[Schu]

52F here in Michigan today so I took the first ride of 2018. Man that felt good and I am happy with the small windscreens function. It takes all the buffeting off your upper body. Although the rigidity of the mounts seem somewhat marginal. The K&N intake makes the bike really hit hard right off idle and it's not just the throaty sound that fools you. I mean it hits hard now for what it is. Performance gains at higher speeds are less noticeable but still an improvement for sure. More snow in the forecast so this was just a teaser....

 

[flatrack]

Jealous lol !!

I miss riding, it's my therapy.

 

[SCRBen]

52F here in Michigan today so I took the first ride of 2018. Man that felt good and I am happy with the small windscreens function. It takes all the buffeting off your upper body. Although the rigidity of the mounts seem somewhat marginal. The K&N intake makes the bike really hit hard right off idle and it's not just the throaty sound that fools you. I mean it hits hard now for what it is. Performance gains at higher speeds are less noticeable but still an improvement for sure. More snow in the forecast so this was just a teaser....

👍 - my K&Ns in the post! Bet it felt good too.....
Ben

 

[Schu]

👍 - my K&Ns in the post! Bet it felt good too.....
Ben

One other thing surprised me about the K&N intake. Although it appears to be less obtrusive, it really isn't. The perimeter on the outer rim of the cover is squared off compared to the stock unit which is well rounded. The contact point on your knee is now more noticeable than ever. Would I give it back because of this? No way baby. You're going to like it.

 

[Mellowrider]

I got on mine again today!!! 64 here today!!! Northern Illiniois

 

[Schu]

therapeutic tools

Jealous lol !!

I miss riding, it's my therapy.

I took today off work so that I could get full usage out of my therapeutic tools. I love these old 2-stroke Yamahas. With the exception of the green CT175, all of them started in 2 to 4 kicks after sitting in the barn for over 3 months. The CT wanted to play the spark plug game. wet me, dry me, wet me, dry me..... so it started on about the 130th kick. My 360 is down with carb issues and the 400 can't get its arse out of first gear. It is quite a challenge to have all of them functional and running on a single day. However, it was a nice day with temps hitting 56F, but notice there is still ice on the pond...ugh!

 

[flatrack]

I dont know why but the green 175 is my favorite. I would love to own that thing...how much lol. The only 2 stroke Yamaha Ive ever owned was a YZ250. Im pretty sure it was a 1979 model, it was white and was a big step up from the 76 CR125 I had prior to that. Not sure how Id be on a dirt bike these days, probably take it real easy lol. It looks like a blast ripping around that pond though!!

 

[Schu]

I dont know why but the green 175 is my favorite. I would love to own that thing...how much lol.

I've come across probably 5 or 6 of the CT175s since I bought mine and most of the time they are running and ready to ride. Rough ones like mine start at about $600 and better ones with most of the parts will exceed $1,000. Totally restored value is in the eye of the beholder. $$$

 

[Schu]

I dont know why but the green 175 is my favorite. I would love to own that thing...how much lol.

I've come across probably 5 or 6 of the CT175s since I bought mine and most of the time they are running and ready to ride. Rough ones like mine start at about $600 and better ones with most of the parts will exceed $1,000. Totally restored value is in the eye of the beholder. $$$

 

[Mellowrider]

Truth spoken

Jealous lol !!

I miss riding, it's my therapy.

I rode for my third time today since thanksgiving and I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Mellowrider]

Flatrack... Still too cold up there huh. Im thinking this is just a tease down here... Its gonna be a blizzard in two weeks.!! Im thinkin..

 

[flatrack]

Long winter

Yes, probably another month for sure. Its hard to say tho, it seems like weather has changed, spring seems to come a bit sooner each year. Today was melting, a beautiful day. Cant wait to see what the pony express bags look like on yours and schu's bikes. I think they will be awesome. I hope Im next in line. I think you are right about the trailwing tires being long lasting tires. If youre like me and only put on a few thousand miles/year the tread might outlast the best before date lol.

 

[flatrack]

I've come across probably 5 or 6 of the CT175s since I bought mine and most of the time they are running and ready to ride. Rough ones like mine start at about $600 and better ones with most of the parts will exceed $1,000. Totally restored value is in the eye of the beholder. $$$

If you lived closer I'd buy it! Its hard to know what your enduros will be worth down the line. One things for sure, they won't go down in value!

 

[SCRBen]

One other thing surprised me about the K&N intake. Although it appears to be less obtrusive, it really isn't. The perimeter on the outer rim of the cover is squared off compared to the stock unit which is well rounded. The contact point on your knee is now more noticeable than ever. Would I give it back because of this? No way baby. You're going to like it.

Yeah, I’m not expecting it to be a lot smaller, as it looks about the same size, but the original never bothered my knee like some fellas reckon it does, which is weird, as I’m 6’ 2. Maybe I have short thighs and long lower legs ?! :grin2: The original does bother me for its restrictiveness tho, and then for its aesthetic quality (ie it has none!). I also got Ivan’s reflash over winter, so keen to see how that affects the whole shebang. Going to run the bike stock for a week or so, then fit the filter, so I can see the difference. Month after that......? Pipe.:wink2:

Now.....if only the snow would go away (Siberian blasts in the UK at present......)
Ben

 

[SCRBen]

Got home to find the K&N left in my garden by the courier today, having finally arrived from the Pacific Northwest!! 👍
Will get to unpacking it later, and look to install it once I’ve had a few rides with just Ivan’s reflash, so I know what is making what difference.

Dropped the oil, changed the filter, and did the usual pre-season checks yest, so just waiting for the next dry day now to fire her up and get a-riding (that’s if she starts.....hope the reflash went ok and didn’t bugger things up!!)
Ben

 

[Schu]

Got home to find the K&N left in my garden by the courier today, having finally arrived from the Pacific Northwest!! 👍
Will get to unpacking it later, and look to install it once I’ve had a few rides with just Ivan’s reflash, so I know what is making what difference.

Dropped the oil, changed the filter, and did the usual pre-season checks yest, so just waiting for the next dry day now to fire her up and get a-riding (that’s if she starts.....hope the reflash went ok and didn’t bugger things up!!)
Ben

Be careful when you insert the original screws into the new base with the little plastic retaining tabs that make it a captured fastener. I had one that cracked off during insertion of the screw. Not sure what you can do to avoid that from happening. Maybe warm it up a bit with a heat gun or hair dryer. I wasn't about to pack it up and return it because it still kept the screw in place with a single tab, but not nearly was well as the others. I also changed the allen head screws to hex head screws for the 4 screws that come in from the backside because the allen head screws are a pain to deal with. You will see what I mean if you try to leave them as allen heads. The image below shows the hex head I am referring to. The other image shows that you don't even see them unless you get right in there and look behind the backing plate.

 

[SCRBen]

Be careful when you insert the original screws into the new base with the little plastic retaining tabs that make it a captured fastener. I had one that cracked off during insertion of the screw. Not sure what you can do to avoid that from happening. Maybe warm it up a bit with a heat gun or hair dryer. I wasn't about to pack it up and return it because it still kept the screw in place with a single tab, but not nearly was well as the others. I also changed the allen head screws to hex head screws for the 4 screws that come in from the backside because the allen head screws are a pain to deal with. You will see what I mean if you try to leave them as allen heads. The image below shows the hex head I am referring to. The other image shows that you don't even see them unless you get right in there and look behind the backing plate.

Gotcha. Cheers. Will be aware of both. Gonna be a few weeks before fitting anyway, so gives me time to source some hex heads - I can already see what you mean re the allens.

The hose that comes with it for the crankcase vent is real taut, as you said previously. Did you give any thought to doing away with it completely and not feeding the crankcase vent pipe back through to the filter, and instead venting to the outside air on the left side (primary side, in Harley speak! :laugh?

I think a few guys have done it on the Bolt forum - might look into what set up they have. Saves having that massive pipe running under the tank, in between the cylinders, and also stops getting engine oil inside the filter (I know it’s supposed to go there, but it never all gets into the cylinders to burn off - not in my experience anyway).
Ben

 

[Schu]

The hose that comes with it for the crankcase vent is real taut, as you said previously. Did you give any thought to doing away with it completely and not feeding the crankcase vent pipe back through to the filter, and instead venting to the outside air on the left side (primary side, in Harley speak?

Ben

No, I was apprehensive to eliminate the vent hose. That is why I pulled the existing hose back to the side opposite the air intake, and then I fed it back thru in a location more to the rear of the bike. With the new routing I actually had to cut the original hose and then connected it using the original spring clamp.
The only problem I had was due to the original hose being preformed for its original routing. There was one spot that wanted to kink after I rerouted the hose. I solved that by putting two small zip ties around the kink and sinched them up just enough to maintain the proper shape in that one spot which is hidden from view unless you know where to look. I've checked it a couple times and it is holding true so far. I saved the trimmed piece in case I decide to go back to stock. I can splice it back in place using the splice connector that came with the stiff hose in the kit.

 

[SCRBen]

No, I was apprehensive to eliminate the vent hose. That is why I pulled the existing hose back to the side opposite the air intake, and then I fed it back thru in a location more to the rear of the bike. With the new routing I actually had to cut the original hose and then connected it using the original spring clamp.
The only problem I had was due to the original hose being preformed for its original routing. There was one spot that wanted to kink after I rerouted the hose. I solved that by putting two small zip ties around the kink and sinched them up just enough to maintain the proper shape in that one spot which is hidden from view unless you know where to look. I've checked it a couple times and it is holding true so far. I saved the trimmed piece in case I decide to go back to stock. I can splice it back in place using the splice connector that came with the stiff hose in the kit.

Well, I finally got it fitted yesterday, and got out for a ride. I took your two bits of advice, and warmed the lugs that make the bolts that attach the filter to the throttle bodies ‘captured’ (no issue there), and also exchanged the 4 bolts on the rear side for hex heads - as you say, much easier to tighten up. I have no idea how you re-routed the original crankcase breather hose through to the new position - I tried every which way but loose (insert orangutan joke here) but couldn’t find a way through. Ended up using the super stiff hose K&N supplied, but all was well (pretty neat job, actually!).

It definitely makes a difference out on the road though. At idle, you can hear it sucking the air in. At part-throttle, it sounds like me getting every last bit out of a McDonalds strawberry milkshake, and when giving it the berries I’m afraid it’s going to suck in any roadside furniture I happen to be passing!! It’s quite noisy, yes, but I love it - almost makes the bike sound “tuned”. I went to overtake a car in 4th at one point, opened the throttle, and absolutely howled past it, and I never thought I’d say that about the SCR! I even swore to myself in my helmet! :laugh: Definitely smitten.

Last piece of the jigsaw is en route now too - just received notice that my Danmoto exhaust has reached customs in the U.K. Judging by some comments on the Bolt forum, any concerns I have about intake noise will literally be drowned out anyway!! :grin2:

Anyway, thanks for the advice Schu - the lunchbox done good! :wink2:
Ben

 

[Schu]

Anyway, thanks for the advice Schu - the lunchbox done good!
Ben

Ha. That is the most colorful description of exactly what I was thinking on my first run with the K&N intake. I want to acquire a spare cover plate without spending a fortune. I have access to CNC machines that could reface that cover plate with anything I want. Maybe machine the entire face leaving only the number 950 in black finish with a thin double rib of black around the perimeter. I don't want to use the only cover plate I have because there would be no turning back if it looks stupid.