The Bikeshite Thread

[Cavcraft]

On 10/06/2025 at 19:52, myglaren said:

Swiped from 'Quora'

https://qr.ae/pAVM5B

"I sold the Harley I wasn't riding to buy this 1959 Vespa 150. It's got a new engine and works perfectly in the 2-stroke madness it likes to indulge in. I decided to keep it looking ratty with a clear coat of eggshell because that patina is irreplaceable. "Rusty but Trusty" is well known and admired in my neighbourhood. The old suitcase is for my helmet. The books are in fact hollow fibreglass so the helmet fits in. Made it myself.

For me, it's an ideal machine for popping around. The Harley turned every trip into an occasion, but Rusty is just a fun, trouble-free bit of nonsense that makes everyone smile. It will do 45mph and complains like a grumpy old man if I try to squeeze any more out of it. No one tries to race me because obviously, they would win. The four-speed twisty gear selector was a little awkward at first but I'm pretty used to it. I have to add 2-stroke oiled in the correct proportion when I fill up, but that's not a major inconvenience. I see it more as an entertaining quirk of a lovely little machine full of analogue charm".

A trouble free Vespa? Guessing he's only ridden it once.

[Cavcraft]

In boring news, I've been doing a 50 mile each way commute this week down the A55.  Used the car the first day, them decided I needed to man up and go on the BM instead. More because I'd like to do some long runs and I've always preferred driving rather than riding down bypasses/motorways. 

Anyhow, the first day was windy AF and a bit overcast, but the second day was nice and bright. Actually enjoyed it more than the car, so if the forecast doesn't suggest thunder and rain, I'll be using it more. 

It was slightly intrusive noise wise (single pot working hard) but felt like it'd sit at 70 (and more) all day long and found you can tune out to the noise. Also glad I didn't get a noisy exhaust as it'd get on my tits. Fuel consumption suffered due to the wind/hills/faster than usual speed, but you can't have it all.

[DeanH]

4 hours ago, Stinkwheel said:

Knobblies can be a swine, I've had some really stiff sidewall ones in the past that put up a real fight. Most road type tyres or dual purpose ones are usually fine. Tall and thin are harder as there is less wheel 'well' for the tyre to dip into to allow enough give to get the bead over in my experience, not impossible, just harder. 

 

4 hours ago, AltheJazzman said:

I fitted my own tyres, but only because they have inner tubes, and they are not very wide, so easy to handle and don't need a perfect bead seal. 

I'll have a bash at it. Can always give up and pay the man.

[Dave_Q]

I've  sweated on 12" Vespa tyres in my garage with levers, I reckon a 17" + would be pretty easy.

[Barry Cade]

Just done the tyres on the Tiger, 17"  120 and 180. Breaking the bead is the worst I think, I use a big G clamp.  Popped them both back on the bead with a little 12v compressor- take the valve core out first..  I've never balanced bike wheels and never noticed a difference.

[andy18s]

On 12/06/2025 at 19:11, DeanH said:

Thanks. I really enjoyed doing it, it was surprisingly simple.

They're tubed knobblies. 3.00x19 and 3.50x18 if size makes a difference to the difficulty.

It depends on how kind you want to be to the wheels themselves. If a few little marks don't bother then give it a go.

Be sure to get a decent tyre iron set beforehand though.

[Rustybullethole]

4 minutes ago, andy18s said:

It depends on how kind you want to be to the wheels themselves. If a few little marks don't bother then give it a go.

Be sure to get a decent tyre iron set beforehand though.

You can get bead protectors. Saying that i've never used them. Being careful with good levers is good enough for me. Not that I've never marked a wheel mind, just more that i'm not too bothered. 

[Dave_Q]

I managed to sell my Vespa so am on the lookout for the next heap.

What I really want is what the cool kids had when I was at school which is Gilera Runner, Aprilia SR, or an Italjet Dragster.

Just posting in case anyone has some prime 90s/00s italo-ped shite stashed, not too fussed if 50 or 125.

[castros_bro]

On 15/06/2025 at 09:08, Dave_Q said:

I managed to sell my Vespa so am on the lookout for the next heap.

What I really want is what the cool kids had when I was at school which is Gilera Runner, Aprilia SR, or an Italjet Dragster.

Just posting in case anyone has some prime 90s/00s italo-ped shite stashed, not too fussed if 50 or 125.

 Not quite fitting your preference............                   Iceni CAMmag market place

[tom13]

Just got a Benelli TNT as I always wanted a Grom and this was the cheaper alternative.

Fuck me it's expensive to insure a 125. Any tips or tricks to get it down.

[MrGTI6]

The previous time I filled up the Sprint, I used E10 for the first time. Not out of choice; it was the only option at the garage I was at and I didn't fancy chancing going to the next place due to the temperamental fuel gauge. 

The plan was to chuck a few quid in and top up with E5 later, but auto-pilot kicked in and I ended up brimming the tank. This was last week. 

It seemed happy enough for the rest of the day and indeed the following day. But fast forward to this morning and I could tell it wasn't running quite right.

Nothing horrendous, and the triple clatters a bit on tickover by design anyway. But it seemed particularly grumpy below 2500rpm-ish

It felt particularly hesitant/stuttery when pulling away and the easiest workaround was to slip the clutch a bit which I generally try to avoid doing. It cut out a couple of times while waiting at a junction then at a busy roundabout. Restarted absolutely fine on both occasions.

So I topped it up with E5 and within a couple of miles it seemed a lot happier and continued to improve until eventually it felt normal again. The lumpiness on tickover has gone and the stuttering at low revs seems to have completely disappeared. 

Although it's fuel-injected, it's still a 26-year-old bike and as expected it much prefers the expensive stuff.

[hairnet]

Dave kwoos bike did the equivalent of 125 mpg from Wallingford to Bbradford Bbrighouse

 

[Cavcraft]

On that subject, my fuel light flashed as soon as I got on the bypass today. Was going go peel off and go to the BP garage, but last time I put their E5 in one of the bikes, it ran like a pile of shit, so I carried on another few miles and put Shell (E5) in as I've never had a problem with that.

 

164.9 per litre though

[catsinthewelder]

4 hours ago, tom13 said:

Just got a Benelli TNT as I always wanted a Grom and this was the cheaper alternative.

Fuck me it's expensive to insure a 125. Any tips or tricks to get it down.

I paid about £80-90 to insure mine (riding on a CBT) but I can't remember if that was 3rd party or TPFT.  It's worth £fuck all and lives outside although I doubt I told the insurance either of those things.

[hairnet]

On 15/06/2025 at 09:08, Dave_Q said:

I managed to sell my Vespa so am on the lookout for the next heap.

What I really want is what the cool kids had when I was at school which is Gilera Runner, Aprilia SR, or an Italjet Dragster.

Just posting in case anyone has some prime 90s/00s italo-ped shite stashed, not too fussed if 50 or 125.

🤣

gorilla on a bicycle

[hairnet]

6 hours ago, tom13 said:

Just got a Benelli TNT as I always wanted a Grom and this was the cheaper alternative.

Fuck me it's expensive to insure a 125. Any tips or tricks to get it down.

buy something thats not a 125

[scdan4]

6 hours ago, tom13 said:

Just got a Benelli TNT as I always wanted a Grom and this was the cheaper alternative.

Fuck me it's expensive to insure a 125. Any tips or tricks to get it down.

Own it for more than a year without crashing it or having it nicked, second year will be noticeably cheaper 

[tom13]

19 minutes ago, scdan4 said:

Own it for more than a year without crashing it or having it nicked, second year will be noticeably cheaper 

I have no claims already. My 600 was way cheaper to insure.

You are right though. The longer you own a bike the cheaper it gets. 

[Barry Cade]

6 hours ago, MrGTI6 said:

The previous time I filled up the Sprint, I used E10 for the first time. Not out of choice; it was the only option at the garage I was at and I didn't fancy chancing going to the next place due to the temperamental fuel gauge. 

The plan was to chuck a few quid in and top up with E5 later, but auto-pilot kicked in and I ended up brimming the tank. This was last week. 

It seemed happy enough for the rest of the day and indeed the following day. But fast forward to this morning and I could tell it wasn't running quite right.

Nothing horrendous, and the triple clatters a bit on tickover by design anyway. But it seemed particularly grumpy below 2500rpm-ish

It felt particularly hesitant/stuttery when pulling away and the easiest workaround was to slip the clutch a bit which I generally try to avoid doing. It cut out a couple of times while waiting at a junction then at a busy roundabout. Restarted absolutely fine on both occasions.

So I topped it up with E5 and within a couple of miles it seemed a lot happier and continued to improve until eventually it felt normal again. The lumpiness on tickover has gone and the stuttering at low revs seems to have completely disappeared. 

Although it's fuel-injected, it's still a 26-year-old bike and as expected it much prefers the expensive stuff.

I think you need to get it on tune ECU. Never had an issue with E5 on Trumpets or any bike ?

Just redid a 98 speed triple and an updated mp smoothed it right out.

[Barry Cade]

Just sold this wee thing. Bought it as a non runner project, it had done 1200 miles and has never been motd.. ridden for a year then dry stored. Insurance was 80% of my Tiger 1050! 

I got 38mph out of it and I was giggling my head off 😆. Most fun I've had on 2 wheels in ages..  until I went on the big roads.

F*ck that!

 

[MrGTI6]

21 minutes ago, Barry Cade said:

I think you need to get it on tune ECU. Never had an issue with E5 on Trumpets or any bike ?

 

Apologies, perhaps my last post was unclear. It runs perfectly on E5. It seemed less happy on E10 but there is reference to a re-map somewhere in amongst all the paperwork. Perhaps the lower octane rating didn't agree with it?

Either way it seems fine now. I'm keen to avoid E10 anyway because the fuel tanks are prone to corrosion on these. The higher the ethanol content the more moisture will be absorbed, or at least that's my understanding.

I'll monitor it going forward but hoping that sticking to E5 will keep it running smoothly. Fingers crossed!

[Barry Cade]

45 minutes ago, MrGTI6 said:

Apologies, perhaps my last post was unclear. It runs perfectly on E5. It seemed less happy on E10 but there is reference to a re-map somewhere in amongst all the paperwork. Perhaps the lower octane rating didn't agree with it?

Either way it seems fine now. I'm keen to avoid E10 anyway because the fuel tanks are prone to corrosion on these. The higher the ethanol content the more moisture will be absorbed, or at least that's my understanding.

I'll monitor it going forward but hoping that sticking to E5 will keep it running smoothly. Fingers crossed!

Sorry, I meant E10!  The plastic tanks have a real problem with bubbling and blistering, not sure if e5 or e10 makes any difference. 

I've never noticed the slightest bit of difference in any of my bikes with any type of fuel. Asda or Shell optimax.  Maybe it's just me!

[hairnet]

ffs thats a long time ago............

[Mudster]

I bought this little PCX125 back in 2016 to get to the office. Saved me about 45 minutes a day and £80 a month in fuel compared to the car. 

Of course we then had the great work from home reset and the poor thing has mostly been tucked up in the garage, but I just couldn’t bear to part with it. It’s done about 200 miles in the last 5 years so I faced up to it and did the only logical thing. Bought a bigger one.

So it’s goodbye PCX

 

And it’s hello Burgman 400

First impressions are it’s happy to cruise up to 60-65mph and gets a bit vibratey after that. Suits me as I got it for something to chill out and cruise around on.

Front brakes feel wooden and need a good pull (don’t we all?) but rear is demon. Breathe on the rear lever and ABS kicks in.

Will have a proper look if the front sliders are still sliding and threaten it with some fresh fluid. 
 

Overall pretty happy - insurance even came down from £100 to £80. Go figure.

[DeanH]

Just been out for a bimble blast on the CT125. Almost FTP'd but managed to nurse it home again. Seemed to develop a misfire, initially at full throttle but by the time I got home it was barely rideable.

I'm fairly sure it's unrelated to my recent attempt at a clutch change. I think it's just become apparent because previously I wasn't able to give it full throttle.

What does everyone reckon to this plug? 

[bangernomics]

Looks very haynes manual brown to me but apparently I am colour blind when it comes to paint and furniture.

[DeanH]

3 minutes ago, bangernomics said:

Looks very haynes manual brown to me but apparently I am colour blind when it comes to paint and furniture.

Brown = ok?

[bangernomics]

Brown good

[Stinkwheel]

3 minutes ago, bangernomics said:

Brown good

I was really disappointed when Haynes stopped putting that into the manuals

[DeanH]

I'm thinking it's fuel related rather than ignition.

I don't think it's the spark deteriorating under heat/load because if I dipped the clutch it idled nicely.

I'll see whether the issue is the same from cold today. If it is I suspect the main jet could be blocked.