My 04 R burns my right leg just above my medial malleolus (distal part of the tibia at
ankle). I wear work style boots which arent high enough to cover this area. I wind up
trying to put my foot as far out on the peg to get it away from the cat. Not really so
safe though.
Is this normal for the R or could I be missing a heat shield or something?
Is this a new issue or has it always been this way? I have an 04 as well and have never had any problem like you describe. The cat does get pretty darn hot but I've never had discomfort such as yours. There is no heat shield of any sort on mine nor the 03 I had prior.
Wayne
The Older I Get, The Less I know. (in honor of MikeCam
'05 RT
'04 R
'03 R
CB750
KZ750
HD 350 Sprint
Thanks to all for your thoughtful replys. I rode the bike today after 7 months off.
Off time was due mostly cold here on Long Island and getting my front wheel back from
Frame Straight in Tennessee (6 weeks round trip + 200 $), but it came out good!
Next I had to wait 2 weeks for my friend Sonny Defeo of Ghost Motorcycle fame
and a former national champ Motocross rider to get the Conti Heart Attacks installed
with Dyna Beads. We put the pressure at 32/36 according to the manual but its really hard to do the figure 8 tight turns since now you need so much steering pressure at walking speeds. Will likely add air. These tires are very sticky and you feel glued to the road. The bike came to me last summer with 7000 miles and shot stock Dunlops felt like cardboard. So today I needed to again learn how to shift the R properly which when the light hits you is a smooth revelation. Not there yet.
Now for the heat issue. The heat is worst around 20-40 mph and most likely is comming
off the cylinder. The trans doesnt get very hot. And the cat seems like it would
heat up both ankles equally. The medial malleolus is the part of the tibia (shinbone)
where it wraps around the calcaneous (heel bone) Like a riders legs over a horse. Run your hand down the inside of your lower leg and that bump you feel at the ankle is it.
Well cylinder heat looks like it cant be changed so I will look for some proper boots.
bluelight wrote:Next I had to wait 2 weeks for my friend Sonny Defeo of Ghost Motorcycle fame
and a former national champ Motocross rider to get the Conti Heart Attacks installed
with Dyna Beads. We put the pressure at 32/36 according to the manual but its really hard to do the figure 8 tight turns since now you need so much steering pressure at walking speeds. Will likely add air. These tires are very sticky and you feel glued to the road. The bike came to me last summer with 7000 miles and shot stock Dunlops felt like cardboard. So today I needed to again learn how to shift the R properly which when the light hits you is a smooth revelation. Not there yet.
BTW, Conti recommends running fairly high pressure in their tires. I usually run mine 42/46 or so. I had some scalloping and wobbles at 38/40; my local bike guru recommended adding more pressue which solved the issue.
The only other thing to consider is are you sure you've valves are adjusted right and your throttle is synced. If not you right cylinder could be working harder, or if your valve clearance on exhaust side was too tight you could be partially combusting in the exhaust pipe (cause your valves aren't sealing your cylinder shut) which would generate more heat on that side...
Just saying... if you're bike is not running smoothly then there may be a mechanical problem... but I doubt it...
I will increase the presure to 36/39, the conti specs, and think about
the valves and throttle balance soon. I heard today that a new BMW
steelership is opening up In Mineola NY here on Long Island. That would be 15
minutes away, and I hope that they hire some good wrenchs, and dont try to
screw every living soul that comes thru the door.
I wanted to buy a Harley before I got the R (dope) and one visit to the local
steeler (north shore Harley) made me feel that those screwballs were the worst
a-holes I ever met. A bicycle first.
