Gray

Fitted as above, thanks Big day tomorrow as thats when the oil goes in and the check for leaks begins!

In process of getting my bike back on the road (as per my other posts) My bike lost nearly all the oil due to the accident in October and has been sat in my garage since. I am wondering whether to change the oil filter when I add new oil tomorrow or leave the filter and replace that in a few months or so when I do a full service. The oil filter and oil was only replaced in September. I am not sure if the filter in place now would cause any problems with it being stood for a few months. I only want to get the bike out and about for a for few hours here and there and will be doing a full service around spring so the filter will be replaced then regardless. Would this be ok or would there be some problem? thanks

Thanks for the replies. It only took a small piece of sandpaper to remove whatever it was in the pipe. Maybe it was some kind of thermal paste. It was rusted now whatever it was. Gasket fits fine, put on the exhaust and secured with a jubilee clip. Only need to change oil filter and fill with new oil then I can start the bike. Been off the road since early October so am hoping there won't be any further problems

It goes in fine. The gasket gets squashed when I try to push it further into the pipe. I think I'm going to buy a small round file and some sandpaper and clean the inside of the pipe.

http://s28.postimg.org/8tocj7wp9/DSC_0175.jpg Above you can see the gap (picture is sideways) where I think the gasket should cover. I also have a jubilee clip to fit around the outside but is the gasket supposed to slide inside to cover these gaps on the slits completely? http://s4.postimg.org/gh04iefjh/DSC_0176.jpg In the top left corner of the pipe you can see the welding ridge, running my fingers around the remaining part of the 'circle' is nice and smooth. Obviously this ridge is preventing the gasket sliding all the way inside. Should I gently sand/file it down to make it smooth like the remaining 2/3 of the circle?

I've got a new Signal generator case cover for my bike as after my recent accident the original cracked and the bike lost all the oil. I have a new gasket for it too. Question is do I just clean the surfaces of the case on the bike, remove the old bits of gasket then just simply add the new parts and torque the 5 bolts? Do I need to add a bit of new oil to the edges of the case? Is is that simple? thanks

I've bought a new gasket to fit into the silencer part of the exhaust to get a better seal on my Beowulf. The gasket doesnt push far enough into the silencer tube because the top 1/3 diameter of the silencer has ridges inside from some kind of welding. The remaining 2/3 is nice and smooth. Currently there are a few tiny gaps at the base of the slits on the silencer where the gasket doesnt slide under. Am I ok to file these ridges down to make it smooth enough to slide the gasket into the silencer so that the slits have the gasket underneath? Can post photos if required to make it clearer. thanks

Thanks, I'll leave it as is then. I'm itching to get back on the road and looking at the bike in the garage makes me more eager. Hopefully I'll get my money before the end of the year and buy something else.

£40 for me. I had to take mine to the local garage as the collector pipe was well and truly stuck in the collector.

Hi all, So I was involved in an RTA over a month ago. Not my fault, a car pulled out of a side road into my path. Damage to the bike was the clutch cover r/h side smashed causing all the oil to leak on the road and damage to the fairings and r/h indicator. Still awaiting info regarding liability from the 3rd party insurers. The bike is at home in my garage. I have declared SORN and it has no tax/MOT/insurance. It has been assessed by independant garage and the insurance assessor. Both agree around £1000 for repairs (mainly due to the plastics) therefore declaring it beyond economical repair. The assessor has valued it around £1730 including £105 for salvage (or thereabouts). As I've yet to hear regarding liability I have not done anything or agreed to anything with anyone! When/if I get the money for the bike from the 3rd party does that mean they own the bike? If so how much should I offer to buy it back and is it worth the hassle for a Cat C? I had no intention of getting rid of it before the accident and have spent time and money on servicing/brakes etc Been off the road now for over a month and want to get back out. I would like to get it repaired and on the road but do I have to wait now for the insurance to sort it all out or can I repair it if I want? If I repair it now at my own cost and get it back on the road how would this affect any payout I would get from the 3rd party? I'm not bothering with the plastics just the clutch cover and indicator. As mentioned above it is still legally my bike at the moment. Any suggestions? thanks Graham

I bought a CBF 125 last October after completing CBT just for extra practice etc I went out in the evenings when roads were quiet but not when it was raining! Traded the CBF in when I passed my full test and only lost £400 so that is a good 'hire' cost for 8 months riding when local school hires the 125 at £50 a day!

I would have thought it more beneficial to click at a hazard. After all it's a hazard perception test not guitar hero!

There was a silly woman who, with a bus lane clearly marked Mon-Fri 7am-6pm buses only, on a Sunday drives in the right lane whilst I am in the bus lane on the left. Get near the end of the bus lane, bearing in mind I know what these idiots do so am preparing myself for evasive action, doesn't check her mirrors, doesn't indicate, swerves into the bus lane where I am already slowing down knowing what she is doing. Then she beeps her horn at me shouting something I couldn't hear. To top it off there are 2 or 3 cars behind her all doing the same thing. There's a sodding big clearly marked sign along the bus lane. Why are these people so blind to this? Just glad I have my helmet cam on at all times! I'd like to dedicate this knob award to all the 'I don't know how to use bus lane or check the date/time' road users. Oh along with those drivers that watch you approach from behind in their mirrors, watching you slow right down and then stop whilst the light in front of them has just changed to green. They will only proceed when they see that you have completely stopped whereby they then move off.

All 3 of my jackets are Buffalo. No complaints here. Comfy with plenty of pocket space. I have ditched the 'armour' from them though as I wear separate full body armour jacket underneath. Don't know how waterproof they are as I wear top/bottom waterproofs over the top. Fullfil my requirements so far anyhow

Wow. So you took a bike in for a service and MOT and it took two months to get it back? That's insane. Hope its working alright now and you are able to enjoy the late summer weather. I felt frustrated being off the road for 4 days with the bike in MY garage let alone it being in somebody elses!

I had a local bike mechanic remove my pistons from all 3 calipers this morning. My rear caliper was a bit of a mess. I couldn't even remove the retainer pin due to corrosion. Fitted new seals into the front calipers, cleaned the pistons and fitted the new brake pads. The pistons slid into the caliper housing easily. Put them back on the bike and tightened the caliper bolts and banjo bolts to the correct torque. After a bit of pumping the fluid and removing air bubbles the right brake pad started to lose the slack but the left brake pad remained loose ie could put my finger through the brake disc and wobble it side to side. There was also a bit of fluid dripping down from somewhere in that caliper. So I removed the caliper and pressed the brake lever looking for a source of a leak. Couldn't find any more fluid leaking out but I did notice that the pistons were starting to protrude ever so slightly with each lever press. I decided I'd better put the caliper back on the bike. After several lever presses I started to feel the pressure building. I bled both calipers again with no air coming out just fluid. Kept on pressing the brake lever until the pads were against the discs. I walked the bike up and down the garage to check the wheel was moving freely. Then I checked the brakes and crikey they were a lot better than early in the week. I don't have to pull the lever in as far for them to make contact. So I am happy. I have wiped down the outside of the calipers and locked the garage for the night. I will check for leaks etc in the morning. Then it's onto the rear caliper. Should be straightforward. Then its road testing riding slowly and stopping every few minutes to check for leaks etc. I feel really glad that I replaced the fluid and pads on my own and see the benefit. Been a bit frustrating the last few days but thanks to the advice here and my local garage I know what to do for future. Thanks!

I'm taking both the front and the rear calipers to my local garage for him to sort them out along with my new pads which they can fit for me too. The rear caliper has lots of corrosion inside and the pad retaining pin is seized solid. I've had enough. If I get these sorted out by someone with experience and the right tools then at least I can keep on top of them in the future by cleaning regularly etc and not wasting 3 nights like I have so far. Hopefully when I pick them up later this week it will be a case of just mounting them to the bike then adding/bleeding the fluid. I can only hope it will be so simple.....

Sorry, listed in the wrong order. Will let you know how I get on tomorrow I'm enjoying working on my bike as this is all new to me but I'm get a tad frustrated as I'd hoped to have it ready for the weekend. Not cutting corners though, especially with the braking systems, so will do what is needed in the correct order! Thanks

Yep they are Tokico 2 piston calipers. I've now got both front calipers off, the MC disassembled and the brake hoses completely drained of fluid. I am going to take the calipers to a local garage and see if they can get the pistons out for me. With that done I will overhaul the calipers replacing seals etc as required then work on the MC. I will then fill the MC with fluid, bleed that, connect the banjo bolt/hose from the MC to the calipers and bleed each caliper in turn. I hope that I will then get some pressure back or the whole thing is going in the canal! (well not really, I will get a mobile mechanic out to do it lol)

OK so I've learnt that the fluid is not moving back upwards towards the nipple. Its an airbubble in the tube which moves back upwards and doesnt reach the nipple so its not an issue. The fluid drips out into the bottle. I've completely drained the front brake system. Starting with the MC I've cleaned it out of fluid and put my thumb where the banjo bolt goes and pulled in the lever many times. What I've found is the air pressure, patheticly low as it is, is forced against my thumb around the same lever position as when I was riding the bike with the brake problem in the first place. Am I right then in thinking that I should feel a lot of pressure against my thumb when I start to pull the lever and not when the lever is near the handlebar? This is with the reservoir seal/lid screwed tight on. If I am right then, with the MC rebuild kit hopefully arriving tomorrow, that stripping down the MC and rebuilding it should solve the issues. As an aside I read it takes around 500ml brake fluid for full system flush. So far I've used 700ml approx and now my bike is empty Can see me going to halfords for another 1L Castrol bottle. Most of the drained/used oil ended up on the garage floor when I kicked the bleed bottle over when walking around the bike! Doh.

I bought jacket and trouser waterproof set for £20 from ghostbikes in Preston. Been out in rain around 3 hours in constant rain and not seeped anywhere. Dry as a bone. Best waterproofs I ever owned. Can tell you make later when I get home if interested

I had a problem with the pins on my visor as they were not lined up correctly so my insert would not sit in. Had to send visor back for replacement. Fitted fine now. Check your pins are drilled ok

That's exactly as I do it. Had no problems at all with the back brake bleeding. As soon as I open the nipple on the front, even without pushing the lever, an inch or two of fluid comes out into the tube. I push the lever slowly inwards and the fluid pushes along another few inches but if I leave the lever pressed before tightening the bleed nipple the fluid starts moving back towards the nipple!?!

Ok so I went out to the bike this morning and removed the cable tie. The front brake is back as it was, pull about 2/3 back before the brakes engage. So I bled both front caliper again by pressing the brake lever a few times in each and the fluid came out then started going back in again. Now I'm back to last night whereby the lever goes all the way to the handlebar without engaging the brake. Earlier I removed the front right caliper and pulled in the brake lever. The 2 silver pistons are protruding around 4-5mm. These extend around a mm when lever is pulled fully in then return when lever is released. Is it right for the pistons to be so far out or do they need to be flush with the caliper wall? I'll work on rear pads in meantime as I'm waiting for the master cylinder rebuild kit for the front (hoping that's the cause of the air being sucked back in) Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I've put a cable tie around the front brake lever and I've ordered £20 rebuild kit for the front master cylinder. I'll go back in the garage shortly to gently tap the caliper/hoses etc and leave until tomorrow morning. Sat on my bike free wheeling up and down the drive and the rear brake has a major improvement already with just a fluid change/bleed. Hopefully I can get the front sorted out by weekend with or without the rebuild kit, change the pads and clean the calipers and then I can move onto rebuilding my carbs! Learning as I go but its all good fun! thanks again Graham