More monkeys

Looks like Monkey and pocket rocket customization is in fact a whole movement. Now look at these cute tiny replicas.

Both ape 80s Bol d'or glories like Honda RS1000 or Kawasaki 1135R.

British challenge

With the CBR quickly sold, I started to scout the internet again to find a new project. It took another several weeks scouring before this Speed Triple popped up at a dealer I know in the UK (I had bought a CBR600RR from them a few years ago). So that one couldn't be more British : not only is that a Triumph, but it's coming from the UK. One could sarcastically say it also could hardly be greener ...

We agreed on price and details, so now there was a bike to bring from the UK, but that's another story. Here are the photos of the bike at the dealer. You will notice there are some damages here and there (more on that later).

I remember trying one of these back in 2004 at a trial day in an Belgian Triumph dealer near Ath. That day I rode on Speed Four, Daytona 955i and that type of Speed Triple. The bike I was the most impressed with ? Call me a plonk if you want, but that was the Daytona. Sporty manners, torquey engine and a not too exclusive riding position (plus you don't happen to see one very often, Gsxrboy). The last ride came as the sun went down that day and I was on the Daytona. At a junction, a friend tapped me on the shoulder to remind me we said we would switch bikes. I didn't want to jump off from the Daytona and sadly gave him the bars.

In and out

The record for the motorcycle that stayed the less time in my garage has been broken by this Honda 2000 CBR 600.

Originally bought to compete in amateur endurance, it turned out as a very quick way to make money for other projects. The day I met the owner, he just didn't know what he had in his possession. We agreed on a price and he kept giving me boxes filled with tasty racing parts on and on. The bike was worth way more the money he was asking for it.

So when I came back with this 2000 CBR on the trailer, I almost immediately put an ad to sell it with its complete parts list : 

- Micron complete line

- a new set of Pirelli Supercorsa

- Öhlins PRCL rear shock

- Öhlins front fork springs

- Factory Pro jet kit

- Rear sets

- Steering damper

- Elliot dash

- Radial brake master cylinder

- HRC cams and valve springs

- ...

It took only 2 days before someone came to see it and hauled it. Bargain !

Calipers swap (part 2)

As you might have guessed by now, the R1100S had its calipers swapped for Brembos and that did the trick to solve the brake issue I was complaining about for months now. I'm going to test ride the bike tomorrow, but first impressions are good.

Ordered from eBay UK, the pads made their way home in a incredibly fast manner

The pins system that retains the pads are slightly different between the Tokicos and  Brembos

Let's hope I can now switch to another upgrade !

Brake issue solved (let's hope so)

Fact : among the 300+ entries published on this blog, the one that draws the more attention and gets the more hits is a post where I describe how to get rid of the I-ABS system on a BMW. My way to do it seems to have been reported and linked on a few forums (like the R1150R forum, for instance). The truth is - and you won't be surprised if you are a frequent reader of this place - I have been struggling with brake issues since the day I put the brake system parts together back on the bike.

Since I (think I) have solved this brake issue today, it's important everyone reading the famous "how to remove your integral ABS system on my beloved BMW" blog entry is also aware of the potential problems that could be met after completing the described procedure. I still don't know (and probably never know) which part to blame yet, but the feeling pulling the brake lever was awfully spongy.

I remember the first thing I did when I decided to remove the ABS unit was to start with cleaned and verified parts, so I had the calipers rebuilt by an official BMW dealer (that I won't recommend by the way ... let's name them so you don't waste your time there : Boxer Evasion in Lille, France). After 3 weeks waiting, they called to say the calipers were ready and complain about having been forced to order 3 different join sets to find out which one fit the calipers. Like I'm supposed to know better which join set to order ... Now who's the professional ? Anyway ...

To solve the spongy brake issue, every single part of the brake system has either been rebuilt or swapped since. But still, the problem remained unchanged. Well this was until I swapped the Tokico calipers for Brembos which are for the same bike, but without the ABS system. So, if you ever experience the "spongy lever" syndrome after discarding the ABS unit the way I described it in the most-read-post-ever on this blog, then you might have to swap your Tokicos for Brembos ... 

The reason for this ? Well, don't forget that you've just junked the I-ABS unit which not only controlled what pressure is to be put through the brake lines, but also uses a  noisy electrical pump to add extra pressure in the lines whenever you pull the bake lever (which is why you have a huge battery by the way). The question is : can these Tokico calipers work properly without the assistance of the pump embedded in the I-ABS unit ? Well I don't know, because there are still chances that the initial caliper rebuild had been f****d up by a BMW dealer that doesn't know which join set to order ...

Ok then, what's to remember of my experience throwing the I-ABS unit away : 

- do it, it's really worth as it's really heavy and can't really compare with the brake feeling you can experience with a simpler system

- if you dumped the I-ABS unit and experience a spongy feeling, then try with straight braided lines

- if you still feel it could be better and haven't asked an inept dealer to rebuild your Tokicos, then you should look for a pair of Brembos

Calipers swap (part 1)

I'm still struggling with the BMW's brakes. It feels spongy and almost every single parts of the brake system has either been changed or rebuilded now. In a desperate last attempt at trying to fix this issue I had ordered calipers which at the time of buying were looking like the ones I needed. 

They arrived several weeks ago, but couldn't give them a try before last Sunday due to lack of time not working and space in the new house we recently moved in. So they stayed in the closed box they arrived in since. Sunday the box's been opened and I immediately noticed some (at first) minor differences between the received calipers and the one currently on the R1100S. And then, the more I looked at them, the more differences could be spotted but at the same time they were all looking very similar in shape.

What I had in my hands were 2 brake calipers designed for the non-ABS version of the bike. What difference does it make ? They are made by Brembo (not Tokico), the pistons are a bit smaller and their outer surface is plain (as opposed to hollow for the Tokico's). The similarity in shape means they fit the fork lowers and that's some good news. But the pads path in the back is narrower which means the current pads won't fit these calipers.

New pads ordered tonight. I'll have to wait until these arrive to see what these new calipers have to offer ...

The eye

Rossi's helmet at the Mugello.

Is that a way to say "keep an eye on me even if I'm not trusting the podium" ?

Stoner in super slow motion

Integral ABS closed circuit

There are numerous questions about BMW's Integral ABS brake system around the web. Mainly to know how to get rid of it. Designed more than 10 years ago now, it's a rather advanced system but when it fails it's really expensive to fix. There's only two cheap cures when this happens : remove it or have it removed.

One other question that comes relatively often is why simple parts from previous generations of ABS systems - such as the ABS-1 - or non-ABS versions of the same motorcycle are not compatible with I-ABS. Well, let's say you've spotted a nice master cylinder for your R1100S on ebay, if you blind buy this part there are a bit more than 50% chances you get one that fit on your I-ABS equipped BMW. And this is the reason why : 

Brake switch when lever relased

Brake switch with lever pulled

The brake loom works as a closed circuit. That is, instead of requiring to be closed, the brake light won't light up if the circuit is not opened. So the brake lever closes the circuit when it's completely released and opens it when at full grab.

This topic has been discussed hundreds times on different forums, but pics are worth thousands lines of explanation.

Custom Monkey

Bright idea !

Go check the amazing part list on BikeExif.