MRD has once more abused a bike over 50,000 km. Apart from a set of front discs replaced under warranty after half distance (presumably, the pulsing was caused by overheating in spots, because nothing faulty could be measured) and a chain failure after 28,000 km, the bike was reliable and the engine appeared in near perfect condition after the test ended. Even the gearbox, which made horrible sounds when downshifting - and putting it in 1st when cold in particular - showed no signs of wear. The clutch held up as well.
BTW; the chain that broke (the original one) was still perfectly serviceable with little wear. The cause of the failure remains a mystery.
Riding such a bike isn't cheap, though - only the 999 out of the last 17 bikes cost more to run, and then not by much.
The best tyre was considered to be the Pirelli Demon Strada, which offered easier handling and similar dry grip to the stock Bridgestone BT014s, while gripping much better in the wet AND lasting more than twice as long (8500km vs 4000 on avg.).
Thanks to Faffi from mcnews.com.au for translating!
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me" Hunter S. Thompson.
There are really only two questions in life. 1.Which way do i go? 2.What is the lap record?
