Pressureangle

I like the honesty there; 'as for (singletrack) don't ruin these MotoGuzzis (they don't belong there)' Overall, great review and comparison. I've been eyeballing V85TTs since last summer, and @Bill Hagan's pretty example at Tellico. The '04 BMW GS is an act of desperation to turn around on a service road and more than just a handful on singletrack. The MG would be a great replacement, giving my usage and abilities.

Ah, that's a RFVH? I was thinking of the parallel valve 500 Ascot motor. Still, if I had a hangar for storage, I'd have one.

needle bearing cam...mmm smooth. White Brothers used to make a billet clutch basket for these, as the ears tend to crack; otherwise everyone touched a groove on the outer ends of the fingers and fixed a steel or aluminum band. Wut else... It'll swallow a 44mm carb if you don't ride much under 3000rpms. plenty room for bigger intake valves, compression up to 13:1 pistons, Falicon can do the cranks in their sleep and make them indestructible. You probably don't ride it like that tho, eh? lol I miss that engine, a lot.

And through it all, The Beatles.

This is entering the realm of philosophy. I drilled the rubbers in my '85 LeMans. I did not drill the rubbers in my '97 Sport. I noticed zero difference. The question becomes, 'how much cushion is necessary to save the metal, where is the point of diminishing returns?' My personal opinion is that the factory cushions are perfectly adequate for their purpose, and most or all of the worn splines are due to lack of maintenance rather than impact. My $0.02.

I used generic GE silicone grease and it's just fine. Somebody will have to make an argument that Japanese silicone is better than American before I go hunting to pay more. As stated upthread a decade and a half ago, just give them a very light coating or you'll wonder how long it will take before coming home with a clean wheel. The answer in my case was ~3k miles.

Looks brand new! I'm a bit ashamed.

I had a Cousin who worked for US Customs in Detroit- she caught 3 rail boxcars full of counterfeit product, mostly Harley-Davidson. I can't find it in my saved sites, but I once ran across a Chinese website advertising- *advertising*- counterfeit OEM packaging. Boxes, printing, documentation, everything. And that was at least a decade ago.

Just an update, really, since I don't know anyone who thinks it's merely a conspiracy anymore. I ran across this thread on ADV rider, about fake fuses- there are a number of good videos about fuses and NGK spark plug fakes. Worthy. https://advrider.com/f/threads/fake-fuses-out-there-might-want-to-watch-it.1769493/

It's easy to forget that India was a very large part of the English Empire and many Indians still think of themselves as part of England, in a way. Many of their leaders, in every realm, were educated in England and these marques are as much a part of their sentimentality as they are ours, actually probably a lot more.

Ah, 2 strokes. I cut my teeth (and my lips on my teeth) on a Yamaha MX360 flat track racer, later a Bultaco Astro 250. I was much happier later on a Honda XL350 4 stroke. More to do with my talent than horsepower. I had a '75 Kawasaki 500 triple. Matched ports, expansion chambers, K&N shocks, dual discs. I rode the wheels off it. Rewarded me with a broken collarbone at about 40mph. Replaced the 500 engine with a 750 and found on the first ride why the 750 frame was much longer. Insanity. I rode it maybe 300 miles and sold it to someone I didn't know who couldn't live without it. Never saw it or him again so he may have got his wish. Watching the old 500GP riders lament the 2 stroke days...I get it. Though they never disparage the new bikes or the riders on them, you can tell that they know in their hearts these kids couldn't keep up on those old bikes. Or what racing could be like with light 200hp electronically controlled 2-strokes.

A conundrum. Personally, I have to be 'in the mood' to ride any particular motorcycle, and I just can't see myself in the mood to ride that Kawi. But then I still have a very soft spot for Iron Sportsters, too.

I have high hopes for BSA, their models have the right look and with the resources of Mahindra behind them will have no cash flow problems. Considering the success of Royal Enfield and the competitive nature of Indian corporate philosophy, BSA should become a viable marque and handsome motorcycles.

Did you watch the video? The car on the front is only their test mule.