Stuff
March 12, 2010 version
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StuffMarch 12, 2010 version |
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I decided I needed a page for all kinds of miscellaneous information that is not bike specific. Almost everything on this page is my opinion, so take it for what it's worth.
Alphabetical table of contents
Chemicals
Lightweight Riding Boots
No-Spill Gas Can
On Any Sunday
Taillight and License Plate Holder
Trials Tires
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Chemicals
I've put the chemicals on their own page, so the Stuff page doesn't get too cluttered. So, go here--> Chemicals.
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Lightweight Riding Boots
Sidi makes a very lightweight, water-resistant riding boot
- the Discovery. The sole is soft rubber, and you can walk with
comfort for those times when you're riding with me and we stop
to look at interesting stuff. The Discovery boots are availale
from Motonation http://motonation.com (877-789-4940) for
about $250. I got my pair several years ago when the boot was
known by a different name. I ordered a size 10/44, although my
shoe size is 8.5 and I usually wear size 9 work boots for riding.
When wearing the boots, I wear nylon tube socks under medium-thick
riding socks. I needed the larger boot for adequate room and comfort.
I don't know if the sizing on my boots is the same as the sizing
on the Discovery boots. If you find anything further about sizing,
let me know.
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No-Spill Gas Can
The small gas tank openings on the new CRFs makes filling the gas tank difficult. A regular gas can spout will almost fill the opening, preventing you from seeing into the already difficult-to-see black interior. I searched the web and found the No-Spill self-venting gas can that uses a 3/4" funnel spout with a thumb button flow control. The spout fits small openings and allows you to easily monitor the gas level in the tank. AIRPARTS, Inc in Kansas City, Kansas has them in their on-line catalog for about $15 for a 2.5 gallon plastic can. Their web site is http://www.airpartsinc.com and their number is 800-800-3229. You can order using a credit card.
Here's the web site for the No-Spill company http://www.no-spill.com They don't sell the gas cans themselves; you have to buy from a dealer.
The last time I visited their web site, I saw that they now have a 5 gallon can.
Note - for those of us in the mountains, make
sure you bleed excess air from the can by pushing the thumb button
before driving to elevation AND after you arrive at your destination.
And also, just before you fill the bike's gas tank. If you don't,
gas may spray when you begin filling the gas tank.
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On Any Sunday
Every rider needs one or more DVDs in this collection, sold
by amazon.com:
On Any Sunday (1971) **
On Any Sunday II (1981)
On Any Sunday - Motocross, Malcolm & More (2001) **
On Any Sunday Revisited (2006) **
** included in the collection: "On Any Sunday 30th Anniversary Collection"
Go to the DVD page on amazon.com and search for "on any sunday"
For a more modern flick, see: "Dust to Glory"
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Taillight and License Plate Holder
Acerbis makes a very small, lightweight, LED taillight assembly (about $35). There are three wires; taillight, brakelight, and ground, so you can also wire in a hydrailic rear brake light switch that is mounted on the rear master cylinder. The license plate mounting area is a bit narrow, but you can mount a plastic Enduro Engineering License Plate Holder (about $14). This holder is designed to be mounted directly to KTM rear fenders, but it works just fine on the Acerbis taillight assembly. This setup has passed the scrutiny of a few police officers in the Upper Arkansas Valley (CO), so it might pass muster in your area, also.
These parts can be found at some motorcycle shops or check
on-line stores (Kevin's
Cycle Racing, Chaparral, RockyMountainATV/MC, EnduroEngineering).
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Trials Tires Rear trials tires are radial tube-type and radial tubeless.
Rear tire size is 4.00x18. For most off-road bikes (not TRIALS bikes), you'll use an inner tube in the front and rear (even for the tubeless tires). Most of the tubeless tires have a stiffer sidewall, so you can use low air pressure and get a good footprint and thus more traction. The thinking on tubes is to use a heavy duty tube to help avoid pinch flats. Bridgestone makes the heaviest tube - Ultra HD. MSR HD and Moose HD are thinner and lighter than the Bridgestone Ultra HD. Some riders prefer to use a knobby on the front because they have noticed that front trials tires "roll over" or "roll under" with heavy use of the front end (aggressive riding). Here is how I set my tires up in April 2006 (for both my CRF230F and CRF250X): Front - IRC TR-011R Bias-TT 2.75x21 tire and Bridgestone B460 Ultra HD 80/100-21 tube with one rim-lock. 12 lbs air, but others like 6-10. Rear - IRC TR-011R Radial-TT 4.00R18 tire and Bridgestone B300 Ultra HD 100/100-18 tube with two rim-locks. 12 lbs air, but others like 6-10. Note that I'm using the IRC tube-type rear tire. I'll be switching to the Dunlop tubeless when the IRCs wear out. I didn't know about the tubeless preference when I first made the switch to trials tires. There are several 'trials tires on trail bikes' threads in the Trials forum on ThumperTalk. I will never go back to knobbies! |
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For information about street-legal (DOT approved) trials tires, go here:
12/1/08 - IMPORTANT NOTE After using trials tires on my CRF230F and CRF250X for several years, some of my friends have started to switch to trials tires as well. We have found a problem with the Bridgestone Ultra HD tubes on the rear. When mounting a Dunlop 803 tire and the Ultra HD tube on an 18 x 1.85 rim, the tire bead sometimes slips off the wheel rim when there is very little air in the tube. The tube is so thick that it takes over 15 pounds of air to get it to start to stretch from its resting size. As a consequence, at low air pressures, there is very little side force against the inside of the tire, and the bead slips inward off the rim. When we switched to a Bridgestone HD tube, the tire bead stayed seated on the wheel rim, even at pressures under 10 pounds. Another bothersome issue has raised its head; the Ultra HD tube is exhibiting excessive chaffing against the inside of the tire. The ribs on the inside of the tire are causing rubber to roll-up along the sides of the inner tube. In some places, the rolled up rubber is further chaffing the tube and digging small ridges into the tube surface. When we switched to the HD tube, the chaffing reduced to almost nothing. The chaffing occurred with 18 x 1.85 and 18 x 2.15 rims and cleaned up on both sizes. I'm no longer advocating using the Bridgestone Ultra HD tube on the rear tire. Instead, I recommend the Bridgestone HD tube. As a precaution, I'm also switching the front tubes from the UHD to HD. Note that many other brands of Ultra HD tubes are the same thickness as the Bridgestone HD.
3/12/10 - FURTHER INFORMATION My riding friends and I are using trials tires as follows: CRF230F CRF250X WR250R Husky TE310 Husky TE610 NOTE: If you buy the DOT IRC TR1 front tire, get size 3.00 - 21 (largest). The competition tires can be ridden for short distances (5 miles) and low speed (25-35 MPH) on the street, but the MT43 is recommended for extended street use. Friends ride the MT43 at 50-60 MPH. These are my recommendations; many go outside these numbers. YMMV
Here's some info about where to get the tires and tubes. If you have any additional info, drop me a line; my eddress is on my home page. Prices as of 8/8/07. |
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| Brand | Type | Size |
PR |
Wt |
PSI |
Chap |
RM |
WER |
Notes |
| Cheng Shin C186 |
Bias-TT |
3.00x21 |
4 |
- |
- |
$25 |
- |
- |
|
| Cheng Shin C186 |
Bias-TT |
4.00x18 |
6 |
- |
- |
$37 |
- |
- |
|
| Dunlop D803 |
Bias-TT |
2.75x21 |
- |
- |
- |
$49 |
$50 |
- |
|
| Dunlop D803 |
Radial-TT Radial-TL |
4.00R18 4.00R18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
The D803 was Geoff Aaron's 2005 AMA Trials championship tire. |
| IRC TR-011R |
Bias-TT |
2.75x21 |
4 |
7 lb 2 oz |
12 |
$58 |
$58 |
- |
|
| IRC TR-011R |
Radial-TT Radial-TL |
4.00R18 4.00R18 |
4 |
11 lb 4 oz |
12 |
- |
$89 |
- |
|
| Michelin X-11 |
Bias-TT Radial-TL |
2.75x21 2.75x21 |
- |
- |
- |
$78 |
$78 |
- |
|
| Michelin X-11 |
Radial-TT Radial-TL |
4.00R18 4.00R18 |
- |
- |
- |
$127 |
$120 |
- |
|
| Mitas ET-01 |
TT TL |
2.75x21 2.75x21 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$62 |
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| Mitas ET-01 |
Radial-TT Radial-TL |
4.00x18 4.00x18 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
DOT rated |
| Brand | Type | Size |
Wt |
Chap |
RM |
WER |
| Bridgestone B460 | Ultra HD tube | 80/100-21 |
3 lb 4 oz |
$19 |
$18 |
- |
| Bridgestone B300 | Ultra HD tube | 100/100-18 |
3 lb 6 oz |
$19 |
$18 |
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TT - tube type TL - tubeless PR - ply rating Wt - weight PSI - tire pressure on my bikes
Chap - Chaparral - $9 per tire shipping. http://www.chaparral-racing.com 800-841-2960
RM - RockyMtn ATV/MC - free shipping if order is over $100. http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com 800-336-5437
WER - Works Enduro Rider. http://www.werproducts.net 908-637-6385
Not shown in the (outdated) chart above - American Motorcycle Tire/AMT http://www.americanmototire.com
