Discussion
Welcome to the XJR1300 club, Carl! Aren't they great? Where I live, there are three owners (including me) within 400 yards! One black with Acrapovic pipe and other sundry bits (French owner). One red and white SP. And my green one, also with Acrapovic pipe - just hear one once and you'll want one, too. Sounds just like a Tuscan on the overrun! Amazing. Motorways aren't much fun, but everything else is a hoot!
cheers lads !
Tune it? ooooooh nooooo. It's quite quick enough already, and I am trying to slow down, remember?
Luckily, the upright riding position makes you cruise at almost the NSL + 10mph, so what a result !!
Some cheeky sod in a BMW thought he'd overtake me up to a roundabout, so I opened it up in top, got to the roundabout first. Glided round at a decent pace, matey is in my mirrors, so I try out 2nd gear. Whoa! warp factor 9, Mr Sulu. BMW becomes a dot in the mirror, and doen't try again.
Ah, the joy of much power.
Would any of you guys know how I can reduce the understeer a bit???? (I already counter steer heavily to encourage it to corner fast).
Carl
Tune it? ooooooh nooooo. It's quite quick enough already, and I am trying to slow down, remember?
Luckily, the upright riding position makes you cruise at almost the NSL + 10mph, so what a result !!
Some cheeky sod in a BMW thought he'd overtake me up to a roundabout, so I opened it up in top, got to the roundabout first. Glided round at a decent pace, matey is in my mirrors, so I try out 2nd gear. Whoa! warp factor 9, Mr Sulu. BMW becomes a dot in the mirror, and doen't try again.
Ah, the joy of much power.
Would any of you guys know how I can reduce the understeer a bit???? (I already counter steer heavily to encourage it to corner fast).
Carl
Carl,
The best way to reduce the understeer is drop it down two gears less than necessary, crack the throttle and light up the rear. I know it works, I've been watching Doohan doing it for years!!!
Seriously though, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the XJR carries a lot of its weight relatively high, due to the frame geometry, and is a mighty beast to wrestle. Take it easy until you've got used to the handling characteristics - make sure you've got both wheels pointing in the same direction before laying waste to matey in his Beemer!
The best way to reduce the understeer is drop it down two gears less than necessary, crack the throttle and light up the rear. I know it works, I've been watching Doohan doing it for years!!!
Seriously though, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that the XJR carries a lot of its weight relatively high, due to the frame geometry, and is a mighty beast to wrestle. Take it easy until you've got used to the handling characteristics - make sure you've got both wheels pointing in the same direction before laying waste to matey in his Beemer!
quote:
Would any of you guys know how I can reduce the understeer a bit???? (I already counter steer heavily to encourage it to corner fast).
Carl
I get a bit confused with the understeer/oversteer bit but i think you are looking to make your bike turn in a bit quicker. You can do this by reducing the wheelbase of your sickle by either :
A. Jacking up the rear of the bike using ride height adjustment(only small increments make a big difference, i.e. 5mm) but if the XJR has twin shocks at the rear not sure if you have ride height adjustment or not?
B. Lowering the front of the bike (my preferred method) by dropping the forks through the yolks, again by a small amount. Make sure afterwards that the front wheel does'nt foul the exhaust or radiator
C. Reduce unspung weight at the front (lightweight wheel, discs etc) IMHO the best way to improve feel and response.Dymag and PFM's transformed my humble VFR400 race bike. Goddamn expensive tho'!
Before any of the above, if you are reasonably happy with the handling make a note of all your settings before messing about with them, and only adjust one thing at a time to gauge the impact your changes have on your bikes handling before making more adjustments
Hope this helps....enjoy your new toy M8
Best advice? Get more used to the bike. It does turn in fine, once you get used to the weight and the c.o.g. being a little high. It's no Ducati, but it'll still blat through the twisties like a goodun (just not as fast around corners as a TVR).
Oh, no... am I starting one of those car vs. bike things - no, stop there! All forms of motorised transport are great - two wheels, four wheels, 18 wheels, no wheels (hull?). They're just different.
Whatever you do though, please don't fit a bikini to your XJR. They look SO wet (sic)!
Oh, no... am I starting one of those car vs. bike things - no, stop there! All forms of motorised transport are great - two wheels, four wheels, 18 wheels, no wheels (hull?). They're just different.
Whatever you do though, please don't fit a bikini to your XJR. They look SO wet (sic)!
quote:
Would any of you guys know how I can reduce the understeer a bit???? (I already counter steer heavily to encourage it to corner fast).
Only had two bikes myself, a Transalp I learnt on and a Pan European I had a shot commuting on. Bought both new and had a great time on them. BOTH had their suspension settings all over the place from the Factory.
Much struggling with them thinking "is this right?" before taking them to a specialist who set them up properly - complete transformation - my weight, height etc taken into account - the results were much like the difference a good alignment check on cars can make.
My bikes were decidedley non-sporting - the more sporting the bike the greater the adjustment and the more important that the settings are correct. If you can find a good specialist who understands the black art, you'll not look back.
ta for that. Just how many (ex)bikers live on this website? just curious...
The back of the bike is already high - on max preload, to carry me & the missus.
Yeah, you're right - the CG feels very high, I'm not short (6ft1) but my feet don't make good contact with the ground, and I almost dropped it when going dead slow.
Steering feels light, but I can't get the damn thing to corner like the SV. Maybe I am being a bit too optimistic, the SV was a great handler.
I will go lower the front, by doing the fork trick. Also have to check the tyre pressure, reckon it may be over inflated.
Engine is just so incredibly smooth, never been on a bike that you can use at such low revs one minute, and get such a rush when you gass it. Even the R1 struggles more at low revs - I know, 'cos I raced one last night. Naughty naughty me. He let me go past after 2 miles.
C
The back of the bike is already high - on max preload, to carry me & the missus.
Yeah, you're right - the CG feels very high, I'm not short (6ft1) but my feet don't make good contact with the ground, and I almost dropped it when going dead slow.
Steering feels light, but I can't get the damn thing to corner like the SV. Maybe I am being a bit too optimistic, the SV was a great handler.
I will go lower the front, by doing the fork trick. Also have to check the tyre pressure, reckon it may be over inflated.
Engine is just so incredibly smooth, never been on a bike that you can use at such low revs one minute, and get such a rush when you gass it. Even the R1 struggles more at low revs - I know, 'cos I raced one last night. Naughty naughty me. He let me go past after 2 miles.
C
quote:
not as fast around corners as a TVR).
Excellent! I was fed up beating all the cars, so this will make more of a challenge for me. I like it when car drivers play along, but so few do. It almost always ends at the first traffic snarl up.
quote:
Oh, no... am I starting one of those car vs. bike things - no, stop there! All forms of motorised
Why not? discussions are fun between like minded people. Obv, your car will be better in some situations, and is a lot safer/practical. The bikers freedom to get through traffic makes even a 125cc machine faster round town than any 4 wheeler !!
quote:
transport are great - two wheels, four wheels, 18 wheels, no wheels (hull?). They're just different.
STOP !
you are including Metro's in this?!! 
quote:
Whatever you do though, please don't fit a bikini to your XJR. They look SO wet (sic)!
Ummm. It came with a light smoked fly screen, about 8inches high. I need that to fix my Geodesy to !
The dropping of the forks is probably your best bet Carl, but I think you need to exercise some caution - you wouldn't want to make a beast of that size go slappy!
The attraction of the XJR single make race series is that the riders wring the performance out of the bikes despite their inherent characteristics. It's like a throwback to the late seventies, when frames were bendy, engines powerful and riders were heroes!
As for the age old car versus bike debate, my brother is known on these pages as Driller - he has a Griff 500 and doesn't tend to spare the horses.
My second pet is a full power (146hp) Kawasaki ZZR1100. When he first got the Griff, there was plenty off banter flying around, so we put it to the test. Around a race track, the Griff is an easy winner - you just can't turn, brake or put the power down as efficiently on a bike.
On a fast A road or in a straight line though the tables are turned dramatically. 146hp and 215 kgs see to that.
For a day on the motorway, I'd rather be in my Alfa than use either!
The attraction of the XJR single make race series is that the riders wring the performance out of the bikes despite their inherent characteristics. It's like a throwback to the late seventies, when frames were bendy, engines powerful and riders were heroes!
As for the age old car versus bike debate, my brother is known on these pages as Driller - he has a Griff 500 and doesn't tend to spare the horses.
My second pet is a full power (146hp) Kawasaki ZZR1100. When he first got the Griff, there was plenty off banter flying around, so we put it to the test. Around a race track, the Griff is an easy winner - you just can't turn, brake or put the power down as efficiently on a bike.
On a fast A road or in a straight line though the tables are turned dramatically. 146hp and 215 kgs see to that.
For a day on the motorway, I'd rather be in my Alfa than use either!
Yup I'm including skodas, ladas, quartic steering wheels, even BMWs - the lot - after all, where would banger racing be without them? And frankly, it takes a lot less speed to scare myself sh!tless in a sh!theap than it does in the griff!
And get that fairing off ya wimp! Attach your Gilliad or whatever to something else. It spoils the genuine 70's retro feel and ruins the taste of the flies.
And get that fairing off ya wimp! Attach your Gilliad or whatever to something else. It spoils the genuine 70's retro feel and ruins the taste of the flies.
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