I've really gone off my bike lately, big time and its gettin me down a little... after riding Tims f4i it's 100 times smoother, better and felt a lot lot easier to ride than mine. I've just finished and sold my road bike, I took it for a ride today for the first time and (just normal riding) it felt so much better to ride.

Now, I plan to revamp my f4i as there is nothing technically wrong with it and I don't want to spend out on a new bike at the moment, it still runs and rides fine, it just feels a bit "loose" I guess. I plan a full service, stock bodywork, new tyres and bearings etc... but what, if anything, can I do to revamp the motor as well?

Admittedly it hasn't had a valve clearance checks done in the time I've owned it.. so I'm guessing it needs that (is it hard to do?) but will that make much difference to the engine if they are out? I'm going to fit an APE CCT as well as the usual oil/oil filter.. also going to replace throttle cables and clutch cables.

Anything else I can do to improve the engine and general ride of the bike? (without spending lots of money)

 

get a full service


plugs
oil
fluid change all round
valve clearences
tyres
mess around with ur suspension settings see what feels better i noticed when i rode tims his rear shock is really soft

 

Craig Take off you throttle cables and lube them up whilst thats off with the tank etc lube up all the moving parts around the throttle bodies or free them up. idle screw spings everything just make sure that you dont spray a load of **** onto the butterflys.

Adjust your chain to give yourself 1.5" - 1" of play and grease it up really well.

make sure when you tighten the rear spindle back up you got it staright it pull notchy if you aint got it within a certain range. got to be nice and inline with the front.

get rid of any **** that might have got around front sprocket.

lube up your clutch cable loads and loads with wd and then some slightly thicker stuff duck oil something like that. Then ride the bitch if all that very cheap option dont work then get it balnced and get some one to check buckets and shims i'e valve clearance's.

Dont take this to heart but you drop your bike alot and even though they are tough they aint that tough man you gotta stop letting it fall down no matter how strong the cage is. it will mess up the engine eventually like it sounds it has all the best and hope to ride with ya in the warmer months.

 

I'm replacing all the cables Toby as the clutch one is kinked and I think the throttle cables are on their way out (altho I will check first as lubing them would save money) I'll do the other stuff you mention as well cheers for advice.

p.s I don't drop my bike much anymore , used to drop it tonnes but lately I've not been too bad

 

soft suspension is a no it is easier to control bike with less movement. If you have soft rear soggy then when you push the brake on the back wheel it will act like a spunge at first then will take effect on the rest of the bike same with the throttle inputs it will take longer plus it will not be good for drifting and no one likes that. suckers

 

just sorting out my clutch a little while ago changed my game completety
i have been going off riding laetyle aswell as not having much fun what with the weather i am going to take up another hobby for the winter so i dont get pissed off with riding going to a climbing wall next week and having a go at that. Even a little brake off the bikes stuff makes you realise you still love it.

 

Good point there tobs, I think my shock is fucked, and I just sold my 2 spares haha.

hey, will a squared off tyre make circles harder? Mine is punctured now so I need new tyres anyways, but someone pointed out in a pic that it is very very square... (its not flat in pic, I run 25psi) was thinking of going for an 020 (part worn obviously cos I'm a cheap skate) good tyre? (considering i dont currently do burnouts or drifting, just want something good for combos and circles)

got quite a lot to do to my bike as it happens! should look big pimpin when its finished though... I've learnt lately to 1) not fall off as much and 2) hold the **** on when I do so hopefully the revamped bike will stay good for quite a while.

 

Yeah Toby I was getting fucked off with circles, then went 2 months without riding due to money problems and when I went back to riding it was more fun and I picked up circles a lot quicker.

Btw, climbing is good fun and it works all the same sort of muscles as stunt riding so its good stunt-related fitness.. I used to go Mondays at a local place... would definetly reccomend it.

 

yeh toby i was learn ccle back ine summer and it wa it then i mag my rear shock harder nd it is so much easyer

 

ps craig yoiu lie like a cheap rug you still drop your bike loads and you still let go ive seen you.
you never see me or dave drop ours as much as you do and if we do we hold on

 

You dropped yours way more than mine on sunday... I didn't even properly drop it once I don't think... putting it down from a circle isn't a drop....

and are you drunk because your typing is horrific at the moment

 

no im not mate sorry i was being lazy.

yeh i had a bad day mate, it happens but you really do let go all the time and you crash alot.

not becuase your a bad rider, you just try too hard i think.
but fair play mate your doing well.
if dave was here he would back me up.

 

dave told me i dont crash nearly as much as normal, so did tim.

and I didnt crash once on sunday..... lowsiding a SS circle and stepping off is hardly a crash, considering the cage doesnt hit the floor 9/10 times. in fact i dont think i even done anything other than SS circles on sunday and i know for sure I didn't properly crash one

most the time i only let go because im fookin knackered anyways

 

ok whatever im notgoing to fight with you over this ffs craig.

 

well either way it doesn't really matter.

I'll post back in a week or so when I've done all/some of the bits to me bike and see if it improves it

 

Just for the record:

Craig still drops the bike a lot, although not as much as he used to (and by drop I mean either stalling and dropping it lightly onto its cage or lowsiding out of circles).

That said, he holds on now all the time. I haven't seen him let the bike fly off in a good while.

I've been quite lucky with my drops recently. I think my cage has touched the floor about five times over the past three weeks.

Craig: My bike also feels really bad, but I've removed the air tubes and stuffed a load of wires into the airbox so its bogging really bad. My front wheel is bent (sson to be replaced thanks to ghostie) my forks are knackered, my fairings are totally fucked and it just looks like a piece of ****.

That said, my sitdown circles are getting better.

 

although the high side today (or yesterday if u count past 12am as the next day) was pretty well recovered

 

Twas actually. Pinched my fingers a bit, but I saved it!

I could see myself flying off the bike into the back of that lorry while it was happening.

 

yo craig sorry man went to bed early last night. Yeah 020 aint too bad i used them a few times but if you going to go for a decent one i would recomend these maxis supermax biatches. I think you can get them from the www for about 50 quid is so much better riding with decent tread on the back and excleent for grip and easy to get slipping out if you want. I am off for two weeks now ye ha