The Bikeshite Thread

[straightSix]

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

Do you know about Mike on the VFR Facebook page who quite often had reproduction pipes made?

I opted for the cheaper version of buying blackbird braided flexible hoses on eBay for half the price but have the right end fittings 

Didn't realise either of those were options 🙈 I ended up pulling the trigger on some second hand ones off eBay instead...

[Rustybullethole]

Bit more time on the lanes. Linked up a good bit more on my route home from work through Oxfordshire and Berkshire. All pretty easy going as very dry of late though some slightly technical bits mainly involving deep ruts. Be interesting in the wet especially the chalky sections.

Up and out by 7 this morning and not long home. Did a load of the Kent byways before they got busy with dog walkers and the like. 

Stopped to chat to some lovely horse riding ladies, waved at some joggers and had a chin wag with three other bikers including a lad on a T7 World Raid doing the southern tet loop camping along the way. 

Stopped also to pick some wild garlic thinking it would ingratiate me with the mrs. 

Mrs liked the flowers and seemed to enjoy calling me a twat when she reminded me its the leaves that are more useful.

Better do it again before the season is through. 

[mat_the_cat]

On 19/04/2025 at 12:56, Stinkwheel said:

I opted for the cheaper version of buying blackbird braided flexible hoses on eBay for half the price but have the right end fittings 

I did notice these had been done recently 👍

What's the difference between these and the originals? They look perfectly suitable to me.

[Cavcraft]

Sort of inadvertently pipped my previous best miles in a day today. Inadvertently because I hadn't checked the distance before leaving, and when I got to Bala, I think it was sub 50 miles, so didn't expect to do more than 110 or so...

...stopped by the lake for a quick gypsy's, didn't get a drink as was hoping to find somewhere at my destination...

 

There was a tidy CX500 here...

 very pleasant owner so had a brief chat. Then this Vespa rocked up so had a quick natter with the owner. I asked him how far he'd been, expecting him to say 15 miles or something...

Turned out to be a little* more than that: he'd come from Plymouth via his friends in Aberysywth and Devils Bridge with a stop over, then a night in Llandudno, then Bala and another stop on the way home before going back tomorrow. Absolute legend, 5 miles on a scooter sometimes feels like a round the world epic.

Anyhow, the plan had been to go past Bala to Llanuwchllyn (?) and then to Lake Vyrnwy which was the destination. I'd seen the photos Barratt uploaded on his vintage car run and found the hill/mountain roads he took so wanted to go through there to the lake. A few miles up this pass, it branched left to where I wanted to go, but it said 'roads closed, residents only'. I thought sod it, if I can't get through on a bike it's no harm to come back again. Got a mile or two down there and a cyclist said even he couldn't pass, so I turned round and went back to the junction...

...and ended up taking a very long windy road (as above) to Dinas Mawddwy. From there it was on to the way to Welshpool, then a cafe stop, Llangadfan I think the village was...

Just after this I missed the turn off for Lake Vyrnwy, so sacked it off and came via Meifod...

...where there possibly one of the most Autoshite houses possible...

...then home via The Groves in town for the usual catch up with the scooter and bike lads. 

End tally was...

 Very, very happy with that, and will be doing that route again without a shadow of doubt. 

Everytime I ride this bike I find I love it more. It's brilliant on twisties and straights and just great to ride. Not being all that experienced or fond of going too quick, I have to say the average 50mph zones and sections of 40 limits helped, as it'd be very easy to run out of talent on some of those roads.

Edit: MPG worked out at 85.75 which I'm very happy with.

[Cavcraft]

It wasn't all plain sailing. My sat nav survived 60-65mph on the A55 then sadly a short while later jumped ship somewhere

[Rustybullethole]

Looks a cracking day out that 👍🏽

[hairnet]

what a flange

rusty teach him off road will ya

 

[Asimo]

Spent a long time in a Hereford traffic jam today, next to a Honda 350 four;  L suffix, so 1972 ish. 

Did that model come to the UK?  I remember the 500 four, and the later 400, but a 350 is new to me.

It was in perfect used condition, not obviously restored but worn and stained in all of the right places.

Rider got bored eventually and did a U-turn across the centre strip.

[Iamgroot]

On 20/04/2025 at 18:13, Cavcraft said:

There was a tidy CX500 here...

 very pleasant owner so had a brief chat.

Was his name Kev by any chance?

On 20/04/2025 at 18:13, Cavcraft said:

Know that house well, I always slow down going past

[Cavcraft]

39 minutes ago, Iamgroot said:

Was his name Kev by any chance?

Know that house well, I always slow down going past

Not sure to be honest, he said lived in Mold if that helps?

One day (ship coming in moment) I'd love to buy that little petrol station in Meifod.

[Jerzy Woking]

Riding around Andalucia again for the last couple of days.

The more I explore it, the more brilliant roads I find. The Alto de Velefique is still stunning, despite this being my 5th visit here since December.

[Iamgroot]

1 hour ago, Cavcraft said:

Not sure to be honest, he said lived in Mold if that helps?

One day (ship coming in moment) I'd love to buy that little petrol station in Meifod.

Ah, not my mate Kev that's a serial CX licker then.

There was the arse end of a rotten bike visible in the yard of that old petrol station, I pulled over one day to go and ask and it was gone, probably a close shave! 

[hairnet]

20 minutes ago, Jerzy Woking said:

Riding around Andalucia again for the last couple of days.

The more I explore it, the more brilliant roads I find. The Alto de Velefique is still stunning, despite this being my 5th visit here since December.

bassa

[hairnet]

@Cavcraft and another locals

wanna do mold ruthin and other bits saturday?

need to go out fuck sitting in the house

[Cavcraft]

2 minutes ago, hairnet said:

@Cavcraft and another locals

wanna do mold ruthin and other bits saturday?

need to go out fuck sitting in the house

I might struggle Saturday (working in morning) but definitely be up for it another time.

[hairnet]

afternoon would be ok - avoidance of sunday herberts

[Stinkwheel]

On 20/04/2025 at 17:52, mat_the_cat said:

I did notice these had been done recently 👍

What's the difference between these and the originals? They look perfectly suitable to me.

the originals are hard lines with rubber sections, the mild steel of the hardlines corrodes and leaves you with leaky oil pipes.

Some people bodge them repeatedly with JBWELD or similar, some people buy good used, some people buy the reproduced ones (when available) and other just use generic flexi braided honda blackbird lines (like on yours)

[UltraWomble]

Saw this on facebollocks

[castros_bro]

So Portugal has decided that road going motocycles/tricycles/ quads no longer need annual inspection (MOT). Seems to be move to get more persons on small two wheelers for environmental reasons.

https://www.olx.pt/carros-motos-e-barcos/motociclos-scooters/?page=3&search[order]=filter_float_price%3Aasc

[Cavcraft]

14 hours ago, UltraWomble said:

Saw this on facebollocks

🤣🤣

[martc]

18 hours ago, UltraWomble said:

Saw this on facebollocks

Top bants, miserable as usual. Doesn't wave.

YMCA

[Snake Charmer]

On 22/04/2025 at 18:49, Asimo said:

Spent a long time in a Hereford traffic jam today, next to a Honda 350 four;  L suffix, so 1972 ish. 

Did that model come to the UK?  I remember the 500 four, and the later 400, but a 350 is new to me.

I remember the 350/4 from books and magazines at the time as a US model, l have a vague memory of seeing one at a bike rally in the 70s. 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

1973 CB500K update. Have submitted V55/5 application to DVLA as historic vehicle. Fingers crossed. Applications can take weeks, so need to be patient.... Have been replacing fuel pipe, adding inline fuel filter, lashing the carbs with carb cleaner and fixing the chain & stowed main stand interaction by adding a longer bolt to the stand stop. I'm trying not to spend pending DVLA reply, but beer driven eBay interaction has seen a stock Honda front airbox and inlet rubbers bought as pod filters are gash. Who buys a cafe racer and sets about putting it back to stock? ME! 👀

[martc]

4 hours ago, Snake Charmer said:

I remember the 350/4 from books and magazines at the time as a US model, l have a vague memory of seeing one at a bike rally in the 70s. 

I think the 350/4 was for the French market. Prior to pan Europe harmonisation they had a tax and or insurance break at 350cc. Moto Guzzi also made smaller versions of bigger bikes, in particular the V35, V35 Imola and V35 Florida for France.

We had a similar situation in the UK where cc based insurance made some desirable bikes uncompetitive and uneconomic to buy, the Honda CB900 was actually 902cc so fell into the next insurance bracket reducing sales as it was competing with hairy chested 1000cc bikes. MZ's small bike was the TS150 in most countries, but for the UK they reduced it to 125cc to fall into the learner bracket, a good move as it was often the best selling learner.

 

[Stinkwheel]

1 hour ago, Hawkeyethenoo said:

1973 CB500K update. Have submitted V55/5 application to DVLA as historic vehicle. Fingers crossed. Applications can take weeks, so need to be patient.... Have been replacing fuel pipe, adding inline fuel filter, lashing the carbs with carb cleaner and fixing the chain & stowed main stand interaction by adding a longer bolt to the stand stop. I'm trying not to spend pending DVLA reply, but beer driven eBay interaction has seen a stock Honda front airbox and inlet rubbers bought as pod filters are gash. Who buys a cafe racer and sets about putting it back to stock? ME! 👀

I think it’s an admirable thing to return a cafe racer’ed bike back to more standard. A lot of folks who do the modifications don’t seem to realise they are making the bike run and ride worse with their ‘cafe racer improvements’ 

Don’t even get me started on how badly bikes tend to run on pod filters (unless a lot of expensive rolling road work has been done)

[Cavcraft]

My old 750/4 chop had these type of air filter covers on...

...they looked good, but were as much use as a pogo stick to Heather Mills.

[Snake Charmer]

2 hours ago, martc said:

I think the 350/4 was for the French market. Prior to pan Europe harmonisation they had a tax and or insurance break at 350cc. Moto Guzzi also made smaller versions of bigger bikes, in particular the V35, V35 Imola and V35 Florida for France.

We had a similar situation in the UK where cc based insurance made some desirable bikes uncompetitive and uneconomic to buy, the Honda CB900 was actually 902cc so fell into the next insurance bracket reducing sales as it was competing with hairy chested 1000cc bikes. MZ's small bike was the TS150 in most countries, but for the UK they reduced it to 125cc to fall into the learner bracket, a good move as it was often the best selling learner.

 

Were they popular in France?

[Stinkwheel]

Nice day for it, 100 miles this morning on some of the lovely roads round here

The bargain basement SV has turned out to be a pretty damn good purchase, which is nice 

[MrGTI6]

Just got back home after a spontaneous 80-mile ride and decided to follow it up with an equally spontaneous BBQ. 

Hoping for many more days like this in 2025!

[martc]

20 hours ago, Snake Charmer said:

Were they popular in France?

Don't know about the Honda but I think the Moto Guzzis sold well.