Hi folks,
I haven't posted for a while as my old girl has been trouble free, and I don't feel the inclination to convert her to a cafe racer yet :-) ( Although I really like the Vinago's).

Some of you may recall i fitted a single Harley Keihin carb a while back, and although it ran pretty well it was never as economic, so went back to the Twin Hitachi's. (The best I got with the Keihin was 255km to reserve, but on the Hitachi's I get 290km).

Anyway the reason for this post is advise please:

1) Oil- What do you think is the best oil to use in the TR1 ?
2) Chain adjustment - I still have the original chaincase, and always seem to have issues adjusting the chain. The marks on the chaincase sight hole seem to make the chain far too tight in my opinion, so I'm wondering if there is a better way ?
3) Fork springs - are there any better springs still available?


Is it me or has the price of BT45's shot up ? I thought so anyway, so I've decided to try some Avon AM26 Roadriders instead (these are about 30% cheaper). Has anybody else tried them?
I'm hoping to fit them this weekend, and will post my findings on here.

Cheers for now,

Cliffa

Hello Cliffa,

Short answer:

Oil? Cheapest 15W40 mineral.
Chain? Dont adjust.
Fork Springs? Wirth.
Tyres? BT45, BT45 or BT45!

Tyres? Michelin Pilote Active!

Try it!

Hartmut

Please keep us in the loop regarding the Roadriders. I am looking for a more durable tyre than my BT45s and I always quite liked the old Roadrunners...

Cheers,
Greg

Thanks all for the replies. I think at 95,000 Km I should really adjust the chain though  :)

I must admit, I've never tried Michelins on a bike and didn't give them a thought.

Will do Greg. How are you keeping? I've been watching the progress on the Turbo bike.(nice welding by the way). Did you make it to Pendine yet?

Another question if I may. What grease do you put in the chaincase, and how much?

Cheers,

Cliff.

There's actually a guide-line in the manual, but it's rather vague. If you can pull the lower chain-tube up to the swingarm, then it's too loose.

(There's a sticker on the chain-enclosure that outlines the procedure.)

Nope, didn't make it yet. Turbo's a bit on halt at the moment, due to excessive play on the shaft after about 50km of usage. So I tried a warranty claim, which resulted in the seller closing his ebay account. So currently I am saving up for Turbo 2.0. (Fuel Injected, intercooled and even more bad a$$)  ;D

Cheers,
Greg

Ok, long answer: ;-)

Adjust the chain only once, and adjust it so that the bolts are aligned with the lower mark. After that, no more adjustment is needed. I put some chainsaw oil into the chaincase from time to time.

Avon roadrider riders are good gripy tyres but don't last long I use them on my triton wich is a lot lighter and only got 2000 out of the rear

Hello

I have used both BT45 and the Avon AM26. I converted to the AM26's because I changed wheels and they were able to offer matching tyres for the rim sizes I have.

I have found the Avons to be very good. I was warned they would be bad in the wet but I have not found that. I am not an aggresive rider so if pushed harder they may perform differently. I have done 8k miles (13k kms) on this set of Avon's. I found the tyre wear was not excessive. The front tyre looks like new and the rear tyre is beginning to show wear in the centre but has lots of life left in it. (As I said I am not an aggresive rider, so that may be reflected in the tyre life.)

However my preference would be for the BT45. It never let me down in any conditions and seems to wear well.

Regards
Kevin

Hi Kevin,

throttle grip and brake lever are at the right hand end of your steering bar. ;-)

How many miles did you ride with the BT45?

Hello George

So that's what they are for!!

My previous three TR1's were fitted with BT45's so in total I must have rode 30k miles on them. But, I bought the bikes with the BT45's on them and sold them with the same tyres so I can't tell you how many miles I got out of each set of tyres.

All the best.
Kevin