marktheaxeman

Many thanks Phil. I only find mine a bit hairy when really pushing on on very bumpy roads.

I have the short red frame bike. I'm not sure if it has the extra gearbox support tbh. It was imported from Japan so its not a UK bike. cheers. ta.

Does the slightly longer spring make the bike more twitchy and quicker steering? Im not sure I want to sacrifice stability for quicker steering. I'll have a look for the ohlins specs on here, thanks..

That would be great if you can get the dimensions Phil. I was surprised they wanted me to confirm the dimensions seeing as they made the shock for the isle of mann TT bike years ago.

Hello. I'm getting a Maxton NR4 shock made for my short frame v11 to hopefully improve on the ride quality. The original Sachs unit seems really hard and downright pain full over potholes on our crappy UK roads. Maxton have asked for confirmation of some measurements first though. Does anybody know the dimensions? They said the last one they made for the v11 was Length between centres - 280mm Top eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12 mm hole. Bottom eye size - 22 mm across flats x 12mm hole. Also they recommend making the shock a little longer than stock to make the back end sit higher - I think I read somewhere that the ohlins unit was a bit longer. Would this be a good idea to speed up the steering or would it make the bike unstable. ? Many thanks, Mark.

Good idea - why the he'll didn't I think of that. Doh! Thanks.

I was going to try and reuse the weights in the new bars if they would fit. Also I need to remove the throttle tube from the original handlebar.

I am trying to remove the clip ons and fit some standard Renthal bars to improve the comfort a bit for my dodgy back, but I cant seem to remove the bar end weights. I have sprayed loads of WD40 in there and left to soak for a bit - but no matter how much force I put on the allen key screw it wont budge. Nearly snapped the damn thing off. I was holding the bar end with pipe grips with a bit of rubber to stop the damage (didnt really work!). Im guessing the thing is corroded to hell inside the bar as its not been moved for 20 years. Has anyone got any good tips before i take a hacksaw to it. Many thanks, Mark.

Last time I was out on the bike I noticed that the rev counter was reading very low - probably around 1500-2500 lower than the actual revs. Weirdly though when I really revved the bike over say 5000 it seemed to read more accurately. At tick over the needle was barely moving. Anyone know what is going on please. I was going to start checking connections but not sure where to start. Many thanks...

Hi Luc, That looks just the kind of set up I'm after. Did you drill the top yoke yourself and what bar clamps did you use? I like the ideal of being a little more upright. I guess you have to replace the throttle cable and clutch line? Thanks for your help, Mark.

Hi Luc, I like what you've done there - but I dont think that will work with my brake pedal as its not the standard one and doesnt have a flat edge to it. I think my foot rests will be in roughly the same position as yours though once i spin my rearsets around by 180 deg. Do you have any trouble with them grounding out at all? Are they much more comfortable? Cheers, Mark.

Hello all!! I am in the process of altering the rear sets on my 2001 V11 to gain a little more room in the leg department. But this means the current brake lever i have fitted will be too short. Does anyone have a standard rear brake lever that they would want to sell me. I will of course cover all postage costs. I'm in Bath UK. many thanks, Mark.

Thanks swooshdave - cheap as chips too!!

Hi Scud - any luck with finding the levers and foot rests etc? cheers Mark.

Docc will the later brake and gear shift work on the red short frame - which my bike is?? Cheers,

Scud that would be great if you have it all. I can remove the powder coating no problem as my bike is all ally. I would need the long bolt as well which holds the gear lever in place and the small arm which fits on the gearbox spline. Let me know how much you have and what you want for it. I'll cover the postage costs. Cheers Mark.

Hi there. Has anyone got the standard foot rests, rear brake lever, gear lever and linkages that they want to sell? At the moment I have rear sets which are a bit high for me and would like to put it back to the standard set up. Ive has a look at doing it with new parts but some of the required bits don’t seem to be available and the prices are ridiculous!! Also if anyone wants to swap their standard set up for my custom rear sets then I’d be up for that im in Bath Somerset Uk thanks.

I am pretty sure I’ve sorted the problem now!! I removed the plastic inlet pipe on the master cylinder and discovered that one of the two small holes was blocked up with crud. The hole is tiny and tapered so easy to block up over time. So I probably didn’t need the new seals etc fitted - but at least I know they’re all good for a few more years of riding !

I have the master cylinder off the bike and i still cant blow through it... nothing connected.

Heres the master cylinder

The plot thickens.. I fitted the service kit in the caliper earlier and everything went together really well. The old seals actually looked pretty good. On refilling the system with fluid I could not get any to flow down into the master cylinder - tried pumping the pedal - no joy. So I took the master cylinder back off took it apart again to make sure everything was spotless and clean (it has a new service kit fitted - I did it last week). What I can’t understand is when I blow through the plastic inlet which is attached to the tube going to the reservoir- there is no air flow no matter what position the piston is in. Surely when the piston is right back against the circlip there should be flow through to allow the fluid into the high pressure part (to the caliper). ?? Its as if the black piston needs to come out beyond the circlip. I’ll add some pics of the master cylinder. cheers mark.

1. All I have done to the bike since I’ve had it is fit some Mistral pipes and fit a new led rear light and indicators. 2. It’s happened twice now in the last few weeks. 3. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned everything. Cheers.

Thanks Dan M. I stripped it all down today and fitted a service kit to the master cylinder. I had real trouble getting the white nylon sleeve out - I had to destroy it to get it moving. I found there was a small amount of corrosion on the bore behind the sleeve. I removed it with some fine wet and dry. I wonder if this may have caused the piston to stick intermittently- causing the problem?? Fingers crosssed ... ive got the caliper service kit coming this week and some new pads. The disc looks fine thank god.

Thanks for all the great feedback. I think I’m going to start with checking the master cylinder and get a service kit for it and perhaps get one for the Caliper too. This bike was a Japanese import with very low mileage so I’m guessing it’s just been laying idle for many years - which doesn’t help. Lucky Phil - your point about accidentally dragging the rear brake pedal is valid as I thought I may have been doing this. I think I’ll adjust the position of the lever so that it’s well out of the way. Also it has rear sets on - not sure if this would make a difference?