Rice

I like it! Was skeptical at first (as always) but I like it now. It is definitely a better way of cooling the motor. Someone with a Torocharger may want to consider this setup as well methinks. Phantom, Since you are determined to go the distance with the power theme, it may be a good idea to keep records of fuel mileage and possibly even dino results (if funds allow) before each mod. I would be very interested to know how much HP does mechanical pump require to turn.

1:21 to 1:35 Of the video they mention that the electric pump that they had designed for the Prius produces about 2% fuel efficiency compared to mechanical one. I see several pros and cons here. Pros: - about 2% more mileage/power - works only when needed - may help top end Cons: - $$$ - Packaging - weight??? - potential point of failure as it may not be as reliable as mechanical one.

Strip and polish of the rear wheel lip. It was a biatch of a job. The wheel came out looking OK, but I never cared for it that much. Plus keeping it clean was a chore. Never again.

you obviously haven't been affected by the needtotinker affliction. if the result was easy and guaranteed to work, why bother??? I have my moments... :fing02: I mostly use this site to give me inspiration to tinker. :lurk: Mostly because of my own failed attempts at sorting out handling issues (after very minor mods) and with respect to the tinkerer in question, I am genuinely wondering how the handling issues were going to be addressed given such extensive (by my meager standards) modification.

A valiant attempt made even better by the fact that you have stopped in time before reaching the point of no return. I do have a question. Assuming that you have succeeded, what is all the lengthening and raising going to do to handling? To me, handling seems like a very easy thing to screw up and a hard thing to get right.

I am impressed. Thanks for posting that. .....mentally rifling through the ol' garage for rusted parts in need of cleaning :comp13: :comp13: :comp13:

I have not used their stuff, but I used acetone to degrease the surface. It didn't really come off, but showed some yellowish hue in places and looks like it's going to come off. It doesn't look bad though and passes the 5' test. But for the amount of work put in, I'd def. not do it again.

I polished my rear wheel a while ago and it took me for ever. Don't be an idiot like me and use wire brush on the paint that didn't come off on the first try. :ohmy: Soak it with some more stripper and be patient. :warranty: By the time I was done, I was wishing that I'd never started... :fing02: But it looked OK. I even covered it with Everbrite. That was not perfect either, b/c the stuff began to come off over time. Your results may be better if you know what you're doing. Good luck!

Actually, in my case it is 3 fingers. Only the pinky hangs off. Gosh, I hope we're sill talking about levers :comp13: :warranty:

I was really concerned about the short clutch lever because my commute used to be stop and go traffic up the FDR. While I found it far more comfortable to use two fingers only, instead of my whole hand, I still found far less fatigue in my hand with the short lever. It seems to require a lot less force to pull in. YMMV You don't 'stop and go' on FDR. You squeeeeeze and go :warranty: Of course this advise is coming from me, so take it with a grain of salt :comp13:

I got short ones and it did take a while to get used to. Esp. the clutch side. Some people buy a shorty right and regular left.

I think that the idea is worth exploring. There is definitely an issue to be addressed as I seem to be looking more in the RV mirror than in front when I get on the brakes while driving bike and cage. Having said that, I think that there is a better, non-technical solution to this issue as was so "obsessively" :beer: :fing02: outlined by Trace.

Freudian slip? :fing02: :beer: :blush:

+1 Brakes are cheap and VERY effective at slowing you down. Use them. I mostly do hard engine braking when I'm approaching a twisty turn and want to be in the right gear for the exit. While commuting, I am simply using my brakes and downshift to match the speed only.

Unless you install correct reflector, they will blind the oncoming traffic. This is the reason why I've never installed them on mine before. Now it's too late. However, Jason (tinyminds) said that he used some bracket to make a cut-off and his don't blind? I don't recall exactly.

Removing that hose (if equipped with a drain hose in hand) takes about 1 minute, and saves a ton of headaches...I would suggest removing them both, but natually there is more than one way to skin a cat (I prefer Duct Tape and Gasoline....) I bought both, but the rear is quiet so I saved that one for future install...although next time I am going to try increasing the tension by 1-2 turns to see what it does. Now that I know the process is a 1 hour job at best, it isn't so daunting to put the old part back in. Good post, TW. Just to add a little tidbit from personal experience. If you do nothing else right, these three things MUST be done. 1 - Don't be a lazy bestid and remove that hose. 2 - The CCT CAN be removed w/o the little key. BUT Don't be a lazy bestid and use the key 3 - You could tighten the two CCT bolts by hand, BUT Don't be a lazy bestid and use the torque wrench. Following these simple instructions will prevent a lot of gray hairs and you wouldn't have to post topics titled "Oooopppsss!!!" Ask me how I know :blush: :dry: :rolleyes: :ph34r:

Glad to hear you're OK! You've GOTTA rebuild that bike. It's like the poster boy of VFRD! Heal quick. Both of ya.

One would use his/hers seatofthepants-o-meter. This nifty gadget worked for me w/o fail so far. Never used a torque wrench. No problem.

Nice! How's she turning? How is comfort? Inquiring minds want to know.

JD - But it's his job... :cool:

Larry, Care to take pity on us, mortals and provide scale? I could come up with some ideas if I knew how big this thig was. Looks like a flag holder that attaches to the fork tube? :cool: :cool:

Red, As an IT manager working for an investment bank, I know how you feel, as being made redundant is the damokles sword that hangs over all of us in this economy. Glad you've got something else lined up. Yeah, I'm a selfish bestige - I crave more progress on your build :fing02: :biggrin: :fing02: It also amases me how you manage to find the time to do all this having the family and all. It takes me 3 month just to change my oil and fill tires with air... Best of luck and keep'em updates comin!

Nice read! Thanks for sharing. While you were listing your gear, I couldn't help thinking "Boy, I sure am glad I didn't go..." I only have heated grips, summer gloves and ski pants for protection. Not much good for anything over an hour. if you were cold in all that... I prolly woulda died :rolleyes: P.S. Reading about the abandoned cave reminds me of exploring catacomb system under my home town. It was huge, dark, dangerous and probably some of the most scary/exciting/fun things I've ever done.