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600cc wheelbarrow

Paul Dean

What's the best way for me to prevent my parked bike from being moved? I own a '90 Yamaha FZR600 that I have to park out on the street; so, I lock the steering and, as dictated by law, take up a full space allotted for a car. On two occasions, Fve parked the bike in that manner only to find that someone had moved it a short distance to an illegal parking spot. The last time this happened, the bike was put up on the curb and dropped on its right side in the process, causing about $600 in cosmetic damage. I guess someone feels that a motorcycle doesn't deserve a full space; but if I park between spaces, I get a ticket. The bike weighs about 450 pounds, so my best guess is that a couple of guys are lifting up one end and rolling the other. Putting a disc lock on the front would not prevent this, and there's nothing on the street to anchor the bike to. Have any suggestions?

Jim Wright Auburn, Alabama

ihe most obvious solution is to pre vent both wheels from turning. You could do this in a couple of different vi'ays. The easiest would be to use two of the large, U-type anti-theft locks on the market, such as those made by

Kryptonite. Loop one of the locks around both fork legs, capturing one of the front wheels cast spokes in the process; do likewise at the rear, encir cling both legs of the swingarm and a rear-wheel spoke.

Another method would be to use a length of large, case-hardened chain (plastic-coated, of course, to prevent scratching) that's long enough to make a complete loop through the very rear of the front wheel and the very front of the rear wheel. Pull the ends of the chain tightly together and fasten them with a good padlock, thus lashing the two wheels together so they can't rotate. This method might prove a bit unwieldy on some sportbikes, however, if the fairing gets in the way and prevents the chain from being strung directly between the wheels.

In any case, the idea is to prevent the culprits from being able to pick up one end of your Yamaha and wheeling it out of your parking space. Problem is, if you 're dealing with serious vandals, they may respond to your challenge by damaging the bike out of sheer frustration, or by merely knocking it over and dragging it out of the parking space.

Wheelie wepairs

I own a '96 Honda CBR900RR and have hopped it up with a few basic modifications (jet kit, Yoshimura exhaust system, tires, one-tooth-smaller front sprocket). This has made the bike an awesome wheelie machine, and I'm taking full advantage of it. We have lots of safe and secluded spots in my area where we can ride hard, and I've put almost 8000 miles on the bike in one season. With all the wheelies I've been doing, what kind of damage, if any, should I be looking for up front during my weekly maintenance/inspection routine? What areas of sportbikes are prone to developing problems from this kind of abuse? A lot of my riding friends have the same questions, too, and we don't want to be riding along one day and find the answers the hard way. The dealers in my area just tell me to bring the bike in and they'll check it over (for a price, of course). So, I'm turning to you.

David Didier Arlington Heights, Illinois

Assuming that you 're not the least bit worried about crash damage and traffic tickets, your biggest concern should be for the fork seals and the steering-head bearings. The extremelv hard front-wheel landings that can result from badly executed or suddenly aborted wheelies can momentarily generate enormous hydraulic pressure > inside the fork legs; the pressure easily can be great enough to cause the seals to start leaking oil. If you detect any sign of oil on the fork tubes, a new set of seals is in order.

Problems with the steering-head bearings are more difficult to detect and prevent. If there is any freeplay whatsoever in the bearings when the front wheel hits down, the rollers on the bottom bearing slam against the race with tremendous force, putting microscopic dents in the race. The dents then gradually start growing bigger until they eventually make the bearings feel "lumpy," which adversely affects both handling and stability. Keep a close eye on the bearings and ensure that they remain perfectly adjusted with absolutely no perceptible freeplay; just be careful not to adjust them too tight, either.

Vinter vunderland

During the winter months here in Germany, it's too cold to ride long distances; so, when weather allows, I try to ride my '95 H-D Softail far enough to warm the oil, circulate the gas and charge the battery. What I don't know is just how long or how far those rides should be to avoid the problems that storing a bike all winter causes. Can you provide a yardstick for either time or distance that I could shoot for on these rides? I'm presently living near Heidelberg, where the weather prohibits extended riding during four to five months of the year, but I'm able to manage 30to 40-minute rides on the autobahn every month or so throughout the winter. Is this enough riding to avoid problems? The bike is garaged when not in use, so sub-zero temperatures and excessive moisture while parked are not significant problems.

Stan Kromfols Heidelberg, Germany

The most important objective when taking short rides at any time, not just in the winter, is to warm the engine oil up to full operating temperature. If you fail to do so, any condensation and acids that form or collect in the oil during warmup may not get fully burned off; and if those contaminants remain in the oil, they have the ability to corrode vital engine components.

Numerous factors affect the ideal time or distance needed to get a cold engine fully warmed: engine design, type of engine cooling (air or liquid), presence or absence of oil cooler, am> bient air temperature, rates of speed and acceleration during the ride and so on. Most experts seem to concur that distance ridden is a better criterion than time ridden, and that a minimum of 25 miles is needed to get the engine oil warmed up to normal operating temperatures. That's also sufficient road time to give the battery a decent charge and circulate plenty of fuel through the float bowls.

Vulcan logic

I replaced the Dunlop Qualifier tires on my 1993 Vulcan 750 with a set of Continental Conti Tours, and I'm not sure what air pressure to run. Should I stay with the pressures recommended in my owner's manual, or should I use something else? According to the information on their sidewalls, the Conti Tours have a maximum pressure of 49 psi cold at 600 pounds front and 992 pounds rear. Steve Berto

Annandale, Virginia

Unless the combined weight of you, your Vulcan, your passenger and any luggage you have on board approaches the limits listed on the tires, you '¡I never need to use 49 psi or anything close to it. The maximum weight a tire can support is determined by its size, its construction and its air pressure. Since you have no control over your tires ' sizes or construction, the only adjustment you can make to compensate for weight is with air pressure. The heavier the load, the higher the pressure, until the weight reaches the limits posted on the tires.

The Conti Tours were designed for typical touring bikes, which are much heavier than your Vulcan; if a 700or 800-pound touring machine were fully loaded with two extremely large occupants and a full load of luggage, 49 psi conceivably could be the required pressure. But on your Vulcan, which weighs about 500 pounds with a full tank of gas, the tires would never need more than 40 psi, even if both you and your passenger weighed 300 pounds.

So, just follow the recommendations in your owner's manual: If you're an average-sized man riding solo, use 28 psi both front and rear. If you 're a reasonably big guy and are carrying a passenger, go up to 32 psi in the rear. And if you're really big and your passenger also is quite large, jack up the front pressure to 30 or 32 psi and the rear to 36 or 38 psi.