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Hey dudes, I've just picked up this H2 (Pic at bottom)...

Its come with a few issues, most sorted now, but I've run out of dry warm roads to sort the handling issues. It feels old school in its handling, not a front endy as the L that I had a couple of years ago, I've dropped the forks through the yokes by 15mm or so, it does feel a wee bit better but still not that planted front end that my L had. Any tips on front end set up for the H? Also does anyone know where the missing bhp went between the H and the L? the L seemed to have a proper step in power at 10k but this just revs from 4-14 progressively (not necessarily a bad thing).

Its on Michellin Macadam 100x tyres which I have had a couple of slides on so I'm assuming these are rubbish. Gonna replace them in the spring for a pair of diablo rosso 2' so that should get me some grip (assuming it stays upright on the michellins throughout the winter). All tips or observations welcome on the H model, my plan is to douse it in WD40 and use as a hack for the winter and then get it sorted in spring, I dont think its too far gone to return to something nearing decent.

I also have the H mate so will give you a rough set up for how i have done mine!

forks - fresh fluid (heavier fluid - 10w/15w) will help with the front a little
rear - get it a bit firmer, i find it a bit soft, if you can raise the rear about 5-10mm, it should work nicely
tyres - i'm running supercorsa's, just make sure you keep the pressures up in them

this set up works for me, doesn't mean it will work for you but its a start, i don't mind a little bit of movement from the rear though but everyone rides different

as for power, it seems as if you have a standard system, its very erm .. smooth? with standard system, doesn't feel like it wants to pull that hard with it on, try and find a decent system - MHP or BEET etc... you'll notice a power difference then, i would also change the sprockets too - more accel. if its a road bike then your not gona be using top speed are you?

other than that do the general basics on servicing to keep the engine fresh - new spark plugs, clean air filter, fresh oil and oil filter etc... unless you really wana get the most out of it then skim the head and clean up the combustion chamber and pistons, de-coke em.

don't forget the H model is a little heavier than the L too so it feel as nimble.

Cheers BigB. I'll get some fresh 10w in the forks at the weekend. The back end on mine is on the stiff side of firm anyway so apart from greasing the linkages I think I'm okay with that. Yup, new exhaust can is on the list to get another couple of bhp's and take your point about the extra weight, its always going to feel a little less flighty than the L. Not going to do the sprocket thing though, 7000rpms for 70mph is mental enough in my book, my head cant handle the mechanicals of less than 10mph per 1000 revs. I've dropped a tooth on the front of my GSXR750 but thats a different animal and only really did it to make me respect the bike a bit more (worked).

Doing the oil/plugs/filter thing at the weekend too. I've put a couple of hundred miles on it now and it seems to be limbering up a bit in the engine dept. the PO had done less than 100 miles in a year so stripping the carbs, and a balance has sorted some hesitation, now the more i ride the more the engine seems to give. still awful below 4k though but from memory my L was too. Manual says 2.25 turns out on the pilot air screws so I've set it to that. Oddly it came set at 1.5 turns out but coz of the inlet rubbers leaking I didnt get to see if it ran okay at that setting. What do you run yours at? TBH when the can goes on it'll change the whole plot anyway but would be nice to get a standard set up to start from. Anyone know if Cradley still do a brand new set of rubbers?

mine is rubbish under 4k, i have mine idling around 2k and pull away 4k or more, as for the gearing, drop down a tooth on the front and it compliments the engine nicely, if you do a -1/+2 then it certainly gives the bike a lot of character... definitely gets a nice reaction from a handful of people!

as for the pilot jet, i've had to richen my mixture out for my exhaust system, but even richening it out it still runs a touch too lean for my liking so i may have to re-jet it, mines set at 1 and 1/2 turn, im running a DIC system (good luck trying to find one!) compared to the BEET mid/steel system i had, this pisses all over it, it turned the bike into something else! bit hesistant on the throttle below 6k but as said may need to rejet.

2 of my friends - both much much lighter than me, both ride ZXR400s, ones on an L3 and the other on an L6 i believe, they have struggled to keep up with my H1 in a straight line, albeit it i run out of puff around the 125mph mark, they seem to take the edge on the top speed but thats not a problem for me or them.

have ridden their bikes as well as mine back to back, and i'm not saying it, mine seems to be the better one in all areas apart from top end, engine feels stronger - pulls harder, handling is better and the overall weight of the bike even if it is a bit heavier feels nicer compared to theirs - i even service their bikes for them etc... so they all run on the same oils and fluids, i give them a good clean out too, look after the bikes just like i do with mine, but my H just feels a fair bit better and its a much older bike

I'm sure I've been here before, getting a touch of deja-vu. pilot mixture screws...in is richer...out is leaner. Right? Just confused me saying 1.5 turns is lean??

AFAIK they control the air supply under 4k. Need to get this right before we go anywhere lol.

LOL it is confusing the in and out thing isn't it! Turn it all the way in makes it richer turn it out and it makes it leaner.

thank fork for that. how come yours is running lean at 1.5 turns then?

The exhaust I have, just seems to run lean still, i need to down jet it by 2sizes I reckon, it's only marginally lean, I've always preferred to have my bikes run a little bit rich anyway... Maybe that just the 2 stroker in me lol I don't have it really rich, just enough to keep the bike a bit cooler, means you have to de coke the pistons and head a bit more often