My first Super 8 performance mod

[klaviator]

I just did the first performance mod to my Super 8.  I recently took it to Deals Gap and rode a bunch of twisty roads.  I discovered that the biggest hurdle to going fast was not lack of power, lack of grip for the Chen Shin tires or the brakes.  It was lack of cornering clearance, particularly on the right.  The first thing that touches down on the right is the metal tab the side stand mounts to, see picture below.


photo by Killboy (www.kilboy.com)

I got a $10 grinding wheel for my drill from Harbor Freight and used it to grind off some of that metal tab.  
That tab touches down hard and digs in.  I not only removed some metal but also angled it so it is less likely to dig into the road.

Eventually I want to try to get even more cornering clearance since the Floorboard touches down on the left side and I can't grind that off.  I'm thinking that some larger/ taller tires would help.

[Kevin]

Hey KLAviator,

Awesome idea. I've also seen spacers for the rear shocks. I'm thinking of that route as well.
I also thought of just removing the side stand completely - I never use it. But you say the mounting tab is what hits?

Cheers!
--Kevin

[klaviator]

Hey KLAviator,

Awesome idea. I've also seen spacers for the rear shocks. I'm thinking of that route as well.
I also thought of just removing the side stand completely - I never use it. But you say the mounting tab is what hits?

Cheers!
--Kevin

The mounting tab hits first and it digs in hard.  I took a grinder and removed some of it AND angled it so it will be less likely to dig in.  I suspect that the sidestand may touch down now that I have ground off some of the mounting tab.  If that happens, I may be taking the grinder to the sidestand foot next.  If you get rid of the tab and sidestand, it's still not too hard to touch down the floorboards - I did on the left side.  You can see the white mark where I scratched the fairing in the picture above.  It's right where the red and black meet.  Increasing the rear ride height will help but it needs more ride height in the front too.  I'm thinking  maybe bigger tires when these wear out.  That will also increase top speed a little.

[Dion]

Interesting approach but you might want to look into the theory of counter steering. Scooters carry so much of their weight down low, even a modest bit of pressure by the feet will shift the balance of the bike, generally pushing it into the turn, then back upright once the turn has started.

To experience this, on a straight road with no traffic, with your feet on the floor boards, push with the left foot and see what happens to the bike, then try the right foot. In both Street Smarts classes and other riders survival tactics programs, there is a lot of emphasis on understanding what and how a bike of any type is controlled.

As cryptic as this is ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering  It is available and free ...

The second part happens when you start applying pressure on the handlebars, as your upper body weight shifts slightly into the direction of the turn ... you end up pushing the bike back upright.

Makes the ride much more interesting - and faster through the turns.

[klaviator]

Interesting approach but you might want to look into the theory of counter steering. Scooters carry so much of their weight down low, even a modest bit of pressure by the feet will shift the balance of the bike, generally pushing it into the turn, then back upright once the turn has started.

To experience this, on a straight road with no traffic, with your feet on the floor boards, push with the left foot and see what happens to the bike, then try the right foot. In both Street Smarts classes and other riders survival tactics programs, there is a lot of emphasis on understanding what and how a bike of any type is controlled.

As cryptic as this is ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering  It is available and free ...

The second part happens when you start applying pressure on the handlebars, as your upper body weight shifts slightly into the direction of the turn ... you end up pushing the bike back upright.

Makes the ride much more interesting - and faster through the turns.

I've been riding over 30 years and about 400,000 miles, I understand countersteering and use it all the time.  Everyone who rides uses countersteering whether they know it or not.  Countersteering has nothing to do with cornering clearance.  Regardless how you get the bike to lean over, once you get to a certain lean angle, something will start scraping the ground.  There are only three things that can increase cornering speed once this happens.
1.  Ride a better line around the corner if possible
2.  Shift body weight to the inside to allow the bike to remain more upright.
3.  Physically modify the bike/scooter to increase cornering clearance.  That's what I did by gringing off some metal.  I also used #1 and #2 while riding

Another solution is to buy a bike/scooter with better cornering clearance.  I have never owned a street legal bike that I didn't scrape when going fast around corners although it rarely happens on my dual sport bikes.  Unless I want to buy a really hard core sportbike like a Ducati or GSXR, I suspect cornering clearance will always be somewhat of an issue for me.  I like going fast on twisty roads and probably always will.  On my dual sport bikes I can usually outrun most of the sport bikes on tight twisty roads.  I'd like to be able to do the same on my scooter.  I don't see myself ever buying a hardcore sport bike, they are too uncomfortable and impractical.  

The new Kymco 300GTS claims a 54 degree lean angle.  Now that sounds like fun

[stepantex]

same observations with cornering.  protruding stand, bulky underneath fairings, hard compound tires. very hard in attacking  corners.  perhaps really not for high-speed. great idea klaviator! I'll try it tomorrow morning.

[klaviator]

same observations with cornering.  protruding stand, bulky underneath fairings, hard compound tires. very hard in attacking  corners.  perhaps really not for high-speed. great idea klaviator! I'll try it tomorrow morning.

I haven't found the hard compound tires to be an issue since I run out of cornering clearance well before the tires run out of grip.  When these tires wear out, I plan on getting larger tires which should increase the cornering clearance as well as increasing top speed.