Snod Blatter

Yep nothing beats a proper amp and speaker setup. Doesn't even have to be big or flash, though you do earn man points for it. What kind of quality is the sound from the Mac? Are you using it for music or just to make explodey shooty gun sounds?

I finished my GCSEs in 2003 and it was the same, just finished the final exam and walked away. However, finishing A levels in 2005 did result in a "prom" and they were just about coming into fashion at the time. Obviously, being a crotchety unsociable bloke who hated all of school ever I wasn't best thrilled with the idea but got dragged along.. I think the best bit was getting a hug from Leanne from biology. Who wants to spend extra time with these people you have been forced to spend so much time with already?? I feel the same about work events now

Adjusted the steering head bearings (turns out you have to take the whole top yoke off to get to the adjuster!?) and went for [strikeout]a ride[/strikeout] some rUgGeD iNdIvIdUaLiSm https://i.imgur.com/Z5hrsXM.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> https://i.imgur.com/nY6P6r2.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> Went home from Maolreh (ooya bugger arr I'm a local ennoi) and adjusted the steering bearings again because of course they settled in massively. Then went out again (!!) and they're just a bit rattly after that So, thoughts on the upgrade to K100RS-RR spec: 1) Crikey the solid handlebars are fantastic, I can really chuck this about now 2 (about a minute later)) Crikey these bars are vibrating a lot Thankfully the vibes seem to have faded into the background and they even seemed to go away a bit after the second lot of tightening. No regrets so far! Also installed some additional stickers to help hold the fairing together.

Another "new normal"

Excellent work, and I never knew you could get electric staplers so cheap! Looking forward to a report after a 200+ mile day

I feel sick just looking at it! It's surely a sharer for 2 people right? Right??

Yesterday while horribly hungover I pieced the fairing back together on the K100, adjusted the handlebars, refitted the stupid central switch pad thing, pumped up the tyres, and then finally thought I'd give the front one last check aaaand I never properly tightened the steering stem adjuster because I'm a muppet and it's all still flopping about. I couldn't face any more so I guess tomorrow I'll take the stupid central switch pad thing off again and tighten the front end on to the bike a bit Nearly there! It's only been off the road for 6 weeks..

Looking at what's available on Oponeo you could fit a pair of Metzeler ME77s which are great tyres. Other choices: Front: Bridgestone BT45 and Metzeler Roadtec 01 are good. Pirelli Sport Demon is fantastic but short lived. Never ever fit Metzeler Lasertecs to anything ever. Rear: Heidenau K65s are really good too, and the Maxxis Promaxx would be alright. Loadsa choice

I gave up after a while with the switch and sprayed some maintenance spray into it instead, which thankfully restored its switching capabilities. I didn't dare try and ease the rocker off as it's not obvious how they come apart so was trying to do it from the underside.. Which wasn't happening. Squeaky, creaky calipers at a standstill are still normal I'm sure it'll come back in time

Squeaky calipers is normal, "they all do that, Sir". How did you get the switch apart?? I tried to get the switch for my hazard lights to bits but couldn't get the lugs to come past their snuggly mounting holes, no matter how many small screwdrivers I shoved in..

Two things.. 1) Why does it have so many gears? Wouldn't four be better? 2) How does it manage to weigh so much!?

Normally yes, but at least if you can get somewhere with the tools (and the stands if it's silly and doesn't have a centre stand) it's just labour and you're not waiting for parts. It's a much better situation to be in than if your shaft drive fails, then you're really up the creek!

Lots (all?) of BMWs before mid-90's ish (crown wheel bearings and heavy spline wear), Guzzis (mostly crown wheel bearings I think), early NT700Vs lacked grease on the splines and were often not properly greased up by dealers so those wore out. All Yamahas and Kawasakis seem to be genuinely bulletproof. Having lived with a problematic shaft drive bike (the K100) I really do appreciate the ubiquity of chains and the ease of servicing. If belts were more common then they would be even better, especially if they were enclosed/caged to stop sharp bits getting to them, but they're not. There again it'd be no problem to take a spare belt with you on a trip..

My Suzuki GS125 used to chew through rears in 3000 miles, didn't matter what it was. I never did figure out why, maybe all the redlining didn't help but even then it wasn't exactly a rocket ship. So it might just be like that.. It made it quite an expensive bike to run actually!

Excellent K75 action shot

Finally a day when it's not forecast to rain, so once it stopped raining I set about the K again. This is turning into a long job! Firstly put on some Right, these injection hoses then.. https://i.imgur.com/FiecPWE.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> https://i.imgur.com/CN3vgRp.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> https://i.imgur.com/SqFx8QK.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> You get the idea. Cheap Chinese hose is everywhere (like what this is) but I promised myself I'd fit some proper stuff if I ever ended up doing it again. This hose is 4 years old but was cracking after 2 (never think bike MOTs aren't a complete joke). Behold, some difficult-to-find-in-the-UK decent hose! https://i.imgur.com/e040Yzg.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> Ahhh so much better.. https://i.imgur.com/OrDBPB8.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> The bike has smelled of fuel quite strongly for a while now, especially on hot days. Much to my amusement all the hoses I took off were bone dry inside, perhaps I'll get better MPG now too! While the tank was off I thought I'd have a look see at why the auxiliary power connector Hella doodad didn't work, it's not worked for as longas I've owned the bike because the ground wire isn't connected. This'll be it then.. https://i.imgur.com/tjXoRmU.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> Sadly there are no free grounds in the electrical box so I ran a wire to the main ground under the tank. Now I can power a sat nav for a pair of heated gloves if I get a connector to fit, that'd be neat. https://i.imgur.com/0zY8zbo.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'> I also changed the coolant because apparently it's been 4.5 years. I even wire brushed the corrosion off the temperature sensor which doubles as the plug so maybe the temperature gauge will work again now. All that's left to do now is to refit the puzzle of a fairing, phew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f2eD9YjzfQ

Excellent, best of luck getting the cover to fit back on properly! Also what's your plan on stapling it back on to the base? Have you got a powered stapler?

Saggy doesn't necessarily mean soft, I have a couple of bikes that sag a lot when sat on but the suspension is teeth-rattling hard when riding. The video to me looks like it just might be the way the bike sits on the sidestand, it clearly takes a lot of weight off the front. I'm gonna say it. I am. Cop this.. Looks alright to me

One is not like the other..

I'm still not sure if there's actually anything wrong here, the forks on my Kawasaki also sag a lot and at a standstill I can almost slosh the front up and down between both stops but when riding the front is almost solid with hydraulic lock, this is simply because it's crap. Is the front bobbling about all over the place? Does it wallow round corners like a boat? A quick search reveals this from review by visordown: I wonder if you stiffen the front up you'll just find the rear is a problem instead, while you feel like you're constantly riding uphill.. If it is too soft while riding you can stiffen it by adding more oil/reducing the amount of easily compressible air inside, but it is always a compromise of harshness vs comfort with damper rod forks (which are what you have, as far as I can tell).

What's it like when you're actually riding it? And how much does it sag when you sit on it? How often do the forks bottom out?

Nah he could've just stepped over it all..

Impossible to say, but almost certainly more than you would spend buying a fully working example. How long has it been laid up for and why was it abandoned?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jzjVShK6Ek