RantMachine

Oops... had the bike for just 6 weeks (and the first 3 were spent waiting for that new cam chain tensioner) before I managed to drop it while pulling a U turn on an icy road at all of ~3mph. This was my indicator for a week or two... An old empty box of ID cards and one hell of a lot of duck tape

Let me start by saying that I never meant to have a project bike. But it started to feel like it was going that way, so now I figured "hey, what the hell - embrace it". I've seen people say that their project threads help keep them motivated, so seems worth a shot. I've finally fixed all of the problems that came with the bike (touch wood), so the first chunk of this thread will be retrospective. This ended up overlapping with stage two of my plan, upgrading the bits that are already there. Stage three is doing some cosmetic mods that I've been thinking about. Some back story: After completing my DAS I wanted an adventure bike, or better yet one of the big thumpers like a DR650SE or an XT600. But of course, these things hold their value fairly well. Too popular for their own good at the moment. Thanks to some financial complications at the time when I passed my DAS my big bike fund took a bit of a hit and it looked like I was going have to change my plans and get something more in my budget like an early ZZR with a terrible paint scheme. But then I was offered a peach of a price on a BMW F650GS. Apparently it was generally in pretty good nick but needed a bit of a clean up. Gave it a test ride and a general look over (but I'll be honest, at the time I didn't really know what the hell I should be looking at ) and the only problem I could see was a dodgy speedo, always reading about 10mph high. I was told that there was a sensor at the front wheel that probably just needed a clean, or at worst would be cheap and easy to replace. So I figured "what the hell", and went for it. I'm too trusting for my own damn good sometimes So anyway, got it back to Cambridge and took it to someone who would actually know what they were looking at so that they could give me a better idea of what work it needed. And oh, was the list long. For one thing the previous owner had kindly let me ride the full length of A15 and a good chunk of the A14 with a crack in the front wheel spacer so big that the wheel was one bump away from giving way. Various other problems, too. At this point I didn't know the first darn thing about fixing a bike, just the most basic maintenance stuff, so I let the garage do the urgent stuff for me. Just the bits that would either endanger my life or significantly shorten the life of the bike. Or the bits that would make it fail the MOT that was due in two months. So, first entry; the stuff that doesn't count because I paid someone else to do it. Changed out the cracked front wheel spacer and knackered wheel bearing New clutch cable New rocker cover New cam chain tensioner, because the old one had completely caved in New cam chain New inlet manifold, old one was starting to split where a hole had been drilled in it to bodge the Scottoiler into place They couldn't work out what was causing the speedo problem, and I didn't have the cash for them to replace the rear disc and shock which were both on their last legs so I just had to make do for the time being. For the purpose of reference (because I intend for it to look very different once I'm done), here is how it looked on the day I got it home:

I was there yesterday, with about half a dozen others who didn't let the rain put them off, including the guy with who often rocks up on a CBX. Spoke to him for a bit and apparently he actually owns three of them! And a CB1300 as well! Hats off to the Swan, they still did the BBQ even with the crap weather and crappier turnout Not sure if I'll be there next week - bike was misbehaving a little on the ride home yesterday so need to do a bit of work on it before doing any more miles, but I'm off on a business trip so might not have it done in time

Definitely. Scrotes like that give us all a bad name.

Although the Marauder doesn't look quite as impressive as the other three, there's a lot to be said for the little extra bit of clearance you get from the pegs. Lets you chuck it about a bit more. Must weigh a bit less than the others too, surely? Which is always nice when you don't have a lot of horsepower to work with Plus they're very easy to work on, and the fact that the engine also appears in the DR125, GS125, and GN125 means spares are very widely available and also pretty cheap too.

You fenfolk terrify me

Money (as ever) is delaying me Plus I was also eyeing an Alpinestars set, and found out they're a hell of a lot cheaper on FCmoto. Will make a follow up post once I take the plunge

Setting off shortly, may be going via The Missing Sock as my friend is whingeing like a girl that he wants to go there too.

As promised, I'm going to be there no matter what the weather. Weather websites are saying sun, thankfully... but it did chuck it down about an hour ago Hope to see a load of you there P.s. - Bob, I've got your jack with me.

And I'd swear blind that my Tourances give more grip in the wet than the dry Not that they're an option for a ZX6R, but still, shows what a difference the rubber can make...

What kind of tires have you got on it? That'll make a fair difference in shite weather

Hot at the top, not so much further down? So, you're saying it's the opposite of a butterface?

I've "tested" my textiles at reasonable speed and had mixed results. Trousers (600D Cordura) caught the worst of the skid and they did a stunning job, nowt more than a ripped zip because I had one of the vents open. Jacket (Frank Thomas "Hypertec" fabric) caught a little bit of the skid and did absolutely sod all, largely ended up melted into the gouge on my elbow that the road created Main thing this taught me is to stick to reliable and consistent materials like kevlar or cordura and to stay the hell away from fancy named proprietary fabrics that Google doesn't seem to be aware of

Awesome! Went to Webbs in Peatboghorror at the weekend so my other half could get a new jacket and I tried on some Alpinestars gear while I was waiting, no way I'd pay the prices they were asking but the FC-Moto prices are very agreeable... and of course, now I know what size I take Looks like I know where I'll be shopping some time soon...

I'm rather impressed that the mirror is the only rusty part after a year and a half. Does the bike have fairings? Might be worth checking underneath them With regards to the mirror, rag and WD40 is the way to go, the finish on Chinese bike components is pretty delicate and it's easy to do more harm than good if you use anything too abrasive. After you've cleaned it up, start a habit of treating the bike with ACF50 or similar - wouldn't normally urge it at this time of year, but if you're an all-weather commuter it'd be worth it. Oh, and inb4 "but Kymco are Taiwanese"

Please do elaborate

Other stuff factors in too; your residential status, marital status, any joint bank accounts, etc.

Does yours have zips too?

Easiest solution: http://www.7diphone.com/wp-content/uploads/Abstract/1136/Bloody%20Scissors-640x1136%20wallpapers.jpg

My job interview consisted of turning up, talking about my experience and skills for an hour or so, then proving what I could do on a temporary contract for a few months before getting a permanent offer, and a further 6 months of probation after that. Worked my arse off as always, exceeded the job role, and ended up with a better job than the one they originally recruited me for, a promotion to a senior role after two years, my own office, and a couple of decent pay rises along the way Stuff the interview process, the world needs more employers that focus less on trying (and failing) to get someone absolutely perfect from the word go and focus more on getting a bunch of "maybe" types in the door and rewarding and taking full advantage of the ones that hit the ground running!

He didn't - he made two identical threads right back when he joined, Lumor just brought the old thread back from the dead

Sounds like hell

Not yet, maybe once I find out where you live...

Back home at last! Only took us two and a half days

Only just got back from the rally! Dehyrated as hell (the detour via London to visit some dealerships on the way home was ill-advised) and more than a little saddle-sore, so will pass on this week. I've promised my old housemate that I'll be out next week whatever the weather, so will certainly be out next week. If anyone sees a bearded ginger fella there this week with a Z1000SX, give him a bit of grief for me