SPORTS BIKES

The title will probably get a few hits here, as it describes a somewhat common issue with Kawasaki's 1500cc Vulcan engines and there's a lot of people who ride them.
For those who found this blog searching for information regarding the clutch spring and how to replace it, just Google for "Gadget's Fixit Page Clutch Spring" without the quotes You can also find a wealth of information by checking out the vulcan riders.
This blog is merely about how I spent my day working on the above project, and traveling to and from the location where it was performed. I am associated with Kawasaki Vulcan owners in the Pittsburgh area who are familiar with working on their Vulcan motorcycles. They are a local "chapter" who are part of the larger VROC group. "Nickels" house is where I went today to get help taking on this project. Aside from the time waiting for the bike to cool down after the 3 hour ride there, the BS sessions, etc, actual time spent working on the project probably totaled 2.5 to 3 hours. Having done the job once by myself in 2006, I was appreciative of the help.
It was a great day for a ride, and I made good time on the way to the Pittsburgh area. "Yummy", who showed up to help after Nickels and I had started, said traffic was bad. For me, it was good, since I didn't have to travel THROUGH Pittsburgh. Mike also showed up and got his hands dirty. For the most part, I just supervised. I got the important job of cleaning up the tools and general cleanup after the job was done. I played "third hand" and "gopher" as well. Once finished, I had a very quick and strong clutch that took a little getting used to. Tom showed up as we wrapped things up, and we all went to a nearby restaurant for dinner afterward.

I left for home about 6:00 and ended up riding after dark. I had a couple of route choices, along an edge of national forest, or smack dab through the middle of it. I picked the one where I thought I might encounter the least amount of deer. You would think I'd know by now that the best route around here for not encountering deer is to stay home. With that in mind, I picked the smack dab middle route, since there are more clear areas along it to better scan the edges of the road. I had just one deer run in front of me, which I saw in plenty of time. It watched me approach, and then bolted across the road as I slowed down. Always look for more to cross behind the first one. This time there weren't any. Another lay dead in the middle of an oncoming lane later on. I was forewarned of it by an oncoming car that may have hit it. They flashed their lights, one of which was not working. Maybe from hitting that deer?

I arrived back home safe and sound about 9:00, with many bugs on the windshield, another con of riding at night. There's always bugs to be had when riding, and they come looking for you on unlit night time country roads. I'll be washing the bike AGAIN today....

The picture below is Yummy, Nickels and Mike getting things done on my bike. It's good to have friends with know-how and tools as well as time. THANKS, GUYS!!

Even though claimed power figures are slightly higher for the 2010 model, the new ZX-10R in stock form doesn’t really feel any faster than the previous version, which can surely be attributed to the more stringent EPA noise and emissions tests that have forced the manufacturers to keep their top-end power levels in check (of course, it’s not as if the previous ZX-10R was a slug…). Another reason is that the new ZX-10R’s powerband is smoother, without the in-your-face upper midrange hit of the previous generation that always gave the impression of serious steam.

The S-KTRC is adjustable to three levels, as well as being turned off. Level 3 is meant for low traction (wet) conditions, so it was too intrusive on a dry racetrack—although we’d like to see how it behaves in those conditions. Level 2, however, was very transparent; it seemingly allows the same amount of wheelspin as the “Race” setting on the BMW S 1000 RR, while simultaneously providing more drive. In fact, it’s this transparency where the S-KTRC system excels; instead of coarsely reigning in power to the point that the bike either isn’t giving you the power you want when you ask for it or the tire ends up going into a spin-grip-spin series of gyrations, the Kawasaki simply continues smoothly driving forward even with the rear tire spinning and hung out slightly. The power reduction is so subtle that often the only way you can tell is by the bar graph that displays the intervention level on the bottom of the dashboard’s LCD panel.

While the amount of tire slip Level 2 permits is fairly high, the intervention threshold of Level 1 is basically experts-only. You really have to be aggressive with the throttle and spin the tire in order to activate the system, and because of its high threshold, the system is not idiot-proof. Grab a handful of throttle and spin the tire while cranked over at maximum lean in a slow corner, and the system will let the tire slip continue to the point that if the rider backs out of the throttle instead of picking the bike up onto the fat part of the tire, the resulting sudden gain in traction will upset the chassis enough to possibly put the rider on his head.

We also tried the ZX-10R with the S-KTRC system turned off, and found its powerband to be amiable enough that in the right hands, spinning the tire off corners can be accomplished with confidence and ease. And the Kawasaki’s acceleration was just as fierce, showing that the traction control system was indeed very transparent and non-intrusive in most riding conditions.

The engine features more aggressive cams actuating 1mm-larger intake valves, with the cylinder head sporting new intake and exhaust porting, and lighter pistons pushing a higher 13.0:1 compression ratio. The crankshaft drives a new secondary counterbalancer, and is positioned slightly higher in relation to the main output shaft for better mass centralization. A new cassette transmission permits gear ratio changes (seven different accessory gearsets will be available) without draining the engine oil.
Up top, the repositioned ram-air intake duct (closer to the highest point of pressure on the fairing nose) funnels into a larger airbox/air filter setup. The new Keihin TTK47 fuel injection system sports larger 47mm throttle bodies (versus the old 43mm units). Down below, exhaust gases are cleaned up courtesy of a 2.6-pound-lighter system sporting a larger stainless steel under-engine chamber equipped with dual 300-cell catalyzers.

The all-new aluminum twin-spar frame shifts weight bias forward slightly with a 0.5-degree steeper rake (but longer trail) combined with a 20mm-longer swingarm. Showa’s BPF (Big Piston Fork) makes its way to the ZX-10R after debuting on the ZX-6R in ’09, with the rear shock mounted in a horizontal fashion above the swingarm with a reverse linkage. New three-spoke wheels are lighter, and the front brake calipers are slightly changed, with all four pistons measuring 30mm (instead of the previous staggered 32/30mm setup).
The usage of wheel speed sensors has also allowed Kawasaki to develop its new KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent Braking System), claimed to be the world’s smallest and lightest ABS unit at just six pounds—with 2.3 pounds of that weight coming from the larger battery required to power the unit. Besides monitoring wheel speeds, the KIBS also analyzes brake system hydraulic pressure, throttle position, gear selection, engine rpm, and clutch actuation to decide how much and when to intervene at each wheel. The system is claimed to be able to detect rear wheel lift under aggressive braking without the use of gyro sensors; and its cycling rate is much quicker than conventional ABS, leading to better brake feel and feedback when the system is active. Unfortunately, Kawasaki had no ABS models at the press launch, so a review will have to wait until we get our hands on one for a full test.

 Traction control has now become the new buzzword among sportbikes. If your latest and greatest sporting flagship doesn’t have it, chances are that the buying public is going to wonder where your company stands technologically. And yet, at the same time, there’s also a growing contingent that wonder if this electronic nannying is really what they want in their sportbike. They don’t want a system that constantly intrudes and reminds them that something else is also controlling the motorcycle. The current OEM traction control systems available are undoubtedly excellent systems with a wide range of adjustability. They are able to react to a power-induced loss of rear tire grip with incredible speed and accuracy. The only issue is that—although adjustable for the level of intervention—the systems are based on a set table of parameters once traction levels are determined to be past the limit. In other words, only when a set limit is reached does the system activate, and then it just pulls back power until tire grip (or a preset amount of tire slip) is restored.
 This is where the new 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R and its new S-KTRC system distinguishes itself from previous TC setups. Instead of only reacting to tire slip when it occurs, the ZX-10R’s TC analyzes numerous factors including throttle position (plus the rate of opening), wheel speeds, engine rpm (plus rate of change), gear position, and speed to actually sense and begin formulating a plan of various mapping scenarios before tire slip occurs. And then once tire slippage does occur, the S-KTRC system continues analyzing all parameters every five milliseconds and adapting its mapping strategy in order to maintain or even increase acceleration (which often means a certain amount of tire slip is ideal)—making it a true racing-developed TC system that can actually predict traction loss and proactively adapt its maps according to conditions.

By all accounts there was nothing inherently wrong with the existing Ducati Hypermotard -- especially when there isn't much of a benchmark to compare it to. Heck, even the few that do exist haven't received much of an update lately. But inevitably people will complain about something (including us magazine hacks) and over time the same folks who designed the bike in the first place will look back and see things that could have been done differently. Because in essence, the Hypermotard is a stripped down Multistrada with a narrow seat, wider bars, and stiffer suspension. Not to mention technological advances in just the short few years since the bike's debut in 2007 have meant that in some ways the Hypermotard is already obsolete. 

The boys in Bologna new it was time for an evolution of the breed and that's just what they delivered: the Hypermotard 1100 Evo and Evo SP (one guess as to what Evo is short for). With the release of the little Hypermotard 796 not too long ago the 1100 bikes have raised the bar and distinguished themselves as motorcycles for more experienced riders. As with most model evolutions, emphasis was placed on shedding weight and adding power.

So what's the difference between the two bikes? Well, the SP is a leaner, meaner, hard-edged version of the Hypermotard with taller handlebars, and 30mm more ride height for the truly experienced rider looking to back'er in and cause chaos wherever they go. The standard Evo doesn't have a raised ride height, nor the harsh suspension, but engine modifications are the same (all of which will be covered in the May issue of the magazine).

During our brief outing on the roads surrounding Scottsdale, Arizona, it was clear the new bikes were definitely evolutions of its predecessor. Both models felt more refined, with a larger spread of torque throughout the powerband. Well, at least according to the butt dyno. For normal riding the standard Evo model was actually the preferred bike as its softer ride absorbed road imperfections better than its top-spec sibling. In the twisty bits the Evo held its own compared to the SP especially on this particularly chilly day. Pirelli Diablo Rosso tires on the Evo get to working temperatures much quicker than the Diablo Supercorsa SP tires fitted on the SP (if they even got warm at all), which made for a much more confident ride, despite its perceived shortcomings. For this ride the SP models were fitted with optional Termignoni exhaust systems which broadened the torque curve noticeably and brought the front end up with ease. The taller ride height and handlebars actually played a part in leveraging the bike from side to side, especially on the gravel-filled roads we encountered. 

Of course, that's just a short taste of what it's like to ride the Hypermotard 1100 Evo and Evo SP. Be sure to read the May 2010 issue of Sport Rider to see what's new on both bikes, along with my complete first ride impressions.