Sorting the bike... and it's a beautiful thing

rtking · 09-26-2015, 10:36 AM

As a student pilot, one thing my instructor has drilled into me is that in aviation, YOU (as the pilot) are responsible for checking everything on the aircraft to make sure it is airworthy before each and every flight. This is called a "Pre-Flight" inspection. I think of it as checking and eliminating reasons for the airplane to kill me.

Funny thing is that aviation and motorcycling have a lot in common.

I'm loving my RX-3 Cyclone. Really. A lot. But I had a few things that I needed to sort... a minor steering head wobble above 75 mph, occasional false neutral between 3rd and 4th gear, a hard time finding neutral, and bottoming the rear suspension. (yes, I'm a big guy... and the donut on Friday sure didn't help.)

But it occurred to me (late) that it is MY responsibility as the owner/rider (every bit as much as being a pilot) that I am responsible for the readiness of the bike for a ride. Just like an airplane, it may have been assembled somewhere else, but I am ultimately responsible for making sure the airplane is airworthy, and the bike is ride-worthy. Basically, a "Pre-Ride" inspection.

So with the helpful posts on this forum, I went through the various checks. I checked nuts and bolts, adjusted the tire pressures, adjusted the preload on the rear suspension (7 turns tighter turned out to be the ticket for me), adjusted the dampening rate on the rear shock, adjusted the clutch cable, and I tightened the shift lever (slightly loose.)

The sum result is that the minor steering head wobble is gone, no false neutrals between gears, and neutral is a lot easier to find. The bike rides great, suspension working and is comfortable (no bottoming), the transmission snicks into gear, and despite being a big guy with ATGATT, the bike will readily get to 80 mph (GPS speed). I backed off after it climbed to 84 mph. Dang... all of my issues were MY fault for not having performed my checks and making the proper adjustments for my weight.

After reading Joe Berk's book, 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM (which I finished in one sitting... it was that good), I read that Joe checked the tires and chains on every bike on that trip, every day. A daily Pre-Ride inspection. What great diligence. Joe would make a great aviator.

I really enjoyed the bike before, but after the shake-down run this AM, I can say that I am REALLY loving this bike, and it's worth every penny.

Sorry for the long post!

09-26-2015, 10:36 AM	#1
rtking Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 410	Sorting the bike... and it's a beautiful thing As a student pilot, one thing my instructor has drilled into me is that in aviation, YOU (as the pilot) are responsible for checking everything on the aircraft to make sure it is airworthy before each and every flight. This is called a "Pre-Flight" inspection. I think of it as checking and eliminating reasons for the airplane to kill me. Funny thing is that aviation and motorcycling have a lot in common. I'm loving my RX-3 Cyclone. Really. A lot. But I had a few things that I needed to sort... a minor steering head wobble above 75 mph, occasional false neutral between 3rd and 4th gear, a hard time finding neutral, and bottoming the rear suspension. (yes, I'm a big guy... and the donut on Friday sure didn't help.) But it occurred to me (late) that it is MY responsibility as the owner/rider (every bit as much as being a pilot) that I am responsible for the readiness of the bike for a ride. Just like an airplane, it may have been assembled somewhere else, but I am ultimately responsible for making sure the airplane is airworthy, and the bike is ride-worthy. Basically, a "Pre-Ride" inspection. So with the helpful posts on this forum, I went through the various checks. I checked nuts and bolts, adjusted the tire pressures, adjusted the preload on the rear suspension (7 turns tighter turned out to be the ticket for me), adjusted the dampening rate on the rear shock, adjusted the clutch cable, and I tightened the shift lever (slightly loose.) The sum result is that the minor steering head wobble is gone, no false neutrals between gears, and neutral is a lot easier to find. The bike rides great, suspension working and is comfortable (no bottoming), the transmission snicks into gear, and despite being a big guy with ATGATT, the bike will readily get to 80 mph (GPS speed). I backed off after it climbed to 84 mph. Dang... all of my issues were MY fault for not having performed my checks and making the proper adjustments for my weight. After reading Joe Berk's book, 5000 Miles at 8000 RPM (which I finished in one sitting... it was that good), I read that Joe checked the tires and chains on every bike on that trip, every day. A daily Pre-Ride inspection. What great diligence. Joe would make a great aviator. I really enjoyed the bike before, but after the shake-down run this AM, I can say that I am REALLY loving this bike, and it's worth every penny. Sorry for the long post!
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