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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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 Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:52 am Post subject: |
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| Pompey wrote: |
 stick a helmet cam on desmo, |
I don't know where any video of me riding would be on the Internet, and I don't have a camera.
On the other hand, this is a video of a riding buddy of mine on a road that's not far from my house.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOo-gde7Swo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
At mark 0:52, the left hander, is the one where in 2009 my aftermarket footpeg came off the bike mid-turn with my knee down, I "fell" off the bike, and the bike and I hit the guardrail on the opposite side of the road before the right hander. I got wedged under the guardrail, caught the guardrail upright post across my lower back, and got a helicopter air-vac to the local hospital.  I'm glad I was wearing a back protector that day.
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Last edited by Desmo_Demon on Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:33 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Pompey
Joined: 31 Jul 2008
Posts: 2311
Location: Marlborough
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| Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:19 am Post subject: |
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if that road was in europe, chances are we would have to pay to use it!
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Pomps
Bimota's Db2, Db5 ,Ducati's 851' 92, 888' 93, Honda blade' 93, Triumph speed triple' 07, kawasaki zxr 750 k1 |
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2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7314
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Desmo_Demon"]
| Pompey wrote: |
| a helicopter air-vac . |
???? Are them helicopter Air-vacs better than Hoovers and Dysons?
And how quick did you try to jump up to check on your bike despite your injuries?
Worked in Dubai for a year and me and another fella used to take KTM's and Honda XR's out into the desert on our days off. He went on his own once and I got a call from him, He'd cleared the crest of a dune but kept the power on and just saw Horizon upon Horizon until the airborne him and bike took a grip onto gravity and nose dived back to earth. He went over the front but his bike had a soft landing, right on top of him. ! I asked if he was all right, "Oh Yeh, passed out for an hour or so, broken collar bone, concussed, ribs and an arm." he replied.. "So thats what the Doctor says?", " Eh No I'm still in the desert, can you come and pick my bike up or else I'll lose it forever when the sands shift" "Where are you?" I pondered",,,,,"The desert" he replied, never was the brightest spark in the box |
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| 2bims wrote: |
| ???? Are them helicopter Air-vacs better than Hoovers and Dysons? |
LOL ...yeah...helicopter air evacuation....
| 2bims wrote: |
| And how quick did you try to jump up to check on your bike despite your injuries? |
I didn't. I was knocked unconscious for about 45 minutes and didn't finally "come to" until I was loaded into the ambulance. I couldn't have gotten up, anyway. My buddy said I was wedged under the guardrail so well, that they had to get a shovel and dig around my hip to roll me out. My left hip was in the dirt and the right one was wedged under the lower rail. I'm amazed my pelvis was broken.
| 2bims wrote: |
| "So thats what the Doctor says?", " Eh No I'm still in the desert, can you come and pick my bike up |
That's better than a riding buddy of mine, last year. He became conscious after a few days in the hospital with absolutely no recollection as to what happened. He's in his 60's and doeasn't ride fast, so there is no tellign what happened. For all we know, someone forced him off the road and left him to die. He has no idea how long he was in the ditch before someone came along and saw him.
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2012 12:03 am Post subject: Re: New DB2 Owner |
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| Desmo_Demon wrote: |
| and I also discovered that the steering damper is shot. |
Apparently I was wrong.
I removed the damper to take some dimensions in order to find a replacement, and it has a good damping effect as I try to slide the rod through the body. I can hear the fluid in it. It's just that when it is on the bike, I can't really feel the resistance in the bars like we do with the Ohlins damper on my wife's R1. The swivel ball in the heim joint was rusty, so I cleaned it up really well and lightly oiled it. I also found out that is was misaligned or a spacer or washer was missing, because the heim joint was hitting the fork clamp.
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 3:38 am Post subject: |
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I replaced the front tire today and noticed the bike was really stiff on the rebound. I checked both the compression and rebound to discover they were both max'ed out. I put them both in the middle position and the front end feels a lot better. I'll use this as a baseline setting and make adjustments when I ride it next.
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crankcase
Joined: 09 Nov 2011
Posts: 387
Location: Frankfurt Germany
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| Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 9:30 am Post subject: |
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did you try adjusting the steering damper? turn the knob on the left end.
Mines as old as yours and works very well, but I keep it adjusted very low.
Ian
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2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7314
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| Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2012 10:59 am Post subject: |
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| The damper on the DB2's is never gping to be the same as like an Ohlins, when off the bike and you max it out its still quite easy to move but does have an impact compared to the soft setting. I hav an Ohlins one, a shorty that is getting prepped to be fitted as a bracket needs to be made to stop ot fowling on the headlight/fairing arms at the front. The ohlins one has 3X as many clicks and at max setting is almost impossible to move. Still reluctant though as I've only once had the bike shakes its head and that was whilst accelerating uphill on a dual carriageway to overtake an 18 wheeler and as I crested the summit, albeit a bend got thrown into the mix as well, both the bike and I got the jitters. But it was the perfect combination for the front end to be "light" so should expect it really. Can't make a "real" true comparison though as mine has 51mm Paolis fitted to the front end so should be pretty solid as it is carrying more weight and rigidity than the standard Paolis |
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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I swear this bike hates me.
I've been waiting for some decent weather and the available time to go test the front suspension adjustments and the new front tire. Today was to be the day. I got the bike to fire about 4 times with the FCR's, and the last time it ran for about 5 seconds. Then....."click"..."click"..."click"... The starter will not turn over. The relay is clicking, but I get nothing else. I lightly tapped the strater, but that didn't do anything. The battery is still showing 13.2 volts. Looks like I get to pull the fairing off, again, and check all the starter connections. I'm hoping it's just corrosion on the cables.
I was only going to ride for an hour or two, but I guess I'll just stay home and work on next week's lesson plan for the class I'm teaching. If I feel inclined, I may look at the Bimbo later today, but I seriously doubt it.
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2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7314
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| The Bike may hate you, but you love it so I'm sure you will sort it. I used to have a dicky started/kill switch assembly that didn't know whether it wanted to work in on or off postion, so when I got the click click but no turning I would waggle it on and off a few times, one turn of the throttle and close to charge the carbs, should hear the petrol pump clicking steadily and then decreasing as it charges the carbs, then a prod, I always pull the clutch in to lessen the force needed by the starter motor/electrics, only after a bought a NOS switch did the old one decide its fine again, been fine now for the last 2 years. |
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| 2bims wrote: |
| The Bike may hate you, but you love it so I'm sure you will sort it. I used to have a dicky started/kill switch assembly that didn't know whether it wanted to work in on or off postion, so when I got the click click but no turning I would waggle it on and off a few times, |
Full charge of the battery, flipped and wiggled several electrical components, and it still only clicks. At least it is consistently broken instead of intermittent.
I have the fairing ready to pull off the bike and am waiting for the wife to get off the phone so she can help me pry it apart. I think while I have the fairing off, I may try to remove the powder coating at the VIN number on the headstock of the frame. The coating is so thick, that the VIN number cannot be seen with the bike together.
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2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7314
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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Always a tense moment, asking your nearest and dearest to prise open your fairing, its times like that you need a biking buddy around, they think they're opening a tin can or aomesuch, and just yank away like crazy, I Roll tha bike onto an old section of carpet, drop the fairing to tha floor, and then from the front of the bike slide your arms inside the fairing at the lower cylinder opening near the oil cooler and prise open and crawl backwards, must make for a great clip on Youtube if ever I was caught on camera
Vin number Blocked off with powder coat? As well as that number and location, there should be a metal frame plaque in black and silver rivetted to the down tube above the cylinders on the right hand side of the bike, that also has the same Vin number on? If you don't have this, then there should be still 2 holes in the frame tube. There is a company in GErmany that advertises on ebay the original "empty" plaques so you can stamp your exisiting frame number on if you are missing your? Let me know and I can send you the link if needed |
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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| 2bims wrote: |
| Always a tense moment, asking your nearest and dearest to prise open your fairing, its times like that you need a biking buddy around, |
My wife is actually pretty good at helping me when I need it. She's fairly mechanically inclined and I actually leave the oil changes on her R1 and GSXR to her and she also helps me with changing tires. Before I married her, she had actually changed out her own engine in the '93 GSXR-750 she used to own.
| 2bims wrote: |
| there should be a metal frame plaque in black and silver rivetted to the down tube above the cylinders on the right hand side of the bike, that also has the same Vin number on? If you don't have this, then there should be still 2 holes in the frame tube. |
There is no plaque and no holes for mounting one (no plaque = USA model?).
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Look for my books...
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"The Journals: If I Wrap It Tight Enough"
"Map Junkie: My Motorcycle Journeys" |
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2bims
Joined: 03 Apr 2010
Posts: 7314
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Desmo_Demon"]
| 2bims wrote: |
My wife is actually pretty good at helping me when I need it. She's fairly mechanically inclined and I actually leave the oil changes on her R1 and GSXR to her and she also helps me with changing tires. Before I married her, she had actually changed out her own engine in the '93 GSXR-750 she used to own.
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Yipes very handy and useful, did she/he have some kind of operation before you met her/him? and if not does she have any sisters???
This is what you need
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300627904814?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
And this is where it should go on a DB2, not aware of US or Europe or elsewhere differences, they just put them on
and a slightly clearer shot
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Desmo_Demon
Joined: 19 Sep 2011
Posts: 240
Location: Easley, SC, USA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:29 pm Post subject: |
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| 2bims wrote: |
| Yipes very handy and useful, did she/he have some kind of operation before you met her/him? and if not does she have any sisters??? |
No sisters, only one brother. She grew up in the country - pretty much a "Tomboy". Her father and she rebuilt an old Kawasaki when she was young. She grew up fairly poor, so they had to learn how to repair things as necessary or do without.
| 2bims wrote: |
This is what you need.... |
That's where I was looking....No plaque and no mounting holes on my bike. May be worthwhile to have one made up and install it on the bike, though.
_________________
Look for my books...
"If I Wrap It Tight Enough"
"The Journals: If I Wrap It Tight Enough"
"Map Junkie: My Motorcycle Journeys"
Last edited by Desmo_Demon on Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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