Modifications

$2400 bolt-on turbo kit turns your Hornet 900/ Honda 919 into a sleeper from hell

June 3rd, 2009

Of all the bikes I’ve owned, the Hornet 900, or Honda 919 as they’re known stateside, stands out as the best all-rounder, a do-everything workhorse that was great for stunting, scratching, touring, commuting and most other things I threw at it, including the odd BMX track. After a while though, the bike’s huge usability had me finding full throttle quite a bit and wondering what it might feel like with a bit more power.

The engine, after all, is a detuned 919cc Fireblade donk with a good 30 horsepower missing from the original due to smaller throttle bodies, smaller valves, cooler cams and lower compression. Many road-testers have complained that it’s a few horsepower off being the hilarious bike it should be.

And while 100-odd horsepower might be an excellent amount for many riders, it’s incredibly exciting and tempting to discover that there’s an effectively bolt-on kit that can boost that figure to somewhere around 140 horses, while putting out more power and torque than a CBR1000RR all the way to the 9.5k redline. For only US$2400. (more…)

Product review: Traction Control Braking systems

August 27th, 2008

Front brake lock-ups have been the cause of many a catastrophe for motorcyclists - particularly beginners or those who have done little post-license training in how to manage today’s powerful brakes in a panic situation. Still, when the TCB brake system first hit my desk I’ll admit it seemed like an incredibly stupid idea.

The basic principle of the device is that it replaces one of the banjo bolts in your hydraulic brake system. The head of the TCB bolt contains a sealed air pocket, which is separated from the brake fluid by a high-strength but flexible membrane. Thus, when the brakes are on hard in a panic situation, that membrane is able to flex a little because air compresses when brake fluid can’t. In theory, this helps the brake pads not to grab onto surface irregularities on the discs - which can cause tiny pressure spikes that can initiate a tyre slide.

Um, isn’t that just spongy brakes?

So my first question to the system’s inventor Mark Lipski was: dude, doesn’t this just give you spongy brakes like you get if you don’t bleed them regularly? Wouldn’t it have the exact opposite effect to the steel braided lines many of us put on our bikes to remove any flex from the lines? I’ll reproduce the entirety of his response at the end of this article, but in edited form, he replied: (more…)