Service

SERVICE

Fat Boy vs GSX-R

In your January issue, you had tests on both the Suzuki GSX-R750 and the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. Your listings of the braking distances for each bike claimed that from 60 miles per hour, the 493pound GSX-R stopped in 133 feet and the 660-pound Harley stopped in only 126 feet. How can a bike that weighs 167 pounds more, and that has only one front disc brake, stop in less distance than a lightweight. double-disc GSX-R?

J.D. Daniel

Arlington, Texas

Pretty easily, if it 's being braked on a more-abrasive surface. Due to circumstances beyond our control that month, we were unable to conduct the braking tests for both bikes at the same location. As a result, we did the GSX-R 's brake tests on a slightly lower-traction surface than what was used for the Fat Boy. (The '89-mode! GSX-R. incidental/i', which has brakes comparable to the `90 i~. stopped from 60 miles per hour in 111 feet on tile same surface we had used for the Fat Boi' braking tests).

Nevertheless, don 7 think that you

can always rank the potential stopping distances of two different motorcycles just by comparing some of their specif cations. Truth is, a heavier bike often can stop in a shorter distance than a lighter one. Because a heavier machine puts more weight on its front tire's contact patch than a lighter bike which has about the same size tire, the heavier bike can have better wheel-toground traction. Not on/i' that, longwheelbase motorcycles (such as the Harley,) tend to react more slowly and predictably during full-on stops than shorter machines (such as the GSX-R); that factor alone ofien contributes to shorter panic stops on a longwheel base machine, even though tile shorter bike may have more-powerful brakes and a more-sophisticated chassis.

The missing link

I bought a 1984 GS 1 150ES and am planning to take a trip to Iowa and along the Mississippi River this summer. However, my RK 630 Oring chain keeps throwing off the master-link clip every 200-500 miles. The fellows at my local accessory store tell me this is common among big bikes with lots of horsepower, but it didn’t happen with the chain that was on the bike when I bought it. Is my problem with the RK chain, the horsepower, or what? What do I do for my trip, take a dozen spare clips?

Robert Duley

Lancaster, California

The reason that motorcycles with an abundance of horsepower are more likely to lose a master link clip is due to the large, heavy, chain size (630) used. When the master link goes around the small countershaft sprocket, the directional change creates an inertia that forces the outside of the clip to come out of the groove that is in the master-link pin. And if the clip doesn't return back in the groove, the clip simply falls off.

One simple solution would be to install a stake-on master link that doesn 't use a clip.

I [you want to stick with the cliptype system (which allows easier chain removal, if you need to change gearing), try this: Clean the clip, link plate and the protruding pins with contact cleaner, then install the clip, with the open end trailing the chain 's direction of travel. Finally, apply Three Bond number four semi-drying case sealer over the clip, link plate and exposed portions of pins. Allow a few' hours for the Three Bond to set-up, and you should be ready to go. 0