Rally Raid CB500X Stage 3 Adventure Build-Part 2 of 2

The front end. LINKS: http://www.cb500xadventure.com/ http://www.rally-raidproducts.co.uk/h... http://giantloopmoto.com/ http://advrider.com/index.php?threads... Some Excellent Points of Clarification From Jenny Morgan : 1." With regard to new fork oil weight - TracTive recommend 10w for continuous hot-weather riding, however, John (Rally Raid) ed. feels that 5w offers a slightly more 'lively' feel to the damping in general riding conditions, and TracTive concur. A little like preload and your own damping clicker preferences, individual riders with have their own preferences with regard to oil weight too I'm sure. 2. When initially removing the allen bolts in the bottom of the fork (to release the damper rods) - you quite rightly have the fork springs and caps in place to provide tension onto the damper rod (or else it will simply spin round). However, I would add that ideally you 'crack' those bolts with a short sharp twist of the allen wrench, rather than try and do it gently/progressively, otherwise again, there is a danger of the damper rod simply spinning inside the fork. 3. Interesting you mention the swap over of the top pinch bolts (for the new RRP triple clamp) with the original bolts that hold on the headlight support frame to the headstock. I imagine this is something John omitted to include in the instructions (we'll get that added in), as it's quite possibly because when he was originally reassembling the prototype bike, he simply got those two pairs of bolts mixed up - we realise the OEM top pinch bolts are a little too long for the Billet RRP top clamp, hence the swap. I would also add that the reason for exchanging the bolts with the ones that hold on the headlight support frame is two-fold: primarily so that the two triple clamps use matching OEM bolt-head hardware (as it is simpler to replace the two bolts that are out of sight with alternatives); and you highlight, that we feel that using nyloc nuts rather than the dome nuts to secure the headlight tower is a better long-term solution for a bike that is more likely to be used off-road and rough surfaces now - it's just a precaution. 4. Another omission in the current instructions (that will be revised) is the need to release the brake hose from the bracket that holds it to the lower triple clamp to give it enough free-play with the extended travel, as you found during the installation. Again, you found the exact solution that we recommend - which is to remove the metal bracket and simply use a zip-tie around the rubber block and through the right hand hole in the lower triple clamp. In addition, I would add that when fitting the longer Level 2/3 suspension to an ABS equipped bike, a similar modification is required to give enough free-play in the hose; together with zip-tying the ABS sensor wire to the brake hose too, keeping everything nice and neat. Finally, with regard to your suggestion about adjustable foot-pegs and folding levers... this is something we will be looking at as phase 2 of the development (together with that rally style nose fairing and uprated headlight options). Certainly if we are to produce a billet replacement footrest hanger that offers adjustability for the peg position, then the gear shifter and brake pedal will also have to be replaced as part of that assembly, so they remain in correct relation to the foot-rests (similar to a sports bike rear-set), and we would of course take that opportunity to incorporate folding tips to the controls too. However, as an intermediate step, John is considering a billet replacement gear shift lever with a folding tip that will fit onto the existing mounting... and I would suggest if you are worried about the brake pedal tip, then shortening it by cutting it down a notch or two (it is essentially the same design as the one on my XT660Z Tenere, which I did a similar mod to) is a no-cost mod. At the same time, I would add that during my recent cross-country trip, both the OEM gear shifter and brake pedal stood up to a great deal of abuse with no problems. Indeed it was only during my crash in the Nevada desert (day 21 of the TAT report) that the gear shifter slightly bent in the impact (and was subsequently easy to straighten) - with the RRP Adventure engine guard taking the brunt of the force and doing it's job of protecting the shift pivot well."