The Bikeshite Thread

[andy18s]

Visors?

 

How very modern, open face lid here so I wear sunglasses & carry clear ones in case I'm out late.

When I came off my 125 way back I was wearing a Laser MX style helmet, cos TS125X innit

The chin bar snapped at 1 end and went into my jaw,snapping it into few more pieces

Without it and I doubt I'd be here now tbh

Full face ever since for me

[Guest Hooli]

250 miles around the Dales today. It was a bloody lovely day to be out visiting country pubs & the chippy at Hawes. Well except for the billions of flies, it felt like it was raining at times as so many were hitting my face at once.

[Guest Hooli]

Just thought of asking about this here.

 

Any interest in a P reg (I think) Virago 535 with 2,300miles from new in perfect condition & rides as well as one ever does for about £3k?

 

I can get pics etc if anyone is interested. Bike is located in Clacton btw.

[5speedracer]

Oops...!

Just as I was getting the niggles sorted out too. Bit bruised but nothing broken.

As for the bike.........

 

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[yellowperil]

No like!

Glad you are ok.

[pilninggas]

damn. thrills and spills. as long as you are okay.

[Jazoli]

Oops

[5speedracer]

Thanks.

Classic misread of a corner, tightened over a bridge and I lost the front.

Marquez I am not!

 

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[Bradders59]

Not long back from the NW200. Great weather and awesome racing. Really really can't wait till mine is MOT'd now!!

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

 

Last time I was at the NW200 was the year Tom Heron was killed. Must be 40 years ago. One more visit is one of the few things on my bucket list, along with a wee pilgrimage to the statues of Joey and Robert.

Joey is probably my all time hero in life, as a human being first and a rider second.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Last time I was at the NW200 was the year Tom Heron was killed. Must be 40 years ago. One more visit is one of the few things on my bucket list, along with a wee pilgrimage to the statues of Joey and Robert.

Joey is probably my all time hero in life, as a human being first and a rider second.

Thankfully only a couple of minor accidents this year, nothing too serious and all the riders went home safe which is always a bonus.

 

The weather really makes or breaks the day, Saturday was fantastic, all the races ran on time and we seen lots of action.

 

If it rains, or the wind gets too high its a day of hanging around getting wait while races get postponed, shortened and cancelled...

 

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[They_all_do_that_sir]

A wee video of the front runners in the last superbike race

 

https://youtu.be/LRx2QUw0HYc

 

Amazing how close you can get to the bikes....

 

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[twosmoke300]

Well the sum total of fuck all got done to the versys this weekend - I was distracted 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I've got a few pairs of sunglasses I wear with my helmet. It's an Arai Quantum, all of the sunglasses I have, work really well without modifications.

I wear prescription glasses, my HJC IG-17 is a good fit with them but I usually go for frames with thin legs.

 

I have a pair of prescription sunglasses that look really naff but have very thin legs and work well. Mrs not so keen on me wearing them off the bike mind

 

My last lid before the HJC was a Caberg with an internal visor. It would have been dead on except for the fact it rubbed my nose when in flicked down.

 

I got the piss taken out of me in work for using that one because it was a bit top gun looking

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[Six-cylinder]

The owner bought it just as it is and has fun. 

 

It has broken its front engine mounting but otherwise seems fine. The owner did not know the engine brand anybody here know?

[UltraWomble]

 The owner did not know the engine brand anybody here know?

Generic Chinese thing - they can be had off tinternet from £40 to £100 depending on capacity and seller.

 

I keep saying Im going to lob one in the post office Valdenaire frame but there is an issue with clearance as its a "unisex" frame.

[Fat_Pirate]

I've had a weekend in t'Peak district, and finally got to ride the Cat and Fiddle (though a combination of loose chippings, double-white lines and doddering giffers ensured we didn't need to worry about the average speed cameras).  Still some fun to be had though.

The VFR is now at 81K and runs just as well as it did at 30K, when I bought it.  I don't hang about yet it's only required fork seals, rear wheel bearings and a pair of exhaust gaskets in that time (plus a lot of tyres and brake pads).  Best value vehicle I've ever owned.

 

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I've had a weekend in t'Peak district, and finally got to ride the Cat and Fiddle (though a combination of loose chippings, double-white lines and doddering giffers ensured we didn't need to worry about the average speed cameras). Still some fun to be had though.

2018-05-20 11.04.44.jpg

The VFR is now at 81K and runs just as well as it did at 30K, when I bought it. I don't hang about yet it's only required fork seals, rear wheel bearings and a pair of exhaust gaskets in that time (plus a lot of tyres and brake pads). Best value vehicle I've ever owned.

Lovely, is that a VTEC one?

 

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[Jerzy Woking]

On my way to Slovakia-now in southern Germany. Done more miles on the RC8 in the last three days than I have in the last year. Sportsbikez do make great tourers-who needs a GS1200?

[Jerzy Woking]

 

Even managing to average 42mpg (handy with petrol stations being far and few between on our routes)

[They_all_do_that_sir]

ZZR has a fresh MOT now..... Also noticed I'd only done 2700 miles since the last one. Insured up to 5000 a year so must try harder.

 

It's not particularly happy around the idle / low speed end of the rev range. Showing signs of lean running there but over part throttle / 3000 rpm it pulls cleanly and hard to the redline.

 

When you rev it the revs drop and hang at 3k then eventually drop. Almost like a sticking throttle but it snaps shut as it should.

 

Coasting to junctions the revs drop below idle and the bike cuts out.

 

With the idle screw all the way in it won't idle over 1000rpm

 

Deffo something around the pilot end of the circuit. Mixture screws set to standard, they were happier a bit richer so I'll try them lots richer and then go backwards..

 

Riding round town at low rpm it kangaroos a bit and is just a pain in the arse generally.

 

Want to go a run on bank holiday Monday so may get the finger out

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[bangernomics]

250 miles around the Dales today. It was a bloody lovely day to be out visiting country pubs & the chippy at Hawes. Well except for the billions of flies, it felt like it was raining at times as so many were hitting my face at once.

I was up there too, those little green buggers really gave me a peppering. Mental road though.

[bangernomics]

Thanks.

Classic misread of a corner, tightened over a bridge and I lost the front.

Marquez I am not!

 

Sent from my Redmi 4 using Tapatalk

Ouch hope all well soon

[Guest Hooli]

ZZR has a fresh MOT now..... Also noticed I'd only done 2700 miles since the last one. Insured up to 5000 a year so must try harder.

 

It's not particularly happy around the idle / low speed end of the rev range. Showing signs of lean running there but over part throttle / 3000 rpm it pulls cleanly and hard to the redline.

 

When you rev it the revs drop and hang at 3k then eventually drop. Almost like a sticking throttle but it snaps shut as it should.

 

Coasting to junctions the revs drop below idle and the bike cuts out.

 

With the idle screw all the way in it won't idle over 1000rpm

 

Deffo something around the pilot end of the circuit. Mixture screws set to standard, they were happier a bit richer so I'll try them lots richer and then go backwards..

 

Riding round town at low rpm it kangaroos a bit and is just a pain in the arse generally.

 

Want to go a run on bank holiday Monday so may get the finger out

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

 

Gummed up needles? that'd hold the carb open as the throttle shuts too.

[I_am_Diesel]

Seeing as the scooter is now road legal I took it out on Monday to test the new carb I fitted a couple of weeks ago.

 

It started third kick which is 30 less than normal so that was a good start. I didn't get too far when I noticed it started to lose power as reached higher revs and it wouldn't get past an indicated 35mph.

 

I had a fiddle with the mixture screw, cured a fuel leak but still no improvement but it felt like fuel starvation. With the fuel pipe off and the tap open, fuel delivery was lethargic.

 

Yesterday I took the fuel pipe off, attached a long piece of pipe, opened the fuel tap and gave it a good blow so I could see bubbles in the fuel tank.

 

That seems to have cured the problem for now but I am going to have to remove the tank and give it a good clean inside I think.

[Guest Hooli]

Checked the tyre pressures & loaded my panniers tonight. Off to Scotland again tomorrow...

[pilninggas]

I'm off to the continent after work tomorrow. Not sure where to yet. Either the Italian Alps (have multiple t-shirts, however) or perhaps FYRs, as have only seen Slovenia. NC fully loaded and waiting to go.

[Fat_Pirate]

Lovely, is that a VTEC one?

 

 

It is indeed the unpopular VTEC job - up to 7000rpm it runs on 2 valves per cylinder, beyond that 4 (and stays on 4 until the engine returns to idle speed).  It's a fun sensation with a wide open throttle, but gives an unwelcome lurch otherwise - and that tends to be when it's cold and/or wet.  It's almost as if the engine stops for a fraction of a second - perhaps it just doesn't fire for a few rotations.  Good bike otherwise though, if a bit dull.  I think of it as the Mondeo of the 2-wheel world.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Gummed up needles? that'd hold the carb open as the throttle shuts too.

Carbs are spotless, they had a strip, clean and rebuilt recently. Carburation at anything over part throttle i.e. Moving outside the pilot circuit is bang on.

 

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[Bfg]

.

 I'm new to this thread so.. Hello all.

 

Yesterday I had a hospital appointment (just a checkup) and so took a day off from working on refitting my old boat.  < Other_Boatshite >  As is my way, I despise paying for the hospital car park, as I sit in a waiting room for 45 minutes, so I take the bike.  My daily is 'Nudge' ..a 1953 Sunbeam S8 which was my fourth S8, and one which I bought 6 years back ..as a daily commute into work on the other side of town.  I still refer to her as my 'daily' but with carrying tools and materials for working on the boat, my 245k-mile Chrysler Voyager 'van' has recently been my daily ride., and the poor old Sunbeam has been tucked away unused in the garage for the best part of a year.

 

It was time to pull her out, dust her down and remove some cobwebs, reconnect the battery, check the oil level and tyre pressures, and add some petrol . .

 

 

 

 

Funny thing about these old bikes is that, even after winter-plus periods of inactivity - they start and run.  They may rattle and shake a bit, and Nudge also seems to have developed a weepy petrol pipe (when the petcock is open).. but generally they just get on and do their job.  The Sunbeam S8 is a small bike for a person of my stature* but for getting through to the other side of town or for a quick blast around Suffolk's country lanes - it's just great. 

 

I must get around to checking those fuel pipes sometime, and I'll need to buy some new tyres some year ..but not today.  But seeing as I'm commuting again (as I work on my boat, again on the other side of town ) which I travel around to on the A12 /A14 dual carriageways - I'd thought to pull out one of my other bikes. 

 

After I got back from the hospital and had a coffee, I set to digging out the old ('96)  BMW from under wraps in the back of the garage. .

 

 

^ Last used briefly during 2011, the MOT expired in the August of the following year.  I had used her for my Advanced Rider test, but then the clutch had just started to slip.  The previous winter months I had restored a '73 Norton Commando ..so the BM' was put aside.  I used a Sunbeam for my commute to work and the Norton for weekend jaunts.

 

But she's a good bike, which I rode down to Slovenia on ..back in '09,  and is otherwise practical to use with the big fairing and spacious panniers.  Now is as good as time as any to pull her out again to see if I can recommission her (without spending too much time or money).  First task is always to put the battery on charge. It was charged when parked and left disconnected, with an annual recharge but I tbh I've was never impressed with this Optima battery.

 

I then moved on to check the oil level.  Darn it's been so long I'd forgotten how to do that.!  What's that old guffer's expression ?.. Oh yeah.. "I've forgotten more than you ever knew"     Had to find the bikes owner's manual to learn (again) that it has a sight glass in the side of the sump. Oil level near the top of it's mark. It never did use nor leak oil.

 

The tyres were new in 2011 but nearly flat now ..and so very heavy to roll.  But an electric tyre pump soon sorted those out. Adding petrol took a little longer because the aluminium around the filler had oxidised . .

 

^ I stuck masking tape under the filler hole, to prevent muck from dropping into the tank, and scraped things clean.  Thankfully although there was a lot of furring - there was next to no evidence of corrosion pitting.  Cleaned up and the locking mechanism in the cap lubricated - I added fresh petrol (the tank had been previously been drained). 

 

And of course, much to the upset of the resident spiders - I gave her a quick wash down. . 

 

^ BWW K75 Ultima of 1996 vintage.   I have the panniers, complete with BMW soft luggage bags to fit inside them, and surely I must have the top box tucked away somewhere too.  The K75 is the in-line, laid flat, 3-cylinder 750cc, little sister to the four-pot K100 (1000cc) ..a favourite with motorcycle couriers and often referred to as a 'brick' (because of the laid down rectangular block of the engine). 

 

BMW at this time tried to curb the excessive power of motorcycles, and the number of young people being killed on them.  They said that 100bhp was enough for any road bike, and so produced the K100 (100bhp from 1000cc) as their flagship. They produced the K100 as the bare bike, the RS version with a sporty fairing and belly pan,  the RT and LT models as very capable trans-continental touring machines, and the 150mph (over twice the UK's legal speed limit !) K1 for those who could afford and wanted to be a little more colourful.   

 

BMW showed what performance might be achieved from 100bhp, despite their bikes being solidly built, having barn door fairings, panniers & top-box, and shaft drive.  Of course other motorcycle manufacturers just ignored the initiative and continued to build ever more powerful bikes.  Stuff the kids who pass their test on a 125cc and then are legally allowed to ride a 175mph road bike. That's just part of the competitive nature of capitalism.  The onus is with the individual, and the responsibility of law enforcement agencies.. Like firearms & flick-knives for schoolkids - it's never the supplier !

 

My bike is the K75 : 750cc and 75bhp, very capable 2-up with luggage in maintaining autobahn cruising speeds in excess of 100mph ..and with its wind-tunnel designed fairing it is stable and comfortable at those speeds too.  The K75 also came as a bare bike (no fairing) and then also as ; the K75C with handlebar fairing, and the RT & LT ³/₄-faired touring versions. The 750's model's sporting version had a much slimmer fairing with belly-pan and was known as the K75S.  The 750's engine uses the same pistons and stroke as the K100 but is one barrel short. That being the forward-most cylinder makes the K75 models lighter on the front end ..and so a little more agile in its handling. The engine also benefited from having a balance shaft, so was reportedly smoother than the K100.   I've had six of the K series BMW's and note that over 90mph the k100 is smoother, but below that the K75 is.  When on the autobahn and wanting to cover miles I tended to cruise between 80 and 90mph.  On my K100LT I went down to St.Tropez in the south of France, and sat at a steady 110 for hours ..it was mindlessly boring.   

 

All the K-series bikes are dohc, and have very reliable Bosch fuel injection and electronic ignition.  Naturally the 1000cc has more torque (pulling power) than the 750, which is nice if you have a heavy-weight pillion rider and a lot of luggage, but is barely noticeable when riding solo.  The 750's seem to spin freer and are altogether a more fun bike because they're lighter.  Many cycle parts are the same between the K100 and the 75, but the exhaust silencer is triangular rather than square in section for the 750 triple. 

 

The Ultima model was only made for the K75 ..when phasing out of production model.  The panniers are colour coded to match the bike's paintwork, ABS was standard, the windscreen height/tilt adjustment is electric, and it has extra gauges (an ammeter and a fuel gauge). The gauges were originally mounted in horrid plastic handlebar brackets, so I moved mine down into the leg shields of the fairing.  Much neater.  

 

You may also have noted that my bike has 3-spoke (..much easier to clean) wheels rather than the H-sectioned 8-spokes.  These (3-spokes) were I believe standard on the Ultima and optional on others in the 750 model range. The K1 had similar 3 spoke wheels but with very much wider rims.  I've also fitted the belly pan off the K75S onto my bike, and the optional BMW heated handlebar grips. 

 

The K75 models were phased out because it was as expensive to produce as the K100 (the engine's balance shaft being more than one more cylinder) but of course its retail price was less.  The K100 models sold better, most likely because to ego's and on paper it seemed the better bike.  One had to ride both, and keep an open mind, to learn that the lighter-weight K75 was nicer to live with.  The K75S in particular is a very pleasing fast to ride bike.  It's not a lightweight but rather is a rock-solid missile that can be guided very accurately.

 

My own 'S' was in an odd but really befitting metallic-dark-brown colour.  She was sexy with long legs ..and the one I most fell in love with, but the Ultima is imo the best all rounder, and turned out to be 'the keeper'.  Still great looking but in an elegant sort of way ..and very easy to live with, with its superb weather protection - which for me at least extends the riding season to all but a couple of months a year ..those weeks which are just miserably wet or dangerously slippery.!

       

 

...Anyways up, back to getting my ol' girl started..  The most (time consuming) problem I had was the bloody Spyball alarm / immobiliser fob's not working because their batteries were flat.  6v ..and half the length of a AAA size batteries, I had to fudge something . .

 

^ it ain't pretty but when hot wired to a 6v motorcycle battery the fob worked to turn the immobiliser off.

 

The Optima battery was not up to the job, even when registering fully charged, I'll need a new battery. Using jump leads from the car - the bike started and when the third cylinder kicked in she ran smoothly and quietly as ever.  Perhaps I need to clean a spark plug.  The ABS warning light is flashing so I'll need to sort that out out before I can take her for an MOT, and the electric screen-adjustment is not operating, so another job for some time or other ..but otherwise (with new batteries : one for the alarm fob, one for the bike) she's not far off  being good to go.     She'll need a new clutch sometime soon, but let's get her on the road and other jobs sorted first. 

 

Bfg. 

[srad34]

So, picked up this turd last week. All that shines is most definetely not gold, owned by someone with the mechanical empathy of a chimp and I think the only time its been allegedly serviced was its last MOT (which of course was an mot, not a service, evident of how daft and gullible they were as the oil filter looks like 1997 vintage!...)

 

Once I have sorted the wiring and got it running as it should, apply more turd polish and move it on!