HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: couyant@convex.com (George Couyant)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: Re: Air filters ,was: Rebuild
Date: 16 Oct 92 00:32:09 GMT
Article-I.D.: convex.1992Oct16.003209.1575
Organization: CONVEX Computer Pty Limited, Melbourne, Australia
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In Article <1992Oct12.203623.11218@rtsg.mot.com>, dunne@rtsg.mot.com (Jim Dunne) writes:

>     He says: if dirt gets on your air filter foam, *you're too late*.
>   Some has already gotten by into the engine, causing whatever
>   (minor) damage.  You must _prevent_ the dirty air from getting there
>   in the first place... by making sure that the box's intake is getting
>   air from a cleanish place.  And a dirt bike's rear wheel area certainly
>   doesn't qualify.

	Sounds like the sort of guy that would say be safe from aids,
	stick to wanking... Just keep you're filter clean and well oiled 
	and you'll be safe. These old farts like to dramatize don't they..

	Actually, I'd like to see how ATK's idea of routing the air intake
	from the front of the tank is working out. Anyone out there got one?
	
> 
>    It all sounds like a pipe dream :-), but makes sense.  And surely
>   Shirley, doing it well is a little more art than science.

	More like a black art actually... The idea is to bend the air
	intake so that the heavier dust particles fall out of the air
	stream. A bit like a centrifuge. Unfortunately, it's just a touch
	too restrictive and your air box would have to be about the size
	of your bike... Modern air boxes are an afterthought. "Here's the
	space we've left you, now stick your airbox in there..and don't
	complain"..said the bike designers to the new apprenctice given
	the task of airbox design.....

>   better than stock.  Maybe I'll take the cover off again and drill
>   holes all over it to soften it up...

	Hey, what sort of seat cover is it? I've been too slack to buy the
	one I'd posted about some time ago and still need to.

	Cheers
	George C.

--
  ,--_|\ 	George Couyant			email couyant@convex.com
 /      \ 	Senior Systems Engineer		Ph    61 3 823-6216
 \_/--\*/	Convex Computer Pty Limited	Fax   61 3 823-6254
       ' 	
86 TT600,90 KX500,88 KX250,85 CR250,86 CR500, oh yea, and the kids 92 PW50.
From: frampton@skitzo.dseg.ti.com
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: Re: Air filters ,was: Rebuild
Date: 12 Oct 92 07:45:59 CDT
Organization: Texas Instruments Component Test Facility

> Given that our newsfeed is about as fast as a mini with a fouled plug, this
> message will probably reach you well after you've hacked up your air-box.
> In any event, here's what I would recommend for opening up an airbox. 

  Lucked out..  I didn't get to do it after all.  The folks came in this
  weekend so anything to do with the scoot was strictly mental.  Thanx for
  the instructions.  I'll have to read them closely and do the surgery on
  Thursday.  Much thanx for the info.

> Speaking of air filters and poor flow, wouldn't it be fun to play a prank
> on a buddy by sneaking away from the campfire in the middle of the night to
> place a bread wrapper over their air filter?  Preferrably do it to someone
> who has just bought a new XR.  See how long you can keep a straight face in
> the morning as they get drenched with sweat kicking the bike to life, only
> to have it sputter and cough each time.  Please understand, I deny any 
> past or future involvement in such a cruel and perverse joke ;-}

  I do remember a time when Carson Smith and I were at Burleson.  Carson's
  first practice was coming up and he had been kicking his YZ for 10 mins
  and not even a spark.  I said to Carson, "Did you leave the rag stuffed
  down your intake again?".  "No, no, I made sure I didn't", and he kicks
  for another 10 mins. Again I asked, "Are you su...".  Sternly he replied
  , "Look, just to make you happy, I'll take the seat off, pull the filter
  and show you that theres no rag in there!".  

  He did as he said he would, except for one thing.... He had to pull the 
  rag out that he was so sure that was not in there.  I tortured him by not
  saying anything else about it.
_________________________________________________________________________
mark frampton....O/30 NOVICE   |    You can ride as long as you are alive,
frampton@skitzo.dseg.ti.com    |      as long as you can take the pain.
                               |  
From: mcclend@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Mike McClendon)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 20:48:47 GMT
Subject: How to hold bikes on a trailer
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt

I just finished building a 5' x 8' (3 bike) trailer, and now want to add a
mechanism for securing the bikes to it -- what's the best way to do this?

Simple:  Good old tie straps.

Complicated:  A full-length, clam-shell jig like those for bicycles in
high-theft areas.  Seems like overkill, and the trailer can only be used
for bikes.

What about -- an ATK-type bike shoe?  I've only seen pictures; looks like
you push the front tire into the fixed U-strap (hits the tire about 3
o'clock?) then pivot the two other U-straps over the tire to hit at maybe
12 and 9 o'clock?  One of the pivot straps has another U-strap welded on,
do you step on this to squeeze in the tire?  How well does all this work?

What about -- tire straps, like those used for trailered cars?  I'm leaning
towards this idea.  Cut/weld chain to make what looks like a mc snow chain,
except you only need cross links for about half the tire.  Push the tire 
into the front trailer wall, pull the chain up from the floor over the tire
and connect it to C-clamp type bolts on the wall.  A few spins of the clamp
and the tire is rock steady front-back and up-down, but laterally?

Other ideas?


Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: smccormick@milkwy.enet.dec.com (Hurricane)
Subject: FOR SALE 1991 Suzuki RM250
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 19:47:54 GMT


	1991 RM250.  Low hours, excellent condition!  Always
	well maintained.  The bike also has Devol radiator 
	guards and an excellent skid plate.  Riding gear is
	available if needed.	

					$2300 or best offer

							Scott.

Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: donald@dvinci.USask.Ca (David Donald)
Subject: Re: Honda 4 stroke choice
Organization: University of Saskatchewan
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 19:32:37 GMT

redman@plate.megatek.com (Tim Redfield) writes:


>I am looking to purchase a new XR 4 stroke to replace
>my '85 yz 250.  Choosing a 4 stroke 'cause I want
>something that I can putt around on if I feel like it.  
>Adios premix hassles.  80 % of my riding is done down
>in Baja,  the other 20 % in the mountains/deserts east of
>San Diego.  I'm ~ 6 foot, 175 pounds.  The 600 is about
>25 lbs. heavier than the 250, which is considerably heavier
>than my current ride.  So what are your opinions of 
>the 600 versus the 250?   Thanx mucho...
>-- 

Hi, Tim.  Glad to see you're thinking of a four stroke!  They're always fun, 
I have found.

Anyways, on to the debate.  I've never owned one, but it seems to me that the 
600 is a much better choice for the type of riding you describe.  I rode a 
XR500 for two summers (three years ago) and it was great!  Buckets of torque, 
lots on top (for me,.. I'm a smaller guy) and they're normally as reliable as 
a claw hammer.  I have heard of some guys having problems with the clutch 
basket on some older ('81 - '83) 500s, but don't know about the 600.

600 vs. 250?  You said it yourself.  The 600 is 25 lbs or so heavier, but you
will be disappointed with the power of the 250, I think.  If I remember, the 
'85 YZ 250 had a pretty hard hitting low to mid range powerband.  The XR 250
will likely seem quite underpowered comparativly.  The 600, however, should be
great in the desert and mountains that you ride in.

Well, that's my $.02!

Have fun.  Winter is here (It snowed here today, George.  It's -5 degrees C.)

Dave
-- 
| donald@dvinci.usask.ca		 | "He rammed me, I rammed him!" |
| Communications Systems Research Group  | 	- Bob Hannah, about 	 |
| University of Saskatchewan		 | Keith Bowen, Ponitac          |
| Saskatoon, Canada			 | supercross, 1985 (?)		 |
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: eastman@bnr.ca (Gordon Eastman)
Subject: Re: Senior class moto (was Re:Air filters ,was: Rebuild
Followup-To: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Organization: Bell-Northern Research
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 19:50:02 GMT

> 	Any other older folks running small bores cause they're more fun?

I raced a 1986 CR125 in the Over The Hill/Plus 30 classes from 1987 to
1990. I switched to a 125 because I had just bought a house and money was
tight.

I had a blast racing this bike against the 250's and 500's. The local
tracks are fairly tight and I never felt at a disadvantage. Even got a few
holeshots! The light weight let me go longer without tiring.

I have raced my KDX200/KX125 hybrid for the past 2 years. The KDX motor
actually has LESS peak power than a 125, but is still competetive. 2
holeshots out of 6 motos this year, top 3 except for the time I got stuck
in the gate.

If anyone worries about a 125 not being competetive, take some 125 Expert
lap times and note that a) they are likely much faster than anyone in your
class and b) they are very close to the 250/500 Expert lap times (faster on
some tracks). The only place that I felt the big bikes had an edge was in
deep sand.

Gordon   1990 KX200
From: checksix@flyboy.EBay.Sun.COM (Al Conte)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: Wanted Yamaha PW-50
Keywords: Droping down a class
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:55:06 GMT
Reply-To: checksix@flyboy.EBay.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: flyboy.ebay.sun.com

No, not really.
My little guy, (Super Doug / 4years old) is ready to experience the religious
feelings of learning to ride dirt.
I'm looking for a "good" condition Pee Wee 50 to start him out on.
Help me out gang, these things are hard to find.
Email me, or you can call me.

wk. 408-276-3485


Al "keep on search'in" Conte
From: mcclend@hpnmdla.sr.hp.com (Mike McClendon)
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 15:09:17 GMT
Subject: Re: Re: No spark on XL600
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Santa Rosa, CA
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt

A few hundred volts should be the INPUT to the coil, not the output (which
should be several kilovolts), so put your 'scope on the input coil leads to
see which is bad -- coil or CDI.     

Got a dual-trace 'scope?  Put chan 1 on the pulse generator, chan 2 on the
coil input to see the timing.  Way-off timing could cause engine pop-boings.

BTW, Hondas have a "waste spark" where they fire once every revolution, so
your PG output is 2X RPM.

Neither Clymer or the factory manual's static test for CDI's is worth much,
only a 'scope or swap-out really works.

-- Mike

From: jld@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Jeff Deeney)
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 18:26:36 GMT
Subject: Re: Boot care
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt

In rec.motorcycles.dirt, couyant@convex.com (George Couyant) writes:

> For all of you with boots like stiff cardboard, get down to a saddle shop
> or good leather shop and ask for some Neats Foot oil. (shit, I hope that's
> what it's called in the US.....). It's a leather conditioning oil that's
> readilly absorbed by the leather. Brush this stuff on liberally and let it
> soak in. Then brush another load on. A dry boot will easilly absorb 200ml
> each....Wow, what a difference. See, you no longer need to soak them in
> the nearest creek before you can bend them enough to pull them on...

I used neatsfoot oil religiously on my old black Hallmans.  The
stuff works great.  The drawbacks are that the boots were considerably
heavier and they became maybe too soft.

My Tech-4's are white.  To make them white, there appears to be some kind
of coating on top of the leather, rather than a dye.  This coating will not
adsorb oil.  To treat these boots I've been rubbing them lightly with
bee-seal.  Special attention is given to the high flex areas where the
coating is cracked.  What kind of treatment are other folks using on coated
leather products? 

> Yor feet will love you and you can quite happily stroll through creeks and
> puddles without squelching your way out with a gallon or two of water in
> each boot. Also, the boots will last a lot longer and they won't go mouldy
> so quickly (bit of a problem in our sometimes humid conditions after a wet
> ride).

Let me tell you about mold.  I still keep my old Hallmans around.  I wear
them once a year when we ride Salt Creek at Moab.  We get totally drenched
in Salt Creek on Day 2 of a 5 day trip.  My mates are green with envy when
I pull on dry boots the next morning.  

As usual, I had packed away the wet Hallmans after the ride.  I thought 
that I may have left them behind since I didn't find them upon unpacking 
when I returned home.  Six weeks later I found them.  It was July.  They 
had been sealed in a cooler in my garage.  The fungus was humongous.  Short 
of incineration, any good tips on disenfection without destroying the leather?

Regarding plastic boots, I've heard of folks drilling small holes in them
to let the water drain out.  Seems like a good idea if you're riding in a
lot of water. 

In related news, isn't the new sythetic leather in gloves great?  No more
stiff, cracking gloves.  Abrasion resistance appears to be good, but I'm
hesitant to perform more thorough testing. :-)

-Jeff Deeney-  KotD #0000  DoD#0498    NCTR    '88 XR600-Shamu   
jld@hpfcpe.fc.hp.com       AMA#540813  COHVCO  '81 CB750F-Llamaha 
We don't stop riding because we get old, we get old because we stop riding.
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: dunne@rtsg.mot.com (Jim Dunne)
Subject: Re: Air filters ,was: Rebuild
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 20:36:23 GMT

    Your suggestions sound good to me, Jeff.  And I may try to hack a
  few holes in the airboxes of my bikes someday, and screen them off as
  described.  But here's a strange piece of advice from my mechanic who
  still races, and can name 20 brands of dirt bikes he's dealt that only
  old farts have heard of...

    He says: if dirt gets on your air filter foam, *you're too late*.
  Some has already gotten by into the engine, causing whatever
  (minor) damage.  You must _prevent_ the dirty air from getting there
  in the first place... by making sure that the box's intake is getting
  air from a cleanish place.  And a dirt bike's rear wheel area certainly
  doesn't qualify.

    So, I guess that if you can provide the most airflow to the filter,
  while trying to supply it from the top or front (or whichever area
  is cleanest) of the box, you'll be kindest to the engine and have
  to clean the filter less.  He suggested using duct (bike!) tape and
  ducts/tubing, or whatever it takes to direct airflow to your
  liking; close off the dirty ports and build new ones.

   It all sounds like a pipe dream :-), but makes sense.  And surely
  Shirley, doing it well is a little more art than science.

   P.S.  The boats & their trappings have finally been handled for
  another year.  Now I have maybe six weeks to catch up on bike
  maintenance before it's time for *real* two-stroke power -- the
  family's 3 Yamaha snowmobiles!  And my new DR350S is headed to the
  shop today for its 600 mile service.  Only real problem is an
  occasional high RPM condition when it should be idling.  That and
  the fact that the expen$ive! aftermarket seat foam is only slightly
  better than stock.  Maybe I'll take the cover off again and drill
  holes all over it to soften it up...

--
   Jim Dunne   dunne@rtsg.mot.com    ...uunet!motcid!dunne   Northern IL, USA
    --<{ TEAM STRANGE -- street / dirt / lake / snow / ice  LOCO-MOTION }>--
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt

How do you weld plastic?  That should be the ultimate repair/modification/fab-
rication for fenders & panels & such.

I've seen catalog pictures of kits (e.g. JC Whitney) showing a hot-air gun
(fine nozzle, adjustable 350-800 deg F) and an assortment of plastic welding
rods.  The claim is most common plastics can be welded -- PVC, ABS, poly-
ethylene, etc.  JCW wants $100 for the kit.

So is it like oxy-acetylene -- melt the base material, then dip in the 
welding rod?  How do you ID the base material, so you don't, for example,
use a PVC rod on a polyethylene base?  Does it really work?  Is there a
home-shop method cheaper than $100?

Just think of all the great stuff we can build if we can make good plastic
welds . . . !

Mike

Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: ggrevera@gradient.cis.upenn.edu (George Grevera)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: Honda XL600 Questions
Date: 15 Oct 92 14:23:57 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

Hi.  I would like to buy a dual-purpose bike and the prices of used
XL600's seems reasonable (~$1000 for '86s).  Any opinions about their
reliability, handling on the street, and handling in the dirt would be
appreciated.  I'm basically a street rider that would like to get dirty
once in a while.

Were the XL600R's the DP model and were they the 'ancestors' of the
current XR650L (XL600R --> XR650L and XL600L --> XR600R)?  Does Honda
have a 'thing' for the LR,RL,LL,RR letter combinations?

Thanks.

George
ggrevera@gradient.cis.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: baxter@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Mike Baxter)
Subject: Re: How to hold bikes on a trailer
Organization: TI Semiconductor Process and Design Center
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 03:53:56 GMT

Uhhh,  finish the trailer by enclosing it. :-) No really, we just use tie downs.
As long as the straps have a good angle the bikes should stay rock solid.  
For extra saftey you can tie the bike down from the lower frame tubing around
the rail of the trailer.  This also eliminates the need to bungee the rear
wheel to keep the back of the bike from hopping off the trailer.      
_____________________________________________________________________________
DoD #359         '91  CR250            |         Mike Baxter   
AMA #607249                            |              
TCCRA  #061    250cc int. class        |      baxter@spdc.ti.com
Texas Cross-Country racing series      |   
50 miles of off-road Hell              |   Texas Instruments, Dallas Tx.
_______________________________________|_____________________________________

Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: crossley@trc.mew.mei.co.jp (John Crossley)
Subject: Re: Scott boots
Organization: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
	<weobTD_00YUnNlgFtV@andrew.cmu.edu>
	<1992Oct7.184406.4587@cbnews.cb.att.com>
	<1992Oct12.053338.392@javelin.sim.es.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 07:07:14 GMT




blaine> nak@cbnews.cb.att.com (neil.a.kirby) writes:

>It's been a LONG time, but if Scott still makes their plastic/steel
>boots, they might be worth considering.  The big deal with them is
>that they pivot where your ankle bends.  Most boots bend about a
>handsbreadth above the ankle - meaning a possible bone break there.
>[I'm about to show my age] Cycle did a feature article years ago on
>them.  The Xrays alone were worth looking at.  The boots were
>designed for dirt bikers, who tend to fall off more often than
>pavement guys.  The orthopedic surgeon they talked to really liked
>them.  The kneecap protector might make them too tall, and I don't
>know if they work with leathers really well.  The motocross riders
>really took to them in a big way.

>Any lurkers out there with a pair of these beasties want to comment?

[ lots of good stuff from Blaine deleted ]

blaine> I don't know if the Scotts faded out because they just went
blaine> out of fashion, or if there were any real problems reported
blaine> with them. When I bought mine Scott had quit making them, and
blaine> I got a good deal because they were being closed out.

I also remember the article in Cycle magazine (and I'm only 25 :-)
discussing how the Scotts did a wonderful job of protecting one's
ankles, and for a few years they were all the rage among the MX set.
But then the consensus seemed to become that they spared people ankle
injuries at the expense of making knee injuries more common/more
severe.  Supposedly since everything below the knee was rigid, most of
the force in an accident got shifted to the knee.  Apparently knees
are also more complex and a nasty knee injury can be much worse than a
nasty ankle injury (just hearsay, folks).  Anyway, the pro MX-ers all
went back to old-style leather boots and Scott stopped making the
plastic ones.  

For what it's worth . . .

--John
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
crossley@trc.mew.mei.co.jp      |  DoD #0167
John Crossley                   |
Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. |  Bike in the US: 1980 CB750K
Tokyo Research Center           |  Bike in Nihon: (looking for a CB-1)
Data Communications Group       |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: BXJ104@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: wanted to buy: 81 rm125 for parts
Date: 15 Oct 92 15:24:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: psuvm.92289.112405BXJ104
Organization: Penn State University

I'd like to buy an old'81 RM125 for parts.  I know all of these pro's are going
 to say buy a new bike, but as a college student, Penn State has most of my mon
ey, and I don't need a new bike.  I'd appreciate it if someone would sell me an
 old beater stashed away in his/her  barn collecting dust.

                                                  THANKS IN ADVANCE
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
From: eastman@bnr.ca (Gordon Eastman)
Subject: Re: Boot care
Followup-To: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Organization: Bell-Northern Research
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 12:41:33 GMT

In article <1992Oct12.073028.25116@convex.com>, couyant@convex.com (George
Couyant) wrote:
> 
> The recent article about boots reminded me about a leather boot care
> product I use to keep my boots soft, supple and water proof.
> 
> For all of you with boots like stiff cardboard, get down to a saddle shop
> or good leather shop and ask for some Neats Foot oil.

I don't think you really want a soft, supple MX boot. My HiPoints are ready
for replacement after 3 seasons because they are getting soft and floppy
and don't have the ankle support/protection they used to. 

I use a leather protector called SnoSeal. It is waxy and doesn't soak in
deeply like Neats Foot oil. Still offers excellent waterproofing.

Gordon   1990 KX200
____________________________________________________________________________
Standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not BNR's
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt