Law abiding citizen - almost.

It's been almost 10 years since I've run a motorcycle exhaust with a baffle installed.

My default position is always Akrapovic, drop the catalytic converter and remove the baffle - let her breathe and encourage the braaarp.

Don't ask me why, I don't have a clever enough answer, but for some reason I felt the need to install the baffle in the Akrapovic on the MT09......ummmm - yeah, dunno?

So here goes.

Unfortunately, there is a bit of work required to get to this bolt.

You've got to take the canister off. There is no clearance to get a tool onto the bolt head, and zero chance of inserting the very tightly fitting baffle - and aligning it - whilst mounted to the bike. 

In order to get the can off, the mounting strap and retention springs have to be removed. 

As everyone who has ever fitted an exhaust canister will attest - retention springs are a bastard invention. Herein lies an industrial design opportunity. Engineer a better retention system - I've got some ideas......

All done, what was set out was achieved, baffle installed. Akrapovic muted somewhat. 

Actually, I do have a reason for trying this. 

Installing a baffle can sometimes aid in on/off throttle hesitation and backfire on the overrun. 

I was curious - OK?

A short spurt, a wheelie or two to test ride the now law abiding citizen. 

Hmmmm....nah - don' think I like that. 

.....I'll sleep on it. 

24 hours later. Restored to the state that nature intended. 

In braaarp mode. 

I'll sleep better tonight. 

\BitSar

Who counts sheep in their sleep? Count the braarps.....

Evotech Performance: radiator guard

The radiator is a vulnerable component on any motorcycle. Exacerbated by the fact they are almost always located directly behind the front wheel, providing an uninterrupted view to debris. Hmmmm.

A holed radiator will really ruin your day. 

Coolant can be extremely slippery and can take you down before you've realised you have a temperature spike, not to mention the issues with running a bike with a dry cooling system. 

Time to mitigate this risk with a radiator guard. 

Be aware, a radiator guard is not a panacea - it will deflect small rocks and various road detritus, along with bugs - but anything significantly large or determined will get through and cause damage.  

Right then. Introducing the Evotech Performance radiator guard. 

The company provides a set of 'instructions' via the online PDF (a printed copy is not included) 

For the most part, the instructions are OK - although they do gloss over a fair bit of detail. 

Time for an install post. 

All the required pieces are included, the aluminium brackets are of high quality, as is the hardware and fixings. I appreciate the steel inserts in place of aluminium threads on the guard grill, it shows thought and intent has gone into the design. Gold Star @Evotech. 

First thing to note is that the guard grill is not square. This is not a manufacturing flaw, this is deliberate. 

The grill is a stamped piece of aluminium, as such it is extremely lightweight. The purposeful twist has been created to introduce rigidity when mounted square, thereby providing tension across the face of the guard. Again, thoughtful design. 

Before getting started I recommend cleaning the radiator fins to remove any existing crud and to ensure the surfaces where you will adhere the anti-vibration strips are clean. 

Two brackets are included, one with 2 holes for the right side, one with 1 hole for the left side (rider perspective). The right side goes on first, seated underneath the stock mounting points, in direct contact with the radiator back plate. 

It is important to note - as it is not explicitly declared in the instructions - you must use the supplied hardware when installing the brackets, do not reuse the stock hardware. 

If you compare the length of the threads, the provided M6 fixings are longer to account for the added offset introduced by the thickness of the brackets.

Get everything in place and finger-tight, do not snug down yet. 

Next up, cut the anti-vibration strip in half and adhere to the face of the radiator where there is a ridge. Do this on both sides. 

Install the washer onto the M4 hex bolts and locate them on the guard. At this stage, the left side has not been touched at all (other than sticking on the padded strip).

The left-hand side is a bit different in approach. Instead of installing the bracket, then attaching the guard grill, you first locate the grill - attached to the bracket - before bolting the bracket to the rear plate of the radiator. 

This is where the designed twist becomes obvious. Once you align the grill and left-hand bracket with the mounting point there is a noticeable stiffness, giving confidence you've done things right. 

Refit the last (supplied) M6 bolt finger-tight and inspect your work before snugging all fixings down. 

Note - do not over torque any of the hardware. The M6 bolts are threading into the back plate of the radiator and can quite easily strip the treads if over tightened. 

Likewise, the M4 hex bolts are being wound into steal lugs within and aluminium eye in the guard grill - leaning on these fasteners is likely to sheer the lugs out. 

Done and done. 

\BitSar

........only the undetermined are safe, everything else will find a way through. 

Setup & Shakedown: Solo suspension & Tyres

Time to get busy setting up the Yammy.

It's no secret the stock suspension on the MT09 leaves most riders wanting, however it is adjustable - both front and back - so before a final assessment can be made, some tweaking is required.

As always, the first step is to record the default setup.
As per my previous post Setup: Solo Suspension my shorthand is as such:

R - Rings visible on suspension crown for preload
C - Clicks closed from fully open on rebound.

For the uninitiated, here is a very simplistic explanation of preload and rebound:

Preload
The suspension spring is statically compressed to increase preload tension, thereby requiring more force to further dynamically compress the spring. End result - stiffer suspension.

Rebound
Suspension rebound refers to the rate at which the suspension oil returns to 'rest'
The rebound adjustment manipulates a valve aperture which increases or reduces the rate at which the suspension oil can flow.

Open the aperture and you reduce rebound damping, thereby providing less resistance to oscillation.
Close the aperture and you increase rebound damping, thereby proving more resistance to oscillation.

The stock MT09 front-end settings were:
R = 6.5
C = 7

There is no doubt in my mind that I need to add preload and increase rebound damping.

After some adjusting, measuring and static tests I arrive at the following settings.
R = 4
C = 13

14mm Spanner - Preload adjustment (required evenly on both fork legs)

Flathead screwdriver - Rebound adjustment

Time to dial in the rear. Again first step is to record stock settings:

The rear shock has stepped notches ranging from 1 - 7 and a rebound screw without clicked internals. As such, my shorthand is as follows:

N = Notches from setting 1 preload

T = One full revolution of the screw head from fully closed

The stock MT09 rear-end settings were:
N = 4
T = 4.5

Again, after some fettling I arrived at:
N = 6
T = 1.5

Using the supplied C-Spanner to add preload

The rebound screw can be accessed via the left side of the bike through the frame

Finally I checked the tyre pressure - oh dear!

(F/R) - (38/40) psi

That won't do - especially if I'm going to kill these Dunlops. 

I reduce the cold pressure to:

(F/R) - (30/31) psi

After completing my setup and rechecking my work to ensure everything was cinched down I set off for a shakedown. Let the fun begin.

Day 2 - photo roll.

I stopped mid way through the ride to readjust the rear-end. She was chattering about.

I reduced preload and rebound to the following:

N = 5

T = 3.5

I think there is still room for improvement. I will let things bed down for a week or so of daily use and adjust as necessary. 

That said, the chassis is much more compliant after these changes. She is still a little misbehaved in the Hills, however in the Urban environment the adjustments have improved stability dramatically. 

\BitSar

Preloading the Yam whilst on the Rebound from the Ape......