fastbob

Let's have some photos.

Same as a letter that has insufficient postage. You get a card telling you to collect from th e post office and pay tbe penalty charge first Yeah, I know, I've got a card . My point is that I think that this has only happened because there is a Parcel Force Worldwide depot in Coventry that also contains a branch of UK Border Force. If the seller had used another international courier it would have come straight to my door without additional charges like everything else I've ordered from around the world . In future I will avoid Parcel Force Worldwide .

I reckon I've worked it out , the package was delivered to the UK by Parcel Force Worldwide and UK Border Force operate at the Coventry Hub therefore I've been stung for Import VAT plus a handling charge . So if the seller had used a different courier the package would have come straight to me without any extra charges . So essentially this is an opportunist mugging .

Is this the same thing as a " Customs charge " if so then I'm confused.

Oh dear , I bought Gecko plates from Wemoto for my ER5 and they didn't last five minutes ( not literally obviously ) Admittedly I was ragging the bike up steep hairpin bends in Wales with camping gear and making an arse of it but I don't think I'd buy them again.

I think you are completely right ! The operative word here is " May " So just rotten luck then that effectivly cancels out my £25 Lotto win on Saturday. Bollocks !

Ok but why has this never happened before ? I've bought a lot of stuff from China including a set of replica clock covers and I've only ever paid the asking price with free delivery . I am not very knowledgeable in this area , is it different for goods from Japan then ?

Not very happy, I ordered a set of genuine Kawasaki piston rings from a seller in Japan through eBay. Price £69.57 , postage £18 . Fair enough, but what I certainly wasn't expecting was an additional Customs Charge of £ 21.32 ! I've bought loads of items from China with no additional charges so what's going on here ? Have I missed something in the advert ? I can't see anything. I've got to pay it to get Parcel Force to release the goods . Anyone had a similar experience and what did you do about it ?

I had one of these , I'm pretty sure it didn't have a fuel gauge.

We'll I don't want to spoil your day but I would be turning my attention to the camchain by now . As I recall the valve cover is only secured by two bolts and it has a reusable seal so you could whip it off and rotate the engine with a ratchet to see if the camchain is uniformly tensioned . Do make sure you turn it the right way and take the plugs out to make it easier . If the camcain goes slack and then goes tight again with a click this could explain your noise .

This guy hasn't read them

Your friend isn't a battery charger salesman is he ?

You say that you have been using the bike recently so surely the battery is fully charged by the bike hence the 100% charged indication on the charger . Happy days .

how is a dog trailer any different to being transported in/on a vehicle ? police dogs for instance are contained within cages at rear of vehicle with no further restraints . Which is a world away from being dragged behind a motorbike in a a homemade contraption built out of a wheelie bin. How is it different ? It's cold , noisy and isolated . The rider has no idea what the dog is doing and it offers no impact protection. It's worth mentioning that people are not allowed to travel in a towed caravan .

Are you sure a dog trailer is actually allowed on the road ? If so , what are the requirements from an animal welfare point of view ? Don't get me wrong , its a lovely idea and I do not doubt that you love your dog but you don't want the RSPCA on your case especially if you are miles from home. Some misguided dogooder is bound to report you .

Why do you need to get the nut off the stud ? Why not just put it back again as it is so that it acts like a bolt ? EDIT , sorry Stu , missed your earlier post . There must be a stud out there that will fit , if you know the dimensions then there are loads of options on eBay. https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Metric-Imperial-Exhaust-Manifold-Studs-Bolts-UNC-UNF-M8-M10/351902058970?hash=item51eeff49da%3Am%3AmiAE9QPFdb9jzNJeVvDFGIg&var=621269751703&varId=621269751703

Have you thought of getting a conventional motorcycle with a conventional gear lever instead of one with forward controls . I may well be wrong but that lever looks awkward to operate to me .

Why did you have to scrap it if it only needed a service ? You rode it there didn't you ? This doesn't make sense at all . I think you are just trying to upset the OP .

I still haven't got the pistons in but I couldn't resist sticking the top end on ( not bolted up obviously ) just to see what it looks like. I think the original paint on the cylinder head , although a bit lighter, blends in well .

You don't look as cheerie as I imagined Bob. I was recovering from surgery at the time and feeling pretty zonked .

Here we are .

I made a sump gasket this evening, this one was relatively easy being composed of straight lines . To do the holes I made a punch tool by sharpening the inside edge of a locating dowel using a Dremel . I wonder if you can download gasket patterns from the internet ?

Google , 1 min,50 seconds .

I painted the crank cases this evening, I just couldn't resist fitting the clutch and alternator covers just to see what it looks like. I'm rather pleased with the results. I'm slightly less pleased with this photo, it doesn't quite do it justice.

Clutch actuator pushrod oil seal , at a guess . It is helpful to use the correct terminology. What does your Haynes manual say ? From what I have seen, based upon a brief look at a few BMW websites, notably Air Heads , the clutch and gear box housing can be detached while the engine remains in the frame . So all it boils down to is whether the seal is pressed in from the inside or the outside. How does it appear to you ?