jedibiker

I will bet they just put some air in and didnt check it or the gauge they used isnt right. So you went over the amount needed but when you took some out it was to much. when i top mine up its suprising how a little air freeing can be 2-6 psi in a second.

if they keep going down then id go get the tyres checked for leaks.

I dont have the tpms and check tyres prior to every ride unless its back to back days, over 5 weeks they lose 2psi each wheel

I went out last week, and the cold seemed to get through way to easy. leather pants and seperate jacket. base layer etc. Just needed a little extra protection

missing out on the wonderful roar and vibration sensatio..

But, the key to the test is being in control and riding safe. your instructor would be best person to ask as he/she will converse with the tester

I do clean them regular was just curious on general practice.

seems its not a topic many think about haha

Ive always used a little red rubber grease on pistons to help keep it moving smooth,. but yes needs cleaning a lot.

Ive heard mixed ideas, so what do you long time bikers do?

cheers

on my wifes bike I got one of those cable lube things, gave it a really good spray through with gt85 and loads of crap came out. then I like to drop some engine oil in slowly and they runs smooth for miles.

As said it could just be old and done in. they are cheap ish to do.

after that maybe someone put heavy duty springs in it which makes the clutch harder to operate.

On 26/07/2023 at 14:19, Fozzie said:

Only thing I can think of is your damper rod nut isn't adjusted to the right height. I had this issue when I rebuilt a friends R1 suspension, not enough clicks on one of the fork legs. Found the damper rod nut sitting about 5mm higher from where it was supposed to be.

 

Yours at least sounds symmetrical, so if you've had them rebuilt and set up, I'd be asking your last mechanic if it was deliberate. 

with this the damper rods that fix into the fork stayed in, the only thing to come out was the rod that goes down the damper rod, its possible I screwed the cap on and the nut was higher up but i feel sure I wound it down so the cap was seated.

Its also possible it was always only 2 click and I didnt notice.

as it stands it doesnt need to be softer anyway, maybe even a quarter turn in but it rides brilliant. (done about 200 miles since this post)

I may just have a few hours on it at some point and double check I didnt make a mistake. Done right way up forks plenty but it was first with upside down and took my time.

I didnt unwind the preload either but  noone seems to with these as there isnt any pressure when undoing the cap. unlike right way forks that take your head off haha

ah well..

Hey all.

noticed today the forks will only turn out 2 full turns, the book says 3.5.. do they get like that over time

Due to new oil and seals it needs to be set for the better oil so thought id start at the soft end, was surprised its only 2 turns, fair enough its only just too soft, but at 1.5 turns out where it was before its stiff now.

It is set ok, just wondered if the extra turn can be got back if needed.

cheers

Clutch is working now, was just the cable as it was totally fecked. Did check the clutch anyway and it all looked ok, re lubed and changed oil seal for the actuater arm.

First start up clunked into gear and it never did but i suspect it needs to fully settle again etc..

I have a feeling its just a case of a bad cable and it stretched and started to snap gradually. The arm I struggle to move should be hard to move as its got 5 springs to move.

New cable on the way and hopefully thats all it is.

14 hours ago, V650 said:

A question 

In your video where you are pushing the actuating lever was that before or after you removed the cover ?

The reason I ask is that there is a flat milled on the end of that lever and when reinstalling the cover you need to have the flat facing out 

Then push the casing on and turn the lever so that it engages the pin you pulling on in the second video 

If memory serves the way the clutch works is that lever pulls the pin outward against the springs on the 5 bolts on the front 

 

 

It was the same before and after, but I did put the rod in after the cover went on and turn it to grab the push rod. the rod doesnt seem to be pulling the pin at all and something seems to be holding the plate back.

the push rod has play but im not yet sure if thats normal. I cant see anything wrong yet. Il get a load of pics and get em posted.  cheers

Well, had an amazing ride to Wales around the brecon beacons.

200 mile home ride and 50 miles left and I felt a snap on the clutch lever, then the lever was softer.

I then realised I had little to no clutch so pulled into mc ds. I had to turn bike off to stop.

The lever was trying to pull too hard as the main mechanism wouldnt go any further to get the clutch to work.

Managed to get home and took the case off to look inside

All looks ok, plates are in spec but all metal plates are smooth as if never had any of the usual dents. Wonder if they are after market and meant to be like that. clutch was ok and perfect til that moment.

The push rod doesnt seem right to me, but ive never had this style.

any ideas?

Video of what ive seen so far https://we.tl/t-FFyKSd7ybw

2 minutes ago, Stu said:

 

Just bear in mind that the breather that runs to under the bike may well just be an overflow pipe and not a breather 

 

Some breathers are built in to the lock cap 

yeah theres 2, one is under and goes down which is the drain, the other goes to the back and is breather, managed to find a diagram to trace the holes. knew one was drain as had a bit of rust. going to see if i can push some air through the breather hole under cap.. but like you said it could be a valve anyway so il not force it

10 hours ago, Stu said:

Does sound like a clogged breather! 

 

After a long run stop and open the tank and see if you get a woosh of air in to the tank 

 

It could be early signs of a blocked breather which could give you a headache later on 

 

I'm not sure on this but do some bikes have a one way breather that would only allow it to vent at a set pressure? that would cause the noise too 

the breather pipe is ok but im now thinking its blocked inside somewhere.

dont forget your shoulder checks and mirrors.

On 19/03/2023 at 16:02, Tinkicker said:

While posting on the whatdidyoudotoyourbikethisweekend thread, I had a ponder.  Various notions slid across my frontal lobes at a snails pace then one stopped mid way across and started flashing.

These days it is quite a big deal getting the bike out, but why?

 

Back in the 80s and 90s I wore jeans permanantly My helmet with gloves tucked inside was kept on the kitchen table, my leather jacket was draped over the chair back and my moto x boots were by the back door.

So if I had a whim to have a quick half hour on the bike, it was jacket on, helmet on, thrust my feet into my boots.  Click click click, all the boot snaps were fastened and I was striding out of the back door in less than a a couple of minutes.

Unlock the garage door, sit on the bike, key in ignition and away in less than five minutes from whim to riding.

 

Now its a case of having a plan, wandering to the bike shed, key in hand and unlock the door.  Ooops.  Back into the house to switch the alarm system off.

Back to the shed and uncover the bike. Key in ignition.  Remove the locks and chains.  Roll bike out of shed and start it up.

Back into shed because it is a few weeks since I last rode it, return with tyre pressure gauge and check the pressures.  Back to shed for footpump, put a couple of psi in the front.

Return pump and gauge. Lock the shed up. Stop bike and return to house with the keys.

 

Upstairs, take helmet out of cupboard and bag.  Find boots. Find combat pants. Find jacket.  Find bum bag.  Get dressed.  Go back out to bike, unlock gate and push bike through onto the drive, lock gate and go back to the house.

Spend five minutes looking for the ignition key only to find it was behind the shed keys you put back in the key box all along.

 

Helmet on, go out the front door, lock it and start up the bike.  Open the gates to the road.  And awaaay.

 

40 minutes of continuous action from deciding to go for a ride to actually leaving.  Requires dedication these days.  The number of times I have had the inclination to go for a ride, then thought sod it, I can't be arsed is huge.

 

Modern society has had all fun and spontaneity removed.

 

God I miss the carefree days of the 80s.

This is so true.

I check tyres weekly too, check comms are ok, get all gear ready, unlock one back, get the other out the house. Unlock the gate to get to the front of house, then unfold mirrors.

Cameras for helmets on and set up. total ball ache but worth it for good rides out. on hot days im melting before we even set off.

when i was 20 id ride in what i was wearing and be out in 5 mins.

19 minutes ago, Old-codger said:

If the bike is fuel injected could it be the tank is pressurised by the system and what you are hearing is as you stop the engine the pressure is vented.

it lives inside and sometimes if the kitchen gets warm it will set it off,. also did it when got home from a ride sunday. runs fine i just didnt want to ignore it if fumes are struggling to vent

kawasaki

Hey all.

So my fuel tank keeps letting out a little whine as if the pressure has built up. Yesterday had the tank up and check the drain and breather pipe which are fine and not getting caught.

My old bike never did it, nor does my wifes. i cant seem to figure out how pressure is still building up.

from our now useless drift 4k. battery is fine. signs of use, mainly to get it off as they sit tight

£20 posted.

44 teeth

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teapot one

delboys garage

Project farm is awesome

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bare knuckle fighting championship

defo a new battery, I get mine from ebay Tayna batteries/

1 hour ago, Stu said:

 

Its been a long time since I had a bike where the pads are in the caliper my most recent bikes all have a similar design to that one 

 

Anyway it can only be the pistons not retracting back in the caliper or the slides sticking thats causing it to bind 

 

I have twisted a seal when assembling calipers in the past which can cause them to stick too 

didnt it leak?

our last bikes were 2003 and 2006. This is a 2011 and my 2014 has a different back caliper but Ive not looked into that as its working perfect lol

6 hours ago, Stu said:

 

The ledge for the pads is normal although there is usually a metal/stainless steel bit that goes on there 

 

Its always wise to put a touch of copper grease on there too but that won't be the reason the brakes are sticking 

 

Also check that the brake lever is returning to the correct position and not sticking on slightly 

 

Forget the hoses until you have tried everything else although it can happen where they collapse its pretty rare and I am a firm believer in checking everything before spending money as you could just be chasing a fault 

Yeah i mentioned the plate but the photo is misleading really, just wanted to show where they sit, usually they sit all in the caliper and can move better. did add a very slight bit of grease this time