Throttled

Finished it off by replacing a whole load of nuts and fixings with stainless steel and further work on the back brake. One part was still seized. The handguards have been painted and the rusted parts of the frame sorted. There is a lovely new back tyre on, ContiEscape. There is no fuel gauge and I usually refuel at 140 miles, but I ran out with 110 on the clock. I presume we went through a lot just running the bike. It has been great to get it back out for some runs. Roll on the winter!

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So long you avoid using the wrong oil or oil from dubious origins, the most important thing is keeping an eye on the oil level and changing it as per manufacturer recommendations. Halfords, Castrol, Shell etc are all fine.

Did you paint or powder coat the frame? My mate has just bought a blue 02 plate to do up. Great wee bike

Thanks for the responses

A bar end mirror or mirror extenders may help. I found the safety check very unnerving at first, it felt like I had no time to check properly and was spending too much time looking where I was not going.

So why do my water cooled bikes also have fins on the cylinders? Is it just a looks thing?

What stops an air cooled bike overheating on a very hot day in slow moving or stuck traffic?

Top box - pretty secure, very waterproof, limited choice in terms of looks and boy can they look ugly on the back of a bike, the box is likely to come off easy but the rack will be pretty permanent and you need space to store the box when not in use. Tail bag - not so secure but pacsafe make metal mesh nets you can put the bag in, not always waterproof but it can be done with bags such as from Lomo, big choice of prices, looks and sizes, far more flexible in terms of storing when not in use and putting on and off the bike. If you leave your bike parked up in public a lot I would go with a top box, otherwise I would go with a tail bag.

What sort of lining is in the trousers? My first pair stuck to my legs as the lining was plain synthetic material. The second pair had a mesh like materiel which does not. The winter lining meant it slid around, taking it out means it is more sticky against the skin. What ever the position of the armour, I would say it should be comfortable when you sit and it will move around.

Red Route denims, armoured with kevlar and a waterproof synthetic over jacket and trousers. Textile gloves and hiking boots. No animal suffered in the making of that outfit.

Stout, non leather, high top hiking boots would be my suggestion. The aim is to protect your ankle and to limit wear when you change up gears.

The issue with the Versys is getting a carrier for a top box. Kawasaki do not make one, so get the luggage rack here http://www.palmerproducts.co.uk/ and you will be able to fit your top box onto it.

Grip puppies http://www.grip-puppy.co.uk/ Exactly what you are looking for, available many places for about £14. I have them and they are an accessory that will follow me from bike to bike.

I would measure the length of the thread left from the lock nut to the end. Another way would be to use one of these http://www.davethetools.com/ebay/var/resizes/J%26S/LaserMotorcycleChainAlignmenttool.jpg?m=1296576272 If the chain is straight, the adjustment is right.

I would suggest you put your mirrors to the same width as the panniers as a reminder. I also do not think a lock would upset the balance.

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The high temperature paint goes on a nice black, instead of the very high temperature paint which dries a dusty grey colour. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3748/9424111430_d4d26c45bc_z.jpg I put it back together for the first time in months. Various parts still need painting, but the paint has failed to appear as yet. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7451/9421341365_a788412d46_z.jpg Refurbishing and cleaning the brakes has made a heck of a difference. It is much easier to push the bike about now, that is how badly adjusted and crudded up the brakes were

Hi, nice looking bike despite the dirt and rust. But that is all it is. - give it a really good clean, this video series takes you through the various steps "> - get some Kurust and treat the rusted parts on the frame. Paint with black enamel paint. - get some high temperature paint and paint the exhaust, touch up the engine. - consider getting the bash plate and pillion foot peg hangers powder coated, should cost £50 ish. Stand back and admire

Cairngorms http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6192/6147843998_cf915f20ee_z.jpg Buncrana Pier, Donegall http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6155/6169609065_3dfa847911_z.jpg Rannoch http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6668421621_ca39f3fe7e_z.jpg

This has been the summer to rack up some big scores. Well done Priest in particular, looks like you got the sun all the time.

The whole plan has been changed. It is not going to be a rat bike painted matt. The matt painting I did looked awful. So today I used panel wipe and elbow grease and wiped all the matt painting I had done off. Instead satin black high temperature paint has gone on to the exhaust, heat shield and non black parts of the engine. I am ordering Spark Gold touch up paint for the frame. The aim is to have the bike only spark gold and the spark black, satin black. It retains some rat elements, such as the dents and scratches, made do/DIY repairs, servicing and second hand parts. So really this project has been about rescuing the bike and keeping it going for another year, rather than running it into the ground until something catastrophic fails and it has to be scrapped.

Front fork hand painted and exhaust and the non black part of the engine spray painted. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9349848775_f3428167d0_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/9349843859_47e73e2374_z.jpg