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| Desmodromic valves- frick frackin' cold! | | Date Created: Dec 02, 2006, 11:29 PM |
I think next year, if the weather is even remotely like this year, I may just drop off my T4T toys at a collection location.
My T4T day started at 7am... I'm not really a morning person, especially when the prospect of going outside and riding a motorcycle in 12F awaits you. It's for a good cause, I keep telling myself.
I've got my base layer, heated vest, Schoeller® phase change jacket, fleece middle layer, solid textile riding jacket & pants, Windstopper® balaclava, glove liners, Outlast® phase change gloves (which are good only down to about 32F...). I don't think I've ever spent more time gearing up.
So... outside I go. Moving slowly because of the cold and early morning... go to press the engine start button. It cranks for what feels like an eternity and then starts BUT she stalls a few seconds later. Subsequent attempts meeet with no success.
To make a long story short, I had to resort to jumping the bike with a car battery. Even then, it took many tries before the engine would turn over and stay lit.
If there is a flaw with the "servo starter system" on the deep-sump Testastrettas', it's cold weather. There is no fast idle and the system automatically starts injecting *lots* of fuel into the chambers. There was so much fuel in there, it started spraying out of the connection between the header and midpipe... that was insane.
It took me slightly over an hour before I was able to head out. I seriously thought about abandoning the T4T parade but was planning to take the bike into storage right afterwards. Weather's going to be dicey from here on out so... it was now or never. |
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I must have come close dropping the bike a handful of times- getting out of the townhome complex, in various driveways and street corners.
On the way home, I actually almost dropped it. If it wasn't for Ram (thanks dude!) who was there to spot me, I would have totally horizontally parked it coming to a stop. I was still on the bike but it had went beyond the "point of no return".
Fortunately, nothing touched the ground except for the left footpeg... it was nuts. At least now I know how much lean angle I can carry before the pegs hit if I decide to take the bike out on a trackday in lieu of the SV. :P
The folks behind got some entertainment, for sure.
Neo, this wuz loco. |
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