mtnmanseth

Is this the one I want, guys? FT-270 radios are on eBay for ~$50 so I'd be in for about $230. Or I see HX400 radios for $180, are they worth the extra $ vs FT-270/RH-5R? I know nothing about radio setups, never had one, know I want one... Paging PMB, Rigguh, CiD, Crawdaddy, Blake, other radio experts

I would exchange several legitimate, hard-earned United States dollars for a front row seat to witness this. Otherwise, I vote for number yellow or letter 6.

It's about time you grew a damn beard!

I don't know. The safe route would be to run a single 0.75. Or, do a squish band test with lead core solder after installing the 0.50 to make sure the top of piston to head clearance is acceptable (~1.2 - 1.8 mm I believe, but verify this). If the original 0.65 base gasket is made out of plastic, you could eliminate the swelling theory. If it's paper/fiber, then swelling could be possible given exposure to coolant (on the inside only) and probably be fine with the 0.5. I pulled a single 0.3 mm paper base gasket out of my GasGas during my top end replacement, then accidentally tore the replacement 0.3 mm paper gasket during reinstall. I had purchased a plastic 0.5 mm base gasket too, and just to get it done (and being impatient) I just ran the 0.5 mm plastic gasket instead, thus increasing my squish by 0.2 mm. However, I performed the solder test with the 0.5 mm base gasket installed before sending the head for machining, so it didn't matter anyway (for squish band - it did change exhaust porting timing by 0.2 mm... oh well). So... to answer your question... I guess I'm not experienced enough to tell you whether unintentionally increasing your squish and exhaust port timing by 0.1 mm by running the 0.75 would change the tune of your motor at all. I doubt it. I would scour the KTMTalk and Thumpertalk forums, or email Ron @ RB-Designs. Paging Tom, Spaugh?

Dream: Painted! 758 miles and everyone back safely.

Great stills! Thanks for pulling those out, Chad! Perfect day in the McValley yesterday... 68 degrees, slight breeze, good friends!

PastaPilot, Nantista, and myself will be at McCain on Saturday @ 11 am to break-in my new sexy Italian mistress... the MissusBeta - wait does that make me the MasterBeta? Then, off to Kug's partayyyy! Hope to see you all...

Just ordered a Ricochet skid plate for my new Beta with a 10% SDAR discount.

Hey Drabnor How do you like the EU map? and how is it different from stock? Big difference! I love it! Stock my header would get really close to glowing red, and the end cap of my muffler would vaporize any clothing that would touch it(lost a good jacket to that). Now with the EU map the bike does not feel like it is lean all over the place and it runs a lot cooler. Didn't chart what my mpg was stock, but I'm still getting over 50 mpg now(haven't tested exactly yet). I'm sure the bike made more power when it was super lean, but I was not comfortable with it I just felt it would cause damage to the motor eventually... 50 mpg... WOW. I opted to go with a carbureted race bike instead of fuel injection this time around, but that fuel economy/range really was hard to pass up. So far my Beta only gets ~30 mpg.

Photos! Don't know if I can wait to see the new beast until Apr 18th!

I rallied my brand new housemates from Washington DC to join Charlie (CL300CAPT), Carla (WARP9), and I for a day trip to Catalina Island on Saturday. Charlie chartered a twin engine Seneca through his flying club and he steered that old bird to the west until we saw land. Great flight, but the drink service sucked... didn't see a flight attendant the entire flight. My first time to Catalina and my first time island hopping with a private plane! Thanks so much Charlie! Prepping the plane (with $5 life preservers on standby) Sportin' my new pocket protector in case I need to adjust the pitch and yaw Cleared for landing Airport in the Sky - 1,601' elevation We took a shuttle from the airport to Avalon Lunch in Avalon

Okay, so the only remedies would be to lock it to a post, awning support, car wheel, etc + install a motion sensitive alarm and/or some sort of Lojack GPS locator? And what do they do with it in Mexico? Part it out? Crate it up and ship it to Europe? Or would it be sold for best offer on Mexican Craigslist? Pardon my Montana naivety, but we've all needed to leave a bike outside overnight and lost sleep. No intention to hijack, but curious if there's anyway to avoid this situation without a locked garage. Your son must be nauseous, so sorry about this. EDIT: I found this great article, for those interested: https://rideapart.com/articles/ask-a-motorcycle-thief

Super suck fest, will keep a keen eye for it, Ken. So curious, how does a bike like this get stolen? Assuming the steering was locked and the bike weighs 400-500 lbs... how do they move it? Pick the steering lock, hotwire it, 4 or 5 guys lift it into a pickup with no one noticing?

Ditto, wish I could go... stupid mortgage! Damn fine photographer eye, Rigger. Have fun & be safe, boys!

To close the loop on this, I picked up my truck from WTB Mufflers in Poway last night. Marlon was great to work with and let me bring in my own parts (saved big $$$ over dealer prices). They had specialized tools and didn't need to jack the motor off the frame, and they DIDN'T BREAK ANY STUDS during removal! Truck sounds crisp and healthy again. Thanks Vacman and DustOff for the recommendation! I did call Ed Hanson's first, but they declined the work for some reason.

The vehicle with four wheels pictured on the right is my other baby - a 2006 Ford F-150 FX4 with the 5.4 liter 3v motor, 114k miles. Said vehicle has a cracked/warped passenger side exhaust manifold, which has been driving me f#&kin' for about a year now. I've Googled the hell out of the problem, and it's common with this series of Ford vehicles with this engine. Normally I'd fix it myself, but the problem is... it's a B-I-G repair job. The motor needs to be lifted a few inches off the frame to remove and replace the manifold, and the 8 studs holding it onto the block typically rot out and most guys say 3 or 4 of them break during manifold removal, which requires them being drilled or Easy-Out'ed out. Anyhow, WHO WANTS TO HELP ME WITH THIS JOB? I will pay well (seriously), and I'm a decent wrench and want to help. Okay, seriously (and more likely), who's got an exhaust shop or very solid light truck mechanic they know well anywhere in San Diego county? I'd prefer a shop that's done this job before. I'll try Encinitas Ford if I don't hear back... Thank you

Bingo, buddy, so far so good. Use a micrometer to measure the existing base gasket(s) and reinstall the new stack dry - differing opinions on that, but I found some solid logic that dry is better. With only 50 hours on the piston, you're not even half way through the life of it (as a fellow putt putt trail rider), but replacing the rings is definitely worthwhile. Inspect the cylinder walls for any nicks or scarring, scrub it down with WD40 and scotch bright pad, wash with soap and water. My biggest concern is whether that helicoil repair is holding. If not, you're only out a small investment so far, so we'll see how she holds after all new seals and gaskets. I just did all this on the GasGas, so I am happy to help, but tntmo and Spaugh are far more experienced than I.

Ps. Here is squish band test instructions from the machine shop that machined the head on my GasGas... http://www.rb-designs.com/rb_designs_llc_017.htm

You should run whatever base gasket or combination of base gaskets are in the bike today. Running a thinner base gasket can increase compression and bottom end torque by changing exhaust port timing, but without knowing your squish it could lead to a major problem. You won't know what's installed today without tearing it down and measuring, unfortunately.

Failed or failing base gasket! Easy fix. Call me. Edit: Actually, can I change my answer, Trebek? How did C&D repair a stripped head bolt? Helicoil? I'd look at that first for sure. If that one bolt isn't holding perfect, like the others, it can probably pass a little air in and coolant out, which would lead to a lean condition and coolant in your exhaust. Also, a failed or failing o-ring could do this. Also, a failed or failing base gasket could be contributing. I would be suspect of a repaired/helicoiled cylinder bolt hole for sure, but C&D knows way better than me. You may want to price a new cylinder and new piston kit, unfortunately. Start by changing the two o-rings and torquing all head bolts in a star pattern is step one, though. Spaugh should chime in here too...

The Enduro Shop in Oceanside (right off the 5) is a great place, especially if you're in North County. I stopped in recently and Ben (the owner) offered to keep my DR650 that was for sale on the showroom floor to spur interest - for him and for my sale - which was really generous. I also know Kyle through spearfishing and he's a really knowledgeable and passionate rider, too. Ben says his top priority right now is to bring in more stock (fill the shelves) with really everything we all want and discuss on this forum with a 10% discount. It's a one stop shop! Check em out...

Blake, go with the tubliss because I need you to become an expert at installing the tubliss system so I can come over and drink all your beer and watch you do all the work to convert my bike(s). Thanks/cheers in advance!

Nice, fellas! But no glamor shots of you and Rigguh sharing a Seadoo with little umbrella drinks and water wings on?

Picking her up tomorrow... 2014 Beta 498RR w 450 miles, Scotts stabilizer, EE handguards, silicon hose kit, skid plate, Fastway pegs, 3.2 gallon tank, fresh rubber. So. Frickin. Stoked!

Nay, Operation Catalina is still a go!