Two heat cycles this morning.
Then I took two short rides about 2 hours apart.
Now I need to run a tank of gas all the way through it and I can see what it will do.
Hopefully everything is good so I can put my sand tires on it and ride at the dunes this weekend..
01 KX500 SUPER STREET TARD 2.JPG (123.33 KiB) Viewed 9992 times
So, with the water pump clearance mod and enlarging the inlet side of the clutch cover, here is my temps for today.
70 deg F
42 percent humidity
Breaking in the new top end around town.
Highest head temp 204 deg F
Highest water temp 122 deg F
Average temps
Head 185 deg F
Water 115 deg F
Hmmm.... seems to big of a difference...
I'm taking it back to the shop to re-burp the head, rads, and impeller area just for insurance.
Here is as close as a comparison as I have recorded before:
Air temp 72F
Humidity 43%
Head: 158-162 F
Coolant: 133-138F
Very tool limited at the house but I pulled the burp plug on the left rad and B.U.R.P!!!!
Yeah, back to the shop tomorrow to burp the head, rad, and water pump impeller area..
I bet that will cause the two temps to come back in line..
Had a small clunking sound in the front end.
It was nothing more then a loose triple stem.
But the thing that I found that blew me away was all that dirt!!!
kx500 loose triple stem.jpg (201.86 KiB) Viewed 9985 times
Had a really hard time figuring out why my head temps were so much higher then my water temps since the top end replacement.
Also, I was getting a lot of spooge dripping from the head pipe area..
So Sunday I remove the exhaust and discovered that my cool custom muffler had collapsed internally...
I guess I'll have to do a bit of redesigning to fix it.
Now it all makes sense... hotter head temps and lots of spooge...
Gotta get this thing done and broke in before my next desert trip...
Since I can't run the custom muffler in the desert I bought a USFS spark arrestor.
Should be here Wednesday...
I sure hope so... I need to get going..
I had a member of another forum ask me this question:
If you had a choice would you use the 160 again or a 150?
I gotta get a new rear tire and im struggling making a decision..
thanks in advance.
Another member replied:
Yeikes! Open ended question there...
What do you want the bike to do. I personally like a bike to fall into a corner for me. So this is how i ponder it.
Wide is a question of rim size. I use a relatively narrow rim and a taller, more ballon like profile to make it drop in a bit more quickly. So if you use say a 4.5 rim, and a 150 tire, you get what i want. But use a 5 inch rim, and the same 150 tire, it flattens out a bit, and is a bit more stable at speed. So adjusting tire size is all a matter of preference. There is no real advantage in traction outside of the compound of the rubber and the quality of the manufacturer.
Now take that to extremes, and you will obviously create problems, like using a 3.5 inch rim and a 150 tire, but outside of choice of handling, go for it?
And as always...
My answer:
Blip is right, it's all about what you are shooting for and, which tire brand, because you can get a 160 that fits like a 150 and a 150 that fits like a 160.
I originally wanted a 150 but they were not available in the tire type I wanted so I used the 160.
Am I sorry?
No, it was a bit more work to get the chain guard set correctly as I used a 1/8" sprocket spacer.
But it handles fine.
It will switch lanes faster then I could ever want and traction is not a problem...
Reading your description and going along with what blip says there are a few things that I think you should look at.
Steering stabilizer... Suspension set up...
Lets face it, the KX500 was never meant for the street which is exactly why I like it.
It's fickle, loud, smokes, and won't handle like a good street bike.
But, a steering stabilizer takes out some of those higher speed unsteadiness or wobbles?
Even though my KX is set up for the desert, it definitely handles on the street by far better then it did before I rebuilt the suspension.
If you go to Racetech's website they offer settings for supermoto guys.
If nothing else, get some springs to match your weight and change that oil...
So, would I use a 160 again?
Sure, I'm set up for it,
Would I go back to a 150?
All depends on what tires are available.
For ease of installation I'd use a 150 if they were available in the tire I wanted,
Anybody else care to add?
Like most, I've been really busy this summer with weddings, graduations, home maintenance, and only a few rides
But I took a few minutes to order some parts for my SM...
Gaskets, O-Rings, Snap Rings, Seals and bearings for the bottom end that is currently in the bike.
I'm gonna swap out the bottom end with the one I just built with the balanced crank.
Now I just need to finish building my new ported top end...
