RS lugging, lights, forks, wheelies

["Barry Croft" <Barry_Croft@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

On the tinkling sound at around 2500 rpm .. I don't think it is lugging. I was experimenting this morning, and while genuine lugging (knocking) can just about happen if you open the throttle hard at very low revs, this tinkling sound if anything happens higher up the revs and when the engine load is lighter. To me the RS motor feels quite happy pulling from as low as 1500 rpm, with a suitably gentle right hand. I love that Sagem system! So I reckon it's the cam chain vibrating as the engine pulses pass through it's natural harmonic frequency, or something like that. My Thunderbird did it to some degree, and an older Trident I borrow occasionally sounds almost exactly the same. A characteristic of the triple lump I guess. Can anyone out there confirm this? If it is the cam chain then I haven't heard of any (Honda-style) failures!

On the issue of the 2000 European models only having one light on at a time ... I guess they may actually have a point. My first instinct was to rush out and buy the relays to get both lights working, so I can slice through the night like a laser. But it has occurrred to me before that a twin headlight bike up close can resemble a more distant car coming at you, dangerously confusing the usual poor brain-dead car driver at first (only?) glance, so perhaps the Eurocrats have it right for once. Running with both lights on dip on my old VFR certainly didn't do a thing to prevent someone pulling out right in front of me (ouch)! Also there's something to be said for the purposeful Ducati-like look of only one light on. On the other hand the RS does also have the central parking/running light, hopefully destroying any possible illusion of your being a distant car. It would also be nice to have both lights on so you can still get home when a bulb blows. Has anyone in the UK been stopped for running two lights? Or for only running one?! I bet the police don't know what's right or wrong. Does anyone have any more understanding of or comments on this safety issue?

I've turned up the front pre-load 2 turns (actually 2 on the left and 3 on the right, to balance them properly), and it's feeling better overall ... less dive on braking, and more confident cornering ... but also a little harsher over the worst of the bumpy back lanes. A compromise setting I'll see if I can live with for a while.

I've decided there's no secret to wheelies on the throttle, it's just a question of opening the throttle fast from mid-revs in a low enough gear. But athough I've tried I can't reproduce my accidental 3rd gear wheelie (uphill over bumps) on a flat level road ... so that means I need 2nd or even first gear. Now I just need the courage/stupidity/privacy to actually try it!

Barry
Yellow 00 RS


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