Monday 27 June 2011

YZF-R1 Gas tank filler cap issue - water entering

I've told you about the issue I had with water entering my gas tank through the filler cap. Here are pictures of how it looks like. I took the filler cap apart, sanded and sprayed it, put it all back, greased it, but after a couple months the same issue comes back, the inside of the filler cap rusts, water comes in after heavy rain....
My Yamaha YZF-R1 gas tank filler cap is rusted. See the water on the right, inside?

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Yamaha R1 Rider Nicholas Leighton dies in motorcycle crash

Sad to hear that a fellow rider with the bike we all love so much, the Yamaha r1 had a fatal accident recently.

I am always curious how sport bike accidents happen. The story from a British newspaper reveal that he had 66 milligrams alcohol in his blood. The legal acceptable is 80mg. And yet, he did not drink that day but the night before. Reports of sportbike accidents always talk about the speed the bikers have been driving. In this case, a towed caravan was turning into a street and did not see the bike coming or taking over. Police said that if he was driving between 40mph and 60mph he could have avoided the accident. There were no tire marks. The coroner announced Nicholas Leighton was an experienced motorcycle driver.

Friday 3 June 2011

Josh Hayes (Yamaha YZF R1) wins at 2011 AMA Pro Road America provisonal

Wow. Anytime my bike does win I am elated. Graves Yamaha Team rider Josh Hayes won the provisional qualifying - and get this - even after running off the track in the dirt, falling on his shoulder and not feeling to well in his stomach during the session AND facing a headwind!! WoW! his time was 2:12.869

Yamaha R1 Rules!

Importance of correct tire inflation pressure on sportbikes

For about a month or so, my Yamaha R1 sportbike felt like driving soft, and I didn't think much of it, knowing it had to do with the tires not being adequately inflated, I thought to myself, heck, the roads here are pretty bad, I don't want to be shaken up by hard tires, so I left it like that.

The consequences of having the wrong tire inflation pressure:

- I noticed that I had to tank more often
- I had to watch out taking curves, felt like I was touching the rims on the ground, having to correct by countersteering (dangerous)
- bike has tendency to swerve

This morning by the gas station, I decided to fill up some air in the tires, 35psi pressure on the front, 45 psi pressure on the rear tire. MAN! When I drove off the gas station lot, I was like having the feeling of being a 5 year old child not knowing how to ride a bicycle. The bike was superstraight and hard, but my brain had a hard time registering the difference of change. I drove like 10 miles to the gas station, subconsciously driving so to speak, and after the tire inflation, my subconscious driving processor (for lack of words) couldn't handle the ride and I was like scared and driving very slowly, my subconscious has to re-learn the bike, it is such a BIG difference. Amazing.

So, guys, always keep your tire pressure in check.