Best upgrades for banshee sho?

[thebigkid]

Hey just wanting ideas on what the best upgrades are for a banshee sho? Is there a need to change the wheel bearings or are the stock ones o.k? any adjustments need to be made to make bike better straight out of the box? Anyone know what top speed these things are capable of? any help/ideas would be much appreciated......

[Crash Dummy]

G'day bigkid
I'm not an expert on the Banshee as I don't own one but you've picked a great bike to work with. Like any new bike they have their own little quirks.

I'm unsure about wheel bearings but replacing them with good japanese bearings isn't going to hurt anything.

One of the biggest known issues with the Banshee engine is that on later models they use a 3 ply (i think) head gasket that increases the squish band to somewhere in the vacinity of being measured of millimetres rather then fractions of a millimetre. 2.5mm seems to ring a bell.

Like any Chinese built bike it pays to go over it with a fine tooth comb and check all nuts bolts, make sure nothing is loose and in vital areas replace bolts with high tensile items if the originals look marginal. Remember Locitite is your friend especially on wheel bolts for securing discs and sprockets where i'd rather use a helper to keep the bolt tight rathern then just doing it up super tight. The alloy is rather soft so it's easy to strip out if you get over zelous with tightening bolts

I guess the other important thing to look at is the standard clutch. Just make sure each of the shoes is adjusted the same so they engage at the same RPM. You can get it very very close by measuring the spring compression with a set of vernier calipers. In theory if they are the same length the shoes will engage at the same RPM point. Doing this will save you a lot of headaches.

And finally your sig says you own a blata rep. Well you'd know already that you can't baby the bike around, if need to be pretty heavy on the throttle and make sure not to slip the clutch too much or else it will die a horrible horrible death.

Chain lube.. NEVER leave home without it.
Get your chain adjusted so the sprockets are straight and inline with each other and set the chain tension correctly and then your set.

[beans]

well straight out of the box it will scare you enough.Yes change the bearings to good ones.Its a good idea.No addjustments nedded.If you want it to really go hard then fit.
polini crank.black widow reeds.19mm del carby.polini head,Bizeta pipe.3 shoe zocchi clutch.7/68 gearing.will go hard.As for the speed.well it depends on the track.60kph-140kph. hope this helps.You will need a lot of money to do these mods

[mac90]

tyre pressures no one ever mentions tyre pressures i run mine fairly hard around 15-18psi but dont race on a track so others may be able to suggest a good front/rear pressures

but like crash dummy & beans said locktight all your critical bolts & replace them as you go or can afford to with aussie high tensile bolts & nylock nuts

same with wheel berings replace them after a few rides a good Quality set of wheel berings will make a big difference

eventually when the engine needs work replace crank case berings & seals etc.. & you can use genuine italian top ends & other parts on this engine if you want to upgrade further in the future

[Pocket Wog]

I own a banshee myself,but never got to ride it as it come out of the box cause i bought it with an italian 5port pollini engine conversion.
Like the others said,replace bearings,fuel line,fuel filters to start with,then id change that nasty chinese chain as they tend to break very easily,and work on replacing the bolts as you go,use some decent coolant thats glycol free if you plan on racing.I use redline water wetter in mine,its good stuff but pricey
Should be fairly reliable after those things have been done,and if your not happy with the grunt,then id look into getting a euro top end kit,19mm dellorto carby and exhaust,you wont know what hit ya mwhahahahah
But these kits arnt cheap,i guess it all depend how deep your pockets are prepared to stretch,good luck

[thebigkid]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Probably start with the basics and loctite and change whatever bolts i can to high tensile ones. And also check the squish and change the wheel bearings.
Then when the engines run in might go up to the triple stage reeds, 19mm dellorto, and pipe.
Also just wanted to add Mac90 has a good point about tyre pressures, being a qualified tyre fitter, it does pay to experiment on tyre pressures as this affects greatly on handling and performance, wouldn't be the same for everyone as weight of rider and type of bike need to be taken into account, but try different settings and see what pressure is good for you.
found 18-20psi on my blata rep to be best with my zhongya slicks!

[mac90]

there ya go i was a tyre fitter ? i guess i still am a qualified tyre fitter by trade, thats why i brought up tyre pressures i have seen so many good tyres killed from low pressures

its a shitty job with low pay & when you do more trucks than passenger vehicles its not the best job to have lol

when it comes to fitting 17"-18" tyres on new mag wheels its good but when one rim can be a weeks pay u need a good machine & patience to fit them without marking the rims

just be carefull with the old split rims i have seen & heard a truck splitrim go off in the back of a ute & did it make a mess of the ute
after that i liked to leave them in the cage for as long as possible

one thing that i used to notice was u can smell a cheap chinese tyre half the length of the workshop away , compared to a DUNLOP or TOYO etc..
the rubber used in most cheap brand chinese stuff alwayse had a stronger or burnt stench to them ? have you noticed this

[beans]

well i find with me sava tyres .front 17. rear 22.dam cood.they just slighty ball up..have raced 4 meetings now at 4 races at 10 laps each.hardly worn at all.hope this helps thebigkid. :o)

[thebigkid]

Originally Posted by mac90

there ya go i was a tyre fitter ? i guess i still am a qualified tyre fitter by trade, thats why i brought up tyre pressures i have seen so many good tyres killed from low pressures

its a shitty job with low pay & when you do more trucks than passenger vehicles its not the best job to have lol

when it comes to fitting 17"-18" tyres on new mag wheels its good but when one rim can be a weeks pay u need a good machine & patience to fit them without marking the rims

just be carefull with the old split rims i have seen & heard a truck splitrim go off in the back of a ute & did it make a mess of the ute
after that i liked to leave them in the cage for as long as possible

one thing that i used to notice was u can smell a cheap chinese tyre half the length of the workshop away , compared to a DUNLOP or TOYO etc..
the rubber used in most cheap brand chinese stuff alwayse had a stronger or burnt stench to them ? have you noticed this

Yeah mate just got back into fitting after 5 years in a bank!!!! it is true what your saying about the smell of a cheap tyre! wonder why that is, they seem to stink more than branded ones when changing them think its cause of the cheaper compound used.
Nowdays its all bling bling chrome and how low and big can you go! 17's & 18's are a joke now compared to the 20,22 & 24's we fit.
As for the split rims we send them to the nearest truck place as we don't have a cage anyway which is good cause split rims suck to fit as well as how dangerous they are if you don't know what your doing.

[mac90]

i think the stench of a cheap tyre is horrible mabee its the rubber compound & that they are fast cured & probbly still cureing when delivered ?

most brand name tyres have different rubber silica & chemicals used, & i guess the cheaper brands are mainly rubber & latex & cheap stuff at best

i never did work it out nor did the boss know & he has been in the tyre industry for well over 35 yrs

i thought id mention it one day someone will know
next time you have a Michelin representative (big wig) etc .. ask them im sure they will know