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The Bikeshite Thread


warren t claim

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You don't need a clutch or a big engine to have fun, it transpires.

May be an image of dirt bike, motorcycle, nature and tree

After some further adventures later this year, it might end up with a slightly bigger Lifan semi-auto (this is a 12V C90 engine) but the brakes are absolutely bollocks as it is, so maybe not. It also requires some stronger back shocks, as it's quite 'bottom outy'.

To try and help the lack of power, it jettisoned an exhaust mounting bolt today.  Probably not been serviced since the year dot, either.   

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I'd forgotten about this thread, but just caught up on the last 10 pages.  I bought a Keeway Superlight off Billy over Xmas and have a CBT booked for Friday.

Just got to make it oil tight and a couple more minor jobs before it can be MOTed.  3 other lads from work have bought 125s this weekend (1 Honda and 2 Sinnis') and the boss has hopefully bought the forfeit bike (pink Wangye scooter) ready to ride to Lands End, then John O Groat's then back to Ludlow.

Plan is to raise a bit for Help the Heroes along the way.

IMG-20221227-WA0000.thumb.jpg.842fccb1a2ed3de4b4bb607f720ccfa9.jpg

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That's a very kind offer Nick, we are fairly prepared.  One of the lads who retired last year is going to come too in a van with a pink Chinese scooter in the back much like the Beetle nobody wants to end up in on Top Gear adventures.

Though saying that knowing there's a workshop with all the tools up there could be very useful if we snap a swingarm or something similar.

 Just did insurance quotes, one company can cover it for £71, £111 or £118 depending on cover level.  Would anyone like to guess which price is fully comp?

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On 1/14/2023 at 1:51 PM, Barry Cade said:

I'd say forget the make and just try on as many as you can and get one that's comfortable, and most importantly, fits properly. Too many people are either brand snobs, or worry about the looks. I do like AGV helmets though,  good quality and they fit me well. I remember years ago, I decided to spend a bit on a helmet and always wanted a Roof Boxer. Bright red to match my BMW... ordered it online and got it a few days later. Stuck it on my head , flipped the front down and it squashed my nose. Gutted. I've got an LS2 now which is about 3 years old and I like it a lot, but its getting to the point it needs replaced so I'll be shopping myself soon. I also really liked a Caberg I had, but it was matt grey.. the bugs really made a mess of that. 

Think about the strap too, if you want D rings or a clip type. 

I use kevlar jeans and just carry waterproof trousers under the seat, have a long and short textile jacket and winter and summer gloves. Try and find a jacket with a zip in liner. Heat in summer can be just as bad as cold in winter. 

@straightSix Agree with Barry Cade on an LS2 helmet, superb value and comfort. Get a flip front so ne need to remove for petrol stations etc. £120 for this one  LS2 Scope - Solid Matt Black - FREE UK DELIVERY (sportsbikeshop.co.uk). I'm a M head, 57-58cm with a decent nose on me and have no issues at all and the internal visor works with my specs too.

For general motorcycling go for textile jacket and jeans preferably waterproof. Sportsbike shop do a decent range and again for value and quality I find Oxford clothing hard to beat Oxford Textile Jackets - FREE UK DELIVERY (sportsbikeshop.co.uk). You should be clad in decent waterproof gear for under £400. Keeping dry and warm makes a massive difference to your enjoyment, possibly even more than the choice of bike*

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6 hours ago, catsinthewelder said:

That's a very kind offer Nick, we are fairly prepared.  One of the lads who retired last year is going to come too in a van with a pink Chinese scooter in the back much like the Beetle nobody wants to end up in on Top Gear adventures.

Though saying that knowing there's a workshop with all the tools up there could be very useful if we snap a swingarm or something similar.

 Just did insurance quotes, one company can cover it for £71, £111 or £118 depending on cover level.  Would anyone like to guess which price is fully comp?

£71?

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I have an LS2 Valiant 2 that has a very slick flip front and visor mechanism- the front flips all the way round the back, not like a sail on top like many of them. 
 

I don’t haven’t tried a huge amount of helmets to compare it to, but fuck me the mechanism makes it very noisy which you remember long after you’ve forgotten how slick the flip is. 
 

https://www.motocentral.co.uk/brands/ls2-moto/ls2-helmets/ls2-valiant-2.html

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56 minutes ago, pilninggas said:

£71?

I should probably have asked which was was TPO (£118),  Comp was £111 and the £71 I'll probably go with is TPF+T.

 

Better than Carole Nash who wanted £100 on top of those prices when I rang them but did include recovery.   They wouldn't quote at first but that was because I was going to leave the bike at work behind 2 locked doors and 3' thick walls so it's obviously going to be safer in my shed (well it will be if the river  floods again).

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47 minutes ago, catsinthewelder said:

wouldn't quote at first but that was because I was going to leave the bike at work behind 2 locked doors and 3' thick walls so it's obviously going to be safer in my shed (well it will be if the river  floods again).

A couple of bike insurance company's have a very strange option of something along the lines of "secure ammunition store" as where the bike is kept, entirely down to an old mate of mine who was an RAF armourer who kept his bike in a bomb dump compound and successfully argued for them to recognise it was ever so slightly more secure than a garden shed.

Have fun on your CBT, it's not a test, it's a course, you have been driving for years, so as long as you can control a motorbike you will be fine, just remember, cancel your indicators, shoulder checks when changing road position, cancel your indicators, don't cut any junctions even if there's nobody at them and cancel your indicators.

Oh yeah, last but not least, cancel your indicators.

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Yep. Road positioning is a biggy. That and lifesaver checks. That shit does keep you alive. 
Have a mates NC at the mo been doing the run into town last few weeks as working in Covent Garden all that stuff comes flooding back every morning. I love playing with the traffic it’s good for the soul. Look ahead, always put yourself in the best place to do so. Ain’t hard just need to remember to do it. Good luck and stay safe out there. And mostly relax and enjoy. Though not too much that you find yourself riding like a cunt. 

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Thanks chaps, I have done it before on a twist and go 50.  But that was 23 years ago when the two I'm going with (lad from work and his mate) were still in nappies.  I'm really looking forward to it, the chap on the phone was sound and temperature's might even be above freezing

I'll spend this week very visibly checking mirrors and cancelling indicators in the car and vans and hopefully the road positioning will come back quickly from all the years of cycling.

 20190917120511-10327_jpgresize_1600x1200_.thumb.jpg.6397b1e40583fbed328fd69f1b922125.jpg

A Honda X8R-S just like my old one.

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8 hours ago, Rustybullethole said:

Have just booked in for the dragon rally. Seemed a good idea sitting by the fire in the pub came back out to ice on my seat. Wasn’t a good omen. 
Any road trip with friends is always fun. I’m clinging on to that thought it will pull me through. 

Is that the one they don't tell you the venue until the day before or something?

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9 hours ago, Rustybullethole said:

Have just booked in for the dragon rally. Seemed a good idea sitting by the fire in the pub came back out to ice on my seat. Wasn’t a good omen. 
Any road trip with friends is always fun. I’m clinging on to that thought it will pull me through. 

I'm surprised there are any tickets left, they usually sell out within a week or so.

 

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1 hour ago, Rustybullethole said:

My arse cushion this morning. Needs recovering as has a hole and was less padded than usual on first bit of ride to work till it thawed out.

 

Hats off to you.  Had the e-moped ready to go this morning, saw the ice and went by car instead.

 

Meanwhile, having forgotten all about this I dug it out yesterday, having gone to get the Lifan. It's a bit daft really, but after getting it going and razzing up/down a private road, it went for an MOT in the back of the van maybe 15-18 months ago, came back in the van and hasn't been touched since.  Every 6 month  or so (longer this time round) it gets wheeled out, the battery charged then a few attempts to start it  followed by a quick razz  and back into storage.  The carb will need cleaning really, the fuel system swilling out (only been on E5, but it'll be old now) and the rear caliper is sticking. Can't ever remember actually riding it on the road, but possibly did the commute on it once.

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30 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

Hats off to you.  Had the e-moped ready to go this morning, saw the ice and went by car instead.

 

Meanwhile, having forgotten all about this I dug it out yesterday, having gone to get the Lifan. It's a bit daft really, but after getting it going and razzing up/down a private road, it went for an MOT in the back of the van maybe 15-18 months ago, came back in the van and hasn't been touched since.  Every 6 month  or so (longer this time round) it gets wheeled out, the battery charged then a few attempts to start it  followed by a quick razz  and back into storage.  The carb will need cleaning really, the fuel system swilling out (only been on E5, but it'll be old now) and the rear caliper is sticking. Can't ever remember actually riding it on the road, but possibly did the commute on it once.

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Just how many days could you commute to work without using the same transport twice 😂😂

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2 hours ago, andyberg said:

Just how many days could you commute to work without using the same transport twice 😂😂

Personal best is 24 in a row so far.  Iirc, that included two or three different push bikes though to be fair.

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For those of you unlucky enough not to have piloted one of these absolute powerhouses, this is the view you get in 3rd gear as you come hurtling past Fireblades, Hayabusas and H2s round the 'ring

mbx50clocks.thumb.jpg.1723123c9642ed53981e94a8e0bc9242.jpg

The next photo was taken at Keele Services after getting pulled for doing 182

mbx50offside1.thumb.jpg.ad60db013168e84cb65b02229e4e9c3c.jpg

 

Snapped the brake lever on this, then promptly knackered the entire assembly up trying to fit the new one. A cheapo new one was procured from eBay and has now been fitted. Prior to that it had a new reluctor and a new carb, but the air box pipe is broken so need to find a replacement or lob a K&N on instead. Next up though is an MOT. 

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14 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

For those of you unlucky enough not to have piloted one of these absolute powerhouses, this is the view you get in 3rd gear as you come hurtling past Fireblades, Hayabusas and H2s round the 'ring

mbx50clocks.thumb.jpg.1723123c9642ed53981e94a8e0bc9242.jpg

The next photo was taken at Keele Services after getting pulled for doing 182

mbx50offside1.thumb.jpg.ad60db013168e84cb65b02229e4e9c3c.jpg

 

Snapped the brake lever on this, then promptly knackered the entire assembly up trying to fit the new one. A cheapo new one was procured from eBay and has now been fitted. Prior to that it had a new reluctor and a new carb, but the air box pipe is broken so need to find a replacement or lob a K&N on instead. Next up though is an MOT. 

Bloody lovely, proper learner bikes. 

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Unexpected spare day today so cracked on with the Keeway.  The boss said I could bring it up to the workshop as the other bikes are already there so borrowed a Luton with a broken tail lift spring to fetch it from the unit.

You can certainly see why they fit the springs, I could barely lift it back up.

Fetched the bike and found it nearly as heavy as the Dacia to push so 1st job was strip, clean and grease the front brake which all went fairly smoothly and seems loads better if not entirely perfect.

Next I fixed the indicator, lovely easy job as just a bad connection on the bulb, also fixed the indicators on the 1310 I'd driven down in (bad connection on fuse).

I've got the footboards off at the moment and have given them a good wire brush, kurust and coat of black smoothrite. 

I've drilled out the couple of snapped bolts on the alternator case, tapped the holes and cut down some M6 caphead bolts and fitted them.  Hopefully it'll be oil tight now.  I don't know yet as I've drained the fuel and oil so I can lay it on its side to fix the exhaust.  Access still isn't that great so I'm going to try and take the pipes off and weld it up properly.  Once that's done I can put it back together and put it in for a test.  Insurance starts on the 1st of next month.

Apologies for misremembering the Dragon Rally, obviously the one I went to must have had a different name but Google can't find it and I don't think there were any badges or T shirts.

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