That darn snowball effect...

[DrBob]

I had a 1996 that served me well for 135,000 miles, and I missed it, so about 20 months ago I picked up a 1994 Intruder 800 with only 7000 miles on it. I use it to play in the mountains, where it is a lot more fun that the Harley, and as a second bike for putting around town.

Anyway, after putting almost 40,000 miles on it in the last 20 months, I finally had to do some wrenching to it. It was about time for tires (again), and I noticed that one of the forks caps was leaking a little oil. This indicates that the o-ring under the cap is bad or crusted up from the fluid being contaminated. A new o-ring is only about a quarter, but I figured I’d go ahead and change the fork oil while I was at it. And if I was taking the wheel off anyway, might as well do wheel bearings also. And a new front tire. And brakes. And if the forks are coming off (there is no drain plug on the Intruder forks) I might as well do the fork seals, dust seals, and steering head bearings. And if I had them apart anyways, I might as well upgrade the forks …one thing leads to another…the snowball effect.

So I took the front end off and replaced, well, everything. Took about 5 hours, but I ended up with All Ball wheel bearings and steering head bearings; Progressive Suspensions fork springs (had to fashion some new spacers); synthetic 15wt fork oil (the stock is 10wt); Suzuki fork seals and dust seals; a new set of Metzeler ME800s; and EBC brake pads.

Wow, what a difference! I had previously upgraded to Progressive shocks, but the fork springs are a big improvement. The first inch of travel is softer than stock, to absorb the bumps and vibrations better. But the springs get progressively stiffer as you compress them, so the front end does not bottom out on speed bumps or pot holes. The heavier fork oil improves damping also, so there is less bounce. The front end handles the corners better, does not dive under hard braking anymore. I got better handling and a smoother ride, well worth the $56 the springs cost. The new bearings make the front end tighter, removing 47,000 miles of wear and slop. And of course I love the Metzelers, which I have been using for years, and a new set feels soooooo good compared to the worn out set that was on it before.

The bike is now even faster in the twisties, inspiring confidence as it effortlessly and smoothly lays over until the pegs grind. Took it for a spin across GA 180 and around the Suches triangle, a 20-mile loop with over 350 curves, and flew like I have never flown before. I should have done these upgrades to the first Intruder!

[Louis]

good job DrBob!

[techgesture]

Very cool.

[dogcatcher]

I'm sending my M50 over.....what is your address?

[DrBob]

Sure, send it on over!


Oh, you need to include the title also, you know, just in case...









Now, where is the link to the 'bikes for sale' page?

[TaterDog]

DrBob, what do you do for a living? You know too much about bikes to be a casual rider like the rest of us. I wish I knew 1/10th as much as you. Thanks for all the good info you provide.

[DrBob]

Originally Posted by TaterDog

DrBob, what do you do for a living? You know too much about bikes to be a casual rider like the rest of us. I wish I knew 1/10th as much as you. Thanks for all the good info you provide.

Oh, you are welcomed! I enjoy wrenching, and sharing what I have learned over the years. I started wrenching out of necessity, as the only bikes I could afford were old POS rat bikes and I couldn't afford to pay anyone to work on them. Now it's just fun. I've been riding for 23 years now, owning a car maybe 1/2 of that time. I currently have 3 bikes, and never did replace my truck after it got stolen back in 2001.

As for what I do for a living, I work at a well-known university where I am a part-time professor and full-time project manager. I am also an author, having several magazine articles published and a book in the works.

[Clint]

It's been said that a proper suspension setup is priority #1. Good work!

[Trapper]

I am also an author, having several magazine articles published and a book in the works.

Anything we can read online?

[DrBob]

Probably not much of interest to anyone here, unless you are interested in Naval History. I've been published in Warship International, Warship Magazine,

Here is an article on the manufacture of heavy naval guns, such as the 12 to 18-inch guns used on WWI and WWII battleships: The Manufacture of Heavy Naval Guns

And here is an article on the 1982 sinking of the Argentine cruiser Belgrano during the Falklands Island War:Sinking of the Belgrano

Both are older articles from my website, which I haven't updated in quite a while. But the site itself has been used and cited as a reference by the History Channel, BBC 3, and several books. I’ll get back to it eventually, when time allows, and a book version is in the works. But my current project is a history of the French navy in WWII, to be published by Griffin Publishing next year.

I've also published some academic articles on the application of Eliyahu M. Goldratt's Theory of Constraints into the field of Project Management, but none are available online. It’s pretty boring stuff unless you are a grad student working on a Masters or PhD in Project Management.

[kflg]

Originally Posted by DrBob

I had a 1996 that served me well for 135,000 miles, and I missed it, so about 20 months ago I picked up a 1994 Intruder 800 with only 7000 miles on it. I use it to play in the mountains, where it is a lot more fun that the Harley, and as a second bike for putting around town.

Anyway, after putting almost 40,000 miles on it in the last 20 months, I finally had to do some wrenching to it. It was about time for tires (again), and I noticed that one of the forks caps was leaking a little oil. This indicates that the o-ring under the cap is bad or crusted up from the fluid being contaminated. A new o-ring is only about a quarter, but I figured I’d go ahead and change the fork oil while I was at it. And if I was taking the wheel off anyway, might as well do wheel bearings also. And a new front tire. And brakes. And if the forks are coming off (there is no drain plug on the Intruder forks) I might as well do the fork seals, dust seals, and steering head bearings. And if I had them apart anyways, I might as well upgrade the forks …one thing leads to another…the snowball effect.

So I took the front end off and replaced, well, everything. Took about 5 hours, but I ended up with All Ball wheel bearings and steering head bearings; Progressive Suspensions fork springs (had to fashion some new spacers); synthetic 15wt fork oil (the stock is 10wt); Suzuki fork seals and dust seals; a new set of Metzeler ME800s; and EBC brake pads.

Wow, what a difference! I had previously upgraded to Progressive shocks, but the fork springs are a big improvement. The first inch of travel is softer than stock, to absorb the bumps and vibrations better. But the springs get progressively stiffer as you compress them, so the front end does not bottom out on speed bumps or pot holes. The heavier fork oil improves damping also, so there is less bounce. The front end handles the corners better, does not dive under hard braking anymore. I got better handling and a smoother ride, well worth the $56 the springs cost. The new bearings make the front end tighter, removing 47,000 miles of wear and slop. And of course I love the Metzelers, which I have been using for years, and a new set feels soooooo good compared to the worn out set that was on it before.

The bike is now even faster in the twisties, inspiring confidence as it effortlessly and smoothly lays over until the pegs grind. Took it for a spin across GA 180 and around the Suches triangle, a 20-mile loop with over 350 curves, and flew like I have never flown before. I should have done these upgrades to the first Intruder!

Dr. Bob,

I am looking at progressive 412 shocks for my S83 which are about $200 less than the 440's. Are the 440's worth the extra money?

[omegajim]

DrBob

Probably not much of interest to anyone here, unless you are interested in Naval History. I've been published in Warship International, Warship Magazine,

Here is an article on the manufacture of heavy naval guns, such as the 12 to 18-inch guns used on WWI and WWII battleships: The Manufacture of Heavy Naval Guns

Obscure and largely useless historical info. Perfect!

Anything on siege guns used by the Jerries from ww1 and ww2?

[palanon]

OK, now I'm out of control. Last year I bought the B12s because I was to busy to work on and put up with the quirks of my older bikes.
Something I could jump on and go, without tinkering or worrying about roadside repairs.

Since the B12 had less than 3,000 miles, I promised myself I'd leave it alone for at least a couple years before changing anything. I lied to myself.

I was doing OK at first, decided I'd just do the routine stuff since I had the carbs to do on the KZ, electrical on the CB and all the standard **ap.

I start making a list of filters to order and decided to do it through Blade ( Bill ). Might as well keep it in the family, so to speak. But, Blade is in California so I might as well order a Zero Gravity windshield.

Since I have the windshield off, might as well put on some bar risers.

Have to change the brake fluid so might as well put on stainless brake lines.

While I'm down there doing the oil and clutch fluid I might as well replace the pegs.

While the pegs are off, might as well install a heel / toe shift lever.

Got to take the tank off to replace air filter. I KNOW !! tank cover would be nice.

Chain needs adjusting. Look at all that crap !! mmmmm Yeah, tire hugger.


I need to be stopped. I keep looking at Jet kits and exhaust mods, maybe some new rubber. How about a rear shock from a GSX-R ?

I need to start a support group.

[blackie1491]

ZUKEDUDITUS!!!!

And he has left the building and every one here is infected.

[palanon]

Hi, my name is Paul. ( everyone in room responds " hi Paul " ).

I'm a Zukiholic.

It's been two day's since my last parts order.......

[blackie1491]

Unlike the AAA support program, ZDI has only one known cure, termination!!!!