850R - Non start after storage

[DrFarkoff]

Owen try Pirelli ST angel Very grippy all weathers

Not to Bad pricewise

If you can find a suitable tyre in the Heidenau range I'd be looking for them they are great tyres

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Thanks doc. Had enough of the Metzler roadtecs. No confidence in the wet with them.

 

[ghiribizzo]

It's Pirelli ST Angel that are on mine. As the Dr. said. I'd rather thought Pirelli's were ideal in hotter climes but would be too hard here. No worries with them and an 850R will not overstress them. Just decided to go all Conti this time!

 

[Bendy toy]

I've a set of Conti Road Attacks to go on my R - once the gearbox is back in...

I had them on my Diversiojn 900 (similar weight & power). It handled amazingly for 3,500 miles then the rear tyre squared off and became a horror to use. It was still legal but quite nasty. IMHO, not good on a heavy bike.

I found Maxxis Super Max touring tyres were really great. Good grip and good tread life. I dont know if they are dual compound but certainly seemed to wear as if they are. The rear lasted 8000 and the front was still loads to offer with 15000 under it. Those were the best wear rates I ever had and with no obvious performance penalty.

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

It's actually the complete lack of steering damper I find difficult. The front just falls into corners (in a bad way) without one.

I might check out some angels for the summer.

Is the non starter started yet? You had ALL weekend!

 

[DrFarkoff]

Owen a steering damper only works when the wheels starts to shimmy in a tank slapper, damping increases with acceleration of the wheel turning across the frame


You have a tyre pressure problem or a bad wear pattern or tyre on incorrectly

Or loose back end paralever bearings or big nearing

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Mmm. Your the expert but big rear wheel and small front? Bike is ok at speed but at low speed the front has a mind of its own. I might take a spin up to you when I get new tyres. More for you to go for a spin than wrenching. If your down in Dublin will ya give me a holler? It's ruining the ride for me and felt much better before the steering damper popped its seals. Oh, and yes a GS would be much better but their silly money when your pinched in the finance department.

I'll get the bearings checked out. Think my tyre pressures are fine.

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Put another way, the damper always offered a little resistance when counter steering. With the damper removed it handles noticeably differently. Tipping it into a corner is a little dramatic without! I know I bucking common wisdom here and I will look for the other reasons you mentioned.

It's a feck'n heavy lump isn't it!

 

[richierex]

Tyres, Dunlop Roadsmart. never wear out. Metzeler Z6 excellent. Pirelli Diablo Strada, never wear out and dont flat spot in the middle. Did 5,000 touring miles on a set and still looked good for a few K more

I dont think its the regulator, blowing down the pipes proves nothing unless you can blow at 35lb pressure

 

[richierex]

It's actually the complete lack of steering damper I find difficult. The front just falls into corners (in a bad way) without one.

I might check out some angels for the summer.

Is the non starter started yet? You had ALL weekend!

Its not the damper, the damper was only fitted to the R model because the rider is sat bolt upright and this takes some of the load from the front wheel and may in certain circumstances cause a shimmy. The GS seems to do without although to be fair, it was probably not expected to go as fast on the road. I dont think the 1150R has a damper.

Try tyre pressures, a flat front will make it fall into turns, as will not using any power, is it normal to power through a turn, I seem to remember being taught that but its a long time ago.

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Thanks for the tips. I got to the bottom of it. About five things needed tweaking. Tyres were under inflated. Air pressure gauge in the bin. Better one ordered. Tried 36 rear 32 front. Still fell into turns but not as much. Put 42 rear 36 in and it improved a lot. Still not right though. Checked bearings in the rear. Dropped the oil on the final drive. No bits. Nice colour. Replaced. Did the checks well documented in this site and no play on the big bearing but did find play on the taper roller bearing. I only tightened that a few thousand miles ago. Hope it's not on the way out. Handling improved a little. Then looked at the suspension. After about 10 laps of a route I know with flat bits, bumpy bits. Twisties, I ironed out the problems. Rebound was too high. It was running a bit wide on corners and packing down on the crappy Dublin roads, so I kept reducing the damping click by click and its now well below what wilbers recommended but turns nice and tracks along the road nicely. Handles much better at low speed and I've a lot more confidence filtering on uneven surfaces. Last problem was the shock bottoming out when I hit speed ramps so i increased the preload a little more.

You know what? I now agree, it doesn't need a steering damper! Thanks for the help and explanations lads. Much appreciated. Took a picture earlier. Here it is!

 

[DrFarkoff]

Rough Guide post 15 on Owen LINKY

Although Wilbers have different dials and knobs the principal is the same

It's important to know what the spring rating is that has been fitted on an after market shock

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Interesting. Wilbers suggested 10-12 clicks rebound (22 available) I ended up settling on 7 clicks. I suppose they were talking about ideal roads but the roads i go on were making the shock pack down at factory settings.

As for the preload, I've got it set about three or four clicks above its base setting. That tallies quite well with what you were saying in the linky. Not sure what rating spring is in the shock.

Really is amazing how much of a difference it makes. End result, I'm heading out for a long spin Saturday. I've got confidence the way it's setup now and (shame of it) it'll be my first decent day long spin since I sold the GSA. It's taken a lot of work getting my head round how this all works and honestly couldn't have done or worked all this out by myself. I haven't achieved enlightenment yet but I'm hoping to come home Saturday eve with the final pieces in place. And, ill check my tyre pressures!!!! Thanks.

 

[ghiribizzo]

Good that it's working out now. It's worth pointing out though, that anyone used to a GS or RT that hasn't ridden an 850/1100 R would be in for a surprise at 10-12 mph as you make a tight turn on a perfectly smooth road. It'll just flop in and the amount of counter steering needed to stay upright is surprising.
Anyway - new tyres next time out for me. That'll no doubt change things again.

 

[Raven]

Just to finish this off - And thanks for all the help / advice.

The final outcome was the fuel pump. Was delivering fuel but no-where near the pressure required.

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Doubt it helps defray the cost but my starter is noises as hell. So cranky in the damp the 850r. well, mine is. I would use a capital there but I'm using a phone on ...