Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Motorcycles - The Yamaha FZR 1000 Genesis
Motorcycles - The Yamaha FZR 1000 Genesis
It wasn't until 1987 that Yamaha ventured into the Superbike class. Suzuki, Honda and Kawasaki had all entered the Superbike arena with their GS X-R750, VF1000R and GPz1100 respectively. However, Yamaha's entry into the big bike arena was worth the wait.
Yamaha referred to the FZR 1000 as the "ultimate road machine" which many people considered to be the usual marketing hype with a lot of style but perhaps a lack of substance.
This proved not to be the case. It seems that what Yamaha had done, rather cleverly, was to take a keen interest in the innovation and developments of other motorcycle manufacturers as they attempted to climb the Superbike mountain, and then take all the best bits and mix them into one new bike.
This meant that in many ways the FZR1000 was nothing new, a naturally world-class beating machine created by simply using everyone else's ingenuity.
For example, the engine was in effect an FZ750 lump, bored out to 989cc. It was a 20 valve in-line four developing 125bhp at 10,000rpm. However, this meant that it matched Suzuki's GSX-R1100 in terms of power, but the five valves per cylinder made the Yamaha more flexible and slightly faster with a top speed of 160 mph. However, it was also rather more expensive than the GSX-R1100.
However, is really rather unfair to suggest that all Yamaha did was simply to borrow technology from their competitors and mould it into one new machine. Yamaha also had an innovation of their own, critical to the success of the FZR100.
This innovation was called the Deltabox. This represented a radical new design in motorcycle frames and set the stage for many to follow. The idea was developed from Yamaha's V4 500cc GP racer, and comprised two thick aluminium beams which ran almost directly from the swing arm pivot to the steering head. It was described by a leading motorcycle magazine as "possibly the neatest, least fussy, and most elegant frame and a fitted to a motorcycle."
This new style frame, combined with superb rear suspension, huge 320mm floating brake discs and strong forks meant that this in no way felt like a 1000 cc machine. At all times on the road the bike felt planted and highly stable, and unlike some of its race replica competitors, its performance was not just measured by straight-line speed. The Deltabox frame meant that Yamaha had produced a bike with an enormously powerful engine and a strong but light chassis. The result was bike that could blast not only down the straights, but could also corner better than any of its peers.
Classic Motorcycle Harley Davidson
Classic Motorcycle Harley Davidson
1902 Was A Very Good Year, a young William Harley designed a one cylinder motor cycle. One year later he met up with Arthur Davidson and together they created Harley Davidson.
Their first factory was a small wooden shack, but importantly it had Harley Davidson signage on the front.
William and Arthur had no idea they were birthing of one of the greatest motor cycle companies in the world.
In 1935 when all things American, H.D turned Asian. Harley Davidson licensed everything to Sankyo, this in turn initiated the Japanese to set up a new motor cycle manufacturing industry, after all they now had every thing they needed..
The modern day Harley Davidson has a great distinctive exhaust sound and are regarded by most as muscle bikes. Usually over 750 cc, but mostly 1100cc plus capacity, are designed for highway touring. Harley riders clubs are popular all over the world, some times attracting that "easy Rider" style, and "gang" element, that gave birth to the iconic "chopper" kind of bike.
The Last Crusade.
Hunting around for some worthy items on Classic Motorcycles, I started looking at Harley Davidson. The all time American Classic Motorcycle Harley Davidson features in some great movies. The old black & white sequences of cops chasing the criminals on dusty windy roads and then where Sean Connery and Harrison Ford team up to produce a classic bit of movie history, well, what a motorcycle chase that was, as screen icons Sean Connery and Harrison ford riding a sidecar, was chased by the Germans, on bikes that looked like disguised trail bikes (they could have done better)with big mud tyres and all.
However, the bemused expression on Connery's characters face through out the chase sequence, certainly does rate as one of the most all time, Classic looks.
I love Classic Motorcycles but my interest also predates classic. I have included some items along the way about famous people that have ridden a classic motorcycle and information on records different models have set. Anything of interest is welcome and should not be excluded. So lets swing a leg and go for a ride.
Aprilia RS 125 Max Speed?
Aprilia RS 125 Max Speed?
The Aprilia RS 125 max speed depends on a few things. Whether or not your bike has been de-restricted is going to make the biggest difference as a de-restricted bike gets more than twice the power of the learner-legal model. In addition to the bike's power output, the rider's weight is a big factor and your choice of sprockets and performance modifications will also have a part to play in your top speed.
De-restricting your bike is the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to increase your top speed. A restricted bike gets around 70mph and de-restricted you'll be looking at about 100mph. This is only legal if you have passed your test though and you have to inform your insurance company if you want to stay legal.
Once the bike has been de-restricted, there isn't really a lot you can do to increase your top speed and anything you do will come at a cost. The Aprilia RS 125 can out handle a lot of bikes and you should remember that before you go about trying to increase its top speed. 100mph might not be a lot to play with but if you can maintain a high speed through the twisty back roads then it suddenly becomes a lot more impressive.
As far as performance mods go, you'll get the biggest bang for your buck with a big bore kit. These aren't without their own problems though. The increases you do get will be quite small and you are looking at £400 on parts alone. You'll also have to alert your insurance company and re-register your bike to stay legal. Simply put, don't bother.
The best thing you can do is to trade off top speed for acceleration or vice versa by playing with the front and rear sprockets.
For information on what sprockets you should consider and links to more great Aprilia RS 125 articles, take a look at Aprilia RS125 Max Speed.
This article was written by John of Aprilie RS125 Tuning. Aprilie RS125 Tuning offer guides and articles on tuning, maintenance and modification for owners and enthusiasts of this 2 stroke racer.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
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