flat tires

My experience with the cap off the exhaust was it sounded more powerful, but the top speed and speed up a hill were actually reduced when measured with a GPS.

Steve
 
I would add a keyed ignition. That's what I did, it's a good deterrent.

It only takes a minute to straight wire it the key switch is not much good. I have an alarm and if it is going to be out of sight for more then a few minutes I chain it up.
 
My experience with the cap off the exhaust was it sounded more powerful, but the top speed and speed up a hill were actually reduced when measured with a GPS.

Steve

I would think so but have not tried it as the motor was designed to run the cap. I have many that want to put straight pipes on their Harley and my first question is you want to go slower? Drag or straight pipes only work well at wide open throttle and how often on the street are you running or able to run wide open. The true dual where the pipe are not connected together cuts down on low end torque and you do not have the scavenger affect. Pipes are made the way they are for a reason and if you want more performance get a GOOD pipe not junk or make your own.
 
Fortunately for me Im in a location that allows long stretches of open trails and roads for WOT. However I do have an extra pipe that still has the cap and tend to use it in the city for the sake of others ears.
 
No I did it to reduce the backflow and increase the sound (let cars know I have a motor) It does seem to ride a little rough when I first start off but after 20mins of riding it just purrs and goes. I actually weigh 364pounds and have no issue with speed. This motor only has 15hours on it now. I average about 1500miles before I need to do a rebuild.
No offense but you weigh 364 pounds and you wonder why you are getting flats?
 
In my experience, the quality of the tube makes a big difference. Some low quality tubes are somewhat porous, so that over time, they lose pressure. In addition, their wall casing tends to be inconsistent, causing a tendency to bulge badly - obvious if you blow them up a bit before inserting them in the tire. This can cause the tire to either bulge a bit, or even be a bit out of round.
I have had good luck with "Michelin" tubes.
 
In my experience, the quality of the tube makes a big difference. Some low quality tubes are somewhat porous, so that over time, they lose pressure. In addition, their wall casing tends to be inconsistent, causing a tendency to bulge badly - obvious if you blow them up a bit before inserting them in the tire. This can cause the tire to either bulge a bit, or even be a bit out of round.
I have had good luck with "Michelin" tubes.

Check out converting your tire to 'tubeless'. Its a lot better than solid tires at the least. I have tried just about everything on my 29" bike. I had the same issue with a leak not less than a week ago. First I tried making my own patches after a few days of exactly the same thing, filling tire every morning, re-patching, trying to glue and tape, I decided to just get rubber cement, and patch kits, sand paper and do it right. I did not have a leak in the actual valve stem as of yet though, not sure what I would do there. Just small punctures either single or "snakebite" doubles from rim pinching on impact. Patch kits and rubber cement are great, but wouldnt it be nice to be flat-proof and retain the ride of air filled tires? Im hoping I found a solution...

Today I am actually going to convert my tires to tubeless while im painting everything etc. I have been researching this and really like this option. I do a lot of up and down, sidewalk edges, rougher pavement, bumpy sidewalks and even some grass/field riding when I cut across parks etc. If I was pure road mileage on smooth blacktop I would actually get as close to slicks as possible then for sure use inner tubes and go really high PSI like 50+. But my rides are rough and full of surprises, especially since my headlight visibility is very low.
I am reading that a lot of mountain bikers are going tubeless, they let some air out for traction on really rough terrain(doesnt apply to me) and they all use a sealant liquid that makes the tire pretty much flat proof. Ive seen a few ways to do the conversion. "ghetto": Use an inter-tube and cut it down the middle after wrapping it on the rim, just leave the valve stem in the old inter tube lol,( works actually well if u get an inter tube size smaller than the actual rim, like stretch a 20 inch tube on to 29 inch rim). then soap it up, slap tire over it, pour in slime/sealant add air and pray. If you dont have the right kind of tires and rim that are designed to lock together etc. its a huge pain.... first time I tried this, basically my entire room was covered with the sealant , ahhahah no matter what I did it would not seal, and just leaked and sprayed everywhere. OK, this nab is going to shut off the ramble here and get started on paint, tube less conversion, cant wait to see how it rides after.
 
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