The Bikeshite Thread

[cobblers]

Apprentice at work today decided to "clean the chain" on his 125 at lunchtime.

 

I found out afterwords that he did it by running the thing in gear on the center stand, with an old towel held round the chain with some degreaser.

 

He's somehow still got all his fingers but obviously the towel got pulled in and wound round the sprockets etc, Luckily the chain was mega baggy so it didn't bend it too much when it got thrown off.

[Guest Hooli]

Clever lad? to keep his fingers.

 

Silly lad to degrease a non O-ring chain.

[cobblers]

This was about an hour after I told him not to use degreaser on it and just wipe the worst of the shit off with a cloth or somert.

[Guest Hooli]

Look on the bright side, he can ignore your advice while learning how to change a chain n sprockets soon.

[Cavcraft]

New toy arrived earlier, been out for my first blast. Not opened it up (running in) but seems like it wants to pull quite well...

 

[pilninggas]

Gamma work continues.

 

Whilst cleaning grime from the bike I noticed two holes in the near side spannie. So took them off this morning and welded the holes up. Cleaned them off, sanded and repainted. They are now drying and already look x100 better.

 

Recieved the brake pads so started tearing the front brakes down. Usual nonsense with the MC screws, one came out after I knocked a star-bit into it, the other required drilling out and the stem turning out with mole grips.

 

Removed off side caliper [it has a really odd, old-school hole union arrangement]. Dug out a set of braided hoses I acquired a while back to fit and then discovered the banjos i had are 1.25 pitch, not the 1.0 used by Suzuki. Hopefully raceboltuk.com will have my order ready to collect tomorrow. I'll refit the exhausts anyway first thing tomorrow. Doesnt look like it'll be MOT'd till next week, but no problem, at least it'll be in tip top trim when it is.

 

 

 

[hairnet]

New toy arrived earlier, been out for my first blast. Not opened it up (running in) but seems like it wants to pull quite well...

 

scomadi1.jpg

only thing youll pull

[strangeangel]

only thing youll pull

 

Sez you on a CB500

 

I like the idea of the Scomadi, hope it works as intended (the looks of the Lambretta without any of the, er, issues).

[strangeangel]

Apprentice at work today decided to "clean the chain" on his 125 at lunchtime.

 

I found out afterwords that he did it by running the thing in gear on the center stand, with an old towel held round the chain with some degreaser.

 

Jesus. I hope whatever he's an apprentice in doesn't involve sharp objects etc.

[LostnotFound]

Mod 1 passed.... half way there 

[Cavcraft]

Mod 1 passed.... half way there 

 

Well done!

[hairnet]

Sez you on a CB500

 

I like the idea of the Scomadi, hope it works as intended (the looks of the Lambretta without any of the, er, issues).

11 of 28 european countries and counting too busy for laydeez

[hairnet]

Jesus. I hope his whatever he's an apprentice in doesn't involve sharp objects etc.

making tea only remit

[pilninggas]

Gamma update (seeing as other posts were liked)

 

Fitted new pads and hoses yesterday. Took me a good few hours to bleed the calipers. Normally it's about 30 mins work on a twin disc front for a new hose install. I can only assume it's due to the older caliper design, with more spaces for air to lurk before it gets expelled - clearly nissin or sumitomo or whoever made them for Suzuki knew it was a flaw as each half of the caliper has a bleed nipple. Brakes feel firmer [fresh fluid probably the main reason]. It'll be good to get the pads bedded in, the old pads were glazed and horrid (probably fitted decades ago).

 

Just refitted the spannies and the fairing. It sounds so sweet now. It's never sounded like this before.

 

Want to get out on the road, but have a wedding this afternoon, so it's have to wait until monday.

[castros_bro]

Apprentice at work today decided to "clean the chain" on his 125 at lunchtime.

 

I found out afterwords that he did it by running the thing in gear on the center stand, with an old towel held round the chain with some degreaser.

 

He's somehow still got all his fingers but obviously the towel got pulled in and wound round the sprockets etc, Luckily the chain was mega baggy so it didn't bend it too much when it got thrown off.

 

Think you should encourage him in a sensible way.  Previously people learned things by doing stuff and getting it wrong where as now in our "risk adverse" society fewer people are willing to do things in case they fail.

[Jazoli]

Update, I've gone from a 160bhp R1, via a 110bhp Street Triple to a 70bhp Kawasaki, I've always gone the other way with bhp but after trying to hold onto my licence on both of the previous bikes and realising that 130mph half mile long wheelies on a litre bike and utter twattery on a sports naked is a very good way of getting into trouble so I have bought this.

 

Just ridden it 100 miles home and its slow and the brakes are shit but its brilliant!

 

[Guest Hooli]

I've got a mate who went from a GSX14 to one of those & much prefers it for touring.

[Jerzy Woking]

Couple of my mates in France ride FJR1300's all day at work, but both have a 600 Versys each as their own bikes, they rate them very highly-evident in their ability to bugger off in the distance. Both have grafted on an FJR screen to give a little more weather protection which seems a reasonable mod for here.

[Jazoli]

Couple of my mates in France ride FJR1300's all day at work, but both have a 600 Versys each as their own bikes, they rate them very highly-evident in their ability to bugger off in the distance. Both have grafted on an FJR screen to give a little more weather protection which seems a reasonable mod for here.

They can be made to hustle that's for sure, i bought it from a guy who lives on one of my local routes, i was no slower on the way back than I would have been on the Street Triple, as Hooli will attest I like to change bikes a lot but I'm quite impressed with the little kwak.

[Guest Hooli]

Going to keep this one long enough to need refill the tank?

[Jazoli]

Going to keep this one long enough to need refill the tank?

 

its quite a big tank so who knows.......

[hairnet]

put 40 k on one of these in 2 years

 

sold it cos bits arent shared with other kwaks so expensive and dealers not handy round here

 

cornwall kawasaki website has microfiches and part numbers

 

the stick coils fail - denso ones can be bought for half the price of kwak ones

 

 

[strangeangel]

The rank moped is nearly ready to face the MOT tester! Who doesn't love an underdog?

 

Drilled out and tapped a new thread after the big bolt that holds the mudguard on snapped. I inherited all sorts of stuff from Fatha_SA's garage after he passed away, but I've never used his taps before this. Cheers, Dad.

 

 

All that's left now is the handlebar cover. I've found a reasonably priced one in Belgium, but the website doesn't give international postage options, so I'm hoping they can be persuaded to sell it to me.

 

[doug]

Have not seen haystackes like this for years so stopped to take a photo. Where is a sepia filter when you need it.

 

[Cavcraft]

That Bonny is quite simply beautiful.

[doug]

Thanks, it did me proud today. Went to the Triumph shop in Glasgow and when leaving in front of a crowd it started first kick. It has NEVER started first kick before.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Who stacks hay like that these days?

Was it a smallholding?

Looks bigger.

 

In other bike related news, I bought a Team Honda Pepsi graphics kit for the 96 CR125 and fitted it this weekend with awesome period correct coolness.

Pics when I'm not on my phone.

 

I thought I was done with two stroke but I've fully got the horn for it again.

 

[doug]

Its a smallholding there is an ancient tractor in the yard. Bet the barn is full of treasures as well.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Nice. Haven't seen that for years, the farm I worked on was always 20 years behind everyone else but even we had a baler.

We young 'uns had to group them together for the big fellas to pitch fork them on the trailer.

Good times.

Bale sled and grab saw those jobs made redundant. Big fellas had to fight in pubs to prove who was hardest after that.

[pilninggas]

Just got a year's ticket on the Gamma. The bike feels superb. Before i couldn't bear riding it across town (cutting out at the lights, unrideable power delivery, feeble brakes etc). Now it pulls like it should, cleanly but slow low down and then like a small GP bike up top. Fresh fluid, braided hoses, pads and clean pistons have done wonders for stopping power too. One advisory on the print-out, rear tyre cracking, will need to do that at some point.

 

Ended up shooting the shit with the MOT guy for a good 45 mins. He's a proper shite-ist himself, even if he doesn't know it. A workshop full of old superdreams, diversions, old honda trailies etc. He's got a C2 as a daily and a Sovereign in his garage.