Hello Bill,

I have a question about your review of the Suzuki V-Strom 250 which you fitted with a larger front chain sprocket.  The larger front sprocket would make the final gearing taller, meaning that for any given true speed, the engine (and therefore the gearbox & speedo sensor) would turn slower meaning the indicated speed would be closer to the real speed.  Your figures show the speedo error gets worse with the bigger front sprocket.  Could you have some of the figures in the wrong places?

I'm particularly interested in your article because I  have friends and family all over Australia and I'm looking for a bike with long legs and economy rather than fast acceleration.

I look forward to your reply, Regards Robin.

Hi Robin

Figures are correct as we used an accurate Racelogic Performance Box device.

The 'gap' is about the same but the bike did go faster and therefore revs less at any given speed. I would certainly change the front sprocket. Also, we're at 1500m altitude, which saps power to around 18%, so I'm sure at sea-level the bike will certainly need the gearing to be higher.

Fuel consumption will also be better at any given rpm, which is excellent to start with...

Q: I’ve just bought a 2019 Suzuki GSX-R1000 with only 4,500km on the clocks, and I must say it’s without doubt the best super bike I’ve ever owned and ridden?

It does have that massive stock silencer on it though, so that has to go. So my question is short and simple – do I opt for a full system, of some sort, or just a silencer replacement, which is quick and easy to do, not to mention much cheaper?

Looking forward to your answer and keep up the good work from the best ‘site in SA.

A: Unless you’re thinking of racing, and very good at it, we wouldn’t recommend fitting a very expensive full system. The stock headers are so efficient that it’s very difficult to improve power replacing them. The only benefit is a bit of weight saving.

Obviously the cat’ comes out, which again, surprisingly, has a minimal power advantage. You’ll also have to re-map the ECU to get the most from the new full exhaust, which again becomes expensive.

So if you’re a brisk road rider just fit a performance silencer, preferably from a recognised name (like Yoshimura), and off you go, with a far better sound as well.

Q: Hi guys. I own a 1982 Suzuki Katana 1100 that I use for road riding but now I fancy a spot of classic racing, which seems to be growing by the week.

I’ve fitted a performance exhaust; air filters and sorted out the jetting and the bike runs well. The suspension has been improved and I’m running sticky Metzeler tyres.

All well and good but my question is about the ignition timing. I have the stock electronic ignition and was wondering where to set the timing for optimum performance? I’ve heard many settings from stock (32-degrees), to 38-degrees on full advance, so I thought I’d ask you guys to see if you can shed any light on my strobe gun?

Many thanks for a great, funny and interesting web site as well…

Steve     Cape Town.

A: It’s good to hear you have a ‘strobe gun’ because it’s the best way to set the timing on the GSX derived engine. People do tend to go too far with ignition advance and these engines don’t really like it.

From past experience we’ve found 34-degrees of full advance works the best and keeps the engine running cooler. As a guideline set the timing mark 1mm forward when on full advance, then lock it up and everything will run perfectly.

Q: Good day sir… I have a 2016 Suzuki GSR 750, blue and white (the love of my life). It only has 10,650km on the clock and still has the original back tyre and sprockets.

I service the bike myself, every 5,000km. My question is though, do I need to adjust the timing chain, or does it have an automatic tensioner?

Your answer will be appreciated….

Johan Korf (Maintenance Supervisor).

A: Well your job title tells us how well your ‘love’ is looked after, which is good to hear.

The GSR tensioner is indeed an automatic component and never needs to be touched, because it isn’t a serviceable component. If the bike has frequent oil changes at 5,000km, which you do anyway, the tensioner will last for many years and at least 50-60-70-80 thousand kilometers, if not more.

So don’t worry about that and go and have some beers…