This Forum is now CLOSED use the link to get more details viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13924#p102587
By PeteDuke
#88294
500 efi, I use for commuting is good, but would like to do some green lanes / off road stuff on my days off.
But I still want to use the bike for my commute. I've already got the sump guard and looking at my tyre options.
Who knows what the best upgrade for suspension would be, both front and rear, for getting better ground clearance, without losing any road manners for my road use. I am up for the mechanical stuff but I can't weld yet.
User avatar
By McMurdo
#88298
Hi Pete. For me the two biggest changes for off-roading are losing weight (the bike not you!) and dedicated dirt tyres. Trouble is that whatever you do will usually make the bike worse as a commuter. The better at the muddy stuff, the worse it will be on tarmac. You need to find the sweet spot in the range of compromises that fits your needs.

The trail equipment sold by our hosts is a good place to start looking for weight-savings. You'll be glad of every pound you shed when you're pulling it out of a ditch - again :D

For tyres it depends on what you class as "green-lane". At this time of year mine need to cope with all sorts of slime, gravel and boggy grass - even on the main roads! I haven't heard of a trail tyre that would cope with mud without clogging the treads. I use TKC80 tyres and these are amazing at shrugging off everything from deep gravel to deep mud but again, not good for commuting. If you are planning on some gentle forest roads on sunny afternoons then the dual-purpose may work but be aware that at some point you will have to turn back if the going gets wetter.

Softer, longer-travel suspension is a great aid off-road and kinder on the rest of the bike but again this will compromise road manners. Somebody on the forum directed me towards Norman Blakemore for off-road shocks and so far they've been a good buy. I've paired these with the Hitchcock softer springs and 5W oil in the front. The shocks are available in longer lengths, which gives more ground-clearance, but then you need a chain tensioner and swing-arm protectors plus the bike will be twitchy on tarmac with the steeper rake.

Like I said, get a firm idea in your own mind about what the bike needs to achieve and decide which compromises you'd be prepared to accept.

My list -
1. better tyres
2. lose weight
3. softer suspension (even if standard length)

One final word - you are heading onto a slippery slope both physically and metaphorically! Every time you go out there will be some path that you could have taken if only you had upgraded this one bit of the bike. It's a dirty addiction!

I'm sure there will be plenty of others who will chime in on this.

Stuart
By John-M
#88303
Tyres are important, but most road biased bikes are usually too high geared and it may be worth going down a few teeth on the front sprocket. There is nothing worse than the bike trying to run away on a descent or being out of its power band on a climb.
Secondly road biased bikes tend to have their foot pegs too far forward for riding standing up. You really need to be able to stand up off road as you get a much better view of the track and it is easier to balance. Standard pegs tend to put you too close to the tank and bars to be comfortable.
If you can move the pegs a couple of inches further back it can make all the difference, however you also need to shorten the gear lever and the rear brake lever and the kick start if fitted may also cause problems.
User avatar
By stinkwheel
#88305
I don't think they are short on ground clearance as standard if you take the mainstand off. They are overall pretty good offroad as standard. I certainly took the rental EFI bike I had in Portugal a couple of years back along some very rough and bumpy dirt roads with no real issues.

I was out (rather ineptly) greenlaning on my 350 bullet at the weekend and concluded the bike is more capable than I am.

Image

I've made a lot of changes but it's still on 19" wheels, stock forks and has only 20mm longer shocks.

I got a high level exhaust cheap but my initial plan had been to buy a pre-formed angled slip-joint off ebay to kick the silencer up at the back so it wasn't the lowest point.

I've flipped and swapped the pillion peg brackets for footpeg attachments (and fabricated a home-brew brake lever). As the followiong video should show, they are staying put... And I weigh in at about 110kg.

It's on trials tyres which frankly, struggle for grip in slick mud but that's what you need to use for competitions. Other, knobblier tyres are available if that's what you are into. Comfort and grip is vastly improved by letting most of the air out of them. I'm running 15psi and thinking of dropping it lower for slithery stuff. I do have rimlocks fitted.

I have geared it down to 14t on the front sprocket (gives me a top speed of just over 50mph)

Here's last weekends shakedown run in preparation for my first ever reliability trial this weekend. As you can see, the bike is more capable than I am. I should point out that the first hill is actually steep and lumpy enough to give landrovers pause for thought. It's usually the first observed section in the Northern Classic Trial (cancelled due to high winds this year).

https://youtu.be/xfJ4rnAgWOA?t=200
By Daiwiskers
#88307
And here was me about to say that Stinkwheel seems to have a good compromise on his 350 and he puts up a video,
That was brave through that water !

As others have said the better you make it for off road work the worse it will be on road

My bike asbo 30 has trials type bars and ensign universal tyres as I do the odd green lane and muddy field but is massively overgeared for anything close to serious off road work
Hope this helps Dai
By Dinsdale
#88308
If you are running with the 19" wheels I bought the Ensign Trials tyres from Hitchcocks -these will give you the best of both worlds on and off the road - using these on my 350 trials and they seem to cope well with both types of riding
By Daiwiskers
#88309
Forgot to mention I am also running 19" wheels 3•25" front 3•50"rear, also upswept megaphone (silencer)?
Cheers Dai
User avatar
By stinkwheel
#88311
Daiwiskers wrote: That was brave through that water !
I've seen the road enough to know there isn't a particularly deep hole there.

It was nothing compared to some of the floods I rode through on the way back from the Dragon Rally at the start of last month!
By enfield_trials
#88313
. i think it handle the difficult trail/mud tracks quite well .. enjoy .. the bike :-)
stinkwheel wrote:
Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:11 am
I don't think they are short on ground clearance as standard if you take the mainstand off. They are overall pretty good offroad as standard. I certainly took the rental EFI bike I had in Portugal a couple of years back along some very rough and bumpy dirt roads with no real issues.

I was out (rather ineptly) greenlaning on my 350 bullet at the weekend and concluded the bike is more capable than I am.

Image

I've made a lot of changes but it's still on 19" wheels, stock forks and has only 20mm longer shocks.

I got a high level exhaust cheap but my initial plan had been to buy a pre-formed angled slip-joint off ebay to kick the silencer up at the back so it wasn't the lowest point.

I've flipped and swapped the pillion peg brackets for footpeg attachments (and fabricated a home-brew brake lever). As the followiong video should show, they are staying put... And I weigh in at about 110kg.

It's on trials tyres which frankly, struggle for grip in slick mud but that's what you need to use for competitions. Other, knobblier tyres are available if that's what you are into. Comfort and grip is vastly improved by letting most of the air out of them. I'm running 15psi and thinking of dropping it lower for slithery stuff. I do have rimlocks fitted.

I have geared it down to 14t on the front sprocket (gives me a top speed of just over 50mph)

Here's last weekends shakedown run in preparation for my first ever reliability trial this weekend. As you can see, the bike is more capable than I am. I should point out that the first hill is actually steep and lumpy enough to give landrovers pause for thought. It's usually the first observed section in the Northern Classic Trial (cancelled due to high winds this year).

https://youtu.be/xfJ4rnAgWOA?t=200

Shop for accessories at Hitchcocks Motorcycles