Stuff

[WD Forte]

Got a 2010 YBR125 here for MOT prep
owner says 'brakes not very good'
Still not sure if that sight glass melted or someone stabbed it
That master cylinder was only fitted (new) about 18 months ago
It was a £20-ish Ebay special as I recall

https://imgur.com/9qcLEeU.jpg

the manual says it should have a 35/35W headlamp bulb.
Here's the long term effect of a 55/65W H4 on a polycarbonate lens
The YBR has always on lights, you can only choose between Hi or Lo

I know the owner doesn't use the YBR for shopping trips, he has his scoot for that
and tends to keep the YBR for longer runs to say Wales Hereford way so assume these longer runs allowed the heat to build up.

https://imgur.com/4YJot1l.jpg
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bikers smell of wee

[Nobby the Bastard]

Fuck me ragged....
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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."
Sprint ST 1050

[Zen Dog]

I'm just looking at those 2 items and grimacing at the thought of the rest of the bike...
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Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[MCN]

Classic case of Over Greasing.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Bhud]

You can't let that bike leave your shop with a £20 Ebay special master cylinder.

[Nobby the Bastard]

[Bhud]

This is what you want:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194614783113

Used, original Yamaha part. It only looks similar superficially. It will be completely different. Get one, and make a post comparing the Ebay special with the Yamaha original. That will be interesting.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[MCN]

[WD Forte]

The guy bought a SH Yamaha one which I've fitted for him.
I did price up a piston and seal kit for £64 from Fowlers
in case it was iffy but it's working ok now.
( new MC £204 BTW ouch!)

The lid screws were a bitch to remove and the brake light switch is
a bit sloppy and the lever has road rash but as long as it does the job
I spose.
I did dab wee bit of copperslip on the lid screws so the next guy in there doesn't have to struggle like I did.
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bikers smell of wee

[WD Forte]

I have to be responsible for making sure a bike is safe and fit for use
as it leaves me, but not for 18 months down the road.
I always give him the options and advice on the best practise
(and frighten him with Fowlers prices), but ultimately he has final say
on what he spends his dosh on.

To be fair, the cheapie MC would still have been working fine
had the sight glass been intact and as above I'm still uncertain
about whether the brake fluid ate it or it was damaged/vandalised.
£20 for 18 months use Vs £ 204 for a Yamaha part
means it would be 15 years of riding before matching the cost of
the Fowlers part.
Would an original part last 15 years without needing attention?
I doubt it

I'm more shocked over the guy not realising how bad it was.
Mind you, he couldn't find the spark plug on it and is utterly clueless.
Every time he turns up it's like Groundhog day
I spend time explaining how his bike works how to do stuff and why
but when I see him again he hasn't got a clue.
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bikers smell of wee

[Bhud]

I do sympathise. Long time ago, when I used to use a bike mechanic (excellent one) I was always shocked at the state of the peds and small bikes kids had left with him. The sheer state of them... They looked like they had been hit by trains, several times. When you're young you think you're invincible and nothing bad will happen. Yes that thing lasted 18 months but I'm telling you buddy it's not the same thing as the original master cylinder. The casting is completely different, the switch activating the rear brake light is a bit of plastic held on by a keyring (!) etc. I know because I bought one myself for a vintage Kwak, and ended up binning it. As you know, some very old bikes don't have a switch to activate the rear brake light. Therefore I took a chance on one of those Chinese brake MCs, and it was a shocking piece of crap. Now, I don't know what you would do with the actual brake piston - renew the seals, put in an original Yamaha one or whatever. However, even that is a different design from the original.

I'm sorry if I implied this was all on your head, because it's not. Some bike owners might not have anyone to consult but themselves - there might not even be anyone in their lives as a voice of reason. They could be good at all sorts of things but lack general intelligence, and be a risk to themselves. General rule: if someone makes it to 25 they will probably make it to 50, and if they make it to 50 they will be fine. A front brake is a safety critical part. The absolute shit that comes out of China sometimes beggars belief. I've seen it. It's probably enough to simply warn him. Although with a bit of swearing or whatever it takes to impress upon him that this could have long-term consequences. As I said, I've seen these Chinese "substitutes" for brake MCs and they are absolutely not the same design.

[ThunderGuts]

That's pretty horrific. Was brake fluid oozing out of the sight glass when you pulled the lever? Looks vandalised to me judging by the jagged edges. Given it deliberately faces the rider, I can't understand how he didn't spot it or even consider it an issue.

Makes you wonder how many less motorcycle accident statistics there'd be if you removed all the bikes in this condition from the roads.
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TG.

[blurredman]

Talk about getting rid of condensation.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k. , 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k

[Easy-X]

[WD Forte]

This guys a Deliveroo/perma L plate boi
and I've had to fix all manner of stuff on his scoots
plus his Mobylette

He often goes to 'proper' garages in town and pays through the nose
and seems to be under the impression that the more he pays the better the service he gets.
His 'expert' Mobylette guy couldn't fix a simple fault with the back light and shat his pants when he saw an led bulb.
he'll no doubt regard the CDI ignition and 12v DC conversion I did as black magic.
The scooter 'experts' couldn't even diagnose let alone fix a FI related fault on his SH125 and muttered about new ECU's n shit.
useless arseholes.
He brought it to me in desperation and I fixed it in half an hour and because I did it quickly, he attributed no value to it and fucked off without offering so much as a penny peice!!

I also offer copious amounts of sarcasm, invective, scorn and foul language about his 'experts' at no extra cost but he doesn't appreciate it.
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bikers smell of wee

[ThunderGuts]

[WD Forte]

I had a closer look at the broken sight glass today and
picked pieces of it out of the hole.
I also pulled out a membrane ( circled in pink) which presumably
sat on the inside of the 'glass' as the peices were on top of it.
Was it supposed to protect the 'glass' from the corrosive effects of the fluid?

https://imgur.com/8l5kVd2.jpg

The second pic shows where I picked away at the material with the tweezers.
It was very soft, so unless it was soft begin with, I'd say the fluid softened it.
It had a similar consistency (and strength) to tea soaked sugar
you might find in sugar bowl

For a reality check, I picked away at small piece of acrylic I had to hand
and it was far tougher and I would have struggled to remove anywhere near
the amount of material I did so easily on the MC window.

So, brake fluid ate my hamster and the final collapse inwards may have been
due to a cleaning attempt or heavy breathing.

https://imgur.com/k89cWA3.jpg

While I'm rantin on...
This pic shows the somewhat sloppy machining of the
sight glass hole in the body, but this is what you gets for twenty quid
I suppose.
https://imgur.com/6J5ODze.jpg
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bikers smell of wee

[ThunderGuts]

That's pretty horrendous.
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TG.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[Bhud]

Not surprised. Ebay special brake component: install one if you need a sneaky way to off someone you think is a wanker.

[ThunderGuts]

[Bhud]

[xX-Alex-Xx]

[ThunderGuts]