What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today?

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Tiger12XC

I had one of the little screws that holds the side plastic panels on vaporize before my eyes, POOF. Found it 4 hours later inside the air box on top of the air cleaner.

Thats sounds scary, especially with want may have happened with detours possible "screw ingestion".

They always run like hell don't they? Usually under the heaviest object in the room.

[Tiger12XC]

Originally Posted by BlackBike

Thats sounds scary, especially with want may have happened with detours possible "screw ingestion".

They always run like hell don't they? Usually under the heaviest object in the room.

That was exactly what was running through my mind at the time. Funny thing is I looked in the air box a few times with the flash light and didn't see it. I stuck a magnet in the air box after searching everywhere I could think of, heard a click and there it was stuck in the corner at the rear of the box.

Edit: Most people would have given up and found another screw. After 4 years of F.O.D walks on the flight line and learning what damage a tiny screw can do do if ingested by an F-16 intake or lost in a cockpit I never give up looking. Although the RX3 is far from a jet fighter it still matters to me.

[detours]

Originally Posted by Tiger12XC

I had one of the little screws that holds the side plastic panels on vaporize before my eyes, POOF. Found it 4 hours later inside the air box on top of the air cleaner.

This is my best guess at what happened to my engine. I'm glad you found it!

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by Tiger12XC

That was exactly what was running through my mind at the time. Funny thing is I looked in the air box a few times with the flash light and didn't see it. I stuck a magnet in the air box after searching everywhere I could think of, heard a click and there it was stuck in the corner at the rear of the box.

Edit: Most people would have given up and found another screw. After 4 years of F.O.D walks on the flight line and learning what damage a tiny screw can do do if ingested by an F-16 intake or lost in a cockpit I never give up looking. Although the RX3 is far from a jet fighter it still matters to me.

Good copy on the foreign object debris. With my luck the screw would be inserted in my tire.

[2LZ]

Well I finally hit my 500 miles on Friday evening and changed to synthetic 20/50 on Saturday morning. I was so excited to finally take the RX3 out and really give it a sound thrashing. After all the time of "varied speeds, no sustained long high RPM's, etc.." and all the other break-in entrapments, I let her rip! Nothing below 5000 rpm's and I took it out on HWY 88 and let her fly. Even with the 13 tooth countershaft sprocket, I ran her up to a sustained 7500 R's and it was registering about 75 on the speedo, whatever that really was.
What a fun bike! It sure is nice to finally ride this thing to its potential! I was also very impressed with how smooth it ran at that high of RPM's. No excess vibration through the hands or feet.

And of course....after a few trips out all day to let her rip, once home, I finally found a usefulness for the little tank wings.

[detours]

Yesterday, I installed new brake pads on the front (EBC FA185HH). I did a few hard stops to start bedding them in, but didn't get a chance to really try them out.

I had over 5000 miles on my stock brakes and although they took a long time to bed in, they weren't bad. After my quick bed-in, the new EBC already feel as good as stock. As they finish bedding in, I expect they'll get better and better.

[BlackBike]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

Well I finally hit my 500 miles on Friday evening and changed to synthetic 20/50 on Saturday morning. I was so excited to finally take the RX3 out and really give it a sound thrashing. After all the time of "varied speeds, no sustained long high RPM's, etc.." and all the other break-in entrapments, I let her rip! Nothing below 5000 rpm's and I took it out on HWY 88 and let her fly. Even with the 13 tooth countershaft sprocket, I ran her up to a sustained 7500 R's and it was registering about 75 on the speedo, whatever that really was.
What a fun bike! It sure is nice to finally ride this thing to its potential! I was also very impressed with how smooth it ran at that high of RPM's. No excess vibration through the hands or feet.

And of course....after a few trips out all day to let her rip, once home, I finally found a usefulness for the little tank wings.

A place to hold your Sierra Nevada.

[rukanzen]

Today I added a LED Voltmeter and an auxiliary LED brake/running light.
The brake lights blinks when the brakes are applied.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by detours

Yesterday, I installed new brake pads on the front (EBC FA185HH). I did a few hard stops to start bedding them in, but didn't get a chance to really try them out.

I had over 5000 miles on my stock brakes and although they took a long time to bed in, they weren't bad. After my quick bed-in, the new EBC already feel as good as stock. As they finish bedding in, I expect they'll get better and better.

Did you have any rotor warping issues with yours? I went straight to the sintered pads when I brought her home and they work pretty well. I think I've felt some warping or "varied grabbing" on occasion but it always vanishes once it cools! I may end up replacing the rotor just because... Paranoia.

[detours]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

Did you have any rotor warping issues with yours? I went straight to the sintered pads when I brought her home and they work pretty well. I think I've felt some warping or "varied grabbing" on occasion but it always vanishes once it cools! I may end up replacing the rotor just because... Paranoia.

Yeah, when I first got the RX3, the brakes were weak and pulsed really bad. I lived with it for about 1500 miles. Finally I tried a series of quick stops in a parking lot, and that really helped bed them in and almost eliminated the pulsation. They continued to improve with use and by 2500 or 3000 miles, they worked really well with zero pulsing.

If anyone is experiencing brake pulsation, don't just live with it. There's a few easy things you can do to fix it.

If the brakes are just weak or only have a little pulsation, they need to 'bed in'. Go to an empty parking lot and do a few sets of 5 hard stops from about 35-40 mph. Let the brakes cool for a minute or two between each set. If your brakes start fading during the set (feeling weaker), give them more time to cool before continuing. The heat and cooling cycles help align the rotor and help correct any stretching of the rotor due to uneven or improper installation at the factory.

If this doesn't work, buy a cheap measurement caliper at Amazon or Harbor Freight and measure the rotor thickness at various points. If it's not the same all around, you have a defective rotor. Call CSC for a replacement.

If rotor has the same thickness all around, it was probably torqued incorrectly at the factory. Here's how to fix it.

1. Remove the front wheel.
2. Loosen all the bolts on the brake disc.
3. Finger tighten them all until snug.
4. Tighten each bolt one quarter turn in a star pattern ... After the first bolt, tighten the one across from it, then the next one across, and so on until they are all tight by one quarter turn. The star pattern keeps the disc centered and the bolt force evenly distributed.
5. Don't fully tighten one bolt before moving on to the next one. Do a little at a time, nice and even.
6. Don't go around the circle from one bolt to the next. This actually stretches the rotor disc on one side and compresses it when you get to the end.
7. Continue tightening by one quarter turn in a star pattern until all the bolts are nice and tight.
8. Reinstall the wheel.

If pulsation continues, call CSC for a new rotor. Measure the rotor thickness to make sure it is the same all around.

If you're getting a new rotor, I recommend upgrading the front brake pads to EBC FA185HH at the same time. Then follow the steps above to install it and bed it in. This should dramatically improve braking power and eliminate the pulsing effect.

[superdude]

Originally Posted by detours

Yesterday, I installed new brake pads on the front (EBC FA185HH). I did a few hard stops to start bedding them in, but didn't get a chance to really try them out.

I had over 5000 miles on my stock brakes and although they took a long time to bed in, they weren't bad. After my quick bed-in, the new EBC already feel as good as stock. As they finish bedding in, I expect they'll get better and better.

Hey Joel not sure if you had seen this before or not but this is from EBC regarding bedding in their pads. I dont think it matters if its new rotor or old rotor since you're either having to slowly remove old glaze or put a new glaze on. I usually do exactly what you did when I get a new set of brake pads, but on my RX-3 I stuck to the book on this one and waited 200 miles for new pads to wear in a bit, and then did the emergency stops and saw a dramatic difference right away and much improved over stock. From the EBC website:

"In Street use situations... Best procedure is to drive gently avoiding harsh braking unless in an emergency for first 100 miles. In the second 100 miles (up to 200) you can use gently increasing brake pressures when using the brakes.
Only after 200 miles urban driving (not 200 miles on a freeway where brakes are almost unused) should you attempt to apply heavy load and heat to the brakes. To do this final bedding on a QUIET ROAD in safe traffic apply the brakes and slow from 60 to 10 MPH five times in a row. Then drive slowly for a few minutes if safe to do so to allow the brakes to cool. Try to avoid coming to a rest whilst the brakes are heated."

[detours]

Thanks for the info superdude! I hope I didn't ruin my pads. But I can still take it easy for the next few hundred miles and see how it goes.

[2LZ]

Got my new Tusk risers in yesterday (30mm x 1 1/8"). Only had to loosen the brake line a little on the mounts to shuffle and they went right on without a hitch.
Wow! Combined with the tall seat (flatter and wider) and now these risers, I'm no longer leaning on my elbows and am sitting much more prone. Nice change! Very comfy.

This bike just keeps getting better and better. I hope they come out with an exhaust option soon. It's in need.......

[dpl096]

I've got the same setup 2LZ... 30mm risers and tall seat and I completely agree with you - made a fantastic change in the riding comfort.

[TheycallmeD]

Installed the genssi LED headlight on mine today. World of difference, loving it.


"D"