went for a 60 mile ride today through Santiago Canyon. there's a bunch of hills, some steep, some gradual slopes, and it's got a big bike lane. usually it's full of dayglo pedal-pumpers, but today there were only a few. and most of them waved or thumbs-upped me when i went screaming past them.
i have a new/old gas cap off a pacer moped, so i can fill the tank all the way to the top without leaks, and i've got about an eighth of a tank left, so mileage isn't affected by the motor. it's actually probably better, since i was WOT almost the entire time. the canyon road is about 20+ miles long with no stop lights or signs. went all the way to the biker bar, stopped for a beer and a smoke, then went back, and with barely un-twisting the throttle.
this is the fourth time i've ridden this bike, in case you're counting. aren't you supposed to break these things in before going crazy?
had my speedo pegged at 50 coming down some of the hills, and it sure felt like it. i had my camera set up, but the batteries died.
bike ran perfect. no problems except for starting it. i've got to pedal a bit, drop the clutch, then i jam through a pedal stroke, almost like kickstarting it. i think it's due to raising the compression, and my clutch probably seated itself in and needs to be adjusted a little. might mess with the plug gap, too.
out of the canyon, when i hit the streets again, and traffic, the bike got waaay louder, and there was this weird rattly ping-ing noise, and i thought, "that's it. i killed it."
it was only the exhaust baffle, hanging on by a thread. the bolt had almost fallen out, despite my best efforts to keep it in there, so i pulled into a parking lot, let it cool down till i could stick it in my pocket, and rode it home 10 miles, baffle-less.
despite the awesome, head turning, old man annoying, cop noticing, leaf-blowing sound of a nitro-circus back-flipper, it ran really good.
i mean, i hate to admit it, because i still think it's a hillbilly hop-up, but with no baffle, it accelerated faster, had a higher top speed, better throttle response, and except for the sound, it ran friggen awesome!dunno what no back pressure might've done to my motor, but i doubt it had an effect.
so now, i'm thinking up ways to make a better baffle. i still want some sound reduction, but i want to keep the power. a little louder would be ok, but not open header funny car loud. i've got plans for an adjustable baffle system, akin to the "supertrapp" mufflers, only different.
i know, i could just get an expansion chamber, but i'm trying to keep the motor stock, at least parts-wise, so anyone with some tools could do what i'm doing, without spending a lot of cash on bolt-ons.
it's easy to buy horsepower, it's harder to make it from nothing.
(here's a good time to add a disclaimer. i'm not looking for longevity here. i'm not trying to make a bulletproof, 50,000 mile motor. i'm trying to beat the living daylights out of it, break stuff off of it, make it spontaneously combust, and see what she'll take. anyone who uses my experiences as a how-to, do it at your own risk. i've already voided my warranty, and i look at it like "it's a cheap motor. i can get another," not like "holy crap how am i gonna get to work...")
