Beware of friends!

[secretagentmo...]

I had a friend (definitely past tense now). He is allegedly (used very advisedly) a qualified mechanic and MOT inspector. To give you an idea of his general efficacy, he set off on holiday a couple of years ago, 20 miles down the road the wheels came off of his caravan, literally.

Well he went bankrupt a few years back, he had no vehicle to go to work on or in and he lived over 4 miles away from where he worked. So we lent him an NTV, we retained ownership, but the V5 was put into his name to make insurance easier. He sold it to a friend he owed money to.

He then got a tad uppity when we were a bit late paying a £40 bill. We reminded him he owed us a few hundred quid at least and to keep his shirt on. He admitted he owed us money and decided to work it off in servicing. He had his own workshop at this point!

Well I got an ER5 last year that never ran right, changed coils (allegedly), changed ECU (I did so I know it was done), in the end we got another motor, he was supposed to change it over and never did. He put the old engine back in. I went to pick it up, sloshed some petrol in and it did 20mpg. Found out he had not tightened the fuel hoses up. By this time we were fed up with the bike and sold it to a breaker.

Rode it over to the breakers. Signed the thing over, picked up the cash and ran. Then we got a text saying he did not know if he tightened up the rear axle bolts! I could have puked.

Well the money we got was invested in this!
https://i1036.photobucket.com/albums/a449/mikecarter1969/IMG_20161011_162317_zps13kp4qfb.jpg
V twin, 650cc, shaft drive, so no axle bolts to worry about, enough oomph and torque to have me grinning like a loon, it starts, it stops, it goes!

Picked it up from Leigh on Sea, no MOT, actually had not had one for 5 years, took it to Lesters, passed with no advisories! Got a new set of BT45s front and rear.

Bad things, one of the front bearings started to make a noise on the 120 miles home, replaced them, sod to get out but hey, half the fun. Then I could not figure out the front caliper reassembly, well I managed that eventually! But now gone from a limp biscuit to a barking Honda! Back on an NTV!

[c_dug]

I had a revere, it was a properly top bike, we nicknamed it the cockroach because I ran it out of oil twice, crashed it twice, and left it in my garden for a year untouched and yet it still started and rode the day I sold it (though was taken away in a van), honestly an unkillable bike!
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[tom_e]

And I thought my mate accidentally reversing straight over me sat on top of the bike in a car park was bad!

[MCN]

[P.addy]

Sounds like you are bad at choosing friends. And bikes.

[Copyhat]

I was happy with my NTV, a pretty great bike and the engine is really solid. Mine was SMIDSY'd by a 19-year-old girl who didn't give way to incoming traffic.

BT45's is a really good choice for it, use Vesrah sintred brake pads and it'll stop in a flinch. It has much of the same steering geometry as the VFR of the same vintage, but a bit lighter of course.

https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb262/Hammer1993_photo/DSC_7718_zps4rt3qwfl.jpg

The result was broken indicators, a scratched brand new Fuel exhaust, destroyed miror, dented tank and broken footrest. And my arm was broken in the process. The bike still ran like a champ, it was put down at the workshop after a month and 1.000 km.
https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb262/Hammer1993_photo/2015-05-14%2021.10.22_zpsgzjp2ydo.jpg
____________________
Past: '91 Honda NTV650, '93 Kawasaki GPZ 500S
Current: '91 Honda VFR750F, '83 Suzuki GSX400F

[Ste]

Also beware of "friends" who decide to help you make preparations for killing yourself.

[Doink]

I've got a 650 Deauville, basically a tarted up NTV.

Pretty bulletproof to be fair.