More full lock turn for a tighter turning circle (AJP PR7 example)︱Cross Training Adventure

Is there enough full lock turn on your dual-sport or adventure motorbike? If you rarely do tight turns then it won't matter. But certain motorbikes can be awkward when moving them around your garage or doing u-turns because the turning circle is so wide. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. Sometimes you can just adjust your steering stops to improve this. A typical example is the KTM 690R and Husqvarna 701. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. Release the lock nut and screw the bolts in further. Obviously it's important to stop when the forks are about to hit something. This is usually the radiators. Make sure the extra turning does not stretch your clutch and throttle cables. Finally, if you are doing tight turns remember that leaning your motorbike decreases your turning circle. And of course there are strategies for u-turns. On some models like the KTM EXCF enduro motorbikes your forks might hit the rectifier on one side of the frame or the plastic bracket on the other side that holds electric wiring. Ensure your forks or triple clamps aren't hitting coolant hoses. Be sure to check everywhere. On our AJP PR7 the handlebars were hitting the tablet until we repositioned it. And finally check to see that your electrical cables won't be under stress during full lock turns. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. In some cases, the full lock steering is limited by the radiators. You can put a bend in your radiators but you do this at your own risk of course. The ideal is to remove your radiator fluid and heat the alloy to between 300 to 400C. The do-it-yourself method is mark the spot with a black Sharpie pen. The mark should disappear at about 400C. Why? At these temperatures the alloy becomes 'ductile'. It is soft enough to bend a lot without fractures. Use a pipe that is a similar diameter to your fork leg and hammer this against your radiator. That's the safest way to do it. However, I was keen to experiment with the easiest technique possible. No radiator removal. No fluid removal. Just gentle taps with a ball pin hammer. It only took a few taps and there was a big improvement. The pivot turn. And using your side stand. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. Ever had a motorbike with a poor turning circle? Which model? Try this at your own risk. There is actually scope for a lot more movement with the AJP PR7 but I think using heat would be important to reduce the risk of fractures in the alloy. A substantial bend like this makes a dramatic difference on the PR7. Some older motorbikes like the Suzuki DR650 and DRZ400 are not adjustable and just use metal tabs on the frame. In these cases you would need to grind away a bit of the metal tabs, or alternatively file the lower triple clamp where it makes contact with the steering stop. And how did you fix it? We are keen to hear extra tips and will put these in the pinned first comment. Most radiator guards don't cover the top of your radiators so they won't affect your full lock turns. But some radiator guards will need trimming or bending if you want to maximise your full lock turns. This is one of our three channels, there's also a Cross Training Trials channel, and a Cross Training Enduro channel. All three are equally dodgy. We are the 27th most watched dirt channel in Uzbekistan. We have won the polished turd award five years in a row. Of course if you are cashed up and into bling, go for it. All we are saying is there's also the budget option for adventure riding.So the Cross Training Adventure focus is just get out there and have fun on two wheels. Instead of obsessing over the latest blinged out Beemer, which tyres to fit or spending a fortune on your suspension or billet alloy gas cap. So most of our adventure riding vids will feature the much loved bush pig, the Suzuki DR650. And we've done a 10 part series on how to unleash the mighty beast that lurks within. What else? Cross Training Adventure actively avoids sponsorship. We like doing seriously critical reviews. Instead of glowing dual sport reviews for kickbacks or free product, we will try to keep the buggers honest. So subscribe. Or don't subscribe to our Cross Training Adventure riding channel. The main thing is get out and ride while you can with dual sport riding or Adventure riding in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Romania and beyond! So check out Cross Training Adventure. Thanks to Alan Morcom for his images and advice on the radiator bends. Our website: https://sites.google.com/view/crosstrainingenduro Our enduro channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrossTrainingEnduroSkills Our trials channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MOTOTRIALSTRAININGTECHNIQUES #crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #adventurebikes #dualsportriding #dualsportbikes