typeone's Beta build (250RR)

[typeone]

thnx!

another trick i used for years but no longer do is to spray the motor down with WD-40 after a good cleaning. helps with cleanup after a muddy day. also keeps the bike looking newer longer. sure, dust will stick to it asap but when wash time comes, shit flies right off.

[nhbubba]

I've started doing that as well. Dirty bike plastic doesn't seem to react to WD at all. So I've been pretty aggressive getting a WD soaked rag to everything metal in sight.

[tls25rs]

WD40 or silicone spray on pretty much everything but grips, seat and brakes will make the bike easier to wash and keep clean. Dealerships usually have the silicone with all their other chemicals.

My bike was the cleanest it has been this season as I took to the R7 method mixed with laying the bike over as Clinton mentioned. I didn't go as far as the silicone spray but it still stayed relatively good all season.

[typeone]

so i've been trying to wrap up the bike and ran into an issue last night...

i'm missing 4 needle rollers in the swingarm bearings. standard gap between needles looks to be 1 needle width... spreading the needles that i have out across all four bearings gives me a 2 needle width gap. there is no cage, they are full complement, drawn cup needle roller bearings.

i was planning to ride any day now... my options are:

1. say fuck it and run it while parts are on order
2. wait and order just the needle rollers as bearings are totally fine otherwise
3. replace the full bearing set which sucks

think the 2 needle width gap is an issue? i assume not since i was most likely running one of them with a 4 needle gap! fark.

[Paul_E_D]

I would run the gap. lol

[typeone]

it's gotta be fine for now, right? i mean, even if they self destruct i'll have to replace anyway. i really don't think anything would happen, can't twist too far sideways, the gap isn't that big. (anymore)

as soon as i find my caliper i'm going to ring a shop in Illinois that sells loose needle rollers. would love to do it while the arm is still off though!

[typeone]

Beta shop said it's prob not wise to run the gap due to the forces there... makes sense... ordered a bearing to steal the needles from. fingers x'd it's the same size. PIA

[Paul_E_D]

Beta shop said it's prob not wise to run the gap due to the forces there... makes sense... ordered a bearing to steal the needles from. fingers x'd it's the same size. PIA

Hmmm. Don't want to just replace? I take it they are the loose kind and that the last guy effed up when he tried greasing? I rarely look at swing arm bearings unless I can feel freeplay.

[typeone]

the bearings looked great other than the missing pins so i'd rather quickly swap than pull them out and replace. i'd have to buy 2 + 2 seals. but yeah, i'll just replace if the needles aren't the same.

bike was new so this is the first greasing, i think the pins fell out during assembly. i went nuts looking for them but i was working inches above a huge sheet of cardboard. no where for them to go. i felt the large gap in one of them as soon as i started greasing.

the grease was getting pretty tacky so i'm glad i inspected and regreased everything.

[typeone]

stupid goose chase ... bearing needles were not a match, $65 mistake, ended up ordering 2 more bearings with seals. good to go now. (finally)

[typeone]

never closed the loop on this...

got the bearings and seals from Beta, rented a blind hole puller from AutoZone to sneak one bearing and seal out of the left side then used a homemade press to get the new ones in.

buttoned her all back up, Inspector B checked my work over, gave me the green light



out in the fresh air finally, ready to romp





bike feels awesome, diggin' the updates. fired right up, idled and ran silky smooth, pulls hard.

i skipped out on the fork refresh, bought 5wt instead of 2.5wt, not sure which i want to run. prob have Motoworx/Race Tech revalve them.

evening session last night. that Fatty front feels like a pillow on sharp rock!

[typeone]

fresh plastics and graphics

[typeone]

bike still feels good with the changes i made over the winter but i'm experiencing more pipe bang on decel than i had before. it sounds like a lean condition when you close the throttle but some posts on the interwebs say pipe bang is from rich jetting in the lower circuits. going to keep tweaking the air screw to see if i can cure it without swapping brass. bike feels great otherwise so i really dont want to mess with the pilot or needle.

bike fires with normal amount of choke, AS is about ~1.5-2 turns out, idles great, snaps clean, it's just on decel the overrun gets annoying.

[typeone]

played with the air screw + idle (rich -> lean) tonight, had no effect on the pipe bang. i'm starting to think it's the PV spacer. will remove and test again.

excellent session , conditions and temps were minty.. .

[typeone]

tested more air screw/idle adjustments with PV spacer removed, still nasty bang but holy shit the leaner i went the crazier the power came on and the bang got a C-hair softer ... began to realize i'm def rich just off idle and the race gas mix wasn't helping (slow burn).

today's experiment was leaner needle (0 - 1/4 throttle), AS back at 1.5 (i was all the way out to 2.25+ last ride), XT PV spacer back on, PV adjusted 1 turn out and 93 pump mixed at 50:1 ... NO BANG, crissssp throttle, seriously grunty low end. i an i ride 'appy. 25mi sesh.

looking forward to an early AM Round II.

[rmz290]

Cool thread. I just bought a new left over '15 250 RR yesterday after being on KTM's. Such a nice bike for $2k+ less than a '17 KTM. It just oozes sex appeal.

Suspension is my biggest concern, hoping to get out for a ride tomorrow (after I get everything greased and looked over today) and see where it's at stock and see if I can get it adjusted to work well in the rocks of Western Mass without a revalve. How much do you weigh? What springs did you end up settling on?

[Chippertheripper]

They certainly are the best looking oem bikes going. Shits hot.

[Paul_E_D]

They certainly are the best looking oem bikes going. Shits hot.

Ain't no doubt about it. Sexy

[typeone]

Cool thread. I just bought a new left over '15 250 RR yesterday after being on KTM's. Such a nice bike for $2k+ less than a '17 KTM. It just oozes sex appeal.

Suspension is my biggest concern, hoping to get out for a ride tomorrow (after I get everything greased and looked over today) and see where it's at stock and see if I can get it adjusted to work well in the rocks of Western Mass without a revalve. How much do you weigh? What springs did you end up settling on?

congrats, nice score! they certainly are sexxxy macheens

i weigh ~175lbs and current have the stock springs in front (.42 if i remember correctly) with 5wt Spectro oil and 120mm air gap. forks are still bugging the shit out of me. the fresh oil gave me some nice spring back into the rebound, easier to load/unload 'n pop over stuff but quick hits on rocky trails are still deflecting badly. mine is a '13, different than your '15 forks but many still go the revlave route eventually. (like most bikes, really)

out back i just went up another step stiffer to a 5.4kg (tried 4.8, 5.0, 5.2), much better sag numbers but the Golden Fatty front messed with the cornering feel. i'm back to getting more push in corners so i need to tweak sag again. 95mm race is recommended. think i'm right around 100mm right now, 25mm static.

hope your maiden voyage goes well. i love this bike. the S3 head + jetting + gearing tweaks over the winter really paid off. absolute goat without sacrificing the rip up top.

[typeone]

Cool thread. I just bought a new left over '15 250 RR yesterday after being on KTM's. Such a nice bike for $2k+ less than a '17 KTM. It just oozes sex appeal.

i'm piecing this together now, thought i recognized your screename from the Beta forum

[Imbeek]

out back i just went up another step stiffer to a 5.4kg (tried 4.8, 5.0, 5.2), much better sag numbers but the Golden Fatty front messed with the cornering feel. i'm back to getting more push in corners so i need to tweak sag again. 95mm race is recommended. think i'm right around 100mm right now, 25mm static.
.

If the sag is already erring on the understeer side of things, and the bike is still over steering (assuming that's what you mean by "push"), maybe try dropping the forks in the triples a bit? Lot easier than adjusting sag all the time too. I like to just put the sag right on the recommended number with the right spring, then adjust the forks to steer with good feel and without head shake on the fast parts. Pretty common for me to drop them a bit for southwick sand, then raise them for tight woods, etc. Takes a minute and the feedback is instantaneous...

[typeone]

thanks for the input

no, by 'push' i mean understeer ... pushing out of the line my mind and body are telling the bike to go in ... Beta's are know to ride like a chopper if you aren't 150lbs and under, the rear springs are too soft which makes the rear squat with high forks. no good for accurate cornering.

this was super annoying after coming off my razor sharp Husky. first free attempt to cure this on the Beta was to raise the forks in the clamps but the rear spring was still way too soft so i've been going up in spring rates ever since. my rear sag was prob in the 140'ish range if i remember correctly. it's MUCH better now with the 5.4kg @ 100mm (still need to try 95-98mm) but i was amazed the Fatty front tweaked the streering feel a bit after i got used to how awesome it felt absorbing hits. i wonder if weight played into that mix as well. it's a big tire.

i'm good with springs for now, i need to lose about 10lbs (~165lbs is my target) so that should dial it in even more but ultimately revalve the front and fresh the shock should get me extra-Xtra happy.

[typeone]

speaking of dialing sag, this trick bit of kit is going on over the winter...

[Imbeek]

Yeah those preload adjusters are cool...Im always messing with the same issues as you describe. I remember a suspension guy telling me to prioritze the race sag setting at the expense of the free sag setting if the spring still isnt perfect (in other words, if yours is steering slow, keep cranking the preload till you get to the 95 mm, WITH GEAR AND GAS)

Lately ive been finding a lot of my understeer issues dissapear if i can trailbrake the front into the corner and/or add some rebound damping to the front. In other words, force it to pack slightly to make it turn quicker. Tough to do in sand but dont really need it there. The best thing ive found to improve front end feel in sand, believe it or not, is a paddleish sand specific rear tire; hooks up so well that it unloads the front so it will track, rather than plow sand. At least it helps from the point you are getting back on the gas, that is

[typeone]

yup, just heard the same thing this season about prioritizing race sag. i'd never heard that before but have since only been using the static measurement as a note.

hear you on paddle-type tire, this is my fav for Southwick Pirelli MXS ... sooo good