Brand-new Scura

[Scud]

And here's the whole bike so far. 

 

 

The next round of darkening will probably finish it off for me, and it will probably take a few weeks. Here's what I currently think needs to go for powdercoating (black, of course):

• Fork bottoms (and pre-emptive fork seal replacement)
• Alternator cover
• Sidestand (along with related bits)
• Footpegs and brackets
• Brake lever
• Shift lever
• Rear master cylinder cover (Although if a Carbon Fiber one were to appear, that would be OK)
• Passenger pegs

...and a black billet fuel filler would be nice.

 

BTW - have I mentioned that San Diego is heaven on earth for motorcycle riders?

[Scud]

This is becoming a black hole! No incoming light can escape!!! LOL

 

BTW, I hacked off my helmet lock too. Cleans up the rear subframe nicely.

 

Some shiny stuff will remain - including the red pork chops. However, Black Sabbath has been dominating my garage soundtrack since the Scura arrived. 

[Scud]

So I was trying to get the stickers off the swingarm and made a mistake. I started with "Turtle Wax Label and Sticker Remover" and a soft plastic scraper, then tried "Goof Off". It was tedious, and I damaged the finish on the swingarm.  

Then I remembered that I own a heat gun...   

 

 

The heated stickers peeled away easily and left no residue. I don't know what's in those stickers, but a piece fell on the garage floor and stuck so hard that I had to heat it again to get it off.  I hope this can save somebody else some trouble. The stickers just say stuff that's easier to read in the manual or that doing other stuff is illegal... blah, blah, blah... Heck, putting this bike in 6th gear in illegal in the US.

 

 

I'm glad I started with the lower one; the damage isn't obvious with the exhaust canister back on (and the flash made it look worse). But those bolt heads are blinding... 

[chamberlin]

Haha, I did my swingarm a few days ago as well.

 

I bought a jeep a few years ago that was plastered with stickers….I used your method #1 and made a big mess and took 4 hours.

 

On my Guzzi however, I used my Harbor Freight heat gun, and peeled them right off. I have the Quat-D exhaust, so the swingarm is 100% visible. I couldn’t stand looking at those stickers anymore. I did however take some close up pictures for reference, just in case I forget those very important warnings! 

[Scud]

I have read too much stuff and confused myself regarding fork service. 

 

On one hand the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" approach makes sense. I am happy with the suspension as is and it is not leaking (2,100 miles now). I have not measured the spring sag, but it feels OK and I am really pleased with the way the bike handles. I am a quick, but not aggressive, rider - I've never worn tires all the way to the edge on any street bike (and after 1,000 miles on the Pirellis it looks like those edges don't have anything to worry about either). I've heard plenty of people say that fork oil doesn't really need to be changed due to age - only mileage.

 

On the other hand, the manual recommends changing the fork oil at the first (break-in) service at 1,000 km (>600 miles). This is the only fluid I have not yet changed. Then there are the warnings about the age of fork seals and the reports of the recall on the Scura Ohlins seals...  

 

I took it to the dealer for the 600 mile break-in service, but they didn't change the fork oil - and when I asked about it recently, they said "just ride it."

 

I don't mind the work or the small expense for the oil and/or parts. I haven't done fork work before, but I think I can do it, even if I have to (aka get to) buy a special tool. But I hate doing stuff that's not needed. (BTW - I recognize the irony in that statement, because almost everything I've done to the bike so far was not "needed").

 

So, what's a guy to do? Advice is welcome.

[czakky]

My vote... Give your wrenches a break. As your mechanic said, just ride it! You won't hurt anything by having old fork oil. Replace it in 10k or so and in the meantime flog her.

[Baldini]

I would definitely change the fork oil.

 

Ohlins forks are fairly high maintenance. They work great but if you don't look after them they'll not, & it'll cost you longterm.

 

KB

[Scud]

OK - I'm going to keep riding it, but I'm going to change the fork oil as soon as I get the supplies in (will order ASAP). I plan on keeping this bike for a while, so changing the fluids "by the book" feels right to me.

 

Since I'm going to be in there for the oil, this would be the time to pop in some springs if needed.  So I figured I should measure the spring pre-load to see if it's already in spec for me. I used the Ohlins manuals from the Fileshare section of this forum as a guide. Here's what I found:

 

Rear Shock:

R1-R2 = 14mm. This is sag WITHOUT rider. The target is 5-15mm

R1-R3 = 30mm. This is sag WITH rider. The target is 30-40mm

My conclusion: rear spring seems OK for me.

 

Front Fork:

F1-F2 = 41mm. This is sag WITHOUT rider. The target is 25-30mm

F1-F3 = 56mm. This is sag WITH rider. The target is 35-50mm

• Action attempted based on my understanding of the Ohlins manual:  turn hex nuts on top of forks counter-clockwise 11 full rotations (out of 18 possible) to bring it within range for F1-F2.
• Intrusion of reality:  the nuts were already turned to the stop in that direction - but could be freely turned the other way (and back to the stop).
• My conclusion:  the bike does, as has been stated many times in this forum, need stiffer springs. In fact, it is impossible to set the preload within range WITHOUT the rider.

Now, I am not the kind of skilled rider that can tell exactly what is wrong with a bike's suspension, but I do know (and appreciate) better suspension when I feel it. While I am happy enough with this bike as-is for my riding style, it corners kind of like my 1981 BMW R100CS did: it rewards the smooth rider; it likes to be all settled in before the corner; it doesn't like mid-corner changes to front brake pressure. Actually, having just re-read that critique, I now think that I love the motor so much that I've been blind to her other faults... I'm willing to be happier.

 

The Ohlins manual says springs are available in .5 N/mm increments from 8.0 to 10.0. I weigh 185 lbs with all gear. Is this enough information for someone to recommend replacement springs for me?

 

If I'm going that far, may as well put new seals in too... then I can "just ride it" till the engine paint looks like the La Brea Tar Pits.

 

[Zooter]

My guess is it's actually righty-tighty and you preload by turning the clockwise direction.

[Scud]

For ease of reference, and to take the guess-work out of the equation, here are the two relevant pages of the owners manual for Öhlins road & track front fork FG 43.

 

 

 

This will be my first try at suspension work (other than removal and re-install), but given what I understand so far, I am now concerned that the stock-sprung Scura would be unsafe for two-up riding.

 

In all my reading of various posts on this topic, I've been trying to separate fact from opinion and preference. Now that I have data (which I think are correct) about my own bike, I understand the problem.

[Scud]

Springs - I was told that the original springs at front are 08701-90 (9 N/mm). I have now the 09701-10 (10 N/mm) sprigs installed (strongest available), and I use 8 mm (8 turns out of 15) spring preload. Rear shock has the original spring 1091-26/85 (85 N/mm) which is OK for me when I ride alone with 16,5 mm spring preload. I weigh with gear 210 lb.

 

I just re-read this, from the beginning of this thread. If the stock springs were 9 N/mm, then my options are only 9.5 and 10.0. I'm 25 pounds lighter (with gear) than Camn. Does 0.5 N/mm make enough of a difference for me - or should I go with 10.0 springs and less pre-load than Camn?

[Zooter]

Any chance the manual has a typo? Easy to test. It beggars belief that out of the box isn't adjustable from completely out of proscribed range.

[Baldini]

Scura forks: Turn top adjuster nut clockwise to increase spring preload. Turn nut counter-clockwise to reduce preload. Dunno what's with that manual.

 

I've seen springs listed between 7.5 & 11.0 N/mm in 0.5N/mm increments but don't know availability. I am around 210lb w gear & switched to 10 N/mm springs (would have preferred 10.5 but wasn't available).

 

Zooter - Scura springs are spec'd for light people. Have you ever noticed Italian bike jackets come w long arms & short bodies? And, apparently there is a Mediteranean foot & a N European foot dictating the shape of shoes manufactured in those areas (& no doubt throughout the world).

[Scud]

Thanks Zooter and Baldini.  I don't have a helper right now - but I measured the height at rest on the sidestand, then turned both nuts 11 turns clockwise and measured again. It increased the height by 12mm - which is enough to bring pre-load within specs. It feels like the front and rear both compress at the same rate when I sit on it - whereas before it was obvious that the front sagged a lot more. I didn't want to believe that the Öhlins manual was incorrect.

 

Time to go for a brisk test ride (40 Degrees Fahrenheit). 

[Camn]

6/2015 I took the front schocks up as far as possible (lowers the front) and compensated this partly by tightening the spring preload more. My thought was to have a possibility to lower the front even more by loosening the spring preload (I don't like the slight tendency of my Scura to wobble at speeds over 120 km/h).

Spring 10.0 N/mm
Spring preload 12 out of 15 (possible) turns (on mine). First to counterclockwise (“fully open”) as far as the nut goes and then 12 turns to clockwise (1 turn = 1 mm spring preload) 12 turns.
Front Fork (travel = 120 mm)
Free sag F1-F2 = 40mm, without rider
Ride height F1-F3 = 48mm with rider (target 35-50 mm)

So this should mean, that when 1 turn = 1 mm, I can go from (within the target ride height) 48 to 50 by tightening 2 turns (12=>14) and from 48 to 36 by loosening (12=>0) to "Zero" = the 10.0 N/mm is the right spring for me.
 
PS.
No time to go for a test ride here.. (10 - 1,4 Degrees Fahrenheit)