Fantastic Michael. After 50 years on a bike I’ve picked up most of this but so good to have it all confirmed by a pro in one simple, down-to-earth video. The silver lining to the Covid19 cloud. Look forward to more like this.
Thank you. So calm, so all knowing but gentle. Man, I like your style of passing on knowledge, deep knowledge. Honest. Broadly experienced, not selling anything. Awesome video.
Heard TMF mentioning this guy quite a bit, but never really seen him. Now I know why. I've watched a few videos of late (I'm sure we all have!!), and this guy is top notch in his knowledge and presentation. This stuff is gold dust to those who were not born on a bike (you know who you are!). I for one appreciate the information and the easy way it is presented.
We need more of these videos online. There’s so much on new bikes no one can afford and all the expensive modifications and maintenance but so little is on the basics of good bike setup. So many people on the road have their bike set up so bad but they don’t know because you rarely get a chance to ride two identical bikes with two totally different setups to compare against. That’s why it’s so hard to figure out what works best because there’s little to compare your bike to unless you keep messing around with the settings each time you ride on the same road.
After going to Ron Haslems race school/ classes, it has saved me hundreds on tyres. When you see him and the instructors on sport touring rubber. You got to ask why do I need these other tyres which last 1000 plus miles LESS. Great upload 👍thank you
Went up to the supermarket on the bike after going softer on compression damping on the front and rear on my MT10SP, a lot better no jarring through the bars. So thanks for that Mr Neeves
This is what you get with years of unbiased experience, having been paid to do a job objectively. Not the uninformed ramblings you get from far too many a vlogger who just seems excited to have a free bike to use and is out to make content for contents sake.
Incredibly valuable information in this video.... and I cant think of a time I've ever seen a video done properly on this subject, from someone who knows what they're talking about... thanks 🙌
I agree with pretty much everything, with a few small caveats. I generally find it's better to run tire pressures a bit lower in the rear than in the front. Pressures depend on the carcass construction, but generally I go 32-34 rear, and 34-36 front. I'll put more in the rear if I'm just doing commuting though for longevity. I fully agree that people drop their pressures too much on the road. Everything you said is correct about how on the track the COLD pressures are lower because the tires are meant to heat up which increases the pressures. But one thing people don't often realize is that you get much *less* grip when your pressures remain too low. It's not just lazy steering; The tires end up deflecting, compressing, and then bouncing back. Not only does this wear the tires out many times faster, this quick flexing creates a cavitation effect that makes the tire unstable. It will wallow around alot, and can even give a feeling like rebound is too fast, when really it's the tire flexing and rebounding too much. It's a really bad situation. Basically, big thumbs up pointing that one out. You can drop your pressures a *little* if you're going to be maintaining a healthy clip on a back road, but I'm talking a couple PSI, max.
Amazing. Went in the garage last night and had to tinker - you are bang on about the levers, and adjusting them to your liking. Thank you. Please continue with this - lets do some Q&A like Simon Crafar is doing, help us get through this lockdown.
My new (at the time) 2015 GSX-R750 NEEDED the suspension adjustment and ECU tuning just to be RIGHT. I also upgraded the adjustable rear axle adjuster and extended 12-15mm (depending on the day (Temps, route, tire pressure, etc) and that thing handled like a damn dream. Anyone with a K5 and up needs to do this. Example of how bad factory Suzuki ECUs are.. after my tune (ignition and fuel with full bolt-ons and no cat) I made as much to the wheel as a factory Gixxer 1000.
Agree with almost everything said, apart form what was said about tire pressures. I have found that lower tire pressures help stop the tires prematurely wearing. My rides typically involve a 40 mile freeway ride to where the good roads start and when I first got my R1M myself and other were aghast at the tire wear from cold shearing and from wearing flat on the rear. I only had 400 miles on my first rear when it started to flatten out noticeably. I found that my wear problems stopped largely by running 5psi or so low front and rear. It feels like they might warm a bit quicker too, but to be fair the RS10’s are pretty good even cold. Did the same on a set of S21’s on my GSXR and they lasted 3 seasons-finally down to the wear bars. The Super Corsa Whatever’s on the EBR1190RS (not RX, the RS was a Bucket List bike for me)I just got might get the same treatment once I get used to them and set the chassis up. Hope you’re doing well in the UK (was born near RAF Lakenheath), things are quite bad here in Detroit, we can still ride as a recreational activity but the economy simply vanished. Best regards, Dave
I would say adjusting the angle of the clutch and brake levers so they fit under my fingers better was a huge improvement for me, and it took 2 minutes to do.
Great advice Neevsey. I knew nothing about bikes when I got my first and luckily spoke to a dealer who had a workshop and helped me with the suspension set up as I'm very tall and heavy. Thanks for tips with levers and gear position. My wrists hurt on long journey's and I just came to expect that being that I ride a sports bike but that just might save me a bit of pain.
. . . also adjust the handle bars mm perfect until they feel right for your riding style & arm length, then adjust levers accordingly. Makes a World of difference.
Ive personally found that under "normal" conditions the brake lever is better closer to the throttle, however I have it farther away because I found that if I have to do an emergency brake where I have to react quickly ,my fingers were caught by the lever as I was trying to "roll off" and then get on the brake as quickly as possible.As I ride through the winter and have thicker gloves on, having the lever farther than nearer is best for me.
My old '07' KTM 990 Superduke recommends 34psi front & rear. I live in the Italian mountains & run Supercorsa SPs. Normally run 33 front 32 back, & can get a wiggle on nae bother. 34 front 30 back on my local track in Modena. Stay safe thanks for all the vids. FatBoy.
Plus if your brake lever is too high you have to make an accelerating action with your wrist to enable your fingers to operate the lever, potentially causing you to accelerate into a braking situation, not good. Great video
“Trail Braking...” that put my FS1-E into a left hand bend field in 1975. Sadly I’ve never learnt any different 😩😩😩 But I will be bringing the brake lever in closer on my current ride. Well you’ve got to start somewhere!
Thanks for taking the time to do this. While I may not have learned anything new, this was a great confirmation that what I've been doing for years is right, not only in my own eyes but also someone like yourself who is a professional.
For safety reasons, you shouldn't be anywhere near the tire limit on the road. On track you can push the limits lap-by-lap, but on the road there are too many variables to successfully push the limits. Track is planning, road is luck. Pushing both luck and limit can be hazardous to your health. Literally. Having said that, I have to comment on tire pressure (which should be considered only for tracks): 1. dropping tire pressure is done mostly so RACE tires can be kept at optimum temperature (think about 80-110 C). Outside of those temps, they grip very bad. Road tires have less PEAK grip, but it's present in a much higher temperature range (guessing 30-90 C....made-up numbers to present the idea). 2. dropping tire pressure DOES increase the contact patch and it does matters (if you think about general friction formula vs patch area, that's when the tire slips, not when it grips). But again, it's not something that you will benefit on the road. Defensive driving will more than compensate for this. 3. every tire has a minimum pressure from manufacturer. If you compare that, race tires have it much lower that road tires. Thus taking a racers pressure and putting it on road tires is BAD (even on track). Just stick to minimums that your bike manufacturer specifies on sticker. PS: when I started doing track days (a 800m karting track) on motorcycle, I started with an XJ6 with 6-year old Road Michelins and only on 1 corner I felt "something slightly wrong". And this was also when I started grinding my foot pegs. But 1 year later, I got scrubbed Continental RaceAttacks, which under 20C ambient would not let me drive straight until they got some heat.
As far as tire pressures it’s good to go with the tire manufacturers recommendations if they make them available. Dunlop’s Q3+ lists them at 32/32ish F/R.
Great vid thanks Neevesy, all the ‘fast’ 🤦🏻♂️sports bike boys will be.......”oh really, you don’t need to copy BSB settings for the road”🤣🤣, thanks for talking sense and keeping it real👍🏼
Really interesting comment about brake levers. I wouldn't say I'm a fast rider but I'm not slow when I want to be. Braking is an area I'm not as confident as everything else though. I used to do 2 stroke kart racing and I know from that how easy it is to make mistakes when you're really pushing. I don't race/ go as quick as I can on the road for that reason and I find it really difficult to judge what's an appropriate amount of braking on the road. Might try putting the lever in a click just see if it makes any difference once we're allowed back outside
The thing that I am always amazed at is how many people are riding round on bikes that are setup the same way as the day they bought it. The whole point of having adjustable suspension oem is to make it easier to get the bike set up for you to enjoy. So these people are not using the whole potential of their bikes simply because it’s setup for the previous owner lol
Re front brake lever - I've always preferred my lever further out as I feel particularly with mediocre braking setups like an R1 it can make the master cyl'r feel firmer as I prefer a firmer brake lever as opposed to a spongy feel. I ride in the int-adv groups on track and typically the hardest on the brakes into corners (an amateur K.Schwantz so to speak haha)
Interesting point about the brake lever. Mine tends to need more travel though on e the brakes heat up? 2000 honda cbr600fy. 12 previous owners! Got dirt cheap not long ago and is finally getting some tlc!
If you've nothing better to do, as prep for riding season have a go at thoroughly bleeding your brakes , and if it's been a few years, perhaps a wholesale change of brake fluid as well
The messed up thing is that not only the suspension and the footpegs are adjusted for midgets; the whole rider triangle is tiny. Most bikes just aren't big enough to accommodate fully grown men (especially the hip to footpeg ratios are usually horrible). I'm 6'2" (1.88m and that's kind of "average" for a Dutch/northwestern European man like me...) and have never fit a bike well except for something like a big GS... shame, really, bikes need to grow a bit, when will the manufacturers realize that not everyone is a tiny, Japanese test rider...
Re tire pressure, I've always used what the bike manufacturer recommends, not the tire maker. That can change though after suspension changes are made.
No profanity, no criticism of other journalists- just solid facts and guidance. 25 years of experience in a 17 minute video ! Thank you Neevsey.
Neeves has been generous of late. Seems like he's in a point in his life where he has no fear of competition. Just giving back mood.
Fantastic Michael. After 50 years on a bike I’ve picked up most of this but so good to have it all confirmed by a pro in one simple, down-to-earth video. The silver lining to the Covid19 cloud. Look forward to more like this.
Thank you. So calm, so all knowing but gentle. Man, I like your style of passing on knowledge, deep knowledge. Honest. Broadly experienced, not selling anything. Awesome video.
As always, brilliant layman terms that everyone can understand... Love your reviews and input Neevesy!
That was years of experience in 16 minutes. Amazing.
Heard TMF mentioning this guy quite a bit, but never really seen him. Now I know why. I've watched a few videos of late (I'm sure we all have!!), and this guy is top notch in his knowledge and presentation. This stuff is gold dust to those who were not born on a bike (you know who you are!). I for one appreciate the information and the easy way it is presented.
Love listening to people who actually know their stuff. Thanks Michael.
Appreciate the veteran wisdom. Always good to have a refresher early in the season for me in the USA. Thanks again.
Neevsey keeping it 💯 real no bs no willy waving just saying it how it is 👏👏
Neeves so relaxed and calm, man continue with this series, any info you give is valuable to us. :)
We need more of these videos online. There’s so much on new bikes no one can afford and all the expensive modifications and maintenance but so little is on the basics of good bike setup. So many people on the road have their bike set up so bad but they don’t know because you rarely get a chance to ride two identical bikes with two totally different setups to compare against. That’s why it’s so hard to figure out what works best because there’s little to compare your bike to unless you keep messing around with the settings each time you ride on the same road.
One of the more likeable motorcycle reviewers on youtube ...
What an excellent guide based on proven experience, top tips from a top guy! 👍👍
After going to Ron Haslems race school/ classes, it has saved me hundreds on tyres. When you see him and the instructors on sport touring rubber. You got to ask why do I need these other tyres which last 1000 plus miles LESS. Great upload 👍thank you
Watching 6 months of motorcycle vids this was honestly the most useful to me
Hey Mike,
Yeh, he's good. Hava look at MCRider, and Mike on Bikes, & DDFM, I think they all hav gr8 advice and r helpful
👍🙂🌈🛵
setting your handlebars by rotating them really helps too on some bikes. especially on everything you ride offroad with.
Went up to the supermarket on the bike after going softer on compression damping on the front and rear on my MT10SP, a lot better no jarring through the bars. So thanks for that Mr Neeves
Thanks for posting. Proud owner of a UK spec 918 FireBlade! Watching this in Guyana, South America.
All the “Fast Boys” are going to be riding about with their brake levers hard up against the glove, because “Neevesy says racers do that”😂
Yeah I found it funny as I have long fingers..
@@boydjeffery7672 as do i. But not all are as blessed as we few.🤣
He forgot to mention that a ton of those 'quick' individuals have aftermarket brake parts xP
Close to the bar for more squeeze then shove stubby levers on 🤔🤭🤪
Waaaaaaaaaa Mi-A-Dead 🤣🤣🤣🫣 #FuRR-Real 🤌🏾
Lots of great wisdom here. All motorcyclists should watch, listen and take to heart the information here! thank you
This is what you get with years of unbiased experience, having been paid to do a job objectively. Not the uninformed ramblings you get from far too many a vlogger who just seems excited to have a free bike to use and is out to make content for contents sake.
Good info for any rider beginner or experienced
Incredibly valuable information in this video.... and I cant think of a time I've ever seen a video done properly on this subject, from someone who knows what they're talking about... thanks 🙌
I truly appreciate your insight, Neeves! It's like you are my personal coach, and your knowledge is very helpful and on point. Thank you.
Love Neevesys videos. More please. Also love all MCN videos. Great they took time in lockdown to educate and entertain us.
This video is gold. Every bit of it is useful and informative. Total respect for doing this.
I agree with pretty much everything, with a few small caveats.
I generally find it's better to run tire pressures a bit lower in the rear than in the front. Pressures depend on the carcass construction, but generally I go 32-34 rear, and 34-36 front. I'll put more in the rear if I'm just doing commuting though for longevity.
I fully agree that people drop their pressures too much on the road. Everything you said is correct about how on the track the COLD pressures are lower because the tires are meant to heat up which increases the pressures.
But one thing people don't often realize is that you get much *less* grip when your pressures remain too low. It's not just lazy steering; The tires end up deflecting, compressing, and then bouncing back. Not only does this wear the tires out many times faster, this quick flexing creates a cavitation effect that makes the tire unstable. It will wallow around alot, and can even give a feeling like rebound is too fast, when really it's the tire flexing and rebounding too much. It's a really bad situation.
Basically, big thumbs up pointing that one out. You can drop your pressures a *little* if you're going to be maintaining a healthy clip on a back road, but I'm talking a couple PSI, max.
Excellent advice. You should consider doing a garage section on your vlogs. Found this great advice 👍
Mark Kelly completely agree! Need more this style vids.
Yep excellent advice for someone like me who's only been riding for just over 1 year
Thank you for your service to humanity. 🙂👍
Amazing. Went in the garage last night and had to tinker - you are bang on about the levers, and adjusting them to your liking. Thank you. Please continue with this - lets do some Q&A like Simon Crafar is doing, help us get through this lockdown.
Awesome Video Michael, I genuinely do not think there is anyone out there with more Motorcycle knowledge than you! Respect!...😊👍
My new (at the time) 2015 GSX-R750 NEEDED the suspension adjustment and ECU tuning just to be RIGHT. I also upgraded the adjustable rear axle adjuster and extended 12-15mm (depending on the day (Temps, route, tire pressure, etc) and that thing handled like a damn dream. Anyone with a K5 and up needs to do this.
Example of how bad factory Suzuki ECUs are.. after my tune (ignition and fuel with full bolt-ons and no cat) I made as much to the wheel as a factory Gixxer 1000.
This was a great little bit! I’m sure many will appreciate this.
Great advice from the Don 👍
Gday old chop fancy seeing u here
Thanks for sharing that hard earned knowledge with us all Neevesy. Be nice to be able to go out and put into practice once lockdown is over 😀
You the man Neevesy, geezer 🤛
Agree with almost everything said, apart form what was said about tire pressures. I have found that lower tire pressures help stop the tires prematurely wearing. My rides typically involve a 40 mile freeway ride to where the good roads start and when I first got my R1M myself and other were aghast at the tire wear from cold shearing and from wearing flat on the rear. I only had 400 miles on my first rear when it started to flatten out noticeably. I found that my wear problems stopped largely by running 5psi or so low front and rear. It feels like they might warm a bit quicker too, but to be fair the RS10’s are pretty good even cold.
Did the same on a set of S21’s on my GSXR and they lasted 3 seasons-finally down to the wear bars. The Super Corsa Whatever’s on the EBR1190RS (not RX, the RS was a Bucket List bike for me)I just got might get the same treatment once I get used to them and set the chassis up.
Hope you’re doing well in the UK (was born near RAF Lakenheath), things are quite bad here in Detroit, we can still ride as a recreational activity but the economy simply vanished. Best regards, Dave
Excellent stuff...nice and straightforward, no BS 👍
I would say adjusting the angle of the clutch and brake levers so they fit under my fingers better was a huge improvement for me, and it took 2 minutes to do.
Thanks Neevesy, very helpful. Stay safe.
Great advice Neevsey. I knew nothing about bikes when I got my first and luckily spoke to a dealer who had a workshop and helped me with the suspension set up as I'm very tall and heavy. Thanks for tips with levers and gear position. My wrists hurt on long journey's and I just came to expect that being that I ride a sports bike but that just might save me a bit of pain.
What a nice little insight into being a bike journalist.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience so clearly and concisely. 🙏🏼👏💚
Very informative stuff, thanks. Recently discovered your reviews and I love them. Good man.
. . . also adjust the handle bars mm perfect until they feel right for your riding style & arm length, then adjust levers accordingly. Makes a World of difference.
Great advice🥳 and at a time lots of us might have the time at hand since they can't use their bike because of isolation restrictions. 🥺
Great video! Definitely some useful nuggets of information
Ive personally found that under "normal" conditions the brake lever is better closer to the throttle, however I have it farther away because I found that if I have to do an emergency brake where I have to react quickly ,my fingers were caught by the lever as I was trying to "roll off" and then get on the brake as quickly as possible.As I ride through the winter and have thicker gloves on, having the lever farther than nearer is best for me.
Truly the voice of experience
Great information. Really appreciate the content and the delivery!
Many thanks for this superb checklist. One for the archives. Best. G.
Really informative clip...these topics are always interesting to hear from experts that have the amount of seat time that you do sir
Really helpful for a newbie. Thanks
Thank you! Amazing to listen to you, great advice!
More of this wisdom please while most of us have too much time on our hands.
Good advice all over. I agree on every point, way of thinking.
I have my break set fully in, and I'd say I'm a slightly below average rider. Just feels better that way for me.
very informative and educative Neevesy, thanks a lot.
My old '07' KTM 990 Superduke recommends 34psi front & rear. I live in the Italian mountains & run Supercorsa SPs. Normally run 33 front 32 back, & can get a wiggle on nae bother. 34 front 30 back on my local track in Modena. Stay safe thanks for all the vids. FatBoy.
Good pointer and I like
Leavers close as it’s Easier to modulate until you trap your 3finger on a emergency braking 😱
Plus if your brake lever is too high you have to make an accelerating action with your wrist to enable your fingers to operate the lever, potentially causing you to accelerate into a braking situation, not good.
Great video
“Trail Braking...” that put my FS1-E into a left hand bend field in 1975. Sadly I’ve never learnt any different 😩😩😩
But I will be bringing the brake lever in closer on my current ride. Well you’ve got to start somewhere!
Phil B FS1-E .....now that brings back memories 🤣
Thanks for taking the time to do this. While I may not have learned anything new, this was a great confirmation that what I've been doing for years is right, not only in my own eyes but also someone like yourself who is a professional.
That was interesting and was very relaxing and knowledgeable chat really enjoyed it 👍👍
I’ll never forget Neevesy make me go backwards at Brands 😅
Thanks mate, good tips on levers
Excellent vid. Best bike journo by miles - the biker's Chris Harris.
“The baby bear’s porridge”. Dying. I look forward to the first time i can organically use this seemingly british expression. Thanks Neeves
This is an excellent video Neevesy
For safety reasons, you shouldn't be anywhere near the tire limit on the road. On track you can push the limits lap-by-lap, but on the road there are too many variables to successfully push the limits. Track is planning, road is luck. Pushing both luck and limit can be hazardous to your health. Literally.
Having said that, I have to comment on tire pressure (which should be considered only for tracks):
1. dropping tire pressure is done mostly so RACE tires can be kept at optimum temperature (think about 80-110 C). Outside of those temps, they grip very bad. Road tires have less PEAK grip, but it's present in a much higher temperature range (guessing 30-90 C....made-up numbers to present the idea).
2. dropping tire pressure DOES increase the contact patch and it does matters (if you think about general friction formula vs patch area, that's when the tire slips, not when it grips). But again, it's not something that you will benefit on the road. Defensive driving will more than compensate for this.
3. every tire has a minimum pressure from manufacturer. If you compare that, race tires have it much lower that road tires. Thus taking a racers pressure and putting it on road tires is BAD (even on track). Just stick to minimums that your bike manufacturer specifies on sticker.
PS: when I started doing track days (a 800m karting track) on motorcycle, I started with an XJ6 with 6-year old Road Michelins and only on 1 corner I felt "something slightly wrong". And this was also when I started grinding my foot pegs. But 1 year later, I got scrubbed Continental RaceAttacks, which under 20C ambient would not let me drive straight until they got some heat.
Excellent as always 👍🏻
As far as tire pressures it’s good to go with the tire manufacturers recommendations if they make them available. Dunlop’s Q3+ lists them at 32/32ish F/R.
I have my brake lever somewhat far out but I have big hands. Never had an issue trail braking 🤷🏽♂️
Amazing content, top man
It IS nice from time to time. Well said.😎
Excellent. Love your work. thanks.
Brilliant information from Mr Neeves, straight to the point and it is good to hear from someone who knows what they are talking about.
I really enjoyed this, thank you. I hope to see more like this. Maybe tips for touring?
Great vid thanks Neevesy, all the ‘fast’ 🤦🏻♂️sports bike boys will be.......”oh really, you don’t need to copy BSB settings for the road”🤣🤣, thanks for talking sense and keeping it real👍🏼
Solid advice
Really interesting comment about brake levers. I wouldn't say I'm a fast rider but I'm not slow when I want to be. Braking is an area I'm not as confident as everything else though. I used to do 2 stroke kart racing and I know from that how easy it is to make mistakes when you're really pushing. I don't race/ go as quick as I can on the road for that reason and I find it really difficult to judge what's an appropriate amount of braking on the road.
Might try putting the lever in a click just see if it makes any difference once we're allowed back outside
The thing that I am always amazed at is how many people are riding round on bikes that are setup the same way as the day they bought it. The whole point of having adjustable suspension oem is to make it easier to get the bike set up for you to enjoy. So these people are not using the whole potential of their bikes simply because it’s setup for the previous owner lol
Re front brake lever - I've always preferred my lever further out as I feel particularly with mediocre braking setups like an R1 it can make the master cyl'r feel firmer as I prefer a firmer brake lever as opposed to a spongy feel. I ride in the int-adv groups on track and typically the hardest on the brakes into corners (an amateur K.Schwantz so to speak haha)
Thank you
Great tips. Thank you. What luggage did you have on the BMW?
Very useful video mate much appreciated it ✌️
Excellent video!!
Can imagine what sort of rider would thumbs down this vid
I think that about 10% of people give a thumbs down to every video the watch no matter what
bots
Interesting point about the brake lever. Mine tends to need more travel though on e the brakes heat up? 2000 honda cbr600fy. 12 previous owners! Got dirt cheap not long ago and is finally getting some tlc!
If you've nothing better to do, as prep for riding season have a go at thoroughly bleeding your brakes , and if it's been a few years, perhaps a wholesale change of brake fluid as well
The messed up thing is that not only the suspension and the footpegs are adjusted for midgets; the whole rider triangle is tiny. Most bikes just aren't big enough to accommodate fully grown men (especially the hip to footpeg ratios are usually horrible). I'm 6'2" (1.88m and that's kind of "average" for a Dutch/northwestern European man like me...) and have never fit a bike well except for something like a big GS... shame, really, bikes need to grow a bit, when will the manufacturers realize that not everyone is a tiny, Japanese test rider...
2020 gsxr1000 is comfy for me at 6ft3. Wonderful machine.
But also 80% of these bike sales are people who are not 6 ft tall
Great video..helped me out alot
Fantastic, again.
Great advice 👌 thank you
This is gold!
Bloody good. Thanks !!
Very interesting. Thanks!
Re tire pressure, I've always used what the bike manufacturer recommends, not the tire maker. That can change though after suspension changes are made.
Thank you this was very helpful