GSXR1000K6 - Fuel Pressure And Flow Problems.

Modern thou's are a bit quick...
Even when they have fuelling issues. Ride this thing on the road and any problems are barely perceptible, but once on the track there's a gaping hole where power should be chiming in - and it's gutting! 

So I did a bit of investigating.
Ok, we start with an in-tank fuel filter/pump assembly. It consists of a gauze at the bottom of the unit to prevent any dirt entering the pump. The pump then forces fuel through another larger filter assembly, and the built-in regulator allows any excess pressure to vent fuel back into the tank. 
This complete unit supplies fuel, at 43psi, to a rail containing eight injectors - four primary and four secondary. The primaries maintain the low end of the engine's needs, with the secondaries starting to open at around 4,500RPM and their duration (time spent open) is controlled depending on the angle of the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor). Sounds easy enough so far.

Then there's the exhaust valve. With the standard can still fitted, I'm still relying on the actuator to open and close the butterfly valve in the pipe. A quick look through the frame at the actuator/motor, when switching the ignition on, and it's obvious it isn't moving through its complete cycle. Another problem?

Starter Motor Issues?

Slow to turn over? Doesn't even attempt?
The little GSX saga continued when I wanted to turn it over on the starter motor just to see if everything was doing what it should.
I knew the cams were turning when I turned the crank with a spanner, but there's nothing like spinning it over on the starter to listen to any clonks, or other death blows.
With a charged battery at the ready, I used a pair of jump leads to try and get it to spin, but nothing, just sparks. It's worth noting that you don't want to hold the leads on for too long, in the hope it'll start to turn. Just flick the lead quickly to earth on the frame, or engine, and see if it begins to spin. 

An Ability To See The Best In Everything - Exuding Positivity.

Taking the risks.
It's fair to say I've taken a lot of chances on eBay, and I love it. Whacking a bid on, finding out you've won and seeing how good it turns out. Great fun.
A good mate of mine never did so well; everything he seemed to buy would turn into a massive dilemma. I remember him receiving a box of RMX250 bits years ago and, subsequently, chucking it all, part by part, into the bin at work. How we laughed; no hang on, that was just me. Well now Harvey, time to get your own back.

Putting it down to experience.
The GSX750 I should be working on was a rough-as-f@#k pig when I first got it, but if you look at projects like that, you'd never get on with them. So I try to look at the best bits and work from there. Dig deep and crack on.

So...
Today I bought a "parts bike" with an engine that "turns over", and I've been digging deep ever since!

Good bits - it's a Suzuki.

Bad bits - too many to mention.

Redeeming features - the guy selling it had wads of other parts, including straight forks to fit the GSX750. Every cloud, my friend, every cloud.

Lakeside Track Days, And The Ability To Learn... From Mistakes.

Tyres & Temperatures.
Nowadays, I don't think many riders would dispute the importance of warming a tyre before hard use. Thirty years ago you'd just be glad to see a bit of tread around the entire circumference, you didn't expect them to stick to the road as well - but hell, it was always a nice bonus when they did!
So fast forward, and what do we have? Pretty cool tech that is positively bursting from the race scene. The bike manufacturers now make bikes that are almost impeccable, delivering huge amounts of linear power, quietly, through a frame and swingarm strong enough to hold a tank together... and they are very, very hard to improve on. Where once you chose a JMC swingarm, or Harris frame, for better handling, now you just keep it standard and wonder how you ever managed on the steel cradle, flexi-frames of yesteryear. 
On top of that, the rubber things that transmit everything to the road, or you, are designed with the actual bike in mind, not just a rubber ring forged in the dimensions to suit your wheels. 

And these tyres let you get away with murder...

Removing Corrosion and Carburettor Cleaning - Definitive Guide?

So many opinions, but what really works?
I'm going to presume the carburettor(s) are already removed. I'm not going to go down the route of remove tank, air box etc. because there are way too many variables with different models of bike. If you're already at the stage of thinking your carbs need a clean, you're probably more than capable of doing a great job. So from the simplest Amal Concentric to a bank of four Mikunis, we'll delve straight into what actually bloody works at home - 'cause that's where I need to do it.

Here's the replacements I bought off eBay. They're rough, but hopefully good enough to make one set of complete carbs for my GS550.

Possible reasons for cleaning.

• Bike not idling correctly?
• Misfire or flat-spot at certain engine speeds?
• Yellow varnish on the outside?
• Covered in dirt?
• Maybe they're corroded?

KTM Superduke R - Brake Fluid Flush.

Talking of Hygroscopic...
A year-old, a slight leak, and the fluid's getting darker. The big Katoom's front master cylinder reservoir has been leaking for ages. Shame on you Brembo for that design, and the KTM dealer for not fixing it at first service. Maybe it's how they sell more of their KTM-branded sweat bands.

Motorcycle Motivation - Digging Deep.

Saturday afternoon watching Free Practice.
It's Moto GP from Barcelona, and the commentator mentions Rossi first winning a 125 race here in 1997. Eighteen years later and he's still running at the front! Not just making up numbers, actually able to run with the best in the world; that's a certain kind of special. World champions have come through the ranks since, long after him, and retired while he's still enjoying and lapping up every minute. Still able to win - no lack of motivation.

It's an example to anyone, no matter what they do, whatever walk of life, and it got me thinking (oh-oh!).

Where does it come from?
The dictionary definition for motivation: enthusiasm for doing something.

Two-wheeled, self-propelled frames seem to have the uncanny knack of sucking people in and changing their lives, maybe their souls, for good. From the highest level of sport, to the youngster pulling back the throttle for the first time, there's something in there, something great, that doesn't seem to let go.
For me, it happened in December '87. Dad bought a 1961 Triumph Thunderbird to restore - relive his youth maybe - and that was it for me, I was lost. A few months later and I had my first bike, a 1980 CR80R. I wasn't fast, still ain't, was never gonna race, but it didn't matter; I couldn't, and can't, get away from bikes. Love them, old or new, riding or repairing, on or off-road. I have my opinions, who doesn't, but I'll never be without bikes (while I have a say).

Different levels.
So, a racer that's been out there years, and still gives it his all at the highest level is one thing, but what about the person that toddles off out to the shed on a cold, dreary day to carry on with their restoration? Not just fixing something up because it's their only transport, but getting pleasure from being with the bike. That's enthusiasm. Of course, novelty plays its part at the beginning, ripping the bike to pieces to see what needs doing is a lot of fun. But it's the ability to find that something inside when other things get in the way.

What about the times when you just can't be arsed to go for a ride? Bike's ready to go, just needs you to kit up and get on, but it all seems too hard when the sofa's so comfy. Then you push on and get out anyway, and it all comes good, wondering why you ever thought about it in the first place. The feel-good factor of riding motivates. Being at one with a machine, immersed in nature and the elements, the speed, the balance, the excitement, the adrenaline, that fine line we think we reach between life and death. Hmm, we've probably all been there.

Great comebacks.
No, not comedy genius putdowns, but coming back from a bad place, a time where everything looked a little bleak. Rossi's doing it now after two years of riding a Ducati, he's found something that's made him stronger and, by the look of it, faster than he was in the last year of riding a Yamaha. At his age it's nothing short of incredible, and the motivation to win is obviously still strong.

But probably the greatest comeback of all must go to Mike Hailwood. After an eleven year gap from bike racing, he gets bored with his retirement, returns to the Isle of Man TT in '78, and bloody wins it! This will never be achieved again, ever. 

Winning a TT is ridiculously hard; it needs guts, ability and motivation in spades. To do that, after being out of the sport for eleven years, is beyond my comprehension. It shouldn't be possible, and must have been pretty humbling for the other racers. They were bound to be questioning what it was they were actually doing out there.

Where does yours come from?
Sometimes we all need a kick up the motivational ass to keep on doing what we love to keep doing when life isn't getting in the way of everything. Yeah, things get in the way, and we can't always be arsed to work on them, or ride them but, as long as they're still in your life, it'll always be back. That's bikes for ya. 
Time to go down in the garage I guess...