Recent content by wil780

After confirming that the test plug was wired correctly and I was shorting the sky blue and black wires, I went back and tried the first test (which, according to the Service Manual, is needed only if the unit has been disassembled). It worked exactly as described. So I went back to the second...

I couldn't get this to work on my '06. The connector is exactly the same, and I had no trouble identifying the pins that are connected to each other in the photo. When I turned on the ignition (with the kill switch set to off) the ABS light would not stop flashing. I checked the battery...

Getting acceptable shifts is easier on the AE. However, getting perfectly smooth shifts up and down under all conditions of RPM and load is considerably harder on the AE. So I find the AE more satisfying to shift than my manual sportbike. It seems that no one talks about blipping the throttle...

Recently I was reminded that I had left an issue improperly addressed during a discussion with Fred W. In commenting on a post of mine he wrote: To which I replied: That was when I was still fishing for an explanation of the tread distortion mechanism of turning (which I eventually figured...

A perceptive person might recognize there is a difference between responding to a personal attack ("no one really knowing what he's talking about") and criticizing an idea posted for general comment. Besides, I didn't agree or disagree with his comment. I implied it was hypocritical.

From the person whose posts are mainly about showing how clever he thinks he is. Know the meaning of the word hypocrisy?

Northwoods, I think you've overdoing your interpretation of my criticism of OldernYZer's posts. I thought I owed him something for reminding me to think about why a coin turns. That was the only thing he said about why a bike turns (as opposed to why a bike leans or why it feels the way it...

I wasn't going to get into an argument with OldernYZer, but there's one pretty important error that many motorcycle journalists also make and I think it's worth discussing so that anyone reading this far gets a different point of view. It's in this paragraph of post #121: Vehicles with two...

Following up on my post #131, I think this tread distortion mechanism for turning explains something I've always wondered about. Why does the handling change so much when the front tire is nearly worn out? After all, the change in tire shape is really pretty small if you've been riding the...

I have a confession. There really are two different forces that cause a bike to turn. One operates at low lean angles and cornering forces, and works when the front wheel is pointing straight ahead (tangent to the curve the bike is following.) The other, the one I have been saying is the only...

OldernYZer wrote a long post starting with a claim that no one else understands the issues. Then he proceeded to write what would be a pretty good post (great if not for some genuine errors) if the title of the thread was "why does a bike feel the way it does while it is being leaned?" or "why...

I wanted to edit the last line of this paragraph, but apparently once you log out you can't do that. So here's what the last line should say: But that effect is insignificant since the radius of the turn at which all parts of the contact patch naturally rotate at the same speed (no slipping...

No, Eagle Six, you didn't miss it. Because the same model describes bicycles and motorcycles which vary a great deal in the amount rotating mass and its distribution, you have to try to estimate where an FJR would fit. I meant that the experts seem to agree that gyroscopic effects provide...

Eagle Six, when a bike is leaned at all, the outer edges of the contact patch must slip continuously because the part on the outside of the turn wants to rotate slower than the centre of the patch, and the part on the inside of the turn wants to rotate faster The rate of slip can be pretty...

Your preferred description is of course correct at low lean angles, when the turning force is so low that any sideways slippage is microscopic. However, as you corner harder it becomes significant and my understanding is that the front tire is working in the sliding friction range rather than...