My first round of dumb questions :-)

[Big_AL]

I'm a newbie, so go easy

Tyre pressures, I have BT014's what should the pressure be 36f/42r as I read on a forum somewhere or 34f/36r as recommended by Aprilia (I think)? I should check see what they're at now, i guess

Until a white spring mille shock pops up (i like the easy life) I'm going to keep the standard suspenders. Is there any point me monkeying about with the settings? Should I return the settings back to factory default? Or is there someone that can tell me the best settings for a 15 stone lump like myself? Guess the sensible option is to make a note of the current settings before doing anything

Also, is there a good place for ordering parts. Was wondering if it's possible to get an oil change kit? I found out the bike has 2 bloody oil filters (although only one to replace) but guess i'll need, oil (should I bother with synthetic?), oil filter and any gaskets washers I may need, don't wanna take it apart to find a perished washer and not have a replacement.

Cheers in advance!

Al

[Nooj]

I'd get the oily parts from a local Aprilia dealer, RSVR.net is around Guilford somewhere, not too far from you, give them a call, although there was a service note going round last year about a change to the oil filters. Apparently Aprilia have told dealers they have to fit a bigger filter now which obviously costs more, so there was a post on the AF1 site listing the alternative non-Aprilia labeled parts that were the same as the old filters. Bombadier/Polaris skidoos use them as well (Polaris own Rotax IIRC) so it may be worth asking if one of the septics can get you one. Use good oil, it's a quality piece of kit after all.

Be very careful with the sump plugs, it's very easy to strip the threads in the engine casing/sump!

Tyre pressures, I run 36f/40r, maybe slightly under according to the dial on my pump. Somewhere round there anyway, what ever feels nice.

Take a note of your current susspension settings and have a fiddle but don't expect too much of an improvement. IMPORTANT! always go from max damping/hard when counting the clicks as this is a definite stop, min damping/soft is very vague and can throw your count out. There are loads of susspension guides on line, but for damping settings I start with them 1/3 wound out from max and go from there to find a happy medium that's soft enough for road use, but firm enough to keep control of the thing. It's not the black art people will have you believe, there's no definitive perfect setting especially for everyday road use, just find one you like.

[Aladinsaneuk]

go by the tyre manufacturer - 36/42 for all bar michelin i believe

oil wise - most go for semi synth = 15/50 for me

suspension wise, leave it alone if it works - get a replacement then take the bike to a suspension expert and pay the 50 quid or whatever UNLESS you know what you are doing....

[Big_AL]

Cheers guys, the roads haven't been dry enough for any serious melting of the tyre edges so I don't know if the suspension needs tweeking or not, but early indications are that it's a little under damped at the mo, but does seem to settle down once the tyres warm up a bit. Reason I thought about touching the suspension at all is the damping screws on the front forks are facing different directions, I know this doesn't mean they're set differently as it may be just the rotation of the forks but it got me thinking I should possibly check it? I might have a fiddle over the weekend if the weather is naff, otherwise i'll probably be out on it

Even got it taxed today, god knows where i'm going to mount the disc, haven't got a holder yet. Guess i'm going to have to go bike part shopping

[Big_AL]

Also, can any recommend a good value paddock stand and what options do I have for a belly pan. The only one i've found so far is the one on the rsvr site but it'll need prepping and painting.

[Paulh]

Also, is there a good place for ordering parts.
Al

If youre in Surrey I would recommend Inmoto, Croydon

http://www.inmoto.com/

[Aladinsaneuk]

tbh, I would not use a paddock stand now - I flashed the cash and bought an abba stand and cannot fault it

(And you will find it a lot easier to do the mille swing arm conversion... or have we not mentioned that one yet :) )

best thing is, I will keep it to work on my other bikes in the future - possibly one of the best things I have bought workshop wise

(Another thread details alternatives to Abba btw)

[Big_AL]

I do like the look of the abba stands, just the £90 price tag I'm not too keen on and there's not much on e bay either.

Had a play with the suspension settings today and found the bike was set up to be pretty soft, so i've changed the settings to the default factory settings and will go from there.

[HowardQ]

I use an NWS Ultipro rather than a paddock stand, costs around a £100 , but easy to use when you get used to it and rock steady.
As for Blue spring shock, I ran one on mine for two years before I fitted a White spring. They are set pretty stiff as standard, think I upped mine one click over factory setting, as I knew it had not been changed from new.
Also wound preload up a bit, both for may 15st weight and to improve turn in slightly, it was not perfect but it was much better than some other standard shocks I've had the pleasure of.
The very first units were crap and overheated because the shock is so close to the exhaust, these were changed along with quite a few other minor mods in what became known as the 2000.5 model. So from 2001 models onward they were slightly better insulated and did not fade as badly.
It is certanly well worth changing, but I should try it first, you may find you can live with it for a while, there are people on here who have had them set up by suspension specialists and are happy.
One other issue is that decent White spring shocks, (that fit on the standard Falco linkages) are getting harder to come by now. I was lucky I got an almost brand new one for 30 odd quid off eBay. You may only be able to get one that needs a full rebuild, (not such a bad idea, as you can get the Schrader valve recessed at the same time, rather than cutting it down like I did).
It gives a definate improvement and has 4 way adjustment - prelode, compression damping, rebound damping and ride height. The Falco only has preload and rebound damping.
As mentioned earlier the only way you can up the ride height on the Blue spring is by upping the preload, which is just a botch really.
If you can live with the Blue spring for a while, you could save up for an Ohlins!

[D-Rider]

I use an NWS Ultipro rather than a paddock stand, costs around a £100 , but easy to use when you get used to it and rock steady.

If you can live with the Blue spring for a while, you could save up for an Ohlins!

+1 for the Ulti-Pro (but got mine second hand off ebay.

As for the Ohlins (Mille R), I've seen a couple go on ebay recently for about 150 notes - so they are not so expensive.
You do need the Mille linkages though.

Worth it? ..... I should say so!

[Big_AL]

Thanks guys, I've ordered myself one of the ultipro stands, the thing that swung it in the end was the slightly cheaper price but mostly the fact you don't need to buy different fitting kits for different bikes etc