Fender1515

Morning all, finished the bike maintenance  work yesterday, bike looks and feels well sorted, ready for the MOT next week. Every year it needs more prep work, and it takes me longer, we are both getting older!

7 hours ago, curlylegend said:

Strip it, find the fault and fix it !  Otherwise it will just come back when you least want it.  It might very well just be a bit of contamination that a squirt of electro cleaner would shift, but you couldn't be certain unless you'd seen inside the switch.

I was always going to be a strip down TBO, anyhoows, wasn't a difficult job in the end, just very fiddly, and took time to work out how disassemble, the issue was the rubber cups that fit over the push button had perished and a piece of the rubber jammed into the casing, stopping the button from moving. I have cleaned with electro spray, used silicon to seal it, reassembled and all working fine, happy days!

I am always wary working on electrickery bits, much more comfortable with mechanical stuff. every days etc...

4 hours ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

I snaffle the kitchen table for brake parts. 

Yep. me too, the stony silence bit, i can deal with, dirt in callipers is big no!

Hi Simon, I have just finished calliper strip down and rebuild in prep for the sunny weather riding, umm.

So based on my approach:

Needed,

Replacement seal and rubbers

break oil, check the DOT 

Copper grease

break bleed kit, with non-return valve

break cleaner spray

Toothbrush, wire brushes

emery paper 100/120, to rub-off any glazing on disks and pads

check torque setting for calliper bolts

containers/ tray for the bits 

depending on condition, I will tend to replace bleed nipples and rubbers. just coz

mechanics gloves, many

lots of kitchen towel

Rags

A bucket of tea, barrel of patience

knee pads, i am old git

I pump the break lever after i have taken out the pads, so the piston is pushed out but not all the  way out on the first calliper I am working on, use a piece of wood in the calliper body to stop the pistons coming all the way out,  bleed the oil out from the bleed nipple using break lever before i strip down the calliper using the bleed kit, did one side at a time, I use an air pump inserted into to the bleed nipple hole to get the pistons out of the last calliper

layout pistons so they go back in same bore

check bores for scoring etc

proper clean up, to remove break dust and road grime

use lots of oil on seals before rebuild

copper grease rear of pads, bolts etc for reassembly 

make sure pistons are fully recessed after rebuild, ask me why i remember this!

Bleed up etc 

Oh, and there is one at the back 

Remember new pads will take A  FEW MILES TO BED IN 

Least ways, I think that's what I do, 

Jobs a gooden!

To Strip or not to Strip

At the end of last years riding, I am too old for wet and cold stuff, done that. my 2005  BMW K1200s developed an intermittent fault, the left hand indicator switch was only working intermittently, If I  used the hazard warning lights, indicator works every time, so confident the problem is with the bar switch unit.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing the maintenance stuff to get bike ready for the road, yesterday job was sort out the indicator issue.

So tried the indicator switch, same old, 

Being a BMW it's all TORX screw heads, I have a set of drivers,  off with clutch bar  mount, take off switch outer cover, two internal TORX screws, T8 size, nope, got nothing that fits that, so on internet and order set T6 to T10, £5, no big deal. 

Back to bike, tried indicator switch again, just for the hell of it, worked every time, really!!

So now question is, do I break down the unit and, spray and clean, it's going to be a pain the arse job, but peace of mind. or, do I wing it!

Humm!

So, I like the stick you right leg out option for acknowledging other bikers, used frequently on the other side of the water, means you keep both hands on the bars, which seems like a good thing IMO, and you can keep looking at where you would like to be on the road. On a busy biker day, I used to end up with neck cramps with all the nodding stuff, and if there is a line of bikers, do you nod at every biker, or ....

Just my thing I guess

I am sure you already know this, but I am going to put it out there in case, you can get hold of carb jet cleaning tools for square root of bugger all, from, £2 to £7,

some thing like :

CARB JET CLEANING TOOL - Matt Pope Motorcycles

Have fun

On 21/03/2024 at 12:03, Piers said:

Hi

Just saying hi as joined today - spurred on by needing advice on one of my old machines (I will post that later today). Have 2 bikes - an old Triumph T25 and a bit newer Yamaha diversion. At present just getting the T25 back on the road after 6 years in the shed!

Piers

 

Hi Piers and welcome, is the T25 the S US model or the SS UK model, I have a pal who has a SS he got from new in 1970 something, still his daily ride.  I am sure he would know where to get parts if you need any.

1 hour ago, Nick the wanderer said:

I think Milly does tons of stuff you just don't see. Plus it's a hobby to him now.  Henry has all the TV connections. I think they work well together and have a laugh.

Didn't they just do a 200 mph two up record? They get out and about.

 

 

Hi NIck, I agree with your comments, and yes they do work well together, although I do think the program worked well with Sam, he had a bit of biteback with Henry. I would just like them to take on more challenging/interesting projects. 

Yep, two up land speed record on a homemade bike !! built around a Viper's V10 engine, would I have gotten on the back, hell yes

I have just watched Episode 1 Video of the genius that is Allen Millyard restoration of Norton Nemesis 1500cc V8, the vid covers front end restoration, 

to take the front wheel off, get access to the callipers, pads, you need to completely remove the whole front fork assembly from the bike, Allen had to fettle a tool to remove a castellation nut that secures the hub tube, what the hell where they on when they designed this beauty!!! 

Can you imagine the scenario of a blown front tyre, maybe in a remote location in the Pyrenees, contacting a  local bike dealer and trying to explain what's required via google translate app, it is not going to end well for sure.

The man in a genius, Norton, sadly not, hence their demise.

Loved my old Norton Dominator, we did a clutch/gearbox stripdowm at the side of the A303 on route to Lads weekend in Cornwall, to sort a partial seize,  we had the OEM tool roll, and a few ring spanners, coz back in the day, if you waz riding a British more than 50 miles, you where going to use them, took about an hour, !!!!

How did Norton forget what they where good at!!

Why oh why is he restoring old army ammo boxes for Henry Cole on TV, his talent would be better used rebuilding a space shuttle!!

I seem to remember that the exhaust cans have to have a BS stamp to prove they are road legal, and pass MOT, I also seem to remeber being told you can buy them on flee bay,  Not that I ever did or would

I do remeber it sounded like a rocket taking off when  you hit 6000 rpm, and the go faster valve opened up.

 Thems waz the happy days !!!

Having owned most of the leading manufactures bikes of my xx years of biking, both riding, restoring, rebuilding and falling off them, in my experience, all have quirky mechanical stuff that takes an age to work through on your own, and almost always some body has the T-shirt, so for me, it's worth syphoning through the borrocks, if it means I get the knowledge to do the job done better, faster. Currently on the BMW K1200/1300 forum, mostly, all good TBH.

I would like to put up BSA bantum as an option,  not big money for a fixeruper, easy mechanics, and spares seem to available, I would go hunting for any thing after 1956, which is when they introduced swing arms, i think it was D3, 150cc and D5 175, the D1, 125cc will stop to a walking pace in a headwind.

SO sky was blue, sun was doing it's ting, So I very nearly, chucked a leg over the bike today, which would have been the first trip out this year.

Did my checks, borrocks, left hand indicator switch, was switching intermittently, but all bulbs working on emergency warning, so probably got some corrosion or little beasty hibernating. 

So needs a strip down and dowsing with switch cleaner.

Didn't do it, nope, went off sulking.

I have enjoyed many trips across Europe, and this often takes us across the Alps, I too live also live in Yorkshire, weve got a few Hills around eer and I manage to keep it upright most of the time, and love  dem Mountains and Hills !

For me when I get the bike out of winter moth balls, I tend to head for Buxton, route over Home Moss Summit on the A6024 onto the B6105.

Some great Hills, I have often gotten to the bottom of Holme Moss and if I don't feel dialled in, i.e., taking the right lines, feeling relaxedish, at a reasonable pace, turned round, back up to the summit  and done it again.

For me, it's feeling confident in the front end, not mine, the bikes! Do  I feel confident in the level of grip, can i feel the grip,  am I tipping in at the right point, at the right speed, have I planned ahead, am i in the right gear, was my exit right,  am I off the breaks before the corner, always scrub off the speed before you turn in, never break into or on a corner,  or am i  too fixated and focussed on the corner, and not the exit point, rem you tend to go where you looking. 

The best for me in getting it mostly right, was buddy up with a rider who can do this stuff,  on a similar style bike, and track them, follow their braking and turn in patterns

Relax and enjoy the banter in the cafe at the end, remember, you can see exactly what they did well and where they messed up, but they can't see yours, unless you swap over who's on point. and that's not always a bad ting, !!

Have fun

One for the blues lovers 

Found it, again, one of my favourite blues track.

Beth Hart& Joe Bonamassa, he delivers a killer guitar solo, 

Quote " If this doesn't move your soul, you don't have one"

And she's as hot as hell !!!

I had an absolute dim wit yesterday, and this is not a generalisation but a specific event!

My energy services supplier has been "encouraging" me to get smart meters installed.

Umm, some bad stuff in the press, but i guess it's the way to go, I am not great a remembering or being arsed to send in monthly meter readings.

Installation engineer pitches up at the prescribed time yesterday morning, starts moaning that my gas supply is on the back wall of the house and it was, hissing down, but first he wants to check all the gas appliances, i show him the gas safety certificate issued 10 days ago, response, don't care mate, i need to check all the appliances, OK fill your boots, oven checked, we have a gas fire in the lounge, never used from one year to the next, but was checked out and passed as fit for purpose 10 days ago, so he gets on his knees, takes a look at the unit and, I don't like the way the coals, imitation type, are stacked, and the unit looks very old, me, it's 10 days older than when it was last checked and passed as being serviceable, what's this got to do with fitting a meter? him, I am going to write this up, me, what your going to do is pack up your kit and exit through that door, him, I got a job to do mate, me, shame you don't know how to do it,   i think you need some customer training before they let you again.

He promised to report me to his supervisor, I said get him on the phone now, and I will happily have that conversation, he didn't accept and left.

I work in the property business, I work with trades day in day out, I can honestly say, we get on fine, most of the trades I have worked with for years, they are pals, this guy, arrogant arse, but feel free to  make up your own minds 

Having worked in highly stressed and competitive corporate world for what must have been 100 years, the penny finally dropped, clearly I am not very bright! I moved from down Souf to up Norf, and I would never go back.

Up eer, Folks know your name, the coffee shops, what you drink, it's not always stress free, but it is a lot less stressful.

These days, if there is queue at the supermarket, and I don't fancy waiting, I will walk out, if the retailer has an agenda I will leave, if there is a traffic jam, I will filter or get lost some place else.

She, has come to terms with my idiosyncrasies', and laughs or I get the block of ice treatment, either way, it works OK for me.

But them. I am an old git, and old gits don't really do the stress, stuff, unless your Rugby Team, is playing like a bunch of clowns, and yes you could have done better, because the older you get, the better you where.

I am reverting to my hippy/biker persona, happy days, mostly!

Not sure it's been used for track days, the rear tyre doesnt look like its been working very hard! 

Last time I referred to the highway code was on a speed awareness course, got into a discussion on filtering with tutor, no you can't yes I can scenario!

Morning all, so after a stressful work week, and more SNOW, we are taking a trip to the cost, Whitby, Steam Punk weekend, not a clan member, but they do add some interest to the day, all good so far, but, she who must be obeyed wont consider going on the bike, her argument, only you have heated grips!

Need to work on a killer response, any ideas?

I had a ZZR 1100 for about 4 years, rode it around Europe many times, solid as a rock and as heavy as a mountain, loved it. It was coined the battleship by the group, lost count of the number of times I swapped rides on the way back from a trip, and ended up on a Blade or Duke.

So my main life changing issue "Where have all the ginger creams gone"  since moving up Norf, finding a regular, dependable supply has been a constant challenge, and one I am not winning!

Orses, I have always been a orse friendly person, used to fall off them regularly when I was a young scrap, them I discovered engines and switched to falling off motorbikes..

So yesterdays ride through the Peak district was glorious, note to self, look at the road not the scenery, bends come fast and challenging!

Just cleared a village, 30 mph speed limit, nice bendy bit coming up so ready to make progress,  I can see horse taxi, pulled up in a small layby, with the rear doors open, nobody outside, roll-off, stay right. 50 yds before I pass the horse box, horse and minder rapidly  exit the box, backwards, into the road in front of me,  pulled up, no drama, lady about to get the beasty under control, screech of tyres behind me, car part sideways on, manages to pull up, young women driver looking terrified,  lessen learned for all three I hope.

But, how fast was the driver going through the village to be carrying so much speed, maybe 200 yds from the 30 mph exit, this was not a Mclaren 675, bonkers !

Just another interesting/ glorious day out on two wheels. 

PS: Come 5pm, loving heated grips 

I have a free me weekend, so the bike and me are taking a run up to Filey, I am going to have try very hard to look miserable when she gets back.

Oh no your not.......