AllanB

On 06/01/2018 at 12:12 PM, kelboy said:

I  had a encounter with a monatar lizard on the wifes click ,not too much damage  to me or the bike as I landed on top of the Lizard. Only hurt my pride 555.

Starting a new sport Kelboy? Monitor lizard riding, sounds interesting, how long did you stay on, nothing to be ashamed of in that.

Many years ago we were green laning on our Honda Wave and met this big dog guarding his house territory who was running to greet up with a mouth full of sharp teeth showing. Too late to U turn, I opened up the throttle and rode straight at him, at the last moment I put my boot in his face and connected. So well it hurt my foot.

The few seconds he was stunned for, was just enough time to get the flock outer there, I was praying we were not going to meet a dead end. That put me off green laning for a while. 

I always wear shoes when riding, but MrsB was wearing slip ons at that time and still hasn't learned the lesson of the lucky escape that day.

Have had a few more dog encounters since, bit on a tarmac road the escape is easier. Still puts the shits up me, especially with a pillion.

Interesting, the instructions on my jet kit really dramatically fuel levels.

First they say lift the needles with two spacers, I could only fit one in and get the clip back on.

Next the front cylinder goes one jet size up and the rear 3 jet sizes up, so 2 sizes difference between front and rear.

These are the start points they recommend, we shall see, but it should stop the popping.

Curiously they also recommend altering the float levels to weaken/strengthen the mixture, surely that is a fixed level for the bike. I am not going down that road.

They also suggest clipping the needle lift springs to get a faster throttle response, again, not for me.

It is now January 6th and no sign of 91gasahol disappearing.

I don't know where you get the idea that a bike designed to run on 91 won't run on 95, it is essentially the same fuel, the reason you use 91 is that the low compression engines are unable to take advantage of the higher octane levels. On the other hand running on a lower octane level than design, will restrict performance and even damage the engine.

The ethanol levels can be a problem on older bikes, but newer bikes sold here are designed to run on most fuels available here.

Politically, abolishing 91 gasahol will be seen as a dig at the poor. 98% of the bikes on the roads here run on the fuel they now want to get rid of, it is madness.

On 31/12/2017 at 10:05 PM, VocalNeal said:

On air-cooled V twins the rear cylinder runs a bit hotter than the front but on a water cooled motor they should both run the same. So no difference. 

That being said on multi cylinder engines certain cylinders run differently to others because of  water jacket design. 

 

Your Shadow is hardly high tuned and running on the edge. Find a Shadow forum and have a look. 400cc is a Japanese taxation class so may not be hugely popular in other countries? 

 

As has been suggested do plug chops to verify.

 

Happy New Year. I'm off to the pub.

Sobered up yet, trust you had a good time, happy new year to you?

My NV400 looks pretty much the same as the VT500 Shadow, sold in the USA and the jet kit I bought is specifically for the NV400, which, as you rightly say, is a Jap home market only bike. The kit contains only one of each jet size on the basis that front and rear are different.

I currently have two jets of the same size and there is evidence of it being lean on the rear pot, however, that may be down to poor float chamber levels, now correct. Plus the air-box and baffle bodges over the years.

I think I will start on the rich side, one up on front, two up on the rear, as it is easier to read a rich plug (sooty) than a lean one.

Been following the Shane Conley practice, including documentation, as everything has been messed around with. Useful guy for the amateur.

5 hours ago, papa al said:

1. experiment with jetting is the way grasshopper.

[plug inspection.]

2. vent the crankcase by tube to chain to about-lube it.

1. I guess the tuning companies assume different front and back, as they only give you one main jet of each size. Upon inspection, not much in this kit for the money.

2. Good idea, except the bike is shaft drive, may just put the crap in a bottle and drain once in a while.

On 29/12/2017 at 6:52 PM, Agusts said:

I rode Wave many moons ago, the semi-autos are fun except downshifting as you said, I found the best is to delay the downshift way way later than you do with bikes with clutch, because with clutch you can control it a lot better.... stay in higher gear until you almost stop or want to accelerate again... 

I have to say I now ride the Wave very badly and often find myself in the wrong gear, being used to a scooter or a "performance bike". Having that 4th to neutral facility makes me think "well I going to stop soon" and it is quite forgiving if you are just poodling around. 

My 400cc v-twin Shadow is liquid cooled, so I figured same front and rear in terms of jet sizing, but heard people say that you still need a larger jet on the rear carb. What do you guys think?

Just looking for a start point with the jet kit I bought, bearing in mind my air-box and baffles are non-standard, for want of a better description.

Any advice on what can be done with the crankcase breather "recycle the crap" system. The bike is a 1983.

On 29/12/2017 at 10:22 PM, papa al said:

If not already fitted, weighted bar-ends mitigate resonance.

Tire balancing beads smooth things out too.

Thanks, it really isn't that bad, although as others have mentioned, there is a bad-ish band around 4500rpm, but I tend to ride through that, 80kph which I tend to sit on is at 5000rpm. If I am on a hill I tend to drop down, bearing in mind we are two up and about 5kg of luggage.

Not sure that much is coming from the tyres, it all seems rpm related and if there were, not much can done with nobblies. It is strange, put nobblies on, say a Landrover and the noise is really horrible, especially at really low speeds, you can feel every nobble as it strikes the road, yet on a bike is makes no difference to the noise/ride.

10 hours ago, canthai55 said:

 

Power of the bike has SFA to do with it. The speed you travel does. And the weight of the machine you are trying to stop.

Low powered Wave with a 120kg rider - and your significant other, 4 bags of shopping hanging from the handlebars while the passenger carries another two. Do the math.

Disc front brake will always win, every time, in every situation. Barring travel 24/7 at 10 kph

I don't know how to "do the math" please explain the formula I should use for disc versus drum on a Wave? 

Who has 4 bags on the handlebars and weighs 120kg, where are getting this information from?

Travelling 24/7 at 10kph, who does that and how do they stay awake?

Sorry mate you lost me.....anyway happy new year and safe riding.

My last posting was to be my last posting but we did a bit of a road trip and thought I would share my findings.

First of all loading ramps, couldn't afford two folding ramps, so settled for 2 hardwood planks. My driveway has a ramp, so half the tailgate loading height is lost and the gentle slope was no problem, walking up the other. There were a few similar ramps and steps available at the other end for similarly easy unloading. MrsB can drive the truck if we have to travel a few kms to find a suitable unloading place, so no problem. I remember the hotel in Trat we didn't even need a plank, just backed up to a step.

The home made luggage system worked perfectly with no movement at all at speeds up to 100kph, not sure about about the looks, but anyway.

There was a bit of a buzz on the CRF handlebars, but managed to buy a pair of rubber grips that slid (with a bit of soap) over the existing ones for a couple of hundred baht and with leather gloves, that is not a problem any more, bigger diameter too for my Pat Jennings hands.

I am starting to get used to the rough engine running, which is still slowly getting better and towards the end of the trip started to enjoy the ride, with lovely slick gearchanging and ample power for 80kph riding.

My homemade seatcover isn't quite right (Major Bumsore), but I haven't done too much riding of late, so that might be down to soft living.

So looking forward to the next longer roadtrip, hopefully to Cambodia.

PS. Or one carrying tip I learned, "use plenty of straps". With the Lifan on the back of my truck, I had used 4 straps, 2 ratchet and 2 cambuckles and spent a lot of time messing around tightening and rejigging en-route. The CRF being heavier I used the lot, and had 10 support strands on the bike and nothing moved at all during the entire 900km round trip.

12 hours ago, canthai55 said:

2017 - 18 almost - and you would consider drum brakes ??? For the rear OK, but disc in the front - always.

Looking Retro is OK - why would you want Retro performance ?

BIL just bought a Dream - I asked him why ?  He said Wave disc front brake too powerful !

Learn to ride.

What is wrong with drum brakes on a low power/speed bike?

The problem with a front disc brake is that the disc/pad is dry while the road/tyre is wet, so lock up is easier. This is a back up bike not the daily street racer, a bike that may be ridden by anyone, experienced or not.

Why not make life easy, aren't there enough hazards on Thai roads to cope with?

Never had one incident on the Wave, neither has the Mrs or anyone else who has borrowed it.

As a production engineer I have a rather controversial theory.. resulting in "don't buy stuff in Thailand".

A multinational company knows that if there is a problem with a product in, say, the UK, the consumer protection act demands that the offending item is replaced or money refunded and that the manufacturer pays. However, in Thailand the seller just tells you to bugga-off.

So, if you were a multinational, where would you ship your "iffy" gear?

To me, it is no coincidence that 95-98%% of everything I buy in the UK is good and when I buy stuff here it is around 50%.

A few years back I looked at buying a pair of boots here, at the checkout I gave the soles a good twist and they both split at the heel and toe. The guy in the shop was really angry, so we made a quick exit.

I had a pair of boots I bought in the UK where the soles fell off, but they were around 30 years old.

If you want a cheap bike it has to be a 110cc Wave with kick start and drum brakes, drums work better in the wet since there is little chance of a front wheel lock up.

I think this base model is still B34k which is what we paid for ours 8 years ago, 200mpg and very cheap maintenance and ours still starts first prod, even after months of recumbency. Parts, a set of tyres, chain/sprockets and oil, that's it in 8 years. We have other bikes but MrsB prefers using it if she is on her own.

There is no cheaper bike to buy and run and as a second bike that may not be used regularly, it will be ideal.

Yes 11 pages with pretty much everything said, so my final posting and thoughts.

Whilst still a bit rough, the CRF engine is certainly better than when I collected it and the need to rev has become my new riding style. The power kick has become a little addictive, but hopefully I can keep it safely under control. It is particularly handy for crossing highways to U-turn, which I do a couple of time each day, getting ahead of trucks and cars, who would otherwise get up your jacksie. 

I have to say the rest of bike is good, fit and finish is well up to Honda standards and the gearbox is an absolute peach, slick as... well Slick 50. The handling is fine for me, since I don't throw bikes around and off-roading I will pick up as I go along.

Lights are very good, now I set up the headlight properly, so no need to auxiliary lights, I did a simple seat mod, which works and I can refined it as I go along. Despite the seat mod, the bike is still just a little cramped for two, but only to expected and much better than any other small capacity bike around.

So this will be my main bike for everything but grocery shopping and I can rebuild the Shadow at my leisure in me new shed.

Will change the gearing to 45t rear at some time in the future and when the Shadow is done, will also look at remapping the fuel as I still think it is too lean.

As for the Lifan, I am loathed to sell it and will keep that for a while for my son-in-law, for a few off-road excursions, it doesn't owe me much.

The Stallion is a simple copy of an old Honda and there are a lot about this neck of the woods and the kids seem to having a lot of fun on them, so not crap at all.

I have a Lifan GY200 dirt bike, where the same technology is used and it was a great bike for the money, the gearbox is a little agricultural, ( which I understand is not the case with the Stallion) but is otherwise a brilliant bike.

The reason I didn't buy one was purely the frame size, I am 6' and found it a little cramped for me.

If it fits you go for it, you will get a lot for your money.

On 20/08/2017 at 10:25 PM, Ahnsahn said:

.... I hear ya', 
w/o actually have test rode the Xmax (like Mr. J was able to), the Xmax looks to be The Number One 300 cc mid-size scooter to have right now. I too, would definitely like one and would lean more towards the brownish color and I agree that the yellow color really stands out but the grey color would be my second choice. Luckily (sadly?), my situation gives me the option of waiting a few months before making a purchase. In that time, Honda could release an updated Forza 300 version that is a clone of the Forza 125, sold in UK, which in itself is practically a copy of the Xmax 300: 15" -14" wheels, nice dashboard, etc. - I would jump on a blue-white-grey color model in a NY minute!

 

Not really a mid sized scooter, I'd call is small. The Forza "bath-tub" as you call it is a good mid sized scooter..IMO. Plenty of leg room for both riders and storage for trips too.

Almost missed your report, thanks very much for the info, always good to get up-to-date info. Still have a few months to do this, we couldn't go up until now as I arrived on a 3 months single entry visa. Should be able to get my proper 12 month ME visa next week and plan a trip.

We will stick the bike on my pickup here in Khon Kaen and leave it at a hotel I know in Trat, then ride.

Looks really good, so thanks for the posting Lucky.

...also I have mentioned a couple of times that one of the main reasons for buying this type of lightweight bike is the avoid riding the highways by putting the bike on the back of my 4 door = short bed pickup. A big 500lb dirtbike is hardly the best choice for this.

I also mentioned I can live with the lack of low rpm grunt, just a bit of re-learning, so no need to change the bike, even if I had the money.

The point of the tread was to compare the two bikes and as it turned out to query the rough running of the CRF. 

On 14/12/2017 at 1:44 PM, taninthai said:

Yeah the race class came out after Honda released these 250cc beginner bikes???.that quote is talking about 1000cc bikes ???.

i give up caninthai has got it right , it’s riding style that is your problem,,,I also said this the very first day you bought the bike.

if you want torque go and buy the crf1000.  You would probably still find something to  complain about that.

 

yes I just bought a 2nd hand Yamaha scooter ,because some guy called Rossi rides them and everyone knows  he wins races.

No it is the other way around, you see this a beginners bike, Rossi saw it as a class he could beat the world on and did. The guys who bought the bikes developed on the track, saw themselves are the new Rossi. That fact that their bikes are de-tuned doesn't matter...and it also sells tune up bits to get closer to Rossi's bike. "I am riding the same bike as Valentino Rossi, how good is that?

Lets face it the kids can get very close to the top flight bikes, not so with top flight Grande Prix cars.

Manufacturers spend millions on racing, not so much for the prize money, but for product development and image to sell product. 

6 minutes ago, taninthai said:

It’s difficult to have a discussion with you ,,,,because you don’t seem to listen or take on board what people tell you. I will just agree with you  that this engine  was SPECIFICALLY BUILT FOR SPORTS BIKES? just toavoid any more discussion on that point, I still think it’s hilarious ,and you may like to ask your self why Honda has stopped making the cbr600 rr(a proper sports bike)if as you say Honda are just competing to build the fastset sportbikes?

 

even an though I have repeatedly post many pictures of my bike over the years and informed you a few posts ago that mine is 2012....you then come out with a comment ....that you thought my bike was new,you have me pretty mystified.

So, you don't believe in the saying "win on Sunday, sell on Monday"?

If you do then why would you build an engine for any other purpose?

Now I am not a big following of motorcycle racing, but as far as I know there is a 250cc class. I found this extract and assume the same would apply to all classes and that is how they sell bikes. Am I wrong?

"Aug 10, 2015 - Honda won the 2013 and 2014 championship titles with that bike. "Aside from the pneumatic valves and the special transmission, this is the same bike," says Livio. The street version is also highly de-tuned, putting out as much as 159 horsepower in certain markets, while a MotoGP bike has in excess of 250 ...

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

Done over 1000 km on the CRF since back from work. Time for a check over ...

Washed, up on the lift. Check every bolt, nut, panel, grommet - nothing loose, missing.

Nothing needs attention.

Closed cell foam stopped the resonance caused by the new skid plate. Crash bars great for longer rides as can use a hiway pegs or stretch the legs out.

Bar risers allow leaning back against the bag on passenger seat.

Vibration nil - slight tingle in the grips, but still running stockers which are a tad hard.

Street fender still moves more than I like, but looks 1000 times better and can modify if and when ...

Off to Nan province for a few days after dentist. Then MHS via elephant trail, on to Umphang.

Very pleased with the purchase, does everything I want. More power would be nice, as always with every bike ...

 

 

Got any pictures of those crash bars? 

1 hour ago, taninthai said:

It not a engine designed for a sports bike at all ,,I don’t know where you get your info from ,the crf also isn’t designed as an off road bike.

according to a lot of info I have read mr Honda has overtightened a lot of the bolts at the factory.

when I was taking my engine casing of the bolts were not tight at all ,I straight away new that the casing had Been taken of before,boiught mine 2nd hand so presume a Thai has been inside the engine before me.

as I got to the clutch basket the 5 bolts where completely lose and this was causing the basket to grind into the side of the engine casing,,this is why my bike would not move backwards when in first gear with clutch in.

this is not going to be your problem as said from factory all nuts and bolts are super tight.

 

 

P.s I’m still laughing at your comment that the engine was SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR A SPORTS BIKE.

come on get serious it was designed for an entry level learner/beginner/commuter bike.

Honda are competing with all the other manufactures to build the fastest sports bikes, they get sales from winning races, not from a bunch of yahoos riding their off road (or on road) for a laugh.

Logic would dictate that this 250cc engine was designed for the CBR since this very same basic engine is used in all forms of road racing.

The ones out of the factory for the proletariat are de-tuned for reliability and longevity and perhaps ease/cheapness of production. The race bikes are tuned for winning a few races against very tough competition.

With regards to stripping the engine, I assumed yours was a new bike, so thanks, but I think I will do my trip and see if things get worse. I will have the truck there and a mate with me, so we can plonk it on that to avoid any serious damage, or it may get better. Thanks again.

I will tell you what it feels like..my 400cc Honda Shadow when it is firing on one cylinder....except with plenty of power at the top end.

"your posts beg the question ...

What made you buy the CRF in the first place ? Because some girl rode around the world on one ?" 160,000km trouble free, much of it off-road seemed to be a pretty good recommendation..no? Plus I read a lot of other stuff. My mistake was not hiring one first, that I will concede. Plus, I am not convinced that this is not actually a fault.

"My bike is a 2012,and the only problems that arise is from letting rubbish mechanics work on it.

it has been proven by videos that you yourself have posted that these bikes are super reliable and capable of hassle free usage with minimum maintenance,,,but according to you Honda put the wrong engine in the bike??????silly Honda you would think they would know what there doing after building bikes all these years."

This was a first service carried out by a Honda agent and I wanted the book stamped in case of a warranty issue. I would concede that this being LOS that it was a little naive of me, considering a warranty had any validity here.

I also thought this bike was all about reliability, that said hers was prepared by Honda specifically for her trip and not knocked out in a Thai factory.

My point about the bike having the wrong engine was relating to it's off-road ability. This engine was specifically designed for a sports bike, down to the last detail. In pure engineering terms, how can it possibly be the right engine? But then Honda is a commercial organisation and it is a competitive way of selling bikes. Honda are not the first to do this, as I explained before BMW did the same (even worse) when they bought Landrover.

The Honda on which the Lifan was based (copied) had an engine designed for purpose...That is presumably why the copied it.

"since I opened up my engine casing and saw what the problem was with my clutch basket being loose my crf feels pretty smooth now."

Could you be more specific Taninthai as this sounds like a good place to start?

6 hours ago, taninthai said:

From wiki,,,,obviously with the low power /torque engine it isn’t needed.....notning to do with or affect rough running,,,,,,why did you upgrade from the lifan if you was so obviously happy with it?.

since I opened up my engine casing and saw what the problem was with my clutch basket being loose my crf feels pretty smooth now.

 

A cush drive is a part of a motorcycle or scooter drive-train that is designed to reduce stress from engine torque damaging other components during gear or throttle changes. A common design used by almost all street motorcycles, it has three major pieces: the wheel, the sprocket assembly, and the rubber damper.

I know what a cush-drive is and am surprised Honda didn't install one, the B48k Lifan has one. Goes hand in hand of putting the wrong engine in the bike...Like I have said before these bikes are designed by bean counters.

Anyway not sure I fancy stripping down a brand new engine, but even less keen on letting a Thai mechanic loose on it. So now, if anything works loose it is likely to destroy the engine and I am into CB300 territory.

Such is the level of expertise here, that after the service I checked the glass level and it didn't register. He said the bike should have 1.4 litres, I said I wanted the level showing in the glass. So when I got home I checked the correct capacity, it is 1.8 litres, which coincides with the glass level, when using a spirit level. However, there is now oil on the driveway, so either he didn't clean properly, or the bike now has an oil leak, great!)

Me thinks I built my shed for all my bikes.