leener

You could have made that from an old socket with an angle grinder. I know, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Even the old ones are precious. Dear Santa... Please can I have a proper tool kit this year? I have been a good boy all year

This old and long thread hasn't moved in a while, so I decided to take a peek back under the cover and try to make some progress on this bike during the weekend. I have already hit a wall on this. The engine is in the frame (missing one nut from an engine mount), but we have an issue with the clutch. As in, the rod that connects up to the cable doesn't have nearly enough spring action to return the lever. I just don't get it. It came off the same as it is going on. The rod that sticks out of the clutch basket has no spring to it, it just slides back and forth a little bit, and the clutch cover and spring rod will happily connect to it. It just hasn't got the spring power to return the lever on the handle bar. So I rotate the rod another 360 so it does, and the spring is clearly too tight at that point. Is the rod coming from the clutch basket supposed to have some pull to it? If so, then the crank case probably needs to come apart again. Terrrrrific! I need to replace the clutch plates on the zed as well, but since this is such an issue on the Triumph, I don't want to bother until I have backup transport for when it goes wrong. Cheers.

It's a scam. It's basically tin metal that does absolutely nothing. You're supposed to drop it in your tank and it does all these wonderful things. People still fall for stupid sheet like this all the time and the company making it is raking it in.

You can imagine it, can't you? Pedalling away, got your speed and momentum up, and that nasty highway code says some pesky lights mean that you have to stop, only to struggle back up to a thumping 5mph after they change again. If only there was some way we road users could get away with jumping them? Oh, yes! We can! We have no number plate. But that's not all. If you smash someone's mirror off or otherwise damage a car, well insurance isn't compulsory. Woohoo! You don't have to pay if you ride away! Sorry... I just don't like them.

Well, it works. The job was a success, and very much grateful as it's an old lump that does not look like a bike that should be on the road, so do not want to spend lots of money on it. If I can keep it mechanically sound then sod how it looks. It's transport. First time I tried to start it, it was fuel starved and I heard tricking from under the bike. I only forgot to connect the main feed. Luckily I have small hands, but arms like popeye. Thanks again for the advice. Just need coolant and I'm good to go. Road test had no issues.

Just been to tool station to get four cans of carb spray and replacement screws. The bowls came off dead easily with the JIS drivers, so thanks to JRH and you, fastbob for the great advice so far. A lot of gunk and crap came out of the bowls, mostly on number one. I threaded a thin wire back and forth a few times down the jets, and sprayed cleaner on to make sure that they all began draining at the same pace. Everything looks much better now and I even took my time to clean the black gunk from the outsides. All is thoroughly, clinically clean. Next step is putting it all back together.

But if those people are replaced by machines... Then there will be no stupid or lazy people left (population down from 7.5bn to 4 million hiding in caves) and the machines will exist in a blissful world.

Same. I can imagine that some scripting can be written by a clever enough AI in the future, but designing and implementing full solutions to a business - probably never. I get the fun job of also cleaning up the mess and dealing with the crap from bad data being pumped into our systems (all written in-house). People are the drivers of the machines, and so long as that is the case then mistakes will always be made, software will need writing to handle stupidity and simplify life for the lazy, and we will always have a job.

Very helpful mate. Thanks! Bloody good, indeed. With any luck, the JIS drivers will arrive before the weekend, and I will get my hands on some copper grease. Guitar string shouldn't be a problem - there's a 'Rock Band Guitar' studio next door. Got a quote back for ultra sonic cleaning - might as well buy a second hand working set of carbs for the prices I'm getting back. Well into the hundreds.

Really? I was thinking of pushing the boat out and investing a few grand in a new one to use only once. Fantastic suggestion, and is exactly what I'll do. The JIS drivers are on the way and there's a toolstation up the road from me, so will do exactly that if our own little warehouse hasn't got any.

I have just learnt something new. Thanks. New set ordered and on the way. I never even heard of JIS until now.

Fantastic. I will try and get my hands on that as soon as I can. Highly likely that I will need to do this. I need to find a half decent kit or learn to do it by ear. I think that when I tipped the carbs upside down to drain them (rather than using the correct method that I should have done), whatever crud was lying at the bottom of the bowls got sucked up and lodged somewhere. I'll re-strip the bike to get the carbs out and get to work. Now, the screws are going to be hard to shift, so may end up having to saw a line through the head of the stuck ones (if possible) to try and turn them with a flat-head driver, because the Philips heads are not getting a good grip on some of them. Thanks for the great advice so far. Photos to follow...

I dumped about 1kg of blueberry flavoured protein powder into the tank, so we'll see if that gives it a bit of encouragement to get that needle above 50. Thanks. I have just had a good look about ultrasonic cleaning, online, but no way can I justify spending the hundreds on the equipment. I'll strip them down, give them a good scrub, and then would I get away with soaking everything in heated cleaning fluid overnight? Horribly fiddly job, working on carbs.

This... *lovely* ZZR 600... This AMAZING bike of mine... I hate it already. So, I did something stupid. I was low on fuel before the MOT, so naturally I felt it would be a good idea to fill up a petrol can without checking the contents. It must have had some crap inside because the bike started complaining when going over 65mph, which you can guess how that is on a motorway. The slowdown and sudden acceleration was a little off putting. It got better with a bit of premium unleaded, but never completely gone. Yesterday, I pulled the carbs off (after some frantic fun with coolant gushing down my leg) and tried to get the float bowls off, and failed. Most of the screws are tight af, and it was so bloody hot outside that I just decided to tip the thing upside down to drain it, and stick it back together. Turned the key and it sprang to life. It revs, sounds ok, so I left it until this morning where I am going to ride 40 miles to work. Now the issue is far worse and getting above 50mph is a challenge. The carbs are coming off again, and this time I am going to force my way into the bowls and replace some (about to be) damaged screws. Before I go full Barry Scott on this thing, does anyone have any wise tips for cleaning carburettors? Thanks, guys

Just starting to learn about blockchain so I can write one with a friend at work. It's the future.

Same. But, I got a ZZR600 as well and the weirdest thing... If you pull the clutch then it refuses to start. Strange things, these bikes.

I would have been at the carb first, but you changed it from a running bike already, so start checking it over to find the cause. Spark plugs first, then test the coils, and so on. Yes, video would be a good idea.

Thanks . I have most of the structure together. I actually had to take the swing-arm and suspension off to get the chain back on. It's all part of the experience. If I could go back in time to when I hoisted the engine back in, I would have threaded the chain around the drive shaft as it rose into the mounts. But it gave me a chance to give it a good clean. You live and learn. The sump is leaking. I have discovered that I over torqued the sump bolt and cracked the sump - ever so slightly! But enough to cause a drip. A replacement sump will be found and a new gasket. I am not taking the engine out again, but going to do it all on it's side, on a lot of cushioning. There is not a lot of oil in there, so not really expecting a big job of it. I have removed so much filth from that bike that it will look totally different after I finish it. Throttle body cleaned and re-assembled, and everything is back where it should be... almost. The biggest problem I have now, apart from the sump crack is that the clutch spring isn't doing it's job. I will have to upload some pictures, but the cable will not meet with the catch if I turn the cylinder round enough so that the little spring coil is tight enough to pull the clutch lever back out. The spring will come off the case and scratch its way around. It's a massive pain in the mud flaps. I will hopefully solve this one soon. Pics to follow.

Yep. Battery. If you were near Bristol I could let you have one of mine, if they fit. I have at least four good bike batteries.

I wonder how much A M Philpott Ltd would charge for rechroming these. I can't believe the last owner let this bike get so bad. The carbs have been balanced, the oil changed, and general maintenance (except the chain), but bolts and screws were SEIZED and required boring out. I couldn't even get the fairings off without having to destroy the bolts. I think I'm the first person to take these bits off the bike. A kind gentleman on a ZZR group has offered to send me some spare forks he has sitting around for the cost of the postage. So I'm just waiting to hear back from him. Meanwhile, I could make some progress on that Triumph that is sort of going back together. I lost a nut from one of the engine mount bolts, and the clutch isn't springing back, so might have to get the clutch cover off and sort that out. AND, then chain isn't feeding past the drive shaft, (not enough clearance to pull the chain to the side to go round), so that is another bit of fun to have while the sun is out.

Thanks. I got it now. The only problem is that the state of them is so bad that I will need to go for a replacement set of used forks, which most of the ones on eBay are less than £100. The pitting on mine is low and bad enough to destroy the new seals, plus I need new dust caps, and other bits. If you focus on the carbs and engine, this bike is good. But it looks like it has had a life of absolute neglect, in terms of cleaning and maintaining the thing. The whole thing needs a makeover and pampering.

Sod the Royal wedding, we have fork seals to do. Definitely too far gone, so let's wipe the stanchions and see the state of the chrome. Great, so even if I get this job done, the pits will nic at the new seals and ruin them before I even begin. Also, how the hell do you get these off the top? I have never seen these on top of forks. It's safe to say that this bike would never pass its mot on the 25th, especially since the fork oil was almost pouring out. Looking at the state of the forks, what would you say is best? I want to use this bike, so may consider rechroming and painting the legs. But, that top bit isn't even a nut. I can't figure how to get that off. It looks like there's a thin Bush between it and the wall of the stanchion.

Engine is finally up. Luckily I bought the right tools to get the mount out enough to get enough clearance for the engine to go back in. Soon, I will record with pictures and video the results of the work done and see if this rebuild worked, or if I have totally trashed my engine.

After weeks of having the engine half-installed in the frame because I was looking for a tool: This was to slacken off, what I assumed to be a moveable mount in the frame, because the engine simply won't fit back in. The nut around the the thread slackened off but the mount cylinder is still firmly in it's place and will never move. There is just no way to widen the frame enough to let it get back in. I have come this far and literally think that I have had enough of this Triumph now. I might just take it back apart and sell the parts for cash, because I have to do the fork seals on the ZZR and preferably just use that bike.

Arg, don't mention forking fork seals. My right fork is literally p*ssing oil out down to the wheel on the zed. I didn't realise how bad they really were until I took it for a good long ride. Isn't 8k a little bit soon to be leaking?