Motorcycles

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Temptation reared its head today. I've been looking to trade my 2009 Mini Cooper for a truck in case I ever need to transport a bike or parts and a buddy said he'd take the Mini for some cash - and his 2006 CBR600RR! I've always liked these:

(not actual bike)



With the rest of the money, I could just get an older truck. I'm heading by to take a look at it tomorrow.

06 rr? Decent bike but the stock seat feels like a wooden plank. Seek Sargent or Corbin for a replacement

 

[EgliComet]

One thing you need to know about the Motogadget instruments is the build quality can be sketchy. I've got them on several bikes and they can be a real pain to keep working.
They are on a XS650 a SR500, a Norton Commando in a Featherbed. I've got another sitting on my bench that I purchased for a BMW project. They HATE vibration. The last two would fog up if they happened to sit in the sun for more than 30 seconds-no, they've never been so much as dribbled with water.

 

[epb]



06 rr?  Decent bike but the stock seat feels like a wooden plank.  Seek Sargent or Corbin for a replacement

I did end up buying the bike. The 30-mile ride home was interesting, being my first sport bike. The most notable first impressions:

- as I've mentioned, I own a 1988 Honda Hawk GT. That's 25 years old. So I was pretty stunned to see Honda was still using the exact same turn signals that everyone hated back then! Hilarious.

- I was pretty impressed with the sky-high rev limit. My '78 Hawk goes to 10,500rpm. The '88 Hawk a paltry 8500rpm. The CBR goes to 15,000rpm! What I didn't know, is you need about 7500rpm just to get it moving. Still, first day with the bike, I didn't even attempt to explore its limits, just tried to acclimate, which leads to...

- the seat is pretty pathetic. For all the care that went into the overall beauty of the machine, they just wrapped some padding in leather and screwed it onto the bike when they got to the seat. I shifted and scrunched the entire ride trying various positions, but it looks like the best way to ride (sitting right up against the tank) is among the least comfortable. There's no excuse for this thing. I'm already looking for an aftermarket. Oddly, there are tons on eBay but none for 2005-6.

 

[BostonHedonist]

I

Also, please don't say anything about the gauges because this has been dancing its beautiful black way into my dreams of late:

I must acquire this gauge. Where do you find it?

I wouldn't worry about the bushing unless you damaged it. When I upgraded to Progressive shocks, I had to dremel through the bushing my stock suspension left behind. I'll never use those again, but I understand the bushing could be replaced. Make sure your have regular and dielectric grease on hand with Triumphs.

Hmm. I wonder if they have a spedo. with analog chronometer functionality... And a sapphire crystal...

 

[TRINI]



One thing you need to know about the Motogadget instruments is the build quality can be sketchy. I've got them on several bikes and they can be a real pain to keep working.
They are on a XS650 a SR500, a Norton Commando in a Featherbed. I've got another sitting on my bench that I purchased for a BMW project. They HATE vibration. The last two would fog up if they happened to sit in the sun for more than 30 seconds-no, they've never been so much as dribbled with water.

DAMMIT. THAT'S THAT **** I DON'T LIKE.

For the price they're charging, I'd expect so much more.

I
I must acquire this gauge. Where do you find it?

Hmm. I wonder if they have a spedo. with analog chronometer functionality... And a sapphire crystal...

You can check here or here.

This is the speedo version:

Anyways bike's in the shop now getting the pilot jets installed, air-fuel mixture adjusted and the exhausts put on. I tried to take it out yesterday and i got 5 mins before it cut out.

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I did end up buying the bike. The 30-mile ride home was interesting, being my first sport bike. The most notable first impressions:

- as I've mentioned, I own a 1988 Honda Hawk GT. That's 25 years old. So I was pretty stunned to see Honda was still using the exact same turn signals that everyone hated back then! Hilarious.

- I was pretty impressed with the sky-high rev limit. My '78 Hawk goes to 10,500rpm. The '88 Hawk a paltry 8500rpm. The CBR goes to 15,000rpm! What I didn't know, is you need about 7500rpm just to get it moving.

Still, first day with the bike, I didn't even attempt to explore its limits, just tried to acclimate, which leads to...

- the seat is pretty pathetic. For all the care that went into the overall beauty of the machine, they just wrapped some padding in leather and screwed it onto the bike when they got to the seat. I shifted and scrunched the entire ride trying various positions, but it looks like the best way to ride (sitting right up against the tank) is among the least comfortable. There's no excuse for this thing. I'm already looking for an aftermarket. Oddly, there are tons on eBay but none for 2005-6.

Congrats. It's a big difference than the standard cbr600 in that it lost midrange torque but made a shitload more up top. I haven't ridden it hard but it is my understanding that if you keep the revs under 8k it is Dr. Jekyll. But over 10k.5k or so and Mr. Hyde comes out. Beware Mr. Hyde. He likes to amass speeding tickets.

Told you the seat sucks.

Just remember riding a ss is somewhat different than riding a standard bike, almost like learning to ride again. Check the download link I have for twist of the wrist on the previous page

Oh and tire pressure (what kind of tires does it have) can significantly affect handling so please don't fill to the maximum psi listed on the sidewall. Speaking of tires you might want to check and/or change those tires if they are too old and/or starting to dry rot. If you don't know what tires to go with, I'd suggest experimenting with some race takeoffs (with 2 or less heat cycles) until you find a tire that suits you. Be aware that DOT race tires have very little silica in them so while dry grip is phenomenal, wet grip is atrocious. Michelin Pilot Roads are pretty good and get good all weather grip and decent mileage. I know a lot of people who run a Power Pilot up front and Pilot Road in the rear

 

[epb]



Congrats.  It's a big difference than the standard cbr600 in that it lost midrange torque but made a shitload more up top.  I haven't ridden it hard but it is my understanding that if you keep the revs under 8k it is Dr. Jekyll.  But over 10k.5k or so and Mr. Hyde comes out.  Beware Mr. Hyde.  He likes to amass speeding tickets.

Told you the seat sucks. 

Just remember riding a ss is somewhat different than riding a standard bike, almost like learning to ride again. Check the download link I have for twist of the wrist on the previous page

Oh and tire pressure (what kind of tires does it have) can significantly affect handling so please don't fill to the maximum psi listed on the sidewall.  Speaking of tires you might want to check and/or change those tires if they are too old and/or starting to dry rot.  If you don't know what tires to go with, I'd suggest experimenting with some race takeoffs (with 2 or less heat cycles) until you find a tire that suits you.  Be aware that DOT race tires have very little silica in them so while dry grip is phenomenal, wet grip is atrocious.  Michelin Pilot Roads are pretty good and get good all weather grip and decent mileage.  I know a lot of people who run a Power Pilot up front and Pilot Road in the rear

Agree about learning to ride again. I took it easy coming home, staying off the highways, and today I've just been tooling around the neighborhood getting a feel for the bike. The tires are year-old Pilot Roads. I'm pretty impressed - my friend always struck me as a pretty conservative rider but the chicken strips are miniscule. The ride isn't as bad as I've read, but I'm bigger than him and will need to tweak the suspension a bit. Damn, it's nimble. I've been happy with my Hawk GT, but this changes direction at a thought!

Aftermarket seats seem to have dried up fo the early bikes. The frame changes made in 2005 and completely new frame released in 2007 means the niche for the 2005-2006 is pretty small and no one fills it anymore. If I don't get used to the seat, I may change it myself.

 

[BostonHedonist]

Anyways bike's in the shop now getting the pilot jets installed, air-fuel mixture adjusted and the exhausts put on. I tried to take it out yesterday and i got 5 mins before it cut out.

Yeah I did my pipes... and that's it. Shop agreed to do the airbox removal kit (ARK) and rejetting for one price and then it took them the whole day. Haha, still got it all done for just under half a G. Very worth it. Hey, did you get the ARK with the little toolbox? That thing has saved me a lot of trouble.

 

[TRINI]



Yeah I did my pipes... and that's it. Shop agreed to do the airbox removal kit (ARK) and rejetting for one price and then it took them the whole day. Haha, still got it all done for just under half a G. Very worth it. Hey, did you get the ARK with the little toolbox? That thing has saved me a lot of trouble.

i got the package from Triumph Performance USA so that picture i posted up above is all i got: the airbox, pipes, filters. As for tools, I got this metric multitool and I store it together with a tire pressure gauge and some zip ties in a Brooks saddle bag strapped to the frame.

I just got the bike back today (really surprised by the quick turnaround) and it looks like i made the right choice in taking it in. The guy who worked on it told me that he had to fashion his own tool to get at the pilot jets and the nuts holding the existing pipes in place were completely stripped. Well worth the cash to get it done by a professional.

The sound of the bike now though - HOLY.

Better pics:

 

[epb]

Here are shots of the new bike and its stablemates:

 

[ctp120]

Ryca cafe racer. Thoughts?

 

[Cool The Kid]



If you don't know what tires to go with, I'd suggest experimenting with some race takeoffs (with 2 or less heat cycles) until you find a tire that suits you. 

This seems like a surefired way to go down, on the street at least.

I think any sporty tires or even sport touring tires from legit manufacturers (i.e. not Avon) would be OK

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

This seems like a surefired way to go down, on the street at least.

I think any sporty tires or even sport touring tires from legit manufacturers (i.e. not Avon) would be OK

With all that traction? not at all. Buddy of mine had a sponsorship so he was always getting new tires. That was the only way I was able to try Pirelli Diablo Super Corsas, Battlax BT-03 and Michellin Power Ones all in one season (hell I might have spent more getting the tires mounted than the tires cost). They all stick like glue and they are all DOT road legal. Amazing tires but can be nervous in the wet and downright squirrelly in the cold.

hit the twisties at 32 psi in the front and 29 psi in the rear and you feel like spiderman

 

[brokencycle]



hit the twisties at 32 psi in the front and 29 psi in the rear and you feel like spiderman

That seems low to me. Am I crazy?

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

That seems low to me. Am I crazy?

low for the highways but not for track days/canyons/twisty backroads. Back up to about 36 psi when I got to slab it.