What have you done to your bike today?

[to v or not to v]

gave it its annual wash. purely because i happened to be washing the cars.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[Bhud]

[Nobby the Bastard]

I've always has the bores done first because until it is you don't know what size piston to get on account of the fact you don't know how deep the scoring is.

In your instance where only one oversize is available, what are you going to do if the scoring is too deep for that oversize?

Bear in mind typically an oversize generally go up in 0.25mm increments.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[Bhud]

[Nobby the Bastard]

What if your replacement barrels don't need reboring?
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[Bhud]

They would most likely need reboring.

I base my assuredness in these things on my beliefs about how matters related to motorcycling work. In this case, it's less likely that anyone has rebored them. When I took advice on this engine on another forum, they advised not throwing money at this engine. That tells me it hasn't entered that XS650 cult yet, so motorcyclists have been sandpapering or doing whatever shit in their garage with a £15 hone from Ebay, but not taking these engines in to be machined, because they think they're low value and will always be around.

I also note that breakers are hoarding them on Ebay. This is another sign that people think they're not worth fixing, and hoarders think someone will one day come along and buy the parts.

Putting these observations together, any used set of barrels I buy are very highly likely to be standard sized.

When the VJMC and similar people start ... over it, things will change and such assumptions will no longer hold true. But for now it's in that twilight zone where you can still get cheap parts, although breakers have overpriced them on Ebay, and people are scrapping in favour of repairing due to cost vs value.

Just going by how motorcyclists in general think, I chose this course of action because I think it's correct.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

My ‘03 R1 has been off the road for quite some time due to mixed problems traced to a dodgy throttle position sensor (TPS), corrosion in the starting circuit relay connector and stuck clutch plates. I’d documented all that here and in the meantime the bike was abandoned in the garage while I rode the ZX6R. Finding a replacement 16-pin connector (I’d chewed the original up trying to extract the pins) was quite a problem, finally sourced from https://www.corsa-technic.com/ in the USA (turns out it’s a Toyota Supra part too).

Having this week off work I’ve used a grinding disc on a Dremel to cut the old plastic wafer-thin over each pin and then pried the old connector open like pulling bits off a bread roll to release the wires. Old and new connectors shown below half way through the job. I numbered each wire using a Dymo printer to make sure the 12 pins go into the right places. I’ve also crimped three new connectors to replace those which broke off. The bike now starts.

https://i.postimg.cc/Qx4fTnVR/IMG-0594.jpg

The replacement TPS makes the throttle very crisp. I’m surprised I tolerated the near cut-out when the old one was given the first millimetre of movement but I wrongly thought it was an early fuel-injection trait. Latterly The TPS failed across a wider range, making itself obvious.

When reassembled the freed-up clutch plates weren’t engaging with each other even with no cable attached. I’d used the on-line Yamaha service manual but surprisingly the Haynes manual gives more reassembly information and it looks like I hadn’t ensured the clutch spring plate was properly mated with the clutch boss. Consequently when I’ve fitted the retainer bolts the tangs in the spring plate have taken a slice of metal from two of the six clutch boss mounting points. You can just about see that in the photo at the 9 o’clock position compared to the others.

https://i.postimg.cc/SK8dHSVh/IMG-1046.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/hjgDHRNY/IMG-0602.png

Happily I retrieved those two metal slices from the clutch housing, and I don’t think it will impact reassembly when Wemoto send the EBC kit (friction plates, steel plates and diaphragm spring plate). The friction plates hadn’t been slipping but when measured they were all at the lower limit for thickness (after 35,000 miles) so worth changing now.

Fingers-crossed the R1 will soon be MOT’d and back in regular use.

[that_impulse_guy]

removed my rear footpegs and mounts (saved 0.5kg!!!) (cant use them coz of CBT restrictions so why am I dragging them around with me)

Also spent time de-spidering everything, again...spiders seems to have made a home somewhere and I feel like a witch everytime I ride with trails of spiderweb coming off the bars, clocks, mirrors etc.

If anybody has remedy (park it next to a Harley and hope they go to a better home?) let me know.
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Gone: Yamaha DT50lc, Suzuki DR500, Suzuki A100, Kawasaki z250ltd, RD350YPVS, Suzuki DR Big, Kawasaki AR125, Kawasaki KMX200, Suzuki GS1000S, Katana 1100, GS550M, Suzuki RGV250
Now: Suzuki GSX400X, Suzuki RF900R, NS400R

[to v or not to v]

tie a bird to the bike to eat the spiders.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[Easy-X]

[that_impulse_guy]

genuinely didnt know that...thanks!

does this qualify as two seats or one long one with a small hump?

https://www.am-motorcycles.co.uk/bikes-for-sale/images/2019-10-16-14-01-11orange-29.jpg

(its probably two...I'll put them back then...)
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Gone: Yamaha DT50lc, Suzuki DR500, Suzuki A100, Kawasaki z250ltd, RD350YPVS, Suzuki DR Big, Kawasaki AR125, Kawasaki KMX200, Suzuki GS1000S, Katana 1100, GS550M, Suzuki RGV250
Now: Suzuki GSX400X, Suzuki RF900R, NS400R

[to v or not to v]

just put them back on at MOT time.
____________________
current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
Moto Guzzi V7.

[Easy-X]

Aside from the clutch on the old fella's KZ1000 mentioned in the Workshop section we've also been working on an alarm system. '70s bikes have little to no security so it seemed like a good idea at the time

Anyhoo, we've got as far as running it keyless style like wot his Harley has. But... errr... the indicators have stopped working so a bit more wiring to do.

The unit is one of those typical Chinese units with terrible instructions. I might write up my findings once we've got the Kwacker working if anyone's interested.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[A100man]

[Easy-X]

[hellkat]

Well.
When I started it up, something went *bang*...! around the ignitiony section.

Panic...

There are a couple of bits of plastic on the road near the bike, but I don't know if they were there or not before it went bang. But they do look like they might have come off the bike due to their level of grubbiness. I shall keep them in case the *bang!* situation happens again, and shall show them to the mechanic.

It wasn't like the misfire that the Snarley is doing.

But then I tried again (rather more cautiously) and although it went *bang* a second time, it agreed to start, run and took me to the Ace Caff and back. It didn't go bang at all whilst at the Ace Caff, no doubt because of the large number of burly chaps with a knack for motorcycle fettling (NCC) standing around at their annual shindig.

When you need a burly chap with a knack for motorcycle fettling you can never find one, but when you don't ... you see them by the fucking lorryload.

Anyway, had a nice pootle out and a Saturday morning Fry-up, perved on burly geezers and dodged the rain.
Mustn't grumble.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

Fitted a new EBC clutch from Wemoto. The first friction and steel plate pairing to go on are secured with a wire circlip which was tricky to fit and didn’t come with the kit, so that was £12 delivered from Fowlers. The friction plates are aramid so only needed a brush with oil rather than an overnight bath although it looked to be soaking in quickly. This time the plates had no free play between them. The clutch cover went back on a bit more easily and I made sure the lever at that end looked and felt right but it took a few goes. I reused the same gasket from the recent botched reassembly. After a bit of cable adjustment and then rolling a couple of yards under power it’s all good. Wanna give it a ‘test ride’ (officer) but it’s got no MOT. Battery needs charging next.

[Easy-X]

Figured out the wiring on the old fella's KZ1000 to get the alarm and indicators playing nicely. We then moved on to the "amazing" bluetooth phone app

Although we initially got it to pair, the app wouldn't do anything. It did prompt to change the default PIN so we did... and then it stopped working entirely - wouldn't respond to either the new or old PIN

Cheap piece of Chinese crap but as I said before: more of an experiment than anything serious. The key fobs still work though.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[dave001]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[Islander]

I fitted a nice shiny new stainless steel Delkevic exhaust system to my partner's 750 Zephyr (early birthday present). It sounds fantastic - I may just have to buy one for the GSF1200...

[Pete.]

Swapped the bars for raised ones, stripped and serviced all 3 calipers on both bikes. New pads all around, new venhill lines on mywork bike as the old ones were chafed and corroded, new air filter and balanced the throttles.

That's the wekeend gone then...
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[MercurialWarc...]

[Tierbirdy]

https://i.imgur.com/DcO77VC.png

Swapped out the OEM kamikaze rotor on my FZ1 for the RMStator one. Should save my engine from committing seppuku

Also replaced all the lights with LED and looks way more modern. Next is getting rid of the disgusting OEM tail tidy and gigantahuge numberplate

[grr666]