BusyLittleShop

Speaking of the who whos...

Over time my forks friction grew to the point of sticking... the travel wasn't smooth no more... my body was getting hammered on rough roads... I had to find a cure.. Upon close inspection I found the scuff marks on the chrome surface of the fork legs... I pull the forks apart and chucked the leg up in the Lathe... I employed a 600 crankshaft polish strap around the leg... got the leg wet with Acetone and spun it at 750 rpm's... I worked the strap evenly up and down the leg until all the marks were gone... I was mindful not to go below the surface hardness of chrome... I was successful in establishing a smooth uniform finish over the length of the leg... To improve the smoothness of a fork's action and to minimize stiction I employed Good Old Fashion Hand Polishing... I decided to go it alone and tackle the polishing job by hand with the help of the Lathe... I use Nevr-Dull magic wadding under a trimmed down section of black PVC... in about a day I had one leg polished up real nice... RC45 Fork Polishing In conclusion... no more frict'n fork stiction... I estimate a 25% drop in stiction as a reward for my hours of labor... I will still get hammered as a result of race track ready suspension settings but now to a lesser degree... I can't complain... I prefer to sacrifice a bit of comfort for a volume of control... Not only do I trust Dave Moss judgement, I would trust him riding my prized RC45...

Mike... remember when we ran into the RC51 Club during our BadGas ride to So Cal???

RC30 RC45 Force V4 site https://force-v4.co.uk Local Bay Area site https://www.bayarearidersforum.com Oil site https://bobistheoilguy.com

You'll notice there is a hole in the bottom of the cast swingarm that will allow an air hose to blow out the gravel... I have to do this step every time I service a customers RC30 RC45...

Balance Beads are a silly thing...

My helmet has no connections... The ear plugs connect directly into the back of Sirius Satellite receiver...

I went with custom molded ear plugs with tiny Sony digital speakers... they cut 30db of wind noise and allow every note of the music through even at low volumes... perfect... I added a light weight Xact Sirius satellite receiver... Moozic non stop... I tested 3 sets of the custom molded ear plugs that are on the market and the ones made by Marylin Navia at Now Hear This are the most comfortable and the quietest not to mention they do not move out of place putting the skid lid on... http://plugup.com/cart/index.php And finally I interfaced Mr.RC45's Oh Shit Detector...

I can't be trusted to stay off the RC211V especially when security ain't looking...

If you see *continuous* temps higher than 220ºF or below 180ºF then trouble shooting is in order: Continuous engine temps above 220ºF or 104ºC is also a problem and the proper order of items to trouble shoot are: 1)Faulty radiator cap... system should hold 1.1 pressure ratio... 2)Insufficient coolant... 3)Passages blocked in the radiator, hose or water jacket... 4)Air in the system... 5)Thermostat stuck closed... 6)Faulty temp meter or thermo sensor... 7)Faulty fan... 8)Faulty fan switch... Engine temps below 180ºF or 82ºC is an problem... it means that the moisture produced during combustion is not getting hot enough to evaporate out the pipe as steam... instead that moisture will migrate to the oil and produce a milky white contamination... Note normal by products of combustion is water... . Every gallon of gas creates roughly 8 pounds of water vapor... we all have witnessed water escaping out of tail pipes on cold mornings... The sequence of events to trouble shoot are: 1)Faulty temp meter... 2)Thermostat stuck open... 3)Faulty fan switch... (stuck on) Leaky Head Gasket Check... You can visual inspect for a leaking head gasket by pulling the spark plugs and peering down each hole... if the top of the piston is black then no leak that cylinder... if the top of the piston is a bright shiny aluminum then leak detected... because a leaky head gasket allows coolant in and that produces steam under the heat of combustion... the net effect is a super clean piston dome and no nasty black... On bike Thermostat Check To check if the thermostat is opening start the engine at its lowest temp... open the rad cap... observe at what temp the coolant begins to flow... if the temp rises above 180F and the coolant does not flow then your thermostat is suspect To trouble shoot an oil leak start by tracing the wet trail back to its the highest point to determine the origin... if the origin is mid cylinder then investigate a possible blow head gasket... take a compression test to verify the effective cylinder..

1965... First bike I purchased was a Honda S90 at Bar-B Marina... 1965... Honda S-90... I'd wake up in the morning and just ride... anywhere was good... across the Bay Bridge it didn't matter... just racing at 60 mph was enough of a challenge out of 8HP... it helped to have a tail wind... 1966... Honda CL160... wow real power for two up riding and romance... in fact Mary and I first kiss happened on a ride... 1967... After we got married and moved to San Bernardino... Mary felt daring enough to take pics of my CL160 as it jumped over her... First competition was a USAF sponsored gymnkana or skills test... I was surprised to take 4 of the 5 trophies... I'm never 100% happy with my riding skills... I thought the Honda CL160 was a dirt bike... it was good on jumps but poor on landings... taking 3 bounces to settled down... 1969... Busy Little Shop #1 was the living room in our first cottage... our Land Lady wasn't happy with bike parts inside her spot less rental... so I used the lamp shade over the frame trick to hide the fact I was building a motorcycle... never the less she swore I was a member of the Hells Angel... 1970... Kawasaki 350 BigHorn... I was asked to perform movie stunt work for a Air Force Now film but after my wheelie crash the USAF enlistment board denied my request for enlistment based on their initial perception that I had "no personal concern for my safety"... My film director had to set the record straight... The balance of the camera to one side combined with the weight of the battery belt around my waist was really strange but I was determined to get some footage of the front wheel getting air and landing the jumps... the quicker I rode the more excitement I became into the riding 1972... CR 250 Husqvarna that I raced in the CRC SoCal Motocross and enjoyed the sandy beaches of Ensenada Mexico... Busy Little Shop #2 was in the spare bedroom of our Land Lady's second rental... she never gave up the notion that I would move the bike outside and make room for kids inside... little did she understand that some of us like motorcycles better... 1976... WR250 Husqvarna... my version of a street legal dirt bike... 1979... While stationed in Japan I bought a CR250R Honda direct from a Honda factory worker who must have pilfered some extra parts... I recall that the Japanese government turned me down 5 times for a street legal license plate... So I raced the CR in the black sands of Fuji MX park... 1980... Busy Little Shop #3 was inside our home in Japan... P5 Ushihama Heights Tokyo To... 1981... I'll never forget meeting Hirotoshi Honda #1 son of Soichiro Honda 1980... Z400FX Kawasaki... Japanese 4 unique to the home market... I painted the wheels School Bus yellow and installed a Honda fairing and tail cowl... It was deemed the Circus Wheeled Kawasaki by the Honda factory workers at the Saitama Honda Plant they christened the frame with a sticker "Made by Honda Motors LTD"... 1981... While stationed in Wichita Kansas I ordered a new GPz550 from East Side Honda... 3 days later I was off for a 1500 mile round trip to New York and back... next summer I rode home to California and back... I got the 3 spoke magnesium Dymags direct from Harris Performance while on a TDY to England courtesy of the USAF... 1986... XC400 Husqvarna... another Husky I made into a street legal dirt bike... I mainly rode Little Sahara State Park... the Park Rangers would check for your steel whip antenna and orange flag at the entrance... I didn't mind the flag but steel whip antenna would give my helmet a nasty whack every time I stopped... it got so that I'd jettisoned the antenna and then ride out of sight from the rangers patrolling in their dune buggies... 1984... 84 VF500F Interceptor... my first love affair with the V4 begins... 1988... 86 VF500F Interceptor from Golden Gate Cycles... I engineered this into famous Belt-0-Ceptor... I racked up 98,000 trouble free miles... 1998... 94 RC45 found in Tijuana Mexico for 8K... The Homestead Ranch yard where I first rode a 55cc Honda step thru in 1965... From a Honda S90 to an Honda RC45 in 57 years worth of riding and racing... Same yard 43 years later on Mr.RC45... Mr.RC45's prior owner Juan Riuz... http://home.comcast.net/~netters2/pics11-3-03/bigimages/JuanRuiz.JPG

Gel is heavy and hot and bouncy... where as "Temper Foam® is a temperature sensitive foam which gets softer and more malleable when warmed and firmer when cooled. It is a visco- elastic material ideal for orthopaedic and prosthetic applications. With its firm elastic flow and non-stick properties it eliminates soreness and pain caused by long periods of pressure." True to their racing heritage my RC45 only comfortable for about 30 minutes in the saddle... I don't have a titanium butt so I built my own custom seat of 3 inch block of temper foam... this mod afforded enough comfort to travel 600 miles in a day... http://www.keesgoebel.com/t.foam.htm I started with a shinny black board Honda calls a race saddle... I modified my stock HRC race saddle that was not only angled the rider towards the tank but was firm as a board... I laid the stock seat pan over a 3 inch block of T47 extra firm Temper Foam... I cut the basis shape using a electric carving knife... I glue the foam to the plastic pan with 3M Weather Strip or Gorilla Snot if you will... next I sculpture the foam with a air driven sander to afford a level riding position...

Any bike can experience a front end head shake... it happened once to my RC45 in 57K miles... but head shakes only happen under acceleration as the front tire hits a bump or finds a rut... a slight disturbance in front tire alignment occurs and the rider feels the head shake... and if the rider stays loose on the bars they will not grow into the dreaded tank slapper... the RC45 is known for its reserves of composure... technically speaking steering dampeners don't cure the head shakes rather they lessen the degree the rider feels... Racers employ steering dampeners so they don't have to back the throttle off during the heat of battle... they don't mind if the head shakes as long they can still accelerate... for the street use a steering dampener will just make more effort in your steering with little return of stability... before you consider a steering dampener I think it's best to have your riding technique will sorted out and be in the hunt for lower lap times... In short... Deceleration Shimmy = front tire problems... (annoying)... Wobble = front end problems... (could grow into the dreaded tank slapper) Weave = rear end problems... (annoying)...

Me and Mr.RC45 always have a wheelie nice day...

Milky oil is a greater danger to your engine than to your clutch... Milky oil significantly reduces the lubricating properties of the engine oil, leading to increased friction and wear and tear on engine components. This can lead to: Engine overheating: Without proper lubrication and cooling, the engine can overheat. Corrosion: Moisture in the oil can lead to rust and corrosion of engine parts. Clogged passageways: The thickened, contaminated oil can clog lubrication pathways, preventing proper oil circulation. Potential Engine Failure: Ignoring milky oil can result in serious engine damage and even complete engine failure. More likely the cause of Condensation is short trips or riding in cold, when the coolant operates below 180ºF... also humid weather can cause condensation to build up inside the engine, which can then mix with the oil.