[ex500Loudon]

FOG,

I am going to be racing an EX500 this year at Loudon, the bike is new to me, a 1995. I've read this forum and have a couple of questions:

1. The ignition has been advanced on this bike by 5 degrees, is the Air Box Mod/pilot screws still a good idea/just as effective with advanced ingnition? Any special instructions that goe with advanced timing?

2. I have seen an ad for a lightened fly wheel from bgracing.com, your thoughts on this mod please.....will it require any additional adjustments or is it plug and play so to speak, pros and cons??!!

3. I've also read on this forum and have been told, that the front end wiggles in high speed turns, any adjustments or aftermarket fixes?

4. I read on this forum that you fabricated a rear sprocket guard to protect toes in case of a fall, do you or anyone have a picture/instructions/source for this part?

Thanks

 

[bitzz]

I'm not FOG but I will comment anyway....

1) Special instructions? REMOVE THE DEVICE. Advancing the timing will NOT get you any more power on a properly tuned motor. Another Urban Legend. Want proof, invest in some dyno time. If you want results get a Mallory or MSD ignition.

2)If you like your crankshaft this is necessary if you will want to rev the bike. You will however lose your alternator making the system dead loss. I had my machinist remove alot more material than the BRG one.
If you want to do the job correctly have the crank statically, then dynamically balanced. Crankshaft balance is a real problem in EX500s.

3) First do the front end. The stock parts are pitiful. I run Progressive springs with RaceTech emulators. BE SURE TO SET THE SAG, before you adjust anything else.
In the rear, you will probably want to raise it with dogbones, about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch and at least replace the spring. Aftermarket shocks are best but expensive. You can also use shocks and springs from other Kawis and some Hondas. Look for a shock 13- 13 1/2" in length.
Again; set the sag before you adjust anything else.
Also have a good look at the tire you are running. Some tires will cause shimmy. Try experimenting with tire pressure.

I have built EX motors from mild to wild...and found the most success with STOCK EX motors. Want a race bike? Buy one. An EX500 IS NOT A RACE BIKE!!!!! It is a commuter.
See ya' at the track. I'm the guy re-building the bottom end in the pits...again.

 

[fog]

Well I am FOG,
and Bitz got it almost right. The 5 Degree advance is just an offset key in the flywheel. 3 bucks gets you a stock key at the Kawai Shop. Forget the lightened flywheel. It'll make you ilegal for PT. Do the airbox mod. The boot guard is just a piece of alum angle bolted to the bottom of the swing arm. Mostly forget about all mods to the engine and very few to the bike. You'll need to be thinking about your riding and tires. The girls are going to stomp your ass. When you can keep up with the girls think about a rear shock (Penske) Don't waste your money on anything else Fox, Works Preformance , etc.
Then some emulators for the front end and the correct springs. Finally a set of rear sets and a EBC front brake. Somewhere in there add a set of Solid Motor mounts. Thats it you done. If your not turnning 21 sec laps it's your fault.

Don't bother with: handle bars or brake lines, fancy paint or any body mods. if you have a good front fairing, sell it and buy a Airtech sell the mirrors and the headlight and the tail light and the directional signals. The bike ain't never going back on the street.

FOG

 

[ex500Loudon]

Thanks for the replies,

The front end has already been reworked-emulators and springs in the front, and penske in the rear, it's pretty well sorted; woodcraft rearsets, woodcraft clip ons, engine case guards, etc. No body work or engine work planned other than getting it into a proper state of tune. Won't be doing lightening the fly wheel.

What are the results/benfits from Mallory or an MSD ignition?

Benefits of solid motor mounts?

Girls kicking my a$$, possible but not likely...and yes it is a bike to race, but not a purpose built race bike-you guys are a tough crowd...

 

[MrSciTrek]

Girls will generally be lower mass & get a little acceleration/braking advantage.
Plus, (maybe) a recent PBS show on men/women & testosterone indicated that some males let into competition & their testosterone can rise too much. Then they can push harder than their experience & skill would allow... costs a lot of time, eh. Females, who also react to competition w/ changing testosterone... but it tends to stay moderated.

Cool head, light touch, lower center of gravity, lower mass... plus some guys get all goofy when they know they're competing against gals. Don't laugh, but I saw it at the Scholastic Chess Supernationals in Knoxville some 10+ years ago. I saw some urban guys amp up their macho when they got paired against girls. It's high risk, especially after bragging how they've "got an easy win." If the game was even, or they fell a little down on power or position, they get psyched out and, if the gal kept her wits about her, BLOWN AWAY!

I can see a cool-headed, smooth technique light woman rider whomping on the macho-headed guys, or those with a considerable weight penalty, or high-T.

Is that close to the reality, FOG, or is it other factors?

 

[fog]

Girls will generally be lower mass & get a little acceleration/braking advantage.
Plus, (maybe) a recent PBS show on men/women & testosterone indicated that some males let into competition & their testosterone can rise too much. Then they can push harder than their experience & skill would allow... costs a lot of time, eh. Females, who also react to competition w/ changing testosterone... but it tends to stay moderated.

Cool head, light touch, lower center of gravity, lower mass... plus some guys get all goofy when they know they're competing against gals. Don't laugh, but I saw it at the Scholastic Chess Supernationals in Knoxville some 10+ years ago. I saw some urban guys amp up their macho when they got paired against girls. It's high risk, especially after bragging how they've "got an easy win." If the game was even, or they fell a little down on power or position, they get psyched out and, if the gal kept her wits about her, BLOWN AWAY!

I can see a cool-headed, smooth technique light woman rider whomping on the macho-headed guys, or those with a considerable weight penalty, or high-T.

Is that close to the reality, FOG, or is it other factors?

Well Maybe, but I was referring to and I should have said Girl Experts. Because experience Trumps all. There maybe exceptions I came up with a girl, Nancy DelGato Who I never could beat, She was just a few weekends ahead of me in experience and that gave her the edge. SHe also became a Pro racer So She had the rest of the stuff too.
She's on the right in the picture.

The re sizer didn't like the JPEG image Only JPG allowed look again

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[AntiAndy]

Girls will generally be lower mass & get a little acceleration/braking advantage.
Plus, (maybe) a recent PBS show on men/women & testosterone indicated that some males let into competition & their testosterone can rise too much. Then they can push harder than their experience & skill would allow... costs a lot of time, eh. Females, who also react to competition w/ changing testosterone... but it tends to stay moderated.

Cool head, light touch, lower center of gravity, lower mass... plus some guys get all goofy when they know they're competing against gals. Don't laugh, but I saw it at the Scholastic Chess Supernationals in Knoxville some 10+ years ago. I saw some urban guys amp up their macho when they got paired against girls. It's high risk, especially after bragging how they've "got an easy win." If the game was even, or they fell a little down on power or position, they get psyched out and, if the gal kept her wits about her, BLOWN AWAY!

I can see a cool-headed, smooth technique light woman rider whomping on the macho-headed guys, or those with a considerable weight penalty, or high-T.

Is that close to the reality, FOG, or is it other factors?

Well Maybe, but I was referring to and I should have said Girl Experts. Because experience Trumps all. There maybe exceptions I came up with a girl, Nancy DelGato Who I never could beat, She was just a few weekends ahead of me in experience and that gave her the edge. SHe also became a Pro racer So She had the rest of the stuff too.
She's on the right in the picture.

what pic? the one of u n the globe?

 

[fog]

Oh yeah if the girl in question looks really nice hair all neat and smelling good,.....She's slow.

FOG

 

[wolf66]

I agree that women can make guys do stupid stuff on the track....I had a 100 lbs girl on a FZR400 pass me on the white flag lap at Talladega GP and i freaked thinking of the ribbing my buddies would give me if she beat me so i flew past her way too hot into a turn and ran off the track instead... :

 

[OreoGaborio]

Hehehe one of my first race weekends I found myself racing Lorna Murphy on her WORKED sv650 in a GTL race... we diced it up back & forth for 15 minutes of the 20 minute race... i was ahead of her for the last 3 laps of the race & beat her to turn 12, but she used her 75+hp to blast past me at the line & beat me by .01 seconds That was a really fun race.

I blew her outta the water the next race weekend ;D

BTW, FOG & Blitz, great info, guys.

ex500Loudon, lookin forward to seein ya up at the track! Be sure to keep an eye out for us Cheap Bastids.

 

[AntiAndy]

ex500Loudon, lookin forward to seein ya up at the track! Be sure to keep an eye out for us Cheap Bastids.

ex500louden, if you do end up seeing Oreo on the track, ask him to show you his sliding fire trick, i hear its pretty fancy.

 

[OreoGaborio]

haha, ya mean sparky slide? I dunno if i can do it now that my bike is almost ridable ;D

 

[MrSciTrek]

Sliding Fire Trick.... now that sounds like a great story to share w/ bike-buds over a beer.

 

[OreoGaborio]

Well, it's not as amazing as Andy made it out to be... I read "Sliding Fire Trick" & for a second I thought i did somethin super crazy but then I got what he was gettin at & eh.... it's no big deal. Just throwin up some sparks from my headers.

I didn't even know I did that till a friend of mine got a nice pic of it. Later my teammate told me i did it all the time when we were battling back & forth.

 

[dragknee]

i thought it said sliding fire truck lol

 

[OreoGaborio]

I wish ;D

 

[AntiAndy]

haha, ya mean sparky slide? I dunno if i can do it now that my bike is almost ridable ;D

:'(