Auspanglish Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 :fing02: So true Dan, this is the point Pete & I keep trying to get across to everyone! Most people think if you can get desired Rider Sag then the Spring is correct, but just as you've mentioned rider sag is meaningless for calculating correct spring rates w/o also having the desired Free sag numbers! The other fact is that just because some Tuner or even Ohlins or Penske says you need "....lb spring" does Not mean it's the correct one unless you get Both the desired numbers for Free & Rider Sag! Elka sent many of our members new shocks with the wrong spring rates on them and now if anyone ever bothered to check the numbers they have found them to be wrong and are needing new springs! Of course a New Aftermarket shock will feel better than a stock VFR shock, even with the wrong spring, but you are paying for the correct spring rate and Most are Not getting it! I've seen different Pro's suggest for our members VFR's rear spring rates from 800lb to 1400lb springs for the same 190lb rider! :blink: That's insane! There is only one correct rate for that rider on his VFR and every other spring rate recommendation is WRONG whether it's Ben Speis, Ohlins, Penske, me or the best tuner in your country telling you so. The ONLY way to know if the spring rate is correct is on the bike and checking both Free & Rider Sag, there is no other way! Hell yeah!! Now there's be fire in them thar words oh Bailey-san... woooohhh... I was getting emotional readin' that!! you should run for President Kev... or at least Mayor... :dry: :goofy: No seriously you're right. We (the consumer) are all paying top dollar for supposedly state of the art gear and I often wonder just how much effort would it take, how much money would the manufacturers and dealers lose (in the short term, because in the long term it would bring them more business) if they provided us with a product made to our specs... spend 16,000€ on the new VFR1200F and none of its components were made thinking of you... the seat height to footpeg distance/angle, the riding position, the suspension (springs), the tyres... you can't even say "give it to me with Pirelli or Metzeler or...", a greater range of colours... etc... I know the spring on the VFR doesn't suit me. It doesn't suit the weight I usually carry on the bike, nor my riding style... I changed the oil, swapped out the shock for another (same one just newer off a wreked bike because it had the remote preload adjuster) and you notice the difference for a while and it feels better, but doesn't last long... I've never been able to get a preload dialled in which had me leaving it there for more than a month... end up playing around with it again... I've had sag dialled in and then made adjustments cause it didn't feel right... or it did feel right but a week later it didn't... I don't weigh a great amount... 90 kg, but with my riding gear on, the tankbag full of stuff and last year I was carrying a 50 kg pillion a lot and it all adds up... plus I like to give it gas... and riding in Spanish traffic puts the bike through the wringer... Thing is... if I install front springs with what? A 9.0 spring... from what I've been reading, I should also swap out the valves (HS how-to thread)... 'cause it's a big jump... I just don't have time for that mod... so I wondered if a compromise would at least provide an improvement... the OEMs are 7.5 right? So if I go 8.0- 8.5 (don't know if there are smaller increments available, i.e 8.25)... maybe the rebound wouldn't be such an issue with the original valves... The Ohlins rep in Madrid will service my rear shock for around 250€ and I asked him about putting a heavier spring on it and he said he could do that and swap the oil out for a more appropriate weight according to the spring for 100€ more... (an ohlins shock would be at least 850 - 1000€) and provide me with the front springs to match (and oil to spec)... but he's 4 or 5 hours' drive away... I can do the work on the front end myself and send him the shock, but he still won't have seen me on the bike in person to analyze things... I understand perfectly well that there really is only one spring rate for a particular person... it's pretty simple really, just like there's only one real shoe size... thing is from one brand to another they get their sizing all mixed up... I can be a 43 in one brand and a 45 in another... but my feet measure the same as always... Can't believe the new 1200 doesn't have compression adjustment on the USD forks and rear shock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted January 30, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted January 30, 2010 Aghhhh exams... I don't miss those. Sounds like a good course though, cellular bio, fun... we had the nastiest bio lecturer but good to hear you're passing. The world needs more Murses. Some more good info coming, I totally understand BR, life on the stock VFR has always been a compromise with the suspension. But like Auspanol mentioned I too just don't have time for the spring/valve job and I can't help but feel if I got the bike sorted sagwise there are too many variables which come into play... it would probably help for the track, but our roads are far from those conditions, cept a few here and there... again, it's a compromise. There is improvement, I just hope it lasts a while. Auspanol, yeah the fork oil is a huge factor for you. Time to start from scratch. Did you say Triumph dealer???? :blink: I have an ideal for ya... take the 1200 for a spin home and see if you can mount the 21/22L tank to it :fing02: Oh and if Honda created the bike perfect for each and every rider, you'd all start to miss the farkling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 Aghhhh exams... I don't miss those. Sounds like a good course though, cellular bio, fun... we had the nastiest bio lecturer but good to hear you're passing. The world needs more Murses. Well the organization and quality of some of the teaching leaves a lot to be desired but there's some good technical stuff in there. This is the first year they're offering nursing as a 4-year degree (new European "Bologna" standards... it was a 3-year Diploma before that. What's the Australian version these days? I'm wondering if my qualifications wil be recognized in Oz, in case I ever return. Did you say Triumph dealer???? :blink: Ah :fing02: yeah... he's the best around these parts and is always willing to advise me and assess the bike knowing full well I'll do the work myself if I'm capable. But I recommend him to all and sundry so he gets extra work sourced from yours truly... when I go by he's always got a whole plethora of different makes and models in the workshop... Suzzies, Yammies, Hondas, BMWs, you name it!! (A good sign). I wouldn't let the Honda stealers near my VFR with a 40-foot stainless-steel jabbing stick!! :dry: :goofy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted January 31, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted January 31, 2010 4 years??? aghhhhhh. RN here is a 3 year degree, full time. I'm not sure if you'd have to do a 1 year refresher seeing as your English speaker. They got 1 year's fees out of my gf when she came over (S. Korea)... already qual'd As for your dealer, when you're onto a good thing... :fing02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 4 years??? aghhhhhh. RN here is a 3 year degree, full time. I'm not sure if you'd have to do a 1 year refresher seeing as your English speaker. They got 1 year's fees out of my gf when she came over (S. Korea)... already qual'd As for your dealer, when you're onto a good thing... :fing02: Yeah 4-years... when it was 3 you only got a Diploma. Over here most standard Bachelor Degrees are 4 years and some have a 3-year option but you only get a Diploma.. Now, with the ne EU "Bologna" plan, they want more emphasis on prac... so you can see they went to a lot of effort, brainstorming and long endless nights at the round table to come up with the new Syllabus... the 4th and final year is prac. 1 full year of prac at a hospital or clinic. Like MDs when they do their final year of prac at a hospital. Yeah, Australian citizen, speak both English and Spanish perfectly (grew up on the Atherton Tablelands, lived in BrisVegas for 10 years). Thing is, everything I know about this realm I learnt over here in Spanish and probably could use a refresher course as I wouldn't know what half the things are called in English (although they do tend to use a lot of English terms, especially Acronyms: FSH (Folicule Stimulating Hormone).. etc.. DNA or ADN are both acceptable over here... Anyway back on topic... Where on earth can I get a regular old pencil/pocket style tyre pressure gauge that isn't digital, doesn't require batteries or recharging... but is accurate... well, just finding one that works would do me... I can't find any for sale on the net that aren't digital... I want to be able to check the pressure in the tyres at will with ease and my digital one runs out of batteries at crucial times... I want to keep a better eye on the pressure in my tures to see if this isn't the cause of my woes... thing is, they have been out a couple of times over the last few checks and I don't know whether the gauges at the petrol stations can be trusted... this way at least I'm testing using the same gauge everytime (any experiment should eliminate unnecessary variables) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted January 31, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted January 31, 2010 Do they pay you for that final year? I've always thought 2 years full time hospital based training would be adequate. But then the unis would make bugga all. Can't have that. I threw out a tyre gauge yesterday, given free with Sunday's Courier Mail (Sunday Mail), it was highly inaccurate. Maybe something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Car-Motorcycle-Professional-Tyre-Tire-Pressure-Gauge-US_W0QQitemZ370325929773QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5639253f2d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 Do they pay you for that final year? I've always thought 2 years full time hospital based training would be adequate. But then the unis would make bugga all. Can't have that. I threw out a tyre gauge yesterday, given free with Sunday's Courier Mail (Sunday Mail), it was highly inaccurate. Maybe something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Car-Motorcycle-Professional-Tyre-Tire-Pressure-Gauge-US_W0QQitemZ370325929773QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item5639253f2d I guess those pen style ones aren't too accurate, but the one you indicate doesn't exactly have very finely marked increments... We use Bars over here and well, the KpI is obviously the same scale but goes up in increments of 2... we use 29 up the back and 25 in the front... I would just ahve to judge when the needle is half way between 28 and 30... I guess that's the advantage of the digital read out... (I assume you're referring to the Unis making money... they make plenty of money over here... it's a rip off for what they offer... and getting grants is getting harder (they rejected my application on the grounds that I haven't clearly demonstrated I'm independent from my family/parents: I'm single, 38 years old, working part time in order to study and earning less than the minimum yearly wage required for being obliged to fill in a tax dec., living alone on the other side of the planet from the rest of my family (parents) who are pensioners in a currency worth half that of the Euro... go figure!!! I have no sympathy for the Unis, I worked as a Pathology Lab Technician for 4 years at the Faculty of Medicine and I can assure you the money is being syphoned off big time, our safety installations were 50 years old, the extractor cabin worked better turned off. Safe to say I left due to concerns for my health and the fact they paid me every 4, 5, 6 months... whenever they "felt" like it... no contract... had to register as self-employed and issue receipts as a service provider... at least it's like that over here in the Mediterranean. PAY US FOR THE FINAL YEAR??? Now that's a good one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted January 31, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted January 31, 2010 You use Bar?? :fing02: wow, that's a pretty wide scale... time to board the psi bus mate 36F 42R :fing02: So let me get this right, the difference between a degree and a diploma, is a year 's free labor? Geeez... keep at it mate, I can enquire here if your quals count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 You use Bar?? :ph34r: wow, that's a pretty wide scale... time to board the psi bus mate 36F 42R :sleep: So let me get this right, the difference between a degree and a diploma, is a year 's free labor? Geeez... keep at it mate, I can enquire here if your quals count. It's a Spanish thing I guess... all tyre pressure gauges over here come in Bars... you might be lucky to see PSI on occasion... Yep... you could look at it this way... although I don't see how much hands on we can really get if we haven't graduated yet... please do enquire!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted February 1, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 1, 2010 We were allowed to just about everything, as long as we were supervised... ICCs, PICCs, CVLs, IMIs, IDCs, wounds dressings, pacing wires (never want to do them again)... you name it. Just spoke with the Queensland Nursing Council, said you would have to sit the regular IELTS (English tests) and once passed you're free to apply for your registration, well not free, ummm $92 (tax deductable). You MAY also be eligible for credit if you were to leave early and continue study here... probably depends on individual university policies. Do they use mmHg for blood pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzed_viffer Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I know I'm a doofus, but I reckon it's the tyres. The reason I say this is that even when my suspension was really crappily set up (with too hard springs and VERY high viscosity oil), the bike still handled OK and had no tendency to stand up in corners, even trail-braking. The Avon Storms made a bigger difference to the handling than the suspension did. Flame away.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 We were allowed to just about everything, as long as we were supervised... ICCs, PICCs, CVLs, IMIs, IDCs, wounds dressings, pacing wires (never want to do them again)... you name it. Just spoke with the Queensland Nursing Council, said you would have to sit the regular IELTS (English tests) and once passed you're free to apply for your registration, well not free, ummm $92 (tax deductable). You MAY also be eligible for credit if you were to leave early and continue study here... probably depends on individual university policies. Do they use mmHg for blood pressure? IELTS... Hmmm International English Language Testing System so that's just a test on your general English knowledge... I could understand they might want a Nursing Specific Vocabulary test done, but I'M A NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER!!! I translate scientific papers for publishing in leading medical journals!!! Studied English through the Australian Education System to year 12. Went to University twice in Australia (Secondary Highschool Techers degree (did 2 out of 4 years in the 90's) and Computer programming (in 1988 which I bailed out of 'cause I was only 17 and discovered alcohol and girls and the big city lights))... and they want ME to sit the exam... hell my SPANISH is better than most peoples' English. :goofy: I am still and always have been an Australian citizen... I just went travelling and ok, I have only been back once in 13 years... but... oh well I'm sure I can convince them otherwise... Yes 33 mmHg to compromise capillary blood flow and be a potential cause of bed/pressure ulcers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 I know I'm a doofus, but I reckon it's the tyres. The reason I say this is that even when my suspension was really crappily set up (with too hard springs and VERY high viscosity oil), the bike still handled OK and had no tendency to stand up in corners, even trail-braking. The Avon Storms made a bigger difference to the handling than the suspension did. Flame away.... You could have something there... I'm currently using Pilot Road 2CTs and coming from Supercorsas and Racetecs and Pilot Powers.... may be a factor to consider... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted February 1, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 1, 2010 Yep, that's the test. Now if it were up to me Auspanol, I'd mail ya the cert. and say "Where the bloody hell are ya?"... however this is the Queensland Nursing Council - QNC... we can't have just any old nurse coming over and practicing... doctors are ok, but nurses... noooo sir-reeeeee. The girl on the phone was adamant about any student who has studied/graduated their nursing degree overseas will have to undertake the English test... even if you are from Britian or another native English speaking country :goofy: Given thier (QNC) evolution of physical security at their Brisbane office, I would say more than a few people share your views on their policies. Either that... or their holding a $hitload of cash. More info here: http://www.qnc.qld.gov.au/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 Yep, that's the test. Now if it were up to me Auspanol, I'd mail ya the cert. and say "Where the bloody hell are ya?"... however this is the Queensland Nursing Council - QNC... we can't have just any old nurse coming over and practicing... doctors are ok, but nurses... noooo sir-reeeeee. The girl on the phone was adamant about any student who has studied/graduated their nursing degree overseas will have to undertake the English test... even if you are from Britian or another native English speaking country :ph34r: Given thier (QNC) evolution of physical security at their Brisbane office, I would say more than a few people share your views on their policies. Either that... or their holding a $hitload of cash. More info here: http://www.qnc.qld.gov.au/ Now, I'm more concerned about bureaucracy for bureaucracy's sake than being put out myself by an English exam. In my case even a one-eyed, shortsighted man can see this is surplus to needs (read "overkill"), subjecting a native English speaker, born and bred in the very same country, to a basic language test of his own native tongue. I mean, I don't even come from a Spanish background I'm half Scottish and half Irish as far as my geneology goes... 5 generations Australian!! I could understand their obliging us to take a bridging course for training on the relevant Australian legislation and techniques that may differ from other countries... THAT would make perfect sense and I'd be the first to put my hand up... but a basic language test?? Not even a Nursing specific one?? It reeks of paper shuffling ineptitude whereby the endless piles of forms in triplicate are so high they have lost sight of the horizon... What mostly gets on my proverbial goat is that they are literally wasting time, money and human resources... I will pass the test with absolutely no effort... hence my initial comment in this rant... but anyway... you know what they say about common sense... Unless I'm mistaken and it IS a nursing-specific test. So: How's the bike behaving?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer SilverVee Posted February 2, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 2, 2010 Anyway back on topic... Where on earth can I get a regular old pencil/pocket style tyre pressure gauge that isn't digital, doesn't require batteries or recharging... but is accurate... well, just finding one that works would do me... I can't find any for sale on the net that aren't digital... I want to be able to check the pressure in the tyres at will with ease and my digital one runs out of batteries at crucial times... I want to keep a better eye on the pressure in my tures to see if this isn't the cause of my woes... thing is, they have been out a couple of times over the last few checks and I don't know whether the gauges at the petrol stations can be trusted... this way at least I'm testing using the same gauge everytime (any experiment should eliminate unnecessary variables) Gas er, Petrol station gauges are crap. Remember station manager giving me hell when I re-calibrated his hose end gauges, he challenged accuracy of the gauge used to set them. Replied several thousand miles on my tires with even wear and "Oh" by the way one of your gauges was reading 5 lbs high and the other 2 lbs low. He didn't reply. That was back when we used psi now they use kilopascals, still can't wrap my head around that and use a 0-50 psi stick gauge that agrees with my digital gauge, it (digital) has the advantage of being easier to read . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Vee-Ef-Ar Posted February 10, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 10, 2010 Sorry I haven't replied, been moving house. Auspanol, afaik the test is just ya plain old English test... I never asked her how much it cost, but I bet it's a good hit. As for the bike, it's coming along nicely. Dialed some less preload (1 full turn), re-torqued the stem bearings, scrubbed in the conti. It's really holding the line much better now, so much that I've had to readjust my riding behaviour, as I seem to be turning harder than I need. It kinda feels weird to have the bike so balanced in the turn, I have to relax more, let it flow on its lean and not be tense waiting for a sudden counter-steer to set it back on course. One other behaviour I've noted is that the bike carries more speed through the turn now, whereas before it would wash quite a bit off (enough to notice the difference), particularly in tight corners. Right now I'm looking for a smoother PCII map that doesn't drink fuel... and currently negotiating (with the minister) the need for an evo star kit. What's happening your end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 Final exam tomorrow (for this round) is what's happening on my end... Back to work (on the bike) and not noticing the tendency to stand up so much I think I just randomly played around with the preload... haven't tried getting sag yet (prefer getting wood :wheel: ) but I did notice that the rear tyre pressure was down the other day, so maybe there's a slow leak... someone mentioned low tyre pressure as a possible cause and I agree 100%... last track day I went to, my mate who brings all the gear in his car (I went to the track on the bike and have a spare set of rims with slicks in his car), didn't check the pressure in the slicks (neither his nor mine) and of course they had gone down big time... what did the bike want to do? Stand up and go in a straight line... but in a really pronounced way... Anyway... good to hear you're getting progress... I still have that wobbly feeling when pulling up to a stop (the bike not me ) which I see you've mentioned at some stage... I'll be free to get stuck into her real soon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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