Alas the fate of many of our bike's fine power plants end up in these. Would have liked to see him put that kind of money into the original bike and se what he could have come up with
Friday, August 28, 2015
Monday, June 1, 2015
BIKES: Craigslist Customs Part II
Here's a fine collection of a couple of special ATKs that have popped up on Craigslist over the past months.
Well, this is one way to get that Orange in your garage
ALL 'MERICAN!!!
Well, this is one way to get that Orange in your garage
ALL 'MERICAN!!!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
FOR SALE: RON WOODS
Say it ain't so! But, for anyone who is interested, Ron Woods Rotax is FOR SALE. Pick it up while available!
Seen on VFT
Seen on VFT
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
PICTURES: Best Shots From The Road
Alright, I admit, mostly this post is bragging, but who doesn't like to see a single sided frame with a nice bit of windy road in front of it? Also you might get an idea of what I think is the most photogenic angle of the bike.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
MODIFICATIONS: 48t to 44t Rear Sprocket
One of the complaints of my riding buddies with KLRs and VSTROMs is my lack of range on the ATK (~100 miles / tank), but another has been my comfort for running the 494 Rotax at 70 mph on the highway for any lengthy period of time (>20 minutes). I know this thing can go fast (I might have seen 95 mph before I cut back), but I just never liked the feel of running at such high RPMs for a long period of time (not only on the motor, but also on my ass). In looking at things I could do to improve my situation it looked like changing gear ratios might be the easiest and cheapest way to make 70 more comfortable.
As it was I was running 16t countershaft with a 48t rear sprocket. That equates to a exactly a 3:1 ratio. A 17t up front with a 48t in the rear would equate to a 2.82:1 ratio. A 16t countershaft with a 44t rear would be 2.75:1 ratio. A 17t countershaft with a 44 t rear would be a 2.58:1 ratio.
I decided to just go with the 44t rear sprocket to see how that affected low end torque before jumping to the 17t countershaft. From silly internet research and ZERO math I have come to understand that for every tooth increase in the front is worth 3 teeth in the rear. The 44t with my current setup would put me right at 2.75:1 ratio... That I can live with. Plus Lee told me not to mess around with a 17t, and that these bikes can do 90 all day wide open with stock gearing and why go any faster than that?
Artsy comparison of the 44t to the 48t
I will need to remove a link out of the chain since this pushed the rear axle all the way to the back of the drop out, but I am liking the speed in 5th at half throttle. I have not noticed any real change in the lower gears, torque in the corners persists despite the ratio change.
Probably won't be going to 12 o'clock any time soon, but look at that rear sprocket!!!
COSTS: Rear 44t Talon Sprocket $59.99 + $15 Shipping = $74.99
As it was I was running 16t countershaft with a 48t rear sprocket. That equates to a exactly a 3:1 ratio. A 17t up front with a 48t in the rear would equate to a 2.82:1 ratio. A 16t countershaft with a 44t rear would be 2.75:1 ratio. A 17t countershaft with a 44 t rear would be a 2.58:1 ratio.
I decided to just go with the 44t rear sprocket to see how that affected low end torque before jumping to the 17t countershaft. From silly internet research and ZERO math I have come to understand that for every tooth increase in the front is worth 3 teeth in the rear. The 44t with my current setup would put me right at 2.75:1 ratio... That I can live with. Plus Lee told me not to mess around with a 17t, and that these bikes can do 90 all day wide open with stock gearing and why go any faster than that?
Artsy comparison of the 44t to the 48t
I will need to remove a link out of the chain since this pushed the rear axle all the way to the back of the drop out, but I am liking the speed in 5th at half throttle. I have not noticed any real change in the lower gears, torque in the corners persists despite the ratio change.
Probably won't be going to 12 o'clock any time soon, but look at that rear sprocket!!!
COSTS: Rear 44t Talon Sprocket $59.99 + $15 Shipping = $74.99
MODIFICATIONS: New Tread AKA "Goodbye to the supermoto dreams"
Since I got the 490 in 2010 I have dreamed about having two sets of wheels thinking a set of 17's would make road riding that much more awesome. After 3 years of rolling on two sets of 80 / 20 21" / 18" Pirelli MT Scorpions, I decided that I hate the slippage on the washboard sections of dirt roads and that I would give a try to a set of 50 / 50 Mefo Explorers.
I never liked that skinny 21" Pirelli on the Front. The 140 18 looked super beefy by comparison.
Amazing that such a simple frame and motor can bring so much happiness to my life.
Not quite knobbies...
But perfect for the numerous Humboldt County loops.
The thought of spending more on a set of supermoto wheels and tires than I paid for my bike has never appealed to me, but getting to and making it out of tiny corners of the world that the ATK has given me access to appeals very much to me. I have yet to see how the Mefos hold up to lots of road wear, but so far they are holding up to the curvy sections of HWY 36 at the speeds that the Scorpions would tolerate without all the slippage on the washboard.
I never liked that skinny 21" Pirelli on the Front. The 140 18 looked super beefy by comparison.
Amazing that such a simple frame and motor can bring so much happiness to my life.
Not quite knobbies...
But perfect for the numerous Humboldt County loops.
The thought of spending more on a set of supermoto wheels and tires than I paid for my bike has never appealed to me, but getting to and making it out of tiny corners of the world that the ATK has given me access to appeals very much to me. I have yet to see how the Mefos hold up to lots of road wear, but so far they are holding up to the curvy sections of HWY 36 at the speeds that the Scorpions would tolerate without all the slippage on the washboard.
Monday, August 25, 2014
MODIFICATIONS: Tank Bag
About 4 months ago I loaded up all the spare bits and pieces I had accumulated and went to a local moto swap meet hoping to rid myself of some shed clutter. I came out of it with a nice set of 24" tire irons and one of THE BEST MODIFICATIONS I HAVE MADE TO MY BIKE!
I was packing up an old set of WP forks from a 560 I had got in a trade (I'm the sucker) and a guy I had been talking with for a while offered me this old KTM Equiptment tank bag off a 990 adventure minus the zippered attachment points for the forks straight up. I said hell yes and it was on.
I bought 6 feet of 1" Nylon Webbing from ACE, some heavy duty nylon thread and got to sewing.
Needle drivers are a great investment if you are planning on sewing nylon. This stuff is TOUGH! These tools can be found at most surgical supply places, but are more commonly found where any fishing gear is sold. The surgical quality ones are better, but anything to give you a good grasp on the needle as you punch it through three layers of thick nylon.
Essentially I just folded the webbing in half and sewed around the existing zipper attachments. I left four straps coming off at four attachment points a the front and back corners. I then put on some ABS strap clips from ACE on the four straps.
I used 18" velcro 1" straps that I could easily take off the bike if need be to clip into the bag. This allows for quick access to fuel up just by undoing the clips and not the whole strap set up.
It does limit forward movement on the seat a little bit, and standing is not as comfortable, but I gladly sacrifice that for carrying 3 liters of fuel, a map holder, a tool roll, an emergency rain suit, and my cable lock.
This bag has opened up a whole new group of roads to me with the extra fuel I can carry. It also sits center mass over the tank so I don't notice the weight as much as I did with saddle bags.
COSTS: KTM Equipment Bag -$Free although it does resemble this FAMSA bag Nylon Webbing 6' 1": $1 a foot x 6 from ACE = $6 Strap Clips: $1.49 x 4 from ACE = $6 18" Velcro 1" loops from ACE $3.99 x 4 = $16 Total: $28
I was packing up an old set of WP forks from a 560 I had got in a trade (I'm the sucker) and a guy I had been talking with for a while offered me this old KTM Equiptment tank bag off a 990 adventure minus the zippered attachment points for the forks straight up. I said hell yes and it was on.
I bought 6 feet of 1" Nylon Webbing from ACE, some heavy duty nylon thread and got to sewing.
Needle drivers are a great investment if you are planning on sewing nylon. This stuff is TOUGH! These tools can be found at most surgical supply places, but are more commonly found where any fishing gear is sold. The surgical quality ones are better, but anything to give you a good grasp on the needle as you punch it through three layers of thick nylon.
Essentially I just folded the webbing in half and sewed around the existing zipper attachments. I left four straps coming off at four attachment points a the front and back corners. I then put on some ABS strap clips from ACE on the four straps.
I used 18" velcro 1" straps that I could easily take off the bike if need be to clip into the bag. This allows for quick access to fuel up just by undoing the clips and not the whole strap set up.
It does limit forward movement on the seat a little bit, and standing is not as comfortable, but I gladly sacrifice that for carrying 3 liters of fuel, a map holder, a tool roll, an emergency rain suit, and my cable lock.
This bag has opened up a whole new group of roads to me with the extra fuel I can carry. It also sits center mass over the tank so I don't notice the weight as much as I did with saddle bags.
COSTS: KTM Equipment Bag -$Free although it does resemble this FAMSA bag Nylon Webbing 6' 1": $1 a foot x 6 from ACE = $6 Strap Clips: $1.49 x 4 from ACE = $6 18" Velcro 1" loops from ACE $3.99 x 4 = $16 Total: $28
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