Pandoras Kitten 3

Controversial content, so post on facebook only

Motorex at $28 is twice the price of Schaeffer 9000 Racing 5W50 ($13) leh.

Exhaust gasket ruptured cos this engine was custom built for super high compression. Top speed is unknown, but it cruises at 150kph easily. We didn't really care, the afterburner was awesome.

Yesterday's kopitiam engineering session somehow involved a Hayabusa. There was also a Phantom that can spit flame out of its exhaust. Lol. Got youtube evidence. But don't have owner permission to share. How?

Exactly why I chose Schaeffer in the end. API specifications are well documented to the general public (if we care to find info independently on the net) and it's child's play to tailor a product that appears to beat all the competition by as you said, selecting said competitors carefully. Also, AMSOIL uses very aggressive marketing strategies just like all non-mainstream products - namely MLM. They have earned a bad reputation by using said marketing techniques to push and hard-sell their products. Well I'll add this statement to the discussion: - if the product is that good, motorcycle communities will automatically support the product. No need to resort to fabricating stories to make their product look better. Take Shell Rotella for instance. Not a motorcycle oil yet in the States and elsewhere motorcyclists pester Shell for their opinion to officially support HDEO use on bikes and ATVs. And Motul, which earned its fame through motorsport (I think) even from a very long time ago. Go to any bike veterans' website and many a time Motul 5100 is touted as one of the best synthetic oils out there.

AMSOIL scores very well in their API tests especially in all the motorcycle-crucial categories such as the 4-ball wear test, wet clutch performance and HTHS resistance. In this 26 motor oil test paper focused on motorcycle specific oil requirements, AMSOIL was found to be superior to all the other oil brands. http://www.synthetic-oil-tech.com/MC White paper-g2156.pdf But when tested on a Suzuki DR200 the AMSOIL was found to produce more vibration than normal. The DR200 has not tested Schaeffer, however. The Phantoms that went for Schaeffer reported much improved high speed smoothness as though there was a 'friction reduction' effect (as advertised by Schaeffer themselves) but no problems at all with the clutch. However I have not acquired any AMSOIL to test on the Phantoms yet. So not a very scientifically proper test yet.

Awesome. Got a few phantoms running 9000 on my end. So far no complaints.

@susu - thanks for the tip. You mean the kill-switch on the right side of the handlebar? For anyone interested in carb tuning theory/practical - I'm headed to Frontier building at Ubi Road 3 this evening at 8. Look for me at the big carpark next to the bus stop. Also I got a question for anyone. I currently have a web domain that is barely used at all (which means, I paid for the server hosting already). Can easily do up a DIY troubleshooting and maintenance website to support these threads and discussions. Easier place to post theories and experiences too because in forum, posts always 'disappear' into previous pages. Something like www.carbibles.com will become a resource us phantom knights old and new for years to come.

@whitepomfret , thanks for sharing that resource. MegaRider.com (which your article links to) also has a lot of interesting free content such as accident avoidance, observation skills and a lot of other useful strategies such as spotting and avoiding 'road rage prone' drivers by anticipation. I wonder if you have perused the content of the site because MegaRider has a lot of potentially useful ebooks to purchase... but the price is pretty steep. There are a lot of free online content out there that cover similar subjects from what I've seen so far.

Depends on brand Here's what I can conclude: 1) Diesel HDEO such as Rimula, popular with some Malaysian bike clubs. Big adjustments to carb needed. Very different clutch handling. If used without adjustments, most likely end up with overheating and engine damage. 2) "Universal" HDEO - heavy duty oils with both API C (diesel) and S (petrol) ratings such as Schaeffer; behaves just like a normal motorcycle EO, much cheaper, and much better. Even the difference between Schaeffer 7000 ($11) and 9000 'racing' ($13) is worlds apart. Engine now has totally no vibrations at highway speed. The 9000 has very good high temperature resilience too, so I'm back to the preferred lean settings again. edited to add oil cost / litre.

Noticed the rubber stopper at the joint too. Thanks for your interesting insight. Didn't think it was significant at first

I don't think vibration nor current is an issue, at least not those who run stock/near stock headlamps and electrical systems. Any bike that shakes its own accessories to bits is either a Harley or not properly tuned. My bulbs last on average, more than a year and a half. On older bikes, the electrical contact and wiring are the weakest links. However, take apart the headlamp asssembly and you will notice that the whole setup is so tightly packed together using screw, mechanical, and even spring tension that under no circumstances vibration or shock will dislodge the bulb. Take your Phantom offroading and you'll realise -nothing- comes loose. Amazing for an old design.

Simple solution - take out the front of the headlamp, inspect the headlamp cable. Your low beam contact (the two metal bits) are worn out, but high beam is OK because it uses the bulb body as the terminal. Replace the headlamp cable and your bulb life should be normal again. Also, when you reinstall the bulb make sure the mechanic or yourself does not have oily fingers. A dirty bulb surface will shorten the bulb's lifespan considerably.

I find you have to know the theory behind what you're doing, in order to find a proper tuning solution for what you want to achieve. Step-by-step guides don't really work because all bikes and riders are different. So I will have to teach you the concepts before you can safely mess around. It's pretty much like flying a piston-engine aircraft where the mixture setting for a given situation is determined by what you want to do at that moment. I'll PM you some basic solutions shortly.

One of the two filaments in the taillight bulb has blown. Change the bulb and all will be well again.

The traction on lower pressure is astounding. High speed in rain is perfectly safe (at least for me), offroad also can. Phantom tyres are surprisingly durable too. If you have any other issues or found some wierd side effects of the new settings feel free to contact me.

Ok you will have pm shortly. Also no need kopi money. Hearing your phantom roar is all the motivation I need. Lol. You can catch me tmw or friday evening near aforesaid 'reputable Ubi mech'. Got any questions we just go to kopitiam and discuss 'kopitiam engineering'. Free horsepower

New air filter will make it -slightly- leaner. Usually 1/4 or 1/2 turn enough to compensate for new filter leanness. This filter is actually rather good. It can be used for like, 20,000km. No need to bother so often. Suggest call 'reputable mech in Ubi' liao. It's not normal. Even COE going to expire 6th hand Phantom still can be made silky smooth and powerful using just basic tuning. Very reliable bike despite the 'eat oil', 'timing chain weak' and all sorts of common problems. All of them I never encounter before. Last year alone I help people to spot & test & buy lots of older phantoms (or tune them after purchased for cheap). All of the bikes need only minor work before I consider them safe and having above average performance for such an old design. Some of the bikes as cheap as $300... and the cheapest one actually can run 130kph all over SG and MY for many months without maintenance. Legendary.

Chain need not be pulled too taut or it will create excessive chain wear due to stress. Actually 1-2 cm is fine for this bike because ideally you need to sit on the bike then adjust the chain. It does change geometry a bit when loaded. I'm thinking your ringing sound is more high pitched metallic clicking which would come from the engine. This is an easy fix but it's not entirely wise to give such tuning advise over the net. Some things just can't be communicated such as engine sound, throttle response and the power band, which needs real-world testing to determine. ... and for all you know after all that searching, it might just be a loose pillion footrest

Lol! Special feature - brake bell. I'm pretty sure its pilot setting or loose cosmetic part of the bike, if no other driving condition creates the problem. Anyway good idea to skip riding if got stiff neck. Later blind spot cannot check lol.

Knocking sound is either predetonation (pilot too lean?) or lubricating issue. First one is easily solved and second one not sure. Small honda engines can run in adverse conditions for a surprisingly long period of time but it's no sense to tolerate the noise of an engine wanting to destroy itself No harm bringing it over for me to look.

Bike cannot change to gear one: Inspect gear system linkage. Sometimes a loose gear lever linkage causes problems. Also note that motorcycle gears are really meant to be changed when the bike is moving. For older TA200s it's normal for some to not be able to change to gear one when stationary. if it can never go to gear 1 (cannot downshift at all) then it could be clutch plates / clutch spring worn out as well. Can't be EO because even the crappiest engine oil will still shift, albelt you might be able to feel the metal to metal contact. For knocking during engine braking there might be severael causes but for internal engine work it's best you go to a reputable bike shop (Hint - Ubi). I'll be at Ubi this evening so you can drop by. I'll test ride and see if I can fix the problem cheaply (or better yet, FOC adjustment). (sms to 92264999 if you want to drop by this evening - tuning site is near TP HQ)

Same here, getting excellent performance and efficiency out of 'nonstandard' EO

Pls check tyre pressure. Excessively high tyre pressure (as gotten from most local shops) will result in very unstable low speed handling. Honda recommended pressure is 200 kpa front and rear. Try that then optimise for your personal style. For the 'oil warehouse' I PM you the details later. Don't intend to advertise; just helping others get cheap superior quality oil

Is it motorcycle approved? Search on Google and on forums if people are using it on aircooled (or V Twin) motorcycles. For that price I rather have AMSOIL or Schaeffer at $13 or $11 respectively. Buy direct from warehouse - these are top of the line oils for crazy prices.