belfastguzzi

There's a new website here dedicated to the Armoy Armada http://www.armoyarmada.com/#/1_home/ It's unfinished, so not all the content is there. It goes with a guided tour of the area. Halcyon days: the Armoy Armada and the Dromara Destroyers.

There is live streaming on the BBC website of Tuesday night practice. http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/nw200.../coverage.shtml Michael Rutter on the Ducati: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/nw200...ml?v=rutter_new

What happened? I'll be traveling the opposite direction to you on both days. I might try to listen to Radio Ulster on Saturday, when out and about in Scotland. As I said in another thread, it's going to be strange going against the tide: rolling onto the boat when masses of bikes are rolling off. Chris Jessop had said that he's coming over for the races. Look out for his green V.11, or maybe a Breva. Have you looked at the BBC site that I pointed to in the other thread? http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/nw200/

I thought only a DeLorean could do that.

That's what I'm wondering. The article seems to say so – at least outside of USA....???? The article is from the Penrite UK website: http://www.penriteoil.com/uk/nextpage.php?...20Engine%20Oils

I've looked up Penrite, 'cos P.R. uses this. He has a 10W-70! I associate Penrite with old classics. I don't see the 10w-70: maybe it hasn't made it to the UK yet. There is the following info though. Looks like it's saying that the 50/60/70 oils do have higher phosphorous, because the limit only applies to the lower number weight range? – OUTSIDE of USA anyway– I read similar elsewhere. The 10W-70 is an SM. Note the classification: ACEA A2/A3 with B2/B3 or B4 performance levels. So maybe, in Europe, Australia..., SL and SM are good, if they show ACEA A2/A3 with B2/B3 or B4? Hmm... >> There have been a number of articles and we have heard comments from various “expert” commentators regarding the more recent API specifications and their impact on older petrol engined vehicles. Unfortunately there is a lot of mis-information out there and also contradictory information as to what can and cannot be used in older vehicles. The focus has been on zinc, or more correctly, ZDTP (zinc di-thiophosphate). For many years this has been the anti wear additive of choice as it is the most cost effective (and one of the most effective) chemistry to use. Also incorrectly described as an extreme pressure additive, its primary role is to prevent wear in the rings and in the valve train (cams, tappets, valve stems etc) of the engine. When you add ZDTP you also add phosphorus. This is a catalyst poison and there have been limits on it since the days of API SH (1994) when a 0.12% limit was imposed. Prior to that, in the days of API SG (1989) many manufacturers already had put a 0.10% limit on phosphorus. So, “low” phosphorus has been with us for quite some time. In effect, an engine oil that contains about 0.1% phosphorus or higher, will easily provide the required anti wear properties for older engines and in fact ones at around 0.07% will do the job very nicely. As a rule of thumb, zinc content is about 10% higher than the phosphorus content but there are some variances occasioanally. Within these changes was the incorporation of friction modifiers. The early ones were very active and did cause oil consumption in older engines. These days, technology is well advanced and this no longer is the case. Now we have API SM – for the first time, the limit on phosphorus is from 0.06-0.08%. There are industry concerns about the applicability of these oils in older engines. However, the limit only applies to 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-20, 5W-30 and 10W-30 oils (so called “ILSAC” grades, GF-4). Any other grades are exempt from this. In the US though the same additive tends to get used all the way from 0W-20 to 20W-50 as as a result, the new low phosphorus SM/GF-4 packs find their way into older engines. This is why many of the "beware of no zinc" papers and articles are coming from the US. There is one other factor with non-ILSAC oil grades. If they also have the European ACEA A2/A3 with B2/B3 or B4 performance levels, phosphorus levels will also be at 0.10 % to 0.12% as their tests have been more severe than the API for some time. Hence an oil that is SL (SM)/CF/A3/B3 also well exceeds the anti-wear requirements for older engines. The irony is that API SF and SG oils formulated in recent years usually have phosphorus contents of around 0.08% (usually 0.1% maximum) anyway due to other advances in technology, unless the blender chooses to add extra additive. This brings us to diesel oils. Currently, they have no phosphorus limits – as such many people recommend them for older cars, even though many others say that the detergent levels are too high and the engine will use oil. Well, you cannot have it both ways. This one originated from the USA and hence did not take into account European ACEA standard petrol engine oils, which are easy to find in Australia, NZ and Europe, but a lot harder to find in North America.

There is a recent thread where Greg explains the necessity of SG oil. I can't find it. Doing a search for any particular oil thread is a bit like looking for a little black thing in a dirty oil sump. This one will have to do. Where have people found SG oil in the UK? 10w-60 is the stuff that the Griso uses. AGIP does Racing 10-60 SG – if you can find it. In the thread that I was looking for, Grossohc said that he was going to Halfords for SG(?) at a more reasonable price. I did have Halfords synthetic, SG rated, so I went there this afternoon to get some more. Of course, it's SJ now! Their oils are all SJ or SL. There was nothing at SG. There were no 10w-60s either. I see on the web there is a Castrol R4 Superbike 10w-50 fully synthetic 4 stroke motorcycle engine oil, API SG, JASO MA. So, what SG oils have people found, that are generally available? Any 10w-60 stuff?

That'll put hair on your chest.

Name dropper. But are you sure it wasn't just a big hairy monkey?

Ralph Werner

No. You're on your own there Guzzirider.

Which bit do you mean is sealed? The connection at the end of the lead? Is that not just a rubber boot that rolls back and you pull the lead out of the socket as normal?

Made for each other. Beefcake X 2

Here: Aaarghhhhhhhhh

The power of auto-suggestion! The Rider of the Month thread has driven Antonio berserk! You'll end-up with a 60" chest yet, Antonio. And 6 bellies.

Average weight of an athletic Italian rider maybe.

Usually this is hidden behind the fairing in pics

Number 1:

I think that you could win MORE THAN twice.

Were they in fairly constant use for that 15k period, or to put it the other way, the bike wasn't sitting unused for a couple of months? What about the bikes that are off the road over the winter period? There must be some of them with Ohlins. Looks like this is going to remain as another one of 'the mysteries'.

You are still worth – even if you don't have a 60 inch chest. Anyway, we need more pictures. Rider Of The Month contenders. Drink more Hein, think more thoughts – and it could be you, Antonio.

Filled to the correct level, of course. The down time here (and I think Baldini also) was much more than 3 weeks. Just another by the by. The Ohlins specialist that I spoke to knew that the seals don't last, particularly the original ones (you must still have the originals, or did you change?). That was his professional experience. He had found the replacement double-lip seals to be an improvement. It's just that neither Baldini nor I and possibly others, found that to be the case. They still give up in a relatively short time.

Ahh. I see that this subject was raised again just recently in the 'Hard hitting forks' thread. I've kind-of repeated it. Well, it highlights that it would be useful to have this subject cleaned-up and knocked into a more permanent, definitive post on one of the tech. forums. If not that, even a post with relevant links to previous threads and the external links that Ratchet has given.

I don't believe so. I know that I maintained, flushed out, refilled my forks very carefully – and looked after them with cleaning and and greasing. The tube surface is all good. Baldini has suffered the same thing with regularity and again, I know that his have been looked after. The seals aren't what I would call 'blown'. It's just that they started leaking, again. The second fork tube's seal went within a week or so of the first. The only common denominator that can be identified is that the bikes sat for a while without being used. The conclusion would be that these seals, which may be more biased to track use and regular changing, don't cope well with any laying-up. They possibly dry very easily – and then leak. They need to be kept working. ?

Urban Guerrilla Motorcycle riding tips for in the city writer: Nick Ienatsch This article was originally published in the August 1995 issue of Sport Rider. Ten years ago I signed on at Motorcyclist magazine and began commuting to work on a motorcycle over the busiest freeways and streets of Los Angeles. In those 10 years of commuting, two staff members had commuting accidents, neither of which caused significant damage or pain. That's five to seven editors riding to work every working day for 10 years. If we were the survey panel, the conclusion would be that commuting on a motorcycle is an extremely safe way to get to work. And with the proper skills, it can be. Experience is a great teacher, but an often painful one. To help shortcut experience, we've compiled five basic steps to existing in traffic to help get commuters out of their cars and onto motorcycles. You'll save time (one of the few nonreplenishable resources we have!) and reduce parking problems, and your work day will begin and end with less stress and more pleasure. One thing we know for sure: That sport bike in your garage isn't just for Sunday mornings. URBAN GUERRILLA STEP ONE: TRUST NO ONE This missing mirror lens blinds the driver to your presence until you are alongside and is a detail you must learn to automatically recognize and avoid as you scan traffic. Learn to rely on one person, and one person only: yourself. Be paranoid. When you see a dented, dirty or neglected car, be especially paranoid. Dents are a rolling history of mistakes, and you don't want to be involved. Dirt and neglect show disinterest, and that disinterest probably bleeds into their driving as well. Experience has taught us to watch for particular car types in addition to neglected cars. Volvo works hard to promote the safety of its cars, and that means some owners of Volvos buy them because they know they're going to be in an accident. Sure, it's an unfair generalization of Volvo owners, but it's an observation made after a decade in Los Angeles. Watch for minivans. They're usually purchased to carry the kids, so the driver is often dealing with much more than the road. Beware of high-performance cars in a hurry; a modern car can accelerate and change lanes surprisingly quickly, so give them room if they're driving aggressively. Give four-wheel drive pickups some room because (another unfair generalization) they're often driven by aggressive young men who believe that might makes right. What car types can you trust? None. URBAN GUERRILLA STEP TWO: AVOID BLIND SPOTS How other drivers interpret your actions has a great deal to do with urban riding skill. If this rider uses his turn signal to show his intention to make a right turn on the upcoming street, the Volkswagen driver exiting the 7-Eleven may assume the rider is pulling into the 7-Eleven and mistakenly accelerate directly into the bike's path. In this case, the rider must stay in the left side of the right lane and signal his right turn immediately before the street-and keep a close eye on the VW. If one thought rules your urban riding, let it be this: Stay out of blind spots. If you can't see the driver's face in the car's mirror, that driver can't see you and you simply don't exist. Place blind-spot avoidance on top of your priority list for urban survival. Use acceleration, deceleration and lane position to "ride in the mirrors" of the cars around you. Develop a blind-spot warning buzzer that blares every time you approach a blind spot. The Highway Patrol teaches its riders to constantly move through traffic, to ride slightly (slightly!) faster than traffic and move through blind spots rather than sitting in them. Good advice. Of course, just because you're riding in the mirrors of a car doesn't mean that driver will use that mirror before changing lanes into you. Position yourself so that if the driver fails to see you in the mirror, you still aren't in danger of getting tagged. You will know when you're riding well and staying clear of blind spots because you are no longer using your horn to warn encroaching drivers of your presence; they've already seen you in the mirror, alongside or ahead. In fact, our response to "loud pipes save lives" is "get out of the blind spot." URBAN GUERRILLA STEP THREE: BE DEFENSIVE, BE AGGRESSIVE By predicting this car's last-second freeway flop, this rider has made plenty of room for the expected mistake. Avoid passing on the right, and never pass immediately before a freeway exit, intersection or driveway; give the driver a chance to drive poorly without your involvement. Accelerate ahead or fall behind. Combining defensive tactics and aggressive riding will create a riding portfolio that will weather any storm. The secret is knowing when to use each of the tactics. After all, blasting aggressively down Main Street is an open invitation for trouble. Conversely, creeping slowly down Main Street invites different but still deadly trouble, putting you at the mercy of other drivers' skills-or lack thereof. Defensive riding means being aware of your space and maintaining that space by positioning yourself in surrounding traffic. Riding defensively is a way of looking at traffic to predict its effect on you, and making sure that effect is minimal. Riding aggressively is much less a way of riding than an applied technique to be exercised only occasionally. As motorcyclists, we must put ourselves in view, and sometimes that means a bit of aggressive throttle use to come up even with a driver's window. Simply put, sometimes slowing down is extremely dangerous and some aggressive acceleration or lane changing is called for. Correct lane positioning will allow you to be seen and keep you away from danger. This rider approaches the cab in the right side of his lane so the cab driver will see him in the cab's mirrors. As the rider approaches the cab's blind spot, he moves left to gain valuable space in case of a sudden lane change. Create your own traffic destiny. Put yourself in a position with an escape route if your worst-case predictions come true. Look for traffic patterns and try to move through traffic, rather than sit within a knot of traffic. The time you become lethargic will be the time somebody parks a Suburban in your lap at 60 mph. URBAN GUERRILLA STEP FOUR: MAKE ROOM FOR OTHERS' MISTAKES In case you haven't noticed, drivers make mistakes. Dozens of them, from no turn signal to last-minute freeway exits to locked brakes at a yellow light to-well, how long a list do you need? America's current driver's training programs aren't going to correct America's drivers in the foreseeable future, so the secret is to plan on and predict the mistakes and make sure you're not affected. In other words, give 'em room to screw up. A car's blind spot varies according to the vehicle, mirror size and mirror adjustment. Anytime you're parallel to a car, truck or van, you're in the most dangerous spot on the road. Learn to move through this Death Spot aggressively; don't ride in a blind spot, even for a few seconds. Understand this: You won't change the mistakes being made out there, but by recognizing and giving them room to happen, you won't be negatively affected by them either. There's no reason to get upset, violent, aggressive or reactionary; once you begin to make room for mistakes, it becomes almost humorous to watch the stupidity around you because you will no longer be taken by surprise or put in danger. URBAN GUERRILLA STEP FIVE: SLOW DOWN IN TOWN Speed itself doesn't kill, but it sure makes those sudden stops painful. Basically, too much speed makes us unreadable. The car driver looks down the street, sees a headlight approaching at what he guesses to be the speed limit, and proceeds through the intersection. Unfortunately, the bike is doing double the speed limit and slams into the side of the car. Whose fault is it? Not the car driver's. Slow down to be seen; slow down to avoid being misread. An ugly chain reaction can be started when a car squeezes into the right lane of a crowded freeway, and you'll be affected if you don't take action. Predict possible outcomes and place yourself safely in surrounding traffic. Often that means safely accelerating ahead of the mess. Slowing down allows you to stop before becoming involved in someone else's mistake. Even if you're the Kevin Schwantz of braking, it takes more distance to stop a bike from 50 mph than it does from 30 mph; that extra distance usually isn't available to urban guerrillas. Slowing down gives your brain a chance to notice things and more time to react. Your peripheral vision widens and you relax enough to read and predict traffic. Try walking down the supermarket aisle and reading labels, then try running down the same aisle. Now imagine all those soup cans are about to jump into your path and you'll see how slowing down affects your perception. There are plenty of places to go fast, but in and around traffic isn't one of them. If you can't slow down in town, put me in your will. URBAN GUERRILLA BONUS STEP: PRACTICE Intersections are our toughest challenges. This rider is moving into the right side of his lane to gain and give the most unobstructed view possible, a good idea since the car waiting to turn left is all but blinded by the UPS truck. Slow down, cover your brakes, and use your lane to position yourself for maximum conspicuity. When everything goes wrong and the above five steps fail to keep you in safety's arms, you'd better be a good motorcycle rider. Get to an empty parking lot and practice braking; take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced RiderCourse. Experiment with flicking lane changes. Become intimately familiar with the effects of countersteering, experimenting with differing pressures on the handgrips. Practice quick glances in the mirrors and hurried looks over your shoulder, as if you were initiating an emergency lane change. Use your turn signals in all conditions so that you'll remember to cancel them when things get stressful. Know the route you and your neighborhood commuters take on the way to the freeway and study the mistakes being made; when you're not on your bike, watch traffic patterns and instances that would get a rider in trouble. All this is practice, and it's just as important for the urban guerrilla as it is for the expert-level roadracer. You can't win a trophy with your commuting prowess, but you can step out of the car or bus and add two irreplaceable things to your life: time and enjoyment.