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Originally Posted by ku69rd With regards to Ashwin, his posts are good only for 100cc commuter bikes and nothing to do with machines above them. EX: please look up his posts on the suspension tuning that he has mentioned on the Interceptor thread plus his posts around running circles in Kerala traffic with his boxer amongst his dominar friends. He is quite knowledgeable on the Bajaj parts which might fit other motorcycles. |
I don't have much riding experience compared to most here on the forum but I started riding in 2011 and its been 9 years since, in that period I've clocked exactly 2,26,000 km's, in that time the number of times I've been to the ASC or a Mechanic for actual mechanical assistance is less than what one can count on one hand, maybe taking the number of times I've claimed warranty into account on my earlier bikes one would need to count using both hands but that's about it. P.S. The last few motorcycles I've owned were out of warranty within a few days after purchase as I didn't bother to take them back for the gracious free services.
So trust you me, I know a thing or two about motorcycles.
As for knowledge being limited to 100cc's, please be aware that a Single Cylinder SOHC 4 Stroke is just that when it comes to mechanical application, if you can work on a 100cc then you can sure as heaven and earth work on a 650cc, to put simply, displacement is irrelevant with respect to mechanical knowledge, what makes a difference though is some engine related specifics, say setting preload on balancer gears and what not which is mostly model specific, nothing that can't be dealt with commonsense.
Now when it comes to more complex configurations, say a twin there are certain specifics that needs to be kept in mind, mostly with respect to the valve train but again nothing anyone who've worked on a single cylinder and know how a 4 Stroke works can't handle.
But then again this is the Meteor thread, so simply put it is no big deal IMHO.
The disparity in understanding/knowledge that exists is mostly due to lack of exposure as when one takes apart things he gets a better understanding of how things operate, a cartridge vs damping rod setup is different but the working principle of a damping rod setup is the same irrespective of whether it is on a 100cc motorcycle or a 1000cc motorcycle, there are variables to account for but again someone who knows the basic working principle would obviously account for that.
Now coming to the topic of dismounting engines, what I'd shared was the standard means of getting the job done on setups with the engine as stressed member, backed by practical experience of course, the ZMA's engine is a stressed member. Again, if anyone has the strength to hold it up or has a custom stool or anything of that sort then so be it, when DIY'ing with fellow enthusiasts we'd have a couple of hands around so we'd not even bother with a jack or a stool or anything to be honest, see for yourself;
There are many ways to get a job done, I simply went with mentioning what is ideal in the case of DIY'ing by oneself on such a setup, again what I've said with respect to cradle frames as pointed out by nitro might not stand true in the case of the Himalayan's engine due to its weight factor, that is just that. Simply put this isn't even a topic worth having a heated debate on.
As for sump guards, depending on motorcycles with engine as stressed members, a guard is only as good as its mount points, on older Honda's there is a bracket that contains the kick start stopper, that is the usual mount point for a bash-plate, the problem here is that the bracket in question is mounted to the engine which is made of aluminum, so obviously the guard would save the motor from some abuse but when bottoming out a highly likely outcome is that the mount point on the engine would crack, this sometimes results in oil leaks as well, again nothing concerning but with a cradle frame the chances of the case cracking is reduced to a fair extent, again there are variables(what you bottom out on, position of drain bolt and other protrusions etc) but that was just a general statement.
Hope that clarifies things.
Cheers,
A.P.