Bikes
Motorcycle stuff, track days and tools
HOW-TO: Install SharkSkinz Race Bodywork on your R3
Are you ready to go to the track with your R3? If you are serious about getting into this sport, one of the essential investments required will be to replace your OEM plastic with race bodywork. It will simplify and speed up the maintenance process when you are trackside by reducing the number of parts requiring assembly/disassembly. Installing race fairings means that you will, at a minimum, remove your mirrors, lights, blinkers, and a few unnecessary plastic trims. The other advantage of using race bodywork is if (or when) you have an incident with your bike, a quality body kit will be much easier to repair than the manufacturer’s plastics. In my last encounter with a wall of tires at my local track, my bike suffered severe road rash…
R3 Weight Reduction – Install a Lithium Battery
Are you trying to reduce the weight of your bike? Replacing the heavy OEM battery with an Antigravity 4 cell lithium battery will allow you to save approximately 5 pounds with minimal effort. The OEM battery weighs 6 pounds, and the 4-cell battery from Antigravity is about 15 ounces. It’s hard to imagine that this small form factor battery has enough cranking power to start the bike! The other advantage of these batteries is their low self-discharge rate of 1-2% per month. Replacing the OEM battery with the Antigravity battery is a true plug-and-play setup. The battery doesn’t require to be charged when you get it. The biggest challenge for…
PRO TIPS – Change the Oil on your R3 (or MT-03)
Changing the oil on a regular basis is a guaranteed way to extend the life of your bike. Doing this yourself is very rewarding and will allow you not only to save some money but give you some extra knowledge about the inter-workings of your bike. Tools and material needed Tools/Equipment needed: 12mm wrench to remove the oil drain plug. Oil filter wrench (if you have your OEM filter). 17mm wrench if you have an aftermarket filter with a nut welded on top. Oil pan or container to catch the oil. Optional: Funnel Optional: Measuring cup Optional: Rear and front stands (it’s easier when the bike is straight up and leveled) Material needed: Shop…
Installing a LighTech Lever Guard
I wasn’t planning on writing a blog post about installing a lever guard! However, since I had a few speed bumps during my journey, I figured I’d document the process, and hopefully, it will be useful to a few fellow riders. Why do we need lever guards? A lever guard is a critical safety item on your motorcycle. It can prevent a fatal crash by reducing the risks of someone (or something) accidentally pushing your lever. Most amateur track riders and pro racers will only care about protecting the brake lever side, but you can also install a lever guard on the clutch side. Selecting a lever guard Now that…
New Yoyodyne Clutch for my R3
I just couldn’t resist and had to install a Yoyodyne slipper clutch on my new R3. Why? Well, this bike will be a track only bike and I also wanted to replace the detent spring, so I figured that I’d combined both of these modifications in a single project. Don’t judge… I love gadgets but, I also like to optimize my time. The purpose of the detent spring A stiffer and more robust detent spring is needed to improve shifting on the R3. It’s no secret that false neutrals are a common occurrence on the R3. A stiffer detent spring is one easy way to help with this challenge. If…
