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I am no longer sympathetic to stupidity ironing itself out. My lament is that such stupidity affects me personally by increasing insurance premiums and bringing negative attention to motorcycles in general amongst the driving public and particularly law enforcement. I did my share of dumb s**t and got away with all of it, but at my dumbest I never did even once what these fools do on the daily. I don't know where it went wrong, the parents, the culture, the advertising; I think part of the problem is the death of amateur track racing. There is nowhere to turn anymore unless you want motocross.

This is the front subframe we are talking about (#2, below)? The tank would have to be off for access to the upper fasteners and I would think the front of the spine frame would need to be suspended from above . . .

If you are talking about the bracket I think you are talking about, the one that goes between the spine frame and the front motor mount points, I would make sure the engine is supported as that bracket holds up the front of the motor. But beyond supporting the motor you don't in my opinion and experience have to do anything else. No need to dis-assemble the back end of rig up some temp brace. If the weight of the motor is being supported so that the motor does not drop when you remove the bracket it will be fine. Just make sure your support of the motor is stable and secure. A basic premise of this would be if the motor is properly supported it won't drop or move when you remove the bracket. And if it doesn't move when you remove the bracket re-installing the brackets should be easy, the holes should line right up without any issue.

They like to cause trouble & strife. Their tactic is to divide & conquer But they can’t conquer us when we stand together My Scura R smiles & nods in agreement What a great sunset!

RM goes now. I've had it sitting in sun for last hour. Picking maybe water in electrics has dried out. Any way off to rally

I agree with GuzziMoto & Doc. I had to rotate my #2 subframe forward/up to remove the timing cover to replace my timing cover gasket. I supported the engine from underneath at the oil pan. However, on mine, the spine was supported up front by the front end (front wh, forks, etc.) when I disconnected #2 from the engine. And, the front wheel was in a wheel vise to keep the bike perpendiculer to the ground and stable. So, if you don't have the forks, front wheel, etc. on the bike, I would say that the spine has to be supported (suspended from above) too by way of a chain fall, engine hoist, etc. so that there is some stability to keep it from falling on its side And, the tank has previously been removed. I suppose if you had the rear wheel locked up in a wheel vise and the engine fully supported you might be able to get away without support from above at the spine....I guess.

I was pretty severe with my kids and motorcycles, and they took me seriously. I bought them a Honda CB125 to tool around town on, individually and together so they knew how to carry and be a passenger properly. Told them if they went to jail on a motorcycle, don't expect to be bailed out. If they got hurt of their own accord, they'd never put a leg over a bike within my reach again. Taught my daughter a proper rear choke so she could get off the back if she needed to. Seems it's funneling down to parenting again.

I agree, especially the part about getting away with dumb stuff. The mindset of people on the road today is "it's all about me". It bothers me though, especially seeing the young woman as a passenger. She needed to be more assertive, for her own good. I know my two daughters would have.

I'm thinking kill switch is cause of problem. I will give it a clean when I'm home. Im not tempting fate by working on it while on trip. Bike didn't miss a beat today. Traveled 400k home to Dunedin via some back roads. Off to rally tomorrow in Alexandra which is about 200ks away.

That is what I heard too. So "QED": quod erat demonstrandum

Yes, as Martin showed, the latest version of Ducati's hole shot tech is amazing. I had to back it up and watch again as I was sure he jumped the start. Everyone in MotoGP likely has some version, but the current factory Ducati's seem to have the best version, for now. No doubt the engineers at KTM are working hard as we speak. From what I understand, the new version allows the rear of the bike to drop even lower. But that is just what I hear, no real knowledge.

I see that Rahal is sponsoring a pair of Duc V2's for Moto Am Supersport with Ben Spies as manager. He and his son own a couple bike dealers in Indy including Ducati. Wayne is getting the program going now. I wonder if the Daytona 200 will get back to snuff? I might even attend another one.

@GuzziMoto From what I understood, Ducati has even perfected the hole shot device, this is why Binder got matched lately. They have added something which Pecco Bagnaia touched upon in an interview without saying what it was. This new device is present on all the factory spec'ed bikes, minus Zarco's.

Well, this one is a real sore... note that for some reason, doping always existed at the Tour de France. Starting with Tom Simpson. Even today, I don't know if they are as clean as they say they are.

If I was Jake, I would really be annoyed at my team. Since he would be the one paying for the consequences of someone else's decisions. Unacceptable. What would his team tell him if he gets banned to race for several races because of this? not smart... I am hoping the illegal fuel was a single time mistake.

Why does that cause me to think of professional bicycle racing and doping?

Or bad voltage spikes from this all-too-common V11 Achilles' Heel fault as the stator wires degrade, undetected . . .

It's all been said, but here are my two cents anyway: I'm definitely with Marty there. Poor connections have a higher resistance (loose, oxidised, whatever...), and that generates heat. When it gets bad enough, the connectors end up looking like the ones in @droydx's photo. In most cases, the problem is exactly that: the connector has just gone bad. Repair it (and maintain it in the future), and the problem is solved. No. Yes. If there are spikes, the regulator has a problem, at least as far as I know.

Good question, @Yam350! They are completely separate. The clutch switch prevents starter engagement when open. When functional, it is pressed "open" when the lever is not pulled in (clutch engaged), and is Normally Closed when the lever moves away from the switch (clutch disengaged). The Side Stand switch provides power to the Run Switch with the bike in gear. The switch closes with the side stand up. When the stand is down, the switch pressed "open" and bike will only run through the Neutral Switch/ Middle relay. Since the bike can run in gear through the Side Stand Switch, it is the clutch switch (or the operator!) that prevents the bike from starting in gear. If your bike runs in gear regardless of the Side Switch Position, either (yes) it is faulty, or some previous owner has defeated it along the course of the wiring.

nice docc. Ima fan. "Ain't no money in poetry That's what sets the poet free" One of Guy's friends, Townes Van Zandt and one of his best songs, with one of the best accompaniments.

Coming home from Seattle yesterday heading south in my car on I-5, cruise control set at 76 mph. The road finally opened up after all that Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia congestion. I see some two bikes coming up fast from the rear, weaving in and out of cars and lane splitting. They lane split right by me going much faster. Single rider on one and a male rider with female passenger on the other...they looked young. Nothing more than hoodies and t-shirts on with the wind exposing their backsides. 30 seconds later I couldn't make them out. A short time later there is a bit of a slowdown. Three or so cars pulled over, one bike that I noticed on a side stand with people all moving around in different directions. I did notice the girl still with her helmet on as one of them. I don't know what happened but it did not look good. Very troubled by what I saw. Nothing I could do about it.