Dave's shonkers - continuing electroshite

[strangeangel]

Piston arse about face is an easy one to do (cough)... ask me how I know blud.

[DodgeRover]

Everybody does it once, then never ever makes that mistake again....

[Dave_Q]

Yes it ran before I stripped it, just badly due to the leaky cases - no idle, would only run on full throttle and only rev to about 5000.

 

The piston wrong way is definitely a possibility, I reused an old one so the arrow was there no more. 

 

It had a window in it, I'm about 75% sure it was pointing up towards the transfer port.

 

Typically I didn't take any photos of the piston or assembly, and my failing memory isn't helping here.

 

 

I have ordered a s/h reed block anyway for the sake of a fiver, will try that and if not will have to whip the top end off in situ. 

 

 

It's not going to be for a few days now as we've got estate agents coming to take photos of our house this week, apparently partially dismantled mopeds in the garden don't really give off the vibe that most buyers are looking for.

[bezzabsa]

 

 

 

It's not going to be for a few days now as we've got estate agents coming to take photos of our house this week, apparently partially dismantled mopeds in the garden don't really give off the vibe that most buyers are looking for.

surely they should be in the living room??

[DodgeRover]

Really the kitchen is the place for motorcycles, nice wipe clean floor, lots of handy benches, dishwasher for oil and grease removal and a sink for hand washing.

 

Window in piston should go to carb.

[Dave_Q]

Problem possibly diagnosed.

 

I went out today to pop on the new reed block, while the inlet was off I thought I'd look see if I could see the window in the piston.

 

Anyway I couldn't see the piston but I did see the cases are part full of coolant/water.

 

Guess the head or base gasket is leaking, will have the top end off and have a look.

[DodgeRover]

Oh arse! Should* be a simple fix though if that much coolant is leaking in lots of compression will be escaping or it's pulling in coolant rather than fuel.

[Mally]

Really the kitchen is the place for motorcycles, nice wipe clean floor, lots of handy benches, dishwasher for oil and grease removal and a sink for hand washing.

 

 piston should go on window sill.

ftfy

[Dave_Q]

Right, I splashed out £6 on a GENUINE M8 head gasket as when I took the head off the old one had been pinched. 

 

I emptied all the water out and rebuilt it and it still won't go (tried with no coolant in first)

 

The head seems to get slightly warm but it won't fire properly.

 

I know compression is only half the story on a 2 stroke but I checked it anyway:

 

 

It chugged up to about 50 psi after a few cranks, I've read that it should be more like 80-100psi.

 

It may just need rings, or a top end kit or something but the end of my tether has been reached. 

 

I do not want to spend any more money on it, considering that I had already planned to replace it with something bigger once running. 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122987076134

 

Open to offers if a shiter wants a project, it owes me about £250.

[Dave_Q]

Moped is now gone, a man off of ebay came and gave me £250 for it so it's now his problem. 

 

In the meantime I have agreed a deal to buy a SV650 locally, should be picking it up this week and will report back with pictures etc once acquired. 

 

The C8 continues to car, which is useful with it being my only car currently. 

The one car thing is starting to get to me a bit. I am being super good on that front as child #3 is due imminently and we should be moving house soon. 

The new house is a SPEARS OR REAPERS PROJEKT M9 so that will swallow spare funds for a good year or 2. 

 

A man can window shop though right?

Currently residing in Wantage town centre: the Subaru Forester STI.

 

I really liked my old Impreza, currently being expertly fondled by duganabe corporation via J-T also of this parish.

Twas a bit on the small side though, and you wouldn't get 3 child seats in the back. 

Enter the Forester:

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-Subaru-Forester-2-5-STi-SG9-JDM-Fresh-Import-5-Door/282711459934?hash=item41d2ea885e:g:IDUAAOSwDkVZ9GUl

 

Taller and (I think) a bit wider than the Impreza but actually pretty much the same platform underneath.

3 x 3 point seatbelts in the back for keeping the childrens safe while cornering at 1.1G and a nice big boot.

The STI versions have the 2.5 turbo from the later bugeye Impreza with 300ish bhp, all the usual STI bits eg nice seats and lairy bodykits and stickers. 

 

For me, this is pretty much the ultimate blend of practical family vehicle and ASBO twat chariot. Some may say it's not a looker but I reckon it looks GR12. A tad thirsty I imagine, but if you were keeping it maybe LPG?

Prices seem to range from £4-5k for a council owned high miler to £10-12k for a freshly landed minter. 

 

Naturally, as this is AS, what I'll probably end up with is an ex-farm £300 UK market S-turbo with no sills, but a man can dream right?

[J-T]

Brill, get an STI nutter bastard version, do all the belts and that awful concept known as maintenance again and I'll come buy it when you're bored.

 

This arrangement could run and run ????

[Dave_Q]

It's a deal m8. Just gimme a year or 2 to sort this house out first then I'm on it.

[loserone]

Why not an import twinscroll turbo legacy? More space, more practicality, more gluggage.

[Dave_Q]

You're not wrong and I deffo wouldn't kick one out of bed. Decent looker too the legacy, looks like it might have actually been styled rather than knocked out with a set square.

 

There do seem to be more foresters about, for slightly less money, and actually the fugliness is kinda appealing, at least to me.

 

I think you'd be winning at life with either tbh.

[J-T]

I bought a 3.0 legacy outback off kinkersaab on here a few years back (coz I buys all the subarus on AS, clearly). That was a nice steer but a bit too grown up compared to the turbos. Very smooth motor though, and they're pretty cheap now. Moved it on as the autobox started occasionally banging so hard into 2nd gear that each time it happened I thought it had exploded.

[loserone]

You can't have bought all the Subarus, I'm sitting in a 3.0 H6 spec B I bought from KinkerSaab just a few weeks ago!

[Dave_Q]

Can confirm this post contains no Subarus bought from KinkerSaab. 

 

Does contain SV650.

 

 

Soz no collection thread as it was only down the road in Lower Cumberworth (HOLD TITE MA HD8 KRU) so my mate just gave me a lift down on our lunch break.

 

Would probably have preferred a faired version, but a faired version didn't turn up on my doorstep with a years MOT for not many $$.

 

Chain is rusty and brakes are spongy but otherwise seems good, pretty impressed from the ride back tbh, faster than most of the reviews would lead you to think. 

 

Also, yellow.

[andy18s]

V nice,do look nice in yellow

I had a red faired version bought new from Oswestry Motorcycle Centre on an X plate

I was the last to buy a new bike from Dave as they shut not long after.....

[Dave_Q]

This one is on a W so very early. 

 

Been out a few times on it so formulating a to do list:

 

Choke doesn't work - will be seized choke plungers in the carbs, TADTS apparently.

Should be fixable with some elbow grease and penetrating oil, although I have splashed out £11 on a choke cable.

 

Front brake - getting better with use but still a tad spongy so will put some new fluid in.

 

Rear brake - works fine but the pedal has suffered some creative engineering to rebuild it after a crash:

 

 

New ones seem to be about £30 which seems steep for a smallish lump of metal, will keep an eye out for a second hand one. 

[strangeangel]

That looks pretty tidy! Surprised I've not seen it around given that it's from my manor.

 

Vee twin for the win

[Dave_Q]

I am pretty impressed with the engine, sounds good even with a standard can and has more power than any mortal needs on a UK road.

 

I'm glad I ended up with something different actually, lots of what I was looking at was inline 4 sportsbikes of which I had one quite recently.

 

This is a new type of engine for me and a new riding position, which I think I prefer to the bent over clip on style of a sportsbike.

 

Makes more sense in town and I also reckon the faired version of the SV would feel much too small for me whereas this doesn't?

 

Got another item for the to do list as well: oil filter is probably due for a change soonish.

 

[andy18s]

The nakeds came with slightly lower gearing than the faired bikes,and the higher and wider bars make for a more relaxed ride

One of the 1st jobs I did to my RF900 was to convert it to a 1200 Bandit top yoke,and the obligatory Renthals went on too

[Eddie Honda]

Foot rests are less rearset than the S too.

 

Ideal despatch tool...

 

DSCF0001 by macplaxton, on Flickr

[Jerzy Woking]

I bought a V registration SV650S (the faired one) from a mate of a mate because it was cheap and just needed a good clean, but I saw a good profit in it. I always thought these were "girls bikes". How wrong was I? Lovely bike, great handling and lovely motor, and riding position is great (for me). Prefer riding this to my CBR600, but that's a great bike too.

 

I've had it a few years now and from experience observed the following:

 

Keep the throttle cables and choke cables lubricated - I bought a cheap cable oiler and that does the job - the cables on mine were a complete and utter bastard to change.

 

Likewise the front cylinder exhaust studs. Conveniently situated right where the spray from the front wheel. I coated the studs and nuts with ACF50 and grease and occasionally undo it and do it up again and re grease it.

 

Keep an eye on the oil level - mine kept going down but engine never smoked. Turned out to be the (plastic) clutch cover had warped and leaking oil into the belly pan. Should be obvious on yours if this occurs.

 

 

Brakes work well but are rubbish in that mine are now stripped after each winter to clean the pistons and check the seals. Don't have to do this on any of my other bikes, seems unique to the SV (or at least to mine)

 

Had an issue with mine that had an odd charging issue in that sometimes it was charging at low revs, but wasn't at higher revs, and the battery was flat at the end of a ride and wouldn't start again. Changed the reg/rec for an aftermarket one but still this happened now and again. Stripped out the Datatool alarm, changed the reg/rec for a genuine Suzuki one, still flattened the battery from time to time. Eventually found the fault to be the reg/rec earth in the bikes loom wasn't always earthing,so ran a seperate earth lead from reg/rec to the battery. No issues since.

 

Can't see me ever selling this, as with 60,000 miles on it, it still runs as if it had done 10,000.

[Dave_Q]

Thanks Jerzy, that's a very helpful post.

 

Mine does have a few of the TADTS faults you mentioned, I've been reading through the forums for the fixes.

 

Choke plungers - as mentioned already.

Oil leak from clutch cover, yep, mine has this. Some people have managed to fix it by either cleaning the rust off the mating flange or sanding the plastic cover flat, will have a crack a this when I change the oil imminently.

Brakes - front definitely seems a bit weaker than I'd expect 2 X twin piston calipers to be, trying fresh fluid first then will try a strip & clean.

Reg rec/wiring - not had the multimeter on it yet but may do the wiring upgrade as a precaution.

Suspension - another common complaint, both front and rear seem to bottom out quite easily over potholes and stuff. Currently watching a cheap ZX636 shock on ebay, and looking for a stock spring from something else I can use to stiffen up the forks on the cheap.

[Jerzy Woking]

Have adjusters on the top of the forks on mine-not standard, were on there when I bought it. No idea what they are from.

 

Here is what happens when you notice it is losing oil but dont notice you have a leaking clutch cover and a blocked drain hole in the belly pan

 

It also had (presumeably) cheapo wavey discs fitted on the front which I noticed were cracked on several places. I had a spare pair of genuine discs so put them on-braking isn't as good as it was with the wavey's but used to them now, and safe in the knowledge they won't crack

[Dave_Q]

No adjusters on mine. Apparently you can build the insides of CBR600 or ZX6R cartridge forks into the SV lowers, which is probably what yours has, not sure if I want to go to that much expense though.

 

What I'm thinking is something like this:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F401115700966

 

My research indicates stock ZR-7 springs are 0.82kg/mm and the same dimensions as the SV springs, paired with some heavier oil this should be a cost effective alternative to aftermarket springs at £100 or so a pair.

[Jerzy Woking]

Having never ridden one with stock front forks, can't comment, but my set up feels fine. I'll try and find out what the internals and adjusters are from.

 

 

Lots of info on upgrades with the SV Forum and also on the mini twins pages on FaceBerk.

 

EDIT-the previous owner purchased the fork upgrade from the SV Forum.

[Dave_Q]

Managed to do the oil on the SV today.

 

 

Had a look at the leaky clutch cover as well, this is plastic and warps because hot.

As I should probably have expected it's neither flat nor round - not sure if the pictures really show this.

 

 

 

All I could really do was lash on a bit of silicone and reassemble.

It seems non-leaky for now but if it keeps leaking you can replace with the cover from the later injected model, which is a 1 piece metal effort, a clear admission of what a shit design the plastic cover is.

 

I also noticed a leak on the sprocket side. Not good pictures but I think this may be the clutch pushrod seal. 

 

 

 

Will try to sort this sooner rather than later as it's putting quite a bit of oil on the chain which could get a bit dangerous if it gets on the tyre.

[Guest Hooli]

I'd just try fork oil before you bother with new springs, it never seems to get done on any bike & without the shock the springs will bottom out.