I found a good deal on web hosting and registered a new domain. I haven't been doing much riding this summer because I've been busy with other things. It also time for a new chain so I think I'll put on the 37T rear sprocket while I'm at it.
New pictures up. :: 3-29-03 ::Weathers Honda Riders Club rode to Lanett, AL for the opening of a new Sonic. It was a little chilly but everyone had a good time. The new pictures are in the gallery.
Hell freezes over. Belt drive now available for the ACE :: 03/02/03 ::For years, a popular question on the SA750 forum has been "Is there a belt drive kit for the ACE?". The answer has always been "Scootworks has been working on one but there's no ETA." Well it finally happened. It's available in black or chrome and has a final drive ratio of 2.35:1, which will have you on the highway at lower RPMS than the stock ratio. The price is a little more than I can afford right now, ($521.99 for black and $584.99 for chrome) but it would be nice to have. Maybe the price will come down some after they sell a few thousand of them. If I could afford it, I'd still probably wait and see what people are saying about it.
Update :: 03/02/03 ::Well, it's been quite a while since I last posted here. I've been busy with lots of things and I don't do much riding when it's cold out. The weather is starting to warm up now and my interests are starting to shift back toward riding and my bike. Since it's still not quite riding weather for me yet I thought I'd redo my web page. The old one was written in Frontpage and while it served its purpose, I've been itching to do something a little more advanced and maybe showcase some of the things I've learned about site building, graphics, scripting and database programming. Without getting too much into the technical details of it maybe it will suffice to say that the new site is written to be more in compliance with todays web standards. Pages having content that changes regularly (this one) are now database driven. Instead of firing up a text editor when I want to post an article now I just submit it from a form and it automagically appears on the page.
Re-jet round two :: 7/07/02 ::Some additional tuning was required after the Thunder mod. I ended up going to smaller jets and lowering the needles one notch. Check the Thunder Charged page for more details.
Jetting Database :: 7/01/02 ::If you've added an aftermarket exhaust and or re-jetted your ACE take a minute to check out the Jetting Database at SA750.com. There you can enter your settings into the database and compare your settings with other riders. Be sure to leave some info in the comments section so others will know how well your settings are working out for you (good or bad).
What's next? :: 6/29/02 ::I think I've got the engine performance just about dialed in now. I may fiddle with advancing the timing or maybe a Dyna ignition module at some point, but it's not a priority. The next thing I'd like to do it remove the 41 tooth rear sprocket and replace it with a 38 tooth one along with a new chain. The chain that's on there now will be out of adjustment by the end of summer and need replacing. The sprocket is pretty cheap so I figure I might as well replace it too. Moving to a smaller rear sprocket will cut down on the buzzing at highway speeds, spread the gear changes out a little farther and make 5th gear more like overdrive. It will lose a little torque with the smaller sprocket, but most say it's hardly noticeable.
Thunder Part III :: 6/29/02 ::The Thunder Air Kit came in on Friday! The first thing I noticed was how heavy it was. The back plate is machined out of 2 solid pieces of aluminum. The cover appears to be chrome plated thick cast aluminum. Inside is a large round K&N filter. It allows so much air in that you can actually hear it being sucked into the carbs. The exhaust sound is a little louder and more powerful sounding. I took it for a short 20 mile ride this morning and all I can say is wow. She gets up to speed much more quickly now and you can really feel it pull as it accelerates. It feels like a totally different bike. I have heard others say the same thing but it's true. I used Blacktop's tuning specs and it looks like I won't need to go to smaller jets as some riders with the S&S style cover have had to. If it's not too expensive I'd like to find some place close that has a dyno. If I do, I'll post the results here.
Thunder Part II :: 6/26/02 ::I have completed the Stage III re-jet. I did not take pictures of this mod but I did follow the instructions at the Strictly ACE 750 Web site. There's really nothing I could do to add to the instructions Blacktop took the time to do. I will say that because I have the 49 states model without all the California emissions stuff I had a few less hoses to label and remove. It took about 5 hours to complete. A lot of that time was spent running in and out of the house to read the instructions online and labeling hoses. If I ever have to pull the carbs again, I am confident that I could do it a lot quicker. I used the 134 jet in the front carb and the 138 in the rear. I also installed new jet needles and set the clip on the 4th notch. The bike can't run properly now with the stock air box because of the jet size. I will give a full report as soon as I get the air box installed and tuned/tested. The Thunder kit deal with "Littleguy" fell through. I have ordered a new one from Hellriser Customs in Santa Cruz, California. I would like to commend Paolo for his excellent service. I ordered the air kit on Wednesday after the FedEX truck already ran. He drove the package personally to FedEX so that I'd have the kit by Friday. Thanks Paolo!
