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One Day at Set-Up
Engineering
First things
first… before even saying hello, James lifted the rear of the bike as I
expressed my concern about its rate of turn-in. He said that he already
suspected what the problem was and just wanted to confirm it to himself…too much
sag.
As I used the Aprilia RSV Mille to commute…it was extremely dirty when I
delivered it.
Huge apologies to both James Wilson and Andy Jones at
Set Up – top engineers don’t really appreciate being looked at as
grease-monkeys – you’ll never see a less than gleaming example in their
workshops. Nevertheless, Andy Jones did the initial valetting…and I now have a
list of everything he used to make it look showroom-new...these guys treat
everything they do with the same high level of care.
The Tech2000
rear shock was taken out and some new complete components machined, as the
manufacturer who machined the original parts got a lot of clearances wrong.
Needless to say, the so-called “engineer” no longer works for Tech2000…in
fact, the components were from then on manufactured by James
himself.
Incidentally, it’s extremely comforting to know that
the man who formerly “spannered” for the likes of Giacomo Agostini, Mike
“The Bike” Hailwood, Barry Sheene, Peter Graves, Terry Rymer, Jamie Witham,
Boost Yamaha, Atlantic 252 Ducati, even John “Mr. Brembo” Penniston (Ferrari
F1 chassis designer)...is working on your own personal machine.
J
James machined a
new needle, including his own secret method for cutting friction, the idea for
which came originally from Leonardo Da Vinci – James didn’t work with less
than top-flight people, no matter WHAT the Era!
J
I sat with James
while he was turning parts in-house – on a Set Up Engineering service, any
parts that need replacing (and even some that you didn’t think you’d need)
don’t come from little plastic bags from the factory…this is the biking
equivalent of Gianni Versace working personally on your wardrobe. Although I
witnessed the techniques James used for shock manufacture and rebuilding, some
of the processes and treatments were a part of his “competitive advantage”,
i.e. trade secrets but believe me, you got far more value for money than you
would reasonably expect. Just the casual chat while he worked gave me more information
than you can ever imagine…everything from correct tyre pressures for winter,
summer, track(hot), track(cold), wet (and when I left I found them hand-written on tape stuck to the underside of the pillion seat) to
the correct way to torque up the rear axle (towards the FRONT of the bike,
rather than the rear).
Rear shock springs need time to “settle”…after getting all fitted up, make
sure you return after two weeks to reset the sag.
Both front
and rear suspension are now sorted to my body weight and riding style…the front
was far too hard and the stroke now uses nearly all the available travel. A
follow-up visit tweaked the final result after the tell-tale “witness
ring” around one fork leg was read. The front wheel now follows every bump and
dip while cranked over – I mean, you can feel it following the surface,
though your line doesn’t alter one iota. Less than 50 metres away from the
workshop, I went over a manhole cover…the suspension buzzed…the front
through the bars, the rear through the seat…you could feel each of the raised
squares on the metal manhole…an AMAZING level of feel! The compliance of the
suspension maked itself even more obvious through the huge increase in tyre grip
which you immediately feel…this RSV Mille can now be thrown about with the abandon I
previously reserved for only one other bike…the Aprilia RS250 – and we ALL
know how good that bike is. THIS WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY.
A new chain and sprocket set was fitted, taking James’ recommendation on the
chain as the bike will see some track days as well as it’s hard life
commuting.
James opted for a 44 tooth rear sprocket instead of
getting a front sprocket with a reduced tooth count of 16, the reason being that
a larger rear sprocket upsets the swing-arm geometry less and a smaller front
sprocket forces the chain around a smaller radius, increasing wear.
Value for money comes in many forms...I had asked James about
fitting rearsets, not for any increased ground clearance as there is already
ample, but because in even slightly damp conditions my feet would slip off the
pegs. At this time James could have sold me over £300 worth of parts but he
didn't. There was a far more elegant engineering solution. James said that he
would cut "Dragons Teeth" into the ball ends of the pegs - these are
cuts that grip the soles of your feet when you are balanced on the edge of the
pegs while racing. Truly value for money!
Another tip from James…don’t use CopaSlip®
on brake components...it gets into
the bolts around the assemblies and wears them out.
The R&G Racing
“magic mushroom” frame protectors were a good idea…but
the bottom set fouled my legs when I put my feet down and I removed
them for safety's sake; I’ll only use them for track days.
(I presume that this problem has now been addressed by R&G)
One last interesting item…have you ever wondered what the slot in the rear
hugger is for?
On full stroke, the rear hugger would hit the battery box…therefore the slot
cut in it….what a waste of a hugger! Because
of the slot, the rear shock gets covered with road muck. Tip: cover the slot
with gaffa tape.
Don't let all this
make you think that Set Up Engineering
is
cheap. You are paying for knowledge which extremely few people have, the
knowledge to do what's right for you and your machine. My money was extremely
well spent...
JOB DONE.
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