Cavcraft 2021: More Italian slow shite.

[Cavcraft]

Right, the 125, the Dignitas scooter and the other 50 have all gone, which means garage space.  Garage space means...

 

Followed by...

 

 

Which sounds fantastically loud and annoying...

 

[wuvvum]

That would be cool if you were a spotty French 14 year old.

[shedenvy]

Way back when in college I had a Yamaha Neos and a mate had one of these.  We swapped for a minute and tried some wheelies.   The Zip was much quicker to jerk the front wheel up.  The Yami would pretty much only do it on choke in the first 3 minutes of running and every time the front wheel came down the front plastics threatened to fall off.

 

Good times.... jumpers for goal posts etc etc.

[Arthur Foxhake]

I have a similarly offensive exhaust on my PXR50.

I love it!

[strangeangel]

Reminds me of the Tecnigas exhaust on my old Aprilia SR50. Our Lass said she could hear me 5 minutes before I arrived. On the plus side, it made me get on with my CBT and buy something bigger and (more importantly) 4-stroke. Fucking awful racket ?

 

[Cavcraft]

Little bastards that we were, we used to push our bikes somewhere about 1/2 mile away at 3.00am, then coast down a hill before bump starting and opening them up full whack. Even a KH125 with a Micron was impressive at that hour of the day. Once or twice we nearly got caught, so we'd wait half and hour and go again.

 

'Trucker roulette' was a bit more risky as the Little Rodee car park would have a sort of 'C' shape full of sleeping drivers and it was hard getting round and out again before they got you. Had some very close shaves with fat blokes in underpants waving metal bars. 

[strangeangel]

I should add that the aforementioned Tecnigas item was, rather comically, sold a a 'racing exhaust'. I only bought it because it was heavily discounted for some damaged chrome, and my SR's exhaust had just disintegrated. Given all this, and the fact that I was over 16, I wasn't massively surprised to discover the 1000000dB increase in noise was accompanied by precisely 0mph improvement in speed ?

 

[wuvvum]

I bought a "racing" expansion exhaust for my Mobylette about 25 years ago.  I wasn't impressed when I first fitted it - it increased the noise level massively and completely killed the low-rev torque.  However the first time I actually took it out on a main road and wound it up, I found it went like f*ck once it got over 30mph or so - I was grinning like a twat on that first ride out.  It would sit at 50 on the flat - not bad for an ancient ex-post office moped which looked (and still looks) like something your grandad would ride.  Sadly the expansion exhaust got lost in the move last time I moved house.

[Cavcraft]

You used to have jet spannies, wonder if more modern ones (or those for rev and go bikes) aren't so fussy?  2Ts usually sound much better with them, though in fairness that noise is so much nicer with 3 cylinders.  Was going to get one for the Lambretta, love the upswept 'motorbike' style ones you can buy, but you're then into a bigger carb/different/jet/less reliability they tell me.

 

*Edit: This'd look sick on the Li!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAMBRETTA-EXPANSION-PIPE-UPGRADED-EXHAUST-IN-POLISHED-STAINLESS-STEEL/174083252841?hash=item28882ba269:g:xbMAAOSwUAxbWa3r

[Jerzy Woking]

Had a Piper 3-1 exhaust on my GT550. The noise was spectacularly agreeable, even if the loss of power wasn't.

 

[Rave]

 

[Cavcraft]

4 hours ago, Jerzy Woking said:

Had a Piper 3-1 exhaust on my GT550. The noise was spectacularly agreeable, even if the loss of power wasn't.

 

 

Lad I know back in the day had the same, TMB525R, iirc. You could hear every gear change from two miles away at night, still had to be the best sounding 2T ever with that pipe on.

 

A 380 has come up somewhere not far away for £3,000, might go and have a shufty at some point. Despite their bad rep from some people, they were great, if not a little thirsty and heavy on back tyres. 16mpg and 1,500 miles out of a Dunlop were the worst I'd managed.

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, Cavcraft said:

16mpg and 1,500 miles out of a Dunlop were the worst I'd managed.

Hats off, that's pretty impressive!

[Jerzy Woking]

My 550 was far more econominal than your 380 Billy-around 18 mpg was average. I had an  good supply of slightly used Avon AM38 tyres, and was able to change a rear quickly, but cannot remember how frequently I did so.

I'd only own one again if it had a 3-1, and only for the sound, as the bike was pretty much meh otherwise.  

[Wack]

On 11/13/2019 at 6:34 PM, Jerzy Woking said:

I took my 900 on a trackday at Cadwell, having had my Fireblade breakdown a few days before. I still managed to overtake far, far better bikes through Charlie's, The Gooseneck through to Mansfield and through Barns. I was overtaken on the long straight into Charlie's, but that I put down to an out of balance front wheel that made the front end feel like a jackhammer as soon as it indicated 106 mph. Soon got passed them again through the bends.

Great fun doing trackday on unsuitable bikes.

 

Some years ago at oulton park a guy turned up on a single cylinder thumper , all the sports bikes left him for dead on the straights but he was under and past them them on the bends every lap 

[Cavcraft]

There's always room for another.

 

 

 

 

'Was running but revved a bit and wouldn't tick over, now tries to turn over but won't start'.

 

 

Haven't used the winch in the van yet since getting it/having it fitted, but it'll come in useful one day.

[wuvvum]

Ooh, a CM125.  Like a CB125T but with (even) less power and the most half-arsed "chopper" styling in the history of motorcycling.  Good effort!

[somewhatfoolish]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Ooh, a CM125.  Like a CB125T but with (even) less power and the most half-arsed "chopper" styling in the history of motorcycling.  Good effort!

Surely that was the Kwack EN500?

[Cavcraft]

Have to admit was a big fan of the pseudo-chopper type bikes. My sister's boyfriend (who turned out to be a complete and utter bellend) at the time had a metallic blue XS250SE which I thought was fantastic. In actual fact, it was the first bike I ever had a proper pillion ride one. A few years later, I bought one second hand and whilst it was nice to ride at low speeds, it was fucking awful mechanically being the XS250 engine and couldn't even begin to cope with the thrashing a 2T 250 would take. It started making some pretty horrific mechanical noises and would only pull 35mph flat out. Sold it via those little 'free ad' type things with no picture you could do in Autotrader. Lad came from miles away on the pillion of his mates B120 and said he'd have to slow down for him on the way home. Wished him the best of luck with that one.  

[Jerzy Woking]

The XS650E  looked far better, in its'  proportions, than the 250 version did. And sounded far, far better. Never been a fan of pseudo choppers  but that is the one exception. Not seen one for years on the road.

[Cavcraft]

Right, put the battery (flat) on the CM this afters, then tried a jump. It does fire up but like seller said it just revs it's tits off, not good for a cold engine imho. The throttle cable seems to work in that there's resistance and return, but it doesn't really seem to do anything. It'll only start on full choke, won't rev up and doesn't really drop unless you push the choke in a bit. Suspect there's something amiss in the carb, possibly blocked jet but I do wonder if someone stripped it and put something back wrong?

(Didn't run it for long at all)

 

[strangeangel]

I'd check the inlet manifold for air leaks, if any of those O-rings look dodgy then a bit of blue Hylomar should do the trick. I'd defo clean the carb while it's off, though, there's so little to them and there's probably all kinds of crap lying in the bottom of the float bowl.

 

[Cavcraft]

9 minutes ago, strangeangel said:

I'd check the inlet manifold for air leaks, if any of those O-rings look dodgy then a bit of blue Hylomar should do the trick. I'd defo clean the carb while it's off, though, there's so little to them and there's probably all kinds of crap lying in the bottom of the float bowl.

 

Nice one, thanks will try that. Noticed one (exhaust) manifold nut is missing, but that's not such a big deal at the moment. I'll try and get the carb off tomorrow for a gander, cheers for the suggestion.

[strangeangel]

1 hour ago, Cavcraft said:

Nice one, thanks will try that. Noticed one (exhaust) manifold nut is missing, but that's not such a big deal at the moment. I'll try and get the carb off tomorrow for a gander, cheers for the suggestion.

 

No worries, I've had a couple of 4-stroke scooters revving their knackers off from idle and both times it was down to a shagged rubber inlet manifold. I think they're metal on those little Hondas, but it's the same principle if the seals go, or the manifold itself cracks or - as you say - someone's fiddled with it and not put it back properly.

 

[Flashband]

8 hours ago, Cavcraft said:

Right, put the battery (flat) on the CM this afters, then tried a jump. It does fire up but like seller said it just revs it's tits off, not good for a cold engine imho. The throttle cable seems to work in that there's resistance and return, but it doesn't really seem to do anything. It'll only start on full choke, won't rev up and doesn't really drop unless you push the choke in a bit. Suspect there's something amiss in the carb, possibly blocked jet but I do wonder if someone stripped it and put something back wrong?

(Didn't run it for long at all)

 

 

I will *almost guarantee (if it's fitted with a slide not a cv carb) the carb slide is 180 out of whack. Try unscrewing the carb top and rotate, you should feel the slide drop.

On no account replace with Chinese manufacturered replacement carb....its grim

[Cavcraft]

Excelsior news,, used the winch today and it did the job, along with help from my M8 too...

 

 

Bit of a job, but could have been much worse. The old ramps (scaff planks) were creaking, groaning and bowing) but in she went. Lord knows where it's going, took my mate home and left it in the van until I can find or make garage space. It doesn't run which complicates things quite a lot.

[wuvvum]

Fark me, a Goldwing!  You are going up in the world.

[Cavcraft]

13 hours ago, Flashband said:

I will *almost guarantee (if it's fitted with a slide not a cv carb) the carb slide is 180 out of whack. Try unscrewing the carb top and rotate, you should feel the slide drop.

On no account replace with Chinese manufacturered replacement carb....its grim

Thank you. Do I need to remove the carb to do so, or just literally the top and then rotate said top? 

[georgeinabz]

Excelsior news,, used the winch today and it did the job, along with help from my M8 too...
 


 
Bit of a job, but could have been much worse. The old ramps (scaff planks) were creaking, groaning and bowing) but in she went. Lord knows where it's going, took my mate home and left it in the van until I can find or make garage space. It doesn't run which complicates things quite a lot.

Are you Arni ? I’m impressed winch or not to get the battleship in the back of the van ,what’s up with it ?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cavcraft]

Just said it's not running but was when he bought it. He reckons it's because the clutch is supposed to be pulled in, then first gear selected before it will start, doesn't sound right at all to me as surely that's adding  a potential hazard, if you slip off clutch lever or whatever. His theory is the clutch needs bleeding, but I'm not at all convinced and it certainly feels like it has bite. There's a starter clutch on these which can give in (according to internet research) but this feels like it's trying to fire up, so if/when I get chance will have a play with the basics.

 

As impressive as it might appear, the use of the winch, two scaffold planks and a mate got the job done. The winch alone (with one man) probably would have done it, but it was so much easier with two people rather than one. Possibly going to invest in some sort of skid (or have one made) for the front and/or rear wheels to make it easier in future loading heavy non-runners up. Also the winch wire is shit, the lads who fitted it for me said to get some synthetic rope instead, as it stores as well as winds/rewinds better than the standard shit steel wire.