What did you do to your bike today? (part 4)

[linuxrob]

Had a few days off this week. Did the GS125's mid winter clean and inspection (F Caliper clean, oil and filter/strainer, tappets, carb clean, air filter wash/re oil, chain clean and re oil, R brake and centre stand pivot lub, batt top up and charge) Finally re apply ACF 50 with small brush and cloth.

As usual had to replace the split gaffa tape on my seat, will have to find a good one this summer (seat not gaffa tape)

 

 

YES, I know the shed needs a tidy.

Overall it is looking well, this is it's 5th winter with me. ACF 50 and a rinse off is working well.

Oh before I forget, tyres and treads get a good scrub with hot degreaser each week when the roads are damp and salty. it makes a quite a difference if you do a lot of town riding. There are a load more diesel vans and trucks about over the last 10 years (well maintained or not) and IMHO coating our roads with deadly lubrication. Rant over.

Happy 2020 all

Rob B

[Gerontious]

Used it to commute to work, for only the third time in a year. I'm now 16 miles from home, doing a "waking night" watching over 3 highly autistic individuals. (Who like their sleep) here till 7am, and then later tomorrow off to collect the tool box that fits to the pannier frames that is waiting at the sorting office. And hopefully get that bolted on if this rain stops.

[Snod Blatter]

Yesterday I jumped on the Kawasaki ready to leave for work as I do most Mondays, rode it to the top of the drive and it all turned off.. Wiggling the ignition switch did nothing. It was dead. Cue digging out the K100, heaving it to the top of the driveway (it's so very uphill) and.. It wouldn't start. I tried bumping it but it didn't catch. Tried the starter again and round it went, dirty brushes in the starter strike again! It needed some use, the battery is only now charged enough to stop the ABS light blinking, but boy was I knackered by the end of it.

A quick check of the Kawasaki reveals a big wire that goes to the ignition barrel has corroded and come away from the connector block, just like what happened a couple of years ago. This time I'll have to splice some wire in because I've had to chop so much out that it won't reach! Certainly they don't make 'em like they used to

I have a training day up near Wakefield on Thursday, I hope the BMW makes it!

The BMW did of course make it and loved being out on the road for a change, though the heat shield for the exhaust has finally cracked all the way through (as they all do). I'll probably just unbolt it and throw it away, like many K owners before me have done.

Yesterday I attacked the Kawasaki.. For those of us who are uninitiated with wiring and electrics, this is bad mmmkay?

https://i.imgur.com/QdxFwaP.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

The white wire is live straight from the battery so even when the bike is off this one is still fizzing away. I took the tank off (the process for which requires the rear seat being removed, then most of the plastics along the sides..) to try and get better access but it wasn't much better at all.

https://i.imgur.com/syhXzrd.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

Since I've already "fixed" (bodged) this problem before, the wire was too short to cut back and use again. So I lopped it off the connector block and spliced some new wire in - don't mess about.

https://i.imgur.com/0v2smD1.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

I then quite thoroughly soldered the splices. If you're careful/quick you can shrink the heatshrink with a soldering iron, in small spaces like this it's pretty much the only choice you have.. The end result:

https://i.imgur.com/uv8isoG.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

She lives!! But for how long..?

[Gerontious]

Fitted today.. little tool box that fills the gap that is the counterpart gap for the exhaust on the other side. Useful size for the Puncture repair gear and pump, plus a few other bits and pieces.

 

 

[Snod Blatter]

She lives!! But for how long..?

Turns out there was an unexpected upside to this as well.. The headlight is now quite a lot brighter! I thought the reflector was losing its coating or summat but it was just the wiring falling to bits

[Guest Richzx6r]

This is why you can never fully trust electrical equipment as it may look fine but the magic and wizardry can sometimes seemingly disappear at the moment you need it most......give me mechanical stuff over electrical any day of the week as it can be seen to work and its easy to see any problems!

[Mitchey]

Should of been posted monday.

Rode to Glencoe, Scotland from South Wales.

Snow on the roads but absolutely beautiful.

Lots of layers, heated gloves and grips.

[Snod Blatter]

This is why you can never fully trust electrical equipment

Guys is this normal

https://i.imgur.com/ZdWly4q.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

Seems it didn't like sitting still last week while the wires were rotten

It started this morning but only just, then on the way to work I set the Koso dash to show voltage (such a neat thing) and I was running along at 11.2v dipping to 9v when sat at traffic lights. On the way home I was running along at 8.5v, dipping to 8v at which point the backlight for the dash turned off.. Had to get a push from a manager at work because obviously the starter relay just buzzed, even that wasn't straight forward because I had to remove the headlight to reduce the draw on the battery so that she'd fire up! Then put the headlight back in while it was blinding me, bloody modern bikes with no headlight switch.

Anyone got a spare YTX9-BS kicking about?

[Guest Richzx6r]

This is why you can never fully trust electrical equipment

Guys is this normal

https://i.imgur.com/ZdWly4q.jpg' alt='IMGUR>'>

Seems it didn't like sitting still last week while the wires were rotten

It started this morning but only just, then on the way to work I set the Koso dash to show voltage (such a neat thing) and I was running along at 11.2v dipping to 9v when sat at traffic lights. On the way home I was running along at 8.5v, dipping to 8v at which point the backlight for the dash turned off.. Had to get a push from a manager at work because obviously the starter relay just buzzed, even that wasn't straight forward because I had to remove the headlight to reduce the draw on the battery so that she'd fire up! Then put the headlight back in while it was blinding me, bloody modern bikes with no headlight switch.

Anyone got a spare YTX9-BS kicking about?

 

My old battery for the ninja is totally dead so cant help you there mate sorry

[Bender]

Should of been posted monday.

Rode to Glencoe, Scotland from South Wales.

Snow on the roads but absolutely beautiful.

Lots of layers, heated gloves and grips.

 

I'm going with pic taken on a82 looking south towards Rannoch moor and Kings house hotel, devil's staircase to the left through the trees?

[oldgrump]

Fitted new rec/reg ordered from Electrex on Monday, arrived 10o'clock Tuesday and fitted today

All running fine now ..

[elwon20]

Mrs' new bike came back from garage 1 on Tues after having fork seal and cam pulse sensor fixed (warranty). So I took it to work today to make sure all is well, and it appears to be.

It's booked in to have the engine mount fixed on Tuesday, guy reckons it will take about a week.

[Beans]

Fitted new rec/reg ordered from Electrex on Monday, arrived 10o'clock Tuesday and fitted today

Not a cbf1000 is it?

[oldgrump]

Hi[mention]Beans[/mention] , no but a Honda , vfr800, started playing up Sunday afternoon, checked Voltage on battery Monday morning, 12.54volts on tickover, any revs took it down to 11.25 volts.

So now 12.70 on tickover when cold, and 13.75 on revs, sorted .

[Guest Richzx6r]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

[Ian Frog]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

 

One door shuts and another opens !

Congratulations I hope it turns out to be somewhere you enjoy working.

Cheers

Ian

[Guest Richzx6r]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

 

One door shuts and another opens !

Congratulations I hope it turns out to be somewhere you enjoy working.

Cheers

Ian

 

Well hopefully its the start of bigger and better things, Hermes was a complete dead end anyway unless you are a complete yes man and cant think for yourself which a lot of the drivers there seem to be, and it seems because I'm not afraid to use my voice if I see stuff happening that shouldn't be and my face didn't fit they're agenda so bugger them I'm better off out of there

[billy sugger]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

 

Sorry, hit wrong button. (hit like not quote) Did they do that because you were off ill? if so you are better off out of it

[S-Westerly]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

 

Bit of a kick in the nuts after you being pretty ill and all. Bunch of shitheads seems to me. As others have said better off out of there.

[Guest Richzx6r]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

 

Sorry, hit wrong button. (hit like not quote) Did they do that because you were off ill? if so you are better off out of it

 

Yea they said that was the only problem they had with me.....so yea I'm completely better off out of there

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Well I rode to work then rode home after being told my contract was being terminated then rode to a friend's garage and was told to go in on Monday morning to start with him

 

Sorry, hit wrong button. (hit like not quote) Did they do that because you were off ill? if so you are better off out of it

 

Yea they said that was the only problem they had with me.....so yea I'm completely better off out of there

 

Their loss. Hope your health picks up and the new job works out.

[Guest Richzx6r]

Sorry, hit wrong button. (hit like not quote) Did they do that because you were off ill? if so you are better off out of it

 

Yea they said that was the only problem they had with me.....so yea I'm completely better off out of there

 

Their loss. Hope your health picks up and the new job works out.

 

Aye it is seen as I'd been there nearly a year, one of the managers went absolutely crazy at the top knob when I told him I was off because they had terminated my contract, he tore in to them.

But yea they're loss my gain and I'm pretty much back to health now, I'm well enough to play rugby tomorrow put it that way

This made me chuckle so in the local paper the headline is veteran Clark returns for Shields v westoe grudge match.....if never been called the veteran before must mean I'm getting old

[Guest]

Just gave it a good clean up......not likely to be going out for a week or two as bad weather is on the way.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Just gave it a good clean up......not likely to be going out for a week or two as bad weather is on the way.

 

Oh you are really really asking for it now aren't you?

Sunday here is set to be glorious. If I wasn't working all day I'd have pictures of being out in the sunshine all over this. C'mon folks, let's get our own back.

[Guest]

3 in the day they've forecast here!