The Bikeshite Thread

[hairnet]

utter tart?

not used mine in two months

must fix that

[tom13]

11 hours ago, mat_the_cat said:

I did my first long trip (350 miles) a few weeks back, visiting a friend in South Wales.

Very enjoyable few days, apart from nearly getting sideswiped as I was overtaking a queue of cars.

After that, I decided to sort out a few bits and bobs with it. My mate gave me a Scottoiler, so I set about fitting that.

There was a perfect sized recess for the reservoir, next to the battery, so that went in.

I needed to replace the thermostat, as it rarely warmed up - should have been a simple job, except...

Although a replacement housing was only £13 delivered, so very reasonable.

Then one of the mounting lugs snapped off the radiator, and it was all looking a bit crusty anyway so bought a decent looking 2nd hand one.

One of the fork seals had started to leak despite being a recent replacement. Not sure why as the stanchions appear smooth. I've popped a new one on for now and will keep an eye on it. I didn't have a suitable tube to drive in the new seal, so I improvised with a bit of tape and used the fork as a slide hammer.

I think I've mentioned this before, but the front rim on this had corroded, and was causing a slow leak. I'm not a fan of black wheels anyway, so I decided on a bit of a colour change. From this...

...to this.

I wasn't sure whether the colour would be a bit much, but I reckon it suits the blue/purple fairly well.

New wheel colour looks good. 

[Stinkwheel]

13 hours ago, mat_the_cat said:

I did my first long trip (350 miles) a few weeks back, visiting a friend in South Wales.

Very enjoyable few days, apart from nearly getting sideswiped as I was overtaking a queue of cars.

After that, I decided to sort out a few bits and bobs with it. My mate gave me a Scottoiler, so I set about fitting that.

There was a perfect sized recess for the reservoir, next to the battery, so that went in.

I needed to replace the thermostat, as it rarely warmed up - should have been a simple job, except...

Although a replacement housing was only £13 delivered, so very reasonable.

Then one of the mounting lugs snapped off the radiator, and it was all looking a bit crusty anyway so bought a decent looking 2nd hand one.

One of the fork seals had started to leak despite being a recent replacement. Not sure why as the stanchions appear smooth. I've popped a new one on for now and will keep an eye on it. I didn't have a suitable tube to drive in the new seal, so I improvised with a bit of tape and used the fork as a slide hammer.

I think I've mentioned this before, but the front rim on this had corroded, and was causing a slow leak. I'm not a fan of black wheels anyway, so I decided on a bit of a colour change. From this...

...to this.

I wasn't sure whether the colour would be a bit much, but I reckon it suits the blue/purple fairly well.

Looks lovely on the gold wheels 👍

[mat_the_cat]

This has previously had fairing protector 'mushrooms' fitted, which are probably sensible, but don't look great. Especially as I think they have been cut down in the past, and aren't quite square.

This would be a simple lathe job to square it off and round the edges - but I don't own a lathe.

I do however possess a drill, an angry grinder with flap disc, and a reasonably steady hand.

A Stanley blade did an acceptable job of marking out where to square it to. And below is the end result!

[Heidel_Kakao]

The CB1000F has finally been announced and should be at dealers in February 2026. It's been detuned somewhat from the Hornet to 122BHP which is a bit disappointing but it's still 10 odd more than a Z900RS. £10,599 is the base price but adding the sport pack and a couple of other options brings it to £12,000 so it looks like it will be good value and I am pretty sure it will be my next bike and out of the three colour schemes I shall be going with the black one.

[Shandylegs]

Didn't think we'd get much more decent weather this year, but it's glorious out there so had a little run out over the Woodhead to see the daughter in Manchester.

Finally found the second kick at 9k, it goes well (only in a straight line though 🫣).

On my way back now and just having 10 minute hip rest 🤣)

[Cavcraft]

On 10/10/2025 at 19:53, Heidel_Kakao said:

The CB1000F has finally been announced and should be at dealers in February 2026. It's been detuned somewhat from the Hornet to 122BHP which is a bit disappointing but it's still 10 odd more than a Z900RS. £10,599 is the base price but adding the sport pack and a couple of other options brings it to £12,000 so it looks like it will be good value and I am pretty sure it will be my next bike and out of the three colour schemes I shall be going with the black one.

There's definitely a throw or two to the old CB750 and 900F. Not altogether sure about the headlight, but that's one nice looing bike.

[Fat_Pirate]

Managed to scratch the tank on my Pan Euro today, and I wasn't even riding it at the time.

Caught it with my belt buckle whilst angrily shoving it back into the garage, after coolant started pissing out within a couple of mins of being started.  Not investigated any further, I've got a cold and have had enough.

[martc]

Talking of new Hondas, I'm going to give this a good caught of looking at when I'm at the NEC show next month...

The hilariously named WN7. Why hilarious you ask, well W = Wind and N = Naked, yes it's the Honda Wind Naked 7. You'd have thought they'd have tried a little harder with their first electric bike.

I'm really enjoying the Zero but as most bikers, but not most bikers wives, know, we get itchy feet after a while and start looking around. I do have an excuse as my Zero came from a dealer in East Anglia and although the relationship has been very good they are over a hundred miles away and it's always been a bit of a worry. My nearest Honda dealer is 40 miles away.

Anyhow back to the WN7, details are very scarce. But we do know that it has about a third of the power of the Zero (18kW vs 52kW) and about two thirds the torque (100 Nm vs 140 Nm) but I'm not sure that will be a problem in the real world. The thing that makes me a bit twitchy is the range - I quote - 'more than 80 miles'. Zero quote 162 miles for mine, which is generous but just about doable so I'm guessing Honda, like Zero, are quoting the best possible figure you can get. I'm also guessing the Honda may have a smaller battery than the Zero but as it only ways 6kg lighter I don't know what is so heavy on the Honda if it's not the battery (the battery being the heaviest component by far, the weight being directly proportional to the number of cells). The Honda is water cooled and the Zero air cooled so that may explain some of the weight. I may be talking myself out of this but I'd like a sit on one. Starts from £12,999. https://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/experience-honda/register-interest-august-2025.html

Whilst at the NEC I'm also going to have a good look at the Can-Am Pulse. Now this is 35 kW with a 100 mile city range, still not as good as the Zero, but better than the Honda. It only weighs 177kg as the battery is half the size of the Zero, but it has water cooling which begs the question, again, why is the Honda is so heavy but has, potentially, the poorest range? The Can-Ams torque is lower at 72 Nm. It's a little cheaper (£11,399) and my nearest dealer is only 10 miles away. https://can-am.brp.com/on-road/gb/en/models/motorcycles/pulse.html

There's also the expensive option, an upgrade from my SR to a DSR/X, this has a similar chassis to the SR but a slightly larger battery giving a 179 mile range, the motor develops 75kW and there's 229 Nm torque and is the most expensive by far (£19,970). But the dealer is in East Anglia. https://zeromotorcycles.com/en-gb/model/zero-dsrx

Or I'll just stick with the SR.... (which needs a new front tyre as the original has squared off but annoyingly has plenty of tread left).

[Rustybullethole]

What does the man who has a broken GS and a breaker RS need? 

A broken RT of course.

Fixing it so far has involved a small fire and finding lots of gunk where petrol once was.

Had a go at saving the fuel pump but no dice. 'Ran when parked' so going with optimism and spending 40 sovs on a pattern pump and malle filter. 

Its got a front screen as big as the window in my flat and a muthafunkin stereo with speaker in the dash. Could make the commute to work over winter a far more comfortable experience than it is on the Himi. If it wants to live that is.

Technically this classes as thinning out the fleet as i've swapped it for two bikes. Those bikes are both honda qr50's which could be carried in the panniers of the Bm haha.

Edited November 5, 2025 by Rustybullethole

[mat_the_cat]

It's only a minor irritation, but the horn on this sounded really weedy.

Without wanting to be silly, I went for something a bit louder but still compact.

I don't know whether it comes out well enough on the video, but in real life it's a lot better.

I was still struggling to get the old front tyre to seal to the rim, so given that it wasn't the newest tyre, I ended up replacing it.

I've generally been a fan of Continentals, but tried a Michelin Pilot Road 4, as the place which fitted it (I didn't want to scratch the powder coat!) did me a good deal.

Next little job was to replace some of the fasteners. @Stinkwheel had already made a start on this, and the bike actually came with a few not yet fitted. I added a few more to my last David Silver order to complete the job on the front.

The old ones weren't too bad, but will have been taken off at least every time the wheel has come out, so seeing as I've had a caliper bolt fail before I replaced them for peace of mind.

[Stinkwheel]

Something happened yesterday, I'm more than over excited about it, I just cant tell you how much I like sporty 2 strokes. (well, i probably could actually)

 

[Rustybullethole]

Stinkywheels are the best. Enjoy.

[andy18s]

I still ride with a couple of fingers covering the clutch lever,just in case ..... 

I think the last 2 stroke I've ridden was my old man's GT750 Kettle in the late 90's. 

[Stinkwheel]

3 minutes ago, andy18s said:

I still ride with a couple of fingers covering the clutch lever,just in case ..... 

I think the last 2 stroke I've ridden was my old man's GT750 Kettle in the late 90's. 

Old habits die hard 👍

And remember folks, anymore than 2 strokes is masturbation 

[martc]

Well, I've been to the bike show at the NEC, it's always a joy and I saw some very interesting kit - the Langens and DOTs were almost jewel like, and made in the UK. Norton have rebranded themselves, for the worse in my humble opinion, particularly the new logo. They had some nice smaller twin cylinder bikes made in India and the great big V4's, but no Commando (sad face).

MotoGB, the chief importer of Chinese chod, had an absolutely groaning stand, possibly the biggest at the show, jam packed with bolides significantly better in quality and design than from a mere few years ago. The Morbidelli tourer was a lovely thing, although an Italian registered company, they are made in China alongside their Benelli cousins. But, like the Japanese in the '70's, the Chinese really need to get a grip of their names - there was a Hunk, but worse three Bendas, and of the three the worst name was the Benda Chincilla (cf the Datsun Cedric and Gloria).

Anyhow, I was there to consider a new electric bike, to replace my trusty Zero SR. And, to be honest, I think I'll be keeping it,

The Honda WN7 was a disappointment, the seat was hard and sloped forward, there was little character to it and worse Honda seemed embarrassed about it. It was hidden away and no sales person approached me at all when I gave it a good looking at (in fact they avoided talking to anyone looking at it). I wasn't too keen on it in the first place (heavy, underpowered and poor range) and my opinion has not changed.

The Can Am Pulse was nice, it was comfortable and nicely made if a little plasticy. It's considerably lighter than the Honda and has a better range (but still less than the SR). It could be on my shortlist, but the sales people where a bit cagey about my nearest dealer, they sort of hinted that it could be in 'Scotland' or 'Poole' both hundreds of miles away from me. Can Am will contact my nearest dealer and will ask them to ring me.

The Zero DSR, a little more comfortable than my SR, of which it has much in common. However I found the fairing a bit overwhelming, and something I don't really need. If they did one without I'd snap it up.

So, I think I'll be putting a new front tyre (and possibly a 'comfort' seat) on the SR and just keep it. Unless there's a Can Am dealer a little closer than Poole....

Oh, I had a good look at the Maevings as well. Now they are really no more than an electric 125 and so not what I'm looking for, but I thought they were absolutely fantastic, particularly the new RM2, and they're made in Coventry. If anyone wants a small commuter EV give them some serious thought. Or the brand new Zero LS1 scooter, quite a solid little thing.

 

 

 

 

[myglaren]

[Cavcraft]

On 14/11/2025 at 11:00, Stinkwheel said:

Something happened yesterday, I'm more than over excited about it, I just cant tell you how much I like sporty 2 strokes. (well, i probably could actually)

 

HUBBA HUBBA 😍😍

On 14/11/2025 at 19:10, andy18s said:

I still ride with a couple of fingers covering the clutch lever,just in case ..... 

 

The fingers on my left hand have become considerably more athritic feeling since riding Vespas and Lambrettas. 

[UltraWomble]

1 hour ago, martc said:

 

Oh, I had a good look at the Maevings as well. Now they are really no more than an electric 125 

£8000
HFM????

[5speedracer]

On 19/10/2025 at 17:09, martc said:

Talking of new Hondas, I'm going to give this a good caught of looking at when I'm at the NEC show next month...

The hilariously named WN7. Why hilarious you ask, well W = Wind and N = Naked, yes it's the Honda Wind Naked 7. You'd have thought they'd have tried a little harder with their first electric bike.

I'm really enjoying the Zero but as most bikers, but not most bikers wives, know, we get itchy feet after a while and start looking around. I do have an excuse as my Zero came from a dealer in East Anglia and although the relationship has been very good they are over a hundred miles away and it's always been a bit of a worry. My nearest Honda dealer is 40 miles away.

Anyhow back to the WN7, details are very scarce. But we do know that it has about a third of the power of the Zero (18kW vs 52kW) and about two thirds the torque (100 Nm vs 140 Nm) but I'm not sure that will be a problem in the real world. The thing that makes me a bit twitchy is the range - I quote - 'more than 80 miles'. Zero quote 162 miles for mine, which is generous but just about doable so I'm guessing Honda, like Zero, are quoting the best possible figure you can get. I'm also guessing the Honda may have a smaller battery than the Zero but as it only ways 6kg lighter I don't know what is so heavy on the Honda if it's not the battery (the battery being the heaviest component by far, the weight being directly proportional to the number of cells). The Honda is water cooled and the Zero air cooled so that may explain some of the weight. I may be talking myself out of this but I'd like a sit on one. Starts from £12,999. https://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/experience-honda/register-interest-august-2025.html

Whilst at the NEC I'm also going to have a good look at the Can-Am Pulse. Now this is 35 kW with a 100 mile city range, still not as good as the Zero, but better than the Honda. It only weighs 177kg as the battery is half the size of the Zero, but it has water cooling which begs the question, again, why is the Honda is so heavy but has, potentially, the poorest range? The Can-Ams torque is lower at 72 Nm. It's a little cheaper (£11,399) and my nearest dealer is only 10 miles away. https://can-am.brp.com/on-road/gb/en/models/motorcycles/pulse.html

There's also the expensive option, an upgrade from my SR to a DSR/X, this has a similar chassis to the SR but a slightly larger battery giving a 179 mile range, the motor develops 75kW and there's 229 Nm torque and is the most expensive by far (£19,970). But the dealer is in East Anglia. https://zeromotorcycles.com/en-gb/model/zero-dsrx

Or I'll just stick with the SR.... (which needs a new front tyre as the original has squared off but annoyingly has plenty of tread left).

IIRC the range and efficiency on Honda's EV offerings have been nothing to shout about.

[martc]

3 hours ago, 5speedracer said:

IIRC the range and efficiency on Honda's EV offerings have been nothing to shout about.

Yeah, the 'e''s range was purposefully kept low as it was touted as a 'city' car which seems to be madness to me in the UK, perhaps not to someone in Tokyo. Honda have released the range of the WN7 - 140km (87 miles), I guess this is for the best case scenario, I expect it to be lower in real life, which is pathetic considering it's the same size and weight as my Zero which I can stretch to 140 miles; Zero claim 163 miles. The Can Am range is 100 miles, it's more comfortable and much lighter (because it has a smaller battery, as does the Honda - so where is all it's weight?).

A couple of days ago I had a quick scan of You Tube to see if anyone had road tested a WN7 yet, they haven't. But I'll keep an eye out to see what actual range they get* before completely dismissing it.

*but I need to bare in mind that many testers will thrash it and get a ridiculously low range and then declare that all EV's are crap.

[martc]

On 19/11/2025 at 16:26, myglaren said:

That's probably as close as your average bad assed bro, sorry, middle ranking accountant has got to that sort of position since his honeymoon* 30 years ago.

*'I tired it once and didn't like it'

[mat_the_cat]

When I was replacing the horn, I noticed that there was a piece of the fairing missing.

I found an eBay seller with a few panels listed, and he was happy to just sell me this for a tenner, so it was bought and duly fitted along with new clips.

It made absolutely no detectable difference, but I *know* it's there and that counts!

[straightSix]

On 22/11/2025 at 20:17, mat_the_cat said:

When I was replacing the horn, I noticed that there was a piece of the fairing missing.

I found an eBay seller with a few panels listed, and he was happy to just sell me this for a tenner, so it was bought and duly fitted along with new clips.

It made absolutely no detectable difference, but I *know* it's there and that counts!

Good work! I've just started taking my VFR apart because the exhaust was blowing and I need to rebuild the clutch master cylinder and managed to crack a corner off one of the fairings 😭 Hopefully it can be plastic welded back together!

[tom13]

Little Spin on the local lanes yesterday. Wasn't actually too wet. Streams were all petty low as well. Roads were drying out nicely on the way home.

 

[Barry Cade]

I buy a project to keep me sane every winter, and now i have a lockup, I can work in the dry! A VERY cheap BMW R1100s came up on Gumtree,  just south of Aberdeen, so i messaged the chap, and paid for it unseen.. my 2nd R1100s, following an 1100RS, an R100RT, a K100LT ,650 Funduro and a K1100LT..I didn't really care what was wrong, as long as it was original and complete.. I HATE anything that has been blinged up,or has been modified. My boss let me take the Transit, so went up to collect it. The seller was old school proper decent chap, needed it gone quick and wanted a good home more than top dollar..

Strapped it in after a cup of coffee and a blether,it had 21,000 miles on it! A mate had stored it in a leaky garage for about 6 years so the front end was pretty crusty.

Half an hour in the lockup and it was running.. new fork stanchions,  seals and oil, calipers rebuilt, daft servo ABS removed, wiring gone through, full service (4 spark plugs!)  and fuel system gone through as well.  Everything works, even the heated grips 

 

Rear frame repainted , new battery, clutch slave rebuilt, disc bobbins rebuilt and back together. Took it out for a run and the exhaust snapped.. time to dig out the Temu sixty quid MIG.. a new exhaust is over a grand!

So my winter project is finished far too quickly, and I'm on the hunt for the next one.. still trying to find an early ZZR1100...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bmwdumptruck]

An S is still on my wish list.  Bought a 1200 Bandit earlier this year for summer fun, really enjoyed it, but I am thinking of selling it next spring to find something different.  One of these could be an option, but I fancy something Guzzi  or Aprilia as I’ve never had anything Italian yet.  And Triumphs have yet to appear in my history so maybe a SpeedTriple. 

[myglaren]

 

[93fxdl]

Son picked up a super cheap 1200 bandit, chain had come off and smashed the sprocket cover.

Carb rebuild some parts from the bay and it's ready for mot

[Fat_Pirate]

Took my VFR for a MOT yesterday, passed but not before I managed to drop it outside the garage.  That's the 5th time I've dropped it in the 13 years I've owned it, dunno why as it's not particularly heavy and I've had another dozen or so bikes pass through my hands without me chucking them at the tarmac.  It's fine though, nothing more than a few more scratches.