2013 Ford Focus ST First Ride – Feature | 1" Check Valve

The difficulty was (and is) achieving effective seals. That’s why poppet valves are still with us and rotary sleeves are not.

Kentucky is fourth, followed by Duke, Michigan State, Texas Tech, Tennessee, LSU and Michigan to round out the top 10.

“It’s been a long winter with a lot of theories and speculation going around, but the race track is where we settle all that. We had a good winter test, I’m growing happier every time I step into the car and the first race will be especially exciting.”

With an average of 44.9 mpg, the 3.7-gallon tank can theoretically yield 166 miles. Some riders will wish for more.

HOW DIFFERENT?Motor changes were to be expected, and market forces more or less demanded electric start. The Kawasaki methodology in the past was to use as much of the existing bike as possible with new parts grafted into place. Look back to the first fuel-injected KX and you’ll see that philosophy in action. This time the motor was redesigned from scratch, and Kawasaki engineers weren’t timid about using successful designs from elsewhere. The clearest example of this is the use of finger-followers in the valve train. We’ve seen this design on the KTM 250 and 350, as well as on the 2018 Honda CRF250R, but this is the first time we’ve seen it on a 450. These are little levers between the cams and the valves. At first, it seems odd. Isn’t the whole point in DOHC to eliminate rocker arms? Apparently, the fingers are so small and light that they don’t introduce the drag and weight of the big rockers used on SOHC motors. They do allow much greater lift without the drawbacks of having big cam lobes (i.e., side loads and the need for stiff valve springs).

Still have a little too much concrete dust floating around your job site? If you happen to drill a lot of concrete, Bosch has a simple solution to avoid getting yet another fine. The Bosch dust shroud, model HDC200, collects dust from around the drill bit as you work. It accommodates a wide range of drill bit diameters and it can save you from inhaling a cloud of silica dust by, inhaling it before you get the opportunity. Let’s dig in a little deeper.

That old ECU may not have had the best fail-safe redundancy circuits in it, but electronic valve control crosses a different line entirely.

Safety should be paramount in any portion of the vehicle design, and this should start with a review of access to the cab and body compartments. All step surfaces should be provided with aggressive, non-slip surfaces, and depending upon your local weather conditions, may require more than the standard raised diamond, aluminum tread plate. The position and location of handrails should be determined, including areas inside of the cab, to enable personnel to maintain three points of contact at all times.

A Ford extended warranty only continues a factory warranty plan. If you don’t want to purchase one through a Ford dealership, you can look for an extended service protection plan from a third-party auto warranty company. 

From the moment the starter button is pressed, the 790 lets you know it has a special engine. Even at idle, it feels raucous, with a pleasant burble from the exhaust and the right amount of mechanical noises coming from the engine itself. Blip the throttle, and the rpm climb quickly. The clutch is easy to modulate, while the transmission is snickety-snick into each gear. Since the clutch is so easy to manage, it’s ironic that the rider never has to use it after pulling away from a stop.

WASHINGTON — After months of polls, focus groups and strategy sessions, Michael Bloomberg came to the obvious conclusion — unlimited money cannot buy a presidential nomination in 2020. Yes, the news stories talked about competition […]

First, the new Electronic Throttle Valves mean that the Versys 1000 is now a ride-by-wire machine with all the benefits associated with that change. Kawasaki claims that the new ECU-controlled butterfly valves deliver “smooth, natural engine response and the ideal engine output.” Additionally, the switch to R-b-W means that Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS) has made its way into the parts manifest, giving smooth, clutchless up- and down-shifts.  The clutch itself is an assist and slipper unit for easy use.