 

And yeah, tire wear is amazing when you only have 14hp.  Which is kind of why I wanted to try the Motoz with its soft compound and trials-y focus.  I got 2 (3?) seasons out of my Sedona, which means over 2k miles, and I believe it's a hardpack tire.  I could probably run it all this summer, too, if I really wanted to, but the center lugs are about half gone, so it's time for fresh meat.

Also excited to have a front tire with some more bite.  The current front tire is okay, but it's not very aggressive, especially for loose conditions and cornering.  But it's DOT legal, so probably a decent option for actual dual-sport riding...which I don't do, as I do not ride the street.






MX793

Paddles aren't necessarily great for mud.  Limited lateral stability.  Problem with mud, particularly if it's clay-rich soil, is that it packs into the knobs and turns your tire into a slick unless the knobs are spaced far enough apart that it self-cleans.  Tighter packed knobbies give mud more surface area to cling to, so the tire never cleans out.  Sort of like the difference between winter tire tread and summer tire tread on a car.  Slush can pack and cling inside of smaller tread grooves and you just don't get any traction because you're left with snow sliding on snow.  A more open tread design bites into the snow better and cleans itself out better when spinning.  Look at a soft terrain MX tire and the knobbies tend to be taller, narrower, and more widely spaced, often not even remotely paddle-shaped.  The knobs at the shoulders (used in cornering) are almost like cleats.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

giant_mtb

Tires fit. Wasn't worried about the front, but I knew the rear would be a slight puzzle. Just had to put my smaller, stock front sprocket back on so I could get more chain play to clear the swingarm at the base of the shock link.  No worries, the larger one I put on last summer wasn't doing me any favors with such little power.

Should be able to get out for a ride tomorrow evening. :rockon:

Next...new front sprocket of stock size. The stocker is a bit worn.

giant_mtb

Am pleased with tires.  Front bites much harder than the previous front, rear has great traction on rocks and roots and shit, and pleasantly slides out on harder corners.  With the last setup, it was that the rear gripped harder than the front, so it was always a gamble of washing out...I much prefer the tail-happy setup.  Rear isn't a mud/sand tire for sure, but it'll do what it has to do to get me there...230 isn't much of a sand/mud lover anyway with such low power.  It's a tractor.



Had to put the stock (smaller) front sprocket back on to get enough chain slack to fit the rear tire (1.9" larger OD than stock, 1" larger OD than previous rear tire that barely fit), but that's okay...the larger sprocket wasn't doing me any favors anyway.  Thought it would give me more top end, but with 14.8hp, it just made it more sluggish up top.  So now 1st gear is nice and super short again.  The thing tracks right up anything.




Eye of the Tiger

I think I need to put a smaller front sproket on Dakota.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

MX793

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on June 04, 2019, 07:27:03 PM
I think I need to put a smaller front sproket on Dakota.

I'd start with a slightly bigger rear sprocket.  Front sprocket changes are much more aggressive.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: MX793 on June 04, 2019, 08:07:32 PM
I'd start with a slightly bigger rear sprocket.  Front sprocket changes are much more aggressive.

Yeah, but that would result in an unacceptable increase in unsprung, rotating mass.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

giant_mtb

Quote from: MX793 on June 04, 2019, 08:07:32 PM
I'd start with a slightly bigger rear sprocket.  Front sprocket changes are much more aggressive.

I was slightly amazed at the difference two teeth made.  I thought it'd stretch out the top speed, but the revs were too low in top gear to get anything more than what was already available unless I was on a flat/downhill section of road. So, not worth it, since I don't ride street anyway.

MX793

Quote from: giant_mtb on June 04, 2019, 09:00:51 PM
I was slightly amazed at the difference two teeth made.  I thought it'd stretch out the top speed, but the revs were too low in top gear to get anything more than what was already available unless I was on a flat/downhill section of road. So, not worth it, since I don't ride street anyway.

IIRC, changing 1 tooth on the front has the same effect as 3 or 4 on the rear.  2 teeth on the front is a big swing in gearing.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

giant_mtb

Quote from: MX793 on June 05, 2019, 05:10:13 AM
IIRC, changing 1 tooth on the front has the same effect as 3 or 4 on the rear.  2 teeth on the front is a big swing in gearing.

Yeah, noticeable for sure.

So with the rear tire being 1.9" larger than the stock size, that's effectively like gearing it down as well, right?  It feels peppier, especially in 4th-5th gears where it would start getting sluggish unless you really revved 'er out.  Probably doesn't have as much top speed, but I'm rarely looking to get above 50mph anyways unless I'm on a wide open dirt road or something.

Haven't driven my truck in three days...just do my morning/afternoon commute on the trails with dirtbike.  It's a ~15 minute ride, and much more enjoyable than driving the fuckery of potholes across town every morning.

MX793

Quote from: giant_mtb on June 07, 2019, 07:17:38 AM
Yeah, noticeable for sure.

So with the rear tire being 1.9" larger than the stock size, that's effectively like gearing it down as well, right?  It feels peppier, especially in 4th-5th gears where it would start getting sluggish unless you really revved 'er out.  Probably doesn't have as much top speed, but I'm rarely looking to get above 50mph anyways unless I'm on a wide open dirt road or something.

Haven't driven my truck in three days...just do my morning/afternoon commute on the trails with dirtbike.  It's a ~15 minute ride, and much more enjoyable than driving the fuckery of potholes across town every morning.

Bigger tires are the same as going to a smaller rear or larger front sprocket.  It effectively gears the bike taller.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5