SuzukiSavage.com - Double RYCA build Mar 2019 updates

Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #225 - 09/08/12 at 10:54:28

bobert_FSO wrote on 09/08/12 at 07:32:34:

Glad you're on the road and I hope you enjoy it.

I can hear the blat of that Emgo muffler. Those things are loud.

I had one on my non-Ryca Savage. Stuffed it full of packing, which didn't take long to blow out. It had a good sound, but it was just too loud. After about an hour of riding, it became obnoxious to me as the rider, especially at highway speeds.

I went back to my Sportster muffler, with its strategically-placed 1/2 inch hole in the baffle plate. Just a little louder than a stock Sporty muffler.

Yes, the muffler is loudy loud loud. I'm going to add the crumb cup and see if that makes any diff in the noise without adding too much backpressure.

If that doesn't work, I may put back on the Jardine the previous owner had installed. It doesn't look as cool as a pseudo-megaphone, but it is a bit quieter.

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BuckRYCA

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #226 - 09/09/12 at 06:33:01

Yes, Gyrobob, the kit supplied EMGO muffler is loud, no doubt, even with earplugs it's too much. I get a lot of negative reaction, mostly from pedestrians so you know it's making noise. I've done the crumb cup mod (helps some) and re-packing (helps less). I would like to mount a more refined muffler (making about the same noise as a Sporty muffler), but the kit eliminates the stock exhaust bracket which limits the possibilities. My next idea is to add a second crumb cup at the baffle inlet. So, I'll have one at the baffle inlet and one at the baffle outlet.

Has anyone found a quieter replacement that will work on the Ryca? I tried to fit a Supertrapp megaphone, but found that is would be marginal given the weight and length (you just got that strap running from the rearsets to the rail mount to work with) and interference with the rear brake actuating rod. Maybe the shorter Supertrapp Ryca shows on their Street Tracker photos would work? Again, looks too fat for the rod clearance. But how noisy is it?

Also, as did yours, my license plate/taillight fell off after about a year. The glue is not up to the task (lots of vibration). Plate took a beating. Ryca sent me a replacement tailight/license plate bracket assembly (which was a nice thing to do) that I bolted to the top side of the rear fender. Not as cool, but it will not come off again and appears to be more visible.

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« Last Edit: 09/09/12 at 21:01:17 by BuckRYCA »

'96 Savage - now a Ryca CS-1

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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #227 - 09/13/12 at 09:53:30

Here are some findings after burning up the first tank of gas.

Duplicolor paint is hurt by gasoline.
-- Based on some techniques I read about in various threads, apparently clear engine paint works pretty well. So I bought a can. UPDATE: Didn't work. There are NO single ingredient paints that can withstand gasoline. No rattle cans, IOW.
-- I’ll do the side panels with the green paint (Corvette DBGM), then a couple coats of clear engine, then rub it out a bit, and put some gas on it and see what happens.
-- If that doesn’t work, I’m scrapping the dupli-color.
-- Another option would be to use the existing blue and green we have now, lightly wetsand with 2000 grit, then have a shop shoot it with gasproof alcoholproof clear gloss.
-- I wonder what a matte clear coat would look like over metallic paint? I think it would look goofy, but I have never seen anything like that, so how could I know?

The license plate set up is modded and works really well. No chance now of the tire crumpling anything. Pics later.

The RYCA speedo is about 5% pessimistic, based on gps numbers. When the GPS says 63, the speedo says 60. I have a 4.00-18 Avon Speedmaster rear tire.

The turn signal and neutral indicators are worthless. You have to look so far down to see them it is not worth it. I never used a neutral indicator anyway, and the bar end signals I'm using are much more in view than those dinky lights down around your navel.

The gauges are mostly useless at night as well. They are lit, but the needles are really hard to see.

I got 64 miles on the first tank until I had to switch to reserve.

I don't know yet what the top speed is, but at 75 it is not accelerating very well. Although riding around on this thing is a hoot, it is a bit of an adjustment compared to the FJR's nuclear rush (140hp).

I am really trying to learn to like these handlebars,... but it is hard. I may well switch to a European style bar that would still be much lower than stock, but maybe a couple inches higher and further back. A couple of times I hit a pretty good bump at slow speeds while I had a lot of weight on the bars and about broke my neck from whiplash. (I have a 65 y.o. neck) This situation is made worse by the upgraded front fork springs I got from RYCA,... perty stiff. I wonder if lighter weight fork fluid would help any? I used ATF when I set it up,... that stuff is approx 10w.

This thing is loud. Maybe the crumb cup mod is the answer.

I taped on a gps today, and drove a route I created on yahoomaps that had a lot of turns in it. Only about 19 miles, but it was a blast just being out on a 75 degree day like this boppin’ around. I think about an hour in the saddle on this thing is the absolute max,.. and that doesn’t mean an hour of straight traveling,.. I had a gas stop, a couple of engine-running stops just to diddle with the gps, a stop for a train, etc. I’d be a quivering gelatinous mass after an hour on I-85.

It doesn't shift very smoothly. Accelerating it works well, but when slowing to a stop, holding in the clutch, and trying to quickly do 4-3-2-1, it hangs up occasionally, requiring some burping with the clutch to get things shifting again.

The taillight and brake light are pathetic. I feel unsafe with anyone behind me, especially at night. I'm pondering some enhancements there that will add some visual impact, but not dork up the back of the bike.

The blue LED I put in the top of the headlight shell as a high-beam indicator is WAAAAAAAAAYYY too bright, even with two layers of blue masking tape over it. More tweaking required there.

The compartment I made in the tailpiece is working well, holding the stock toolkit with no problems. Pics later.

This thing is even funner than I thought it would be, and part of the fun is discovering all its quirks.

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« Last Edit: 12/24/23 at 16:22:04 by Gyrobob »

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BuckRYCA

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #228 - 09/13/12 at 12:02:22

This is a follow-up to my previous post here about the loudness of the Ryca kit muffler (it's an EMGO Shorty Reverse Cone Megaphone, 17").

I took the thing off the other day to discover that the muffler packing was almost all gone (5K miles since the last re-pack). Before re-packing it again I fit a second 1.5" crumb cup to the inlet of the baffle. I used two of the reducer pieces supplied with the muffler to make a reasonably tight fit and tack welded it into position.

So, I have one crumb cup at the inlet and another at the outlet. EMGO fits a perforated disc inside the baffle about 2/3s of the way back. So, the exhaust gases must pass through three perforated discs in the baffle core.

I wrapped the baffle in FMF dirt bike fiberglass, wired it tight, and stuffed and malleted it back into the muffler body. Re-fitted the muffler to the bike, waited an hour for the sealant to set, and fired it up. -- Much better, almost civilized.

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'96 Savage - now a Ryca CS-1

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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #229 - 09/13/12 at 12:45:07

BuckRYCA wrote on 09/13/12 at 12:02:22:

This is a follow-up to my previous post here about the loudness of the Ryca kit muffler (it's an EMGO Shorty Reverse Cone Megaphone, 17").

I took the thing off the other day to discover that the muffler packing was almost all gone (5K miles since the last re-pack). Before re-packing it again I fit a second 1.5" crumb cup to the inlet of the baffle. I used two of the reducer pieces supplied with the muffler to make a reasonably tight fit and tack welded it into position.

So, I have one crumb cup at the inlet and another at the outlet. EMGO fits a perforated disc inside the baffle about 2/3s of the way back. So, the exhaust gases must pass through three perforated discs in the baffle core.

I wrapped the baffle in FMF dirt bike fiberglass, wired it tight, and stuffed and malleted it back into the muffler body. Re-fitted the muffler to the bike, waited an hour for the sealant to set, and fired it up. -- Much better, almost civilized.

I see two problem areas. Maybe you can dispel either or both.

-- Three crumb cups, so to speak, might be adding a lot of back pressure.

-- With the last crumb cup right at the outlet, sometimes that makes for a blatty shallow sound, rather than the preferred deeper tone of the the last restriction having a foot or so of straight pipe between it and the outlet.

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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #230 - 09/14/12 at 06:12:30

Discovered another problem. My precious Avon Speedmaster has been rubbing on the swingarm two inches left of the center of the tire where one of the RYCA welds done to carve out the swingarm has a small raised metal bubble. When I adjusted the belt, I got the tire to where it looked like it cleared the swingarm up front by about 1/8" or so. Apparently things flex enough while riding around to cause the tire to hit that bump. Very annoying. Now I'll have to take the tire/wheel off and grind down that protrusion.

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Cavi Mike Serious Thumper Offline Thumper n00b Posts: 1005 Rochester, NY Gender:	Re: Double RYCA Build Reply #231 - 09/14/12 at 07:14:43 More likely the tire expanding at speed than anything flexing.
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Gyrobob Serious Thumper Offline Posers ain't motorcyclists Posts: 2571 Newnan, GA Gender:	Re: Double RYCA Build Reply #232 - 09/14/12 at 07:46:37 Cavi Mike wrote on 09/14/12 at 07:14:43: More likely the tire expanding at speed than anything flexing. Sounds like a valid thought.
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Cavi Mike Serious Thumper Offline Thumper n00b Posts: 1005 Rochester, NY Gender:	Re: Double RYCA Build Reply #233 - 09/14/12 at 09:00:41 1/8" isn't much. Even if the radial belts hold true, I doubt the soft rubber of a motorbike tire will. You can stick your fingernail into a motorbike tire and it will leave an imprint - that's pretty soft - it's sure to expand at speed.
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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #234 - 09/14/12 at 10:08:57

Cavi Mike wrote on 09/14/12 at 09:00:41:

1/8" isn't much. Even if the radial belts hold true, I doubt the soft rubber of a motorbike tire will. You can stick your fingernail into a motorbike tire and it will leave an imprint - that's pretty soft - it's sure to expand at speed.

The bike is disassembled. I am in the process of carving out another 1/16" in the swingarm, and leveling the beads. This will require some welding and/or brazing.

Annoying.

--------------------- added 15 Sep ------>
Swingarm is carved, patch brazed in from the inside of the swingarm, ground down smooth, primed, painted, drying. Should be back on the road tomorrow. Looks to be 1/8" more clearance.

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« Last Edit: 05/03/13 at 19:30:04 by Gyrobob »

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Boule’tard

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #235 - 09/14/12 at 20:20:36

Congratulations Gyro, I am sure you will sort out the bugs and have yourself a sweet ride there.

BuckRYCA wrote on 09/13/12 at 12:02:22:

So, I have one crumb cup at the inlet and another at the outlet. EMGO fits a perforated disc inside the baffle about 2/3s of the way back. So, the exhaust gases must pass through three perforated discs in the baffle core.

At about the 2nd or 3rd crumb cup install, I'd be thinking used sportbike can. GSXR1000s come with a nice, lightweight brushed aluminum can which is quickly taken off the new bike and shelved for something aftermarket. I'd just pick one up on CL or somewhere, take it to a muffler shop and see if they can adapt it. I have one on my DR650 and it braaaAAPs awesomely without being annoying at all. The back pressure/flow rate/volume level/etc. of a stock 1000cc sportbike muffler works out well on an uncorked 650cc thumper.

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cafecarl

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #236 - 09/15/12 at 18:33:32

I know the super trapp is quite loud but I was wondering what they sound like with all the disks installed? Too pricey to buy and then find out your not happy with it. I was hoping someone would chime in that's had experiance with one.
Great thread Gyrobob. I'm gaining a lot of insight following along, thanks and I'll be looking for the pics on the mods you've come up with.

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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #237 - 09/16/12 at 07:12:20

Here's what was involved in getting another 1/10" clearance on the tire.

This shows where the tire was rubbing on the swingarm. It was rubbing on the swingarm metal itself, but making things worse were the MIG weld beads digging into the tire. It turns out those beads didn't have much penetration,.. they were just laying on the outer surface of the swingarm.

This is after the grinder did its work. That gaping hole on the left was what remained after the MIG weld bead was leveled.

This is the plug for the gaping hole. The skinny edges fit on the inside, to get brazed to the thin metal on each side of the hole. The braze rod is brazed to the plug so it can pull on the plug to keep it aligned with the gaping hole.

Here is the plug inserted in the gaping hole with the bungee cord pulling on the braze rod to pull the plug up against the inside edges of the hole. The plug and the hole have been coated with brazing material. The whole mess is ready to be heated up and melted together.

Everything melted together, with a lot of brazing rod laid on the outer surface ready to be ground down.

All of it ground down to level. The edges of the plug are brazed to the inner side of the swingarm. No more MIG weld bead to dig in to the tire.

Two coats of primer.

Two coats of rustoleum engine gloss black.

Left side clearance.

Right side clearance.

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« Last Edit: 09/16/12 at 10:15:05 by Gyrobob »

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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #238 - 09/16/12 at 13:03:13

On the second test ride, I hit a bump that bottomed out front and rear, and caused the rear tire to hit the license plate, driving the license plate holder high enough to gouge the tailpiece.

So, I modified the license plate holder by cutting out a lot of it in the center, shaped to fit the profile of the tire. I also mounted the license plate to the holder with 4mm screws inside a rubber tube, inside grommets and rubber washers so the license plate could flex upwards when hit by the rear tire. I also curved the bottom of the plate to get a little more clearance and to make it slide easier when in contact with the tire.

I used T-88 aircraft epoxy this time, instead of the quick setting black RYCA stuff. The T-88 has a much longer working time, takes a couple hours to get firm, is usable in about 10 hours, and then gets tougher for another couple days. It never does get brittle. This pic is of the taillight bracket part glued into the tailpiece with an additional brace riveted to the RYCA part. I wanted the extra strength because of the compartment for the toolkit I added there.

This shows a layer of fiberglass soaked in T-88 laid over the taillight bracket.

Here's how I hogged out the license plate holder for additional clearance for the tire. I filled in the slots and holes that weren't needed for the Georgia license plate. The three holes in the middle are for the hinge used for the tailpiece storage compartment.

On each side is a 4mm screw with a short length of tubing around it. Around THAT, are grommets and rubber washers so when it is all bolted together, the license plate can flex up and down quite a bit.

Final assembly. Two views.

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« Last Edit: 09/18/12 at 08:45:37 by Gyrobob »

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Gyrobob

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Re: Double RYCA Build
Reply #239 - 09/16/12 at 14:16:18

I didn't like the way the exhaust system was mounted only at two points. My previous experience with "two point mounting" caused the gasket between the cylinder head and header to go to pieces way too often.

So, wanted to add another mounting point. I noticed there was an unused threaded tab on the frame right near the muffler clamps. I formed a 1" x 3" piece of 3/32" thick metal into what resembles a crookedly bent angle bracket. It bolts to that threaded tab and to the muffler clamp bolt.

The exhaust system seems more secure now.

Here's the "crooked" angle.

Here 'tis installed.

Bottom view.

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« Last Edit: 09/12/17 at 16:27:31 by Gyrobob »

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