In The Mood For Learning!

[MadzBiker1]

Soo for some reason i'm in the mood to learn some new things about bikes for some reason & to clear a few things up. It may also help other people. Unsure if this has already been on the forums so sorry if it has xD.

What's the difference between upside down forks & normal? What are the benefits? where do each work best at, i.e town riding, country side riding etc..

What's the difference between Part & Fully Synthetic oils? Benefits again etc..

Wet & Dry clutches?

And just random stuff anyone feels like mentioning about some bikes.. I'm just in the mood to gain more knowledge of the mechanic side of motorbikes!

 

[Trinith]

What's the difference between upside down forks & normal? What are the benefits? where do each work best at, i.e town riding, country side riding etc..

Not quite sure. I would imagine it involves unsprung weight. You want your wheels, tires, and generally everything 'below' the suspension to be pretty light. Makes for better responsiveness and easier tuning and all that.

What's the difference between Part & Fully Synthetic oils? Benefits again etc..

Synthetics last a lot longer. I've recently read in a couple places that the current synthetics can be good for as many as 13,000 miles.

Wet & Dry clutches?

Dry clutches are what you'll find in pretty much every car on the planet with a clutch, and Ducatis. It's just a trio of plates that all smash together. Wet clutches are sunk in a bath of oil and as far as I know are generally multi-plate clutches. This is why manufacturers tell you that you should use their 'motorcycle' oil. About half of automotive oils have additives in them that are solely designed to reduce friction, and the claim is that those additives will burn up your clutch. I can see this being the case if you're on a track, but I ran plain ol motor oil in 2 bikes for years and never had a problem. I don't do that anymore however, as I learned something a few years ago.

One of those little stamps should be on the back of every bottle of motor oil in existence. If your oil doesn't have one I'd stop using it and switch to another brand. See how the one in the middle says 'energy conserving?' That's bad (for bikes..) Get a weight (getting oil a little thicker or thinner than recommended won't really hurt anything, don't worry) that doesn't say 'energy conserving' in that little bottom rung of the stamp and you can save yourself a LOT of money on every oil change. The oil that Honda tells me to use costs $11 per liter. The oil I've used for a combined 60,000 miles without any issue at all costs $2 per liter.

Disclaimer: I'm not an engineer. I only studied physics for a few years in college and have been working on cars and bikes myself (my own vehicles and some for friends..) for 15 years. These are just my opinions and I make no warranties.

 

[Mikesmotorbike]

cheers Trinith =D is that the case for 2X oil too?

 

[Trinith]

cheers Trinith =D is that the case for 2X oil too?

I have no idea. I can't stand 2 strokes, only 2 strokes I know anything about are nitro RC engines and weedeater motors.

 

[Mikesmotorbike]

haha well cheers for the info, tbh I'm more than looking foreward to getting my 4Stroke bike. 2stroke 50s do still beat 4xs though

 

[Trinith]

haha well cheers for the info, tbh I'm more than looking foreward to getting my 4Stroke bike. 2stroke 50s do still beat 4xs though

Yeah, don't really give a shit about 50s either.

 

[Mikesmotorbike]

I unfortunatly don't have a choice for the next few months

 

[MadzBiker1]

I've just been looking at random upgrades which could possibly go onto a next bike or something in the future but I'm unsure..

So... Braided Brake Lines or Stainless Steel Brake Lines ( what ever there called ). What's the difference and the effect?.. I know there supposed to give you greater stopping power but how?, A dramatic difference? Are they worth it?

Thanks : )

 

[Trinith]

I've just been looking at random upgrades which could possibly go onto a next bike or something in the future but I'm unsure..

So... Braided Brake Lines or Stainless Steel Brake Lines ( what ever there called ). What's the difference and the effect?.. I know there supposed to give you greater stopping power but how?, A dramatic difference? Are they worth it?

Thanks : )

I think on street bikes they're more for looks than anything. They don't expand like rubber hoses do, so there's more braking force as less is wasted in the expansion of the lines. I think they help a little with brake fade too, but I'm not 100% sure.

As for whether they're worth it, it's a street bike not a track bike, and you're not a professional racer. No offense, but frankly you don't have the skills and abilities to exploit the benefits of having braided lines. I doubt your bike has the traction to do so on the street with street tires either. They're just cosmetic as far as you're concerned. Hell, I'd wager to bet that they would actually make riding a bit more dangerous as the wheels would be that much easier to lock up.

Though I could be wrong.