What have you tinkered with today?

[Craig380]

Farmyard down the plug well is a very accurate description :)

[Adam Ef]

Waiting on parts for the DRZ again... so back to the VFR. It's very reluctant and lumpy on startup and a bit jerky at low revs. So synched the starter valves, which will hopefully smooth it out a bit. I've got a feeling it needs cam chain tensioners looking at and possibly the dreaded VTEC valve clearance check too.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50856602822_a90734b26e_c.jpg

[Craig380]

Oof, it's like an SV in there, but with TWO of everything ....

[Luckypants]

It's very reluctant and lumpy on startup and a bit jerky at low revs. So synched the starter valves, which will hopefully smooth it out a bit.

That smoothed my previous VFR out lovely at low low revs, the current one does not have the problem.

[redtrummy]

A pretty pathetic effort compared to the above but I wanted to replace the chainset on my custom made 1982 bike frame (I have grown somewhat attached to 'Wester' ). I had stripped down the bottom bracket and replaced the bearings and regreased. When fitting the chainset the crankarm fouled the bottom bracket shell. After investigating the problem I discover the crank spindle is an ISO standard and the chainset is JIS standard. Got hold of a sealed bearing bottom bracket, tried to fit it and what I thought was the correct splined spanner does not fit. Persevered with a homemade spanner but could not get the cup to screw in fully as its about 8mm deeper than the one removed, continuing would only have ended up damaging the splined cup so had to abandon and have now ordered the correct required spanner. A 20 minute job will run into a third day -sometimes I hate 'progress' (Perhaps should have been posted in gripe of the day)

[Adam Ef]

One of our biggest gripes at the shop I work at is bottom bracket "standards". None of them are standard! The amount of new sizes, designs and new tools needed for them in the last few years is ridiculous.



Whatever you do don't buy an old Stronglight chainset that requires a special crank puller for one side that is possibly the rarest tool in the world. Also never trust wheel bearing cartridges. Some manufacturers share seals from other sized bearings that have the wrong number stamped on them. The amount of niche knowledge that is needed to be able to work on a range of bikes is mind boggling. 12 years working professionaly and I still learn something new every week.

[svenrico]

One of our biggest gripes at the shop I work at is bottom bracket "standards". None of them are standard! The amount of new sizes, designs and new tools needed for them in the last few years is ridiculous.
Whatever you do don't buy an old Stronglight chainset that requires a special crank puller for one side that is possibly the rarest tool in the world. Also never trust wheel bearing cartridges. Some manufacturers share seals from other sized bearings that have the wrong number stamped on them. The amount of niche knowledge that is needed to be able to work on a range of bikes is mind boggling. 12 years working professionaly and I still learn something new every week.
Agree with bottom bracket comments. Even more annoying when you can't get the bloody thing out at all to repair things (like my Falcon Escape)

[maviczap]

One of our biggest gripes at the shop I work at is bottom bracket "standards". None of them are standard! The amount of new sizes, designs and new tools needed for them in the last few years is ridiculous.



Whatever you do don't buy an old Stronglight chainset that requires a special crank puller for one side that is possibly the rarest tool in the world. Also never trust wheel bearing cartridges. Some manufacturers share seals from other sized bearings that have the wrong number stamped on them. The amount of niche knowledge that is needed to be able to work on a range of bikes is mind boggling. 12 years working professionaly and I still learn something new every week.

Agree, which is why I've only ever bought frames with 68mm threaded BB's, none of your press fit bollox :-). I'll stick with my Hope BB's which I can replace the bearings myself. I don't generate enough power for anything else.

I lost my rag when Shimano didn't make my 10speed Ultegra wheels 11 speed compatible, and you couldn't swap the freehub either. I couldn't get replacement cones for them either. Mavic on the other had made their freehubs 11speed compatible early on, but like you said, they weren't easy to get replacement bearings for.

Campag was the same when 10speed came out and all my beautiful hubs wouldn't work, because the 9 speed freehubs wouldn't take the 10speed cassette as it was a totally different design.

Life was simpler with square taper BB's and friction shifters :-) :-)

[Adam Ef]

Shimano are usually pretty good at trying to stay compatible in an increasingly diverse world of cycling tech. Their only major glitches have been 9 to 10 speed mountain bike and 10 to 11 speed road. Their Dynasis system changed the cable pull. Also the third variant of Tiagra 10 speed, which is not compatible with anything else except itself. We get a lot of confused customers trying to use Tiagra with other 10 speed parts (Old 105 and Ultegra and even other previous Tiagra) and not able to figure out why it's not quite working.


At least they try though. Sram have always made their own stuff incompatible with themselves.

[maviczap]

Shimano are usually pretty good at trying to stay compatible in an increasingly diverse world of cycling tech. Their only major glitches have been 9 to 10 speed mountain bike and 10 to 11 speed road. Their Dynasis system changed the cable pull. Also the third variant of Tiagra 10 speed, which is not compatible with anything else except itself. We get a lot of confused customers trying to use Tiagra with other 10 speed parts (Old 105 and Ultegra and even other previous Tiagra) and not able to figure out why it's not quite working.


At least they try though. Sram have always made their own stuff incompatible with themselves.

Agreed that was Shimsno's only glitch, although let's see what happens when they roll out 12speed :-)

I'm not a SRAN fan, except for Etape wireless, wish Shimano had introduced it, rumours suggest it might be in the pipeline?

[redtrummy]

Cripes out of my depth here too! Well Wester now has a 9 speed freewheel block fitted to the original Shimano hubs, (which run really smoothly) it has Weinmann concave rims which were the thing back in the 80s. Managed to re-dish the wheel after all this time although the spokes are not stainless.
I built it for cycle camping trips but now it used for less arduous day rides.
Hope the rear axle holds up ok as there is quite a length unsupported wheel to frame. (Obviously the new cassette system is a better design)

Guess it is a bit of nostalgia just like owning a classic Motorbike.
On Ytube the is a guy called Hambini - somewhat opinionated and foul mouthed but I have found his analyses of BB problems fascinating. Most are carbon frames and basically suffer through a lack of quality control with the hole each side not in alignment or under/oversized or not round but slightly oval. Hence creaking pressfit BB

Yep the old BSA still seems the way to go

[DJ123]

New shock absorber for my ST. Old one removed and will be cleaning up the inaccessible areas whilst its out and waiting for the new one to arrive.
I was torn between getting this one refurbished, or a new Hagon one, but in the end convinced myself the new one is the better choice - even though it's 100% more cost, it does have a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty.

[dirtydog]

Tinkering last week involved trying to sort the handbrake on the X-trail as it was only working on one side, failed the mot because of it. Rear discs and pads weren't looking great either so figured I might as well do it all at the same time.
After 2 hours I had managed to get 1 caliper sliding pin out and 1 caliper bracket bolt out so I gave up, put it all back together and booked it into my normal garage for them to sort it. It took them 6 hours altogether!

[Luckypants]

MK1 x-trail? Had the same pain. ☹ My local garage always stripped and cleaned the rears whenever it was serviced afterwards as a precaution. They worked great after that.

[dirtydog]

Mk2 T31 Xtrail but it seems to be a recurring problem with the nissans including the Qashqai.
I reckon I’ll need to either refurb or replace the rear calipers before the next mot

[andrewsmith]

Mk2 T31 Xtrail but it seems to be a recurring problem with the nissans including the Qashqai.
I reckon I’ll need to either refurb or replace the rear calipers before the next motMost Nissans and quite a few Renaults of that era have that problem. DD get some refurbished by someone else as they're a right sod to do

Took a friend 4 hours to replace a Nissan cube handbrake cable on a ramp

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk

[dozi]

Doing up 3 Sv650 1999. I am sure some of the muck is 20 year old!! Every bike has been stripped down to just frames, and currently being rebuilt. Takes about a week per bike so far.

If anyone has any bits kicking about for sale let me know. Cheers

[BoltonSte]

Doing up 3 Sv650 1999. I am sure some of the muck is 20 year old!! Every bike has been stripped down to just frames, and currently being rebuilt. Takes about a week per bike so far.

If anyone has any bits kicking about for sale let me know. Cheers



I've got a few bits I need to clear out in the coming weeks:
Subframe
Seat (I think)
JMC swing arm.
I'll put a list together as I go through the boxes.


Ste

[Adam Ef]

Still waiting on parts for the DRZ so set about removing the carb to clean up. Not something I intended to do straight away but may as well while I wait for the other bits.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50881176848_116bfae34d_c.jpg


Then carried on trying to free up the stuck swingarm pivot bolt. Resorting to spraying it at the joins with it lying on it's side and soaking instead of hammering it. Managed to crush my finger using the brute force method the other day and didn't notice until my glove made strange squishy noises, which I found out was because it was full of blood.
Got a decent propane torch on order too to get a bit of heat on there inbetween soaking it with penetrating oil. Got a feeling it's going to be a slow process over quite a few days.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50881999597_4978e5aef4_c.jpg

[Craig380]

That's quite a carb, got a TPS and everything. And be careful with your thumb!

[Adam Ef]

It has, and the bolts holding it in place were well and truly stuck. As is every other bolt / screw on it. It's definitely not been removed in a long time! Nothing is turning out to be a simple job on this bike.

[Adam Ef]

The DRZ battle continues. Everything apart again and attacking it with heat. Still no movement on the pivot bolt, but plenty of cracking sounds as it heated up. Need to leave it soaking with penetrating fluid again and back to it tomorrow. I did get some very seized up and stuck bearings out of the back wheel though and it only took about 4 hours. Cleaned up nicely and fresh bearings in there so it might be a bit easier pushing it around now. The bearings were so bad that it even affected trying to roll it about.

Also managed to get a throttle tube and cables from someone of FB who it turns out lives down the road from me and has loads of spares. Need a bit of luck like that with this project that was never meant to be a project.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50891688252_837217cc6c_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50891688207_b7e732cc1c_c.jpg


.

[dozi]

Quite some journey you are on!!

[Adam Ef]

$£%^$£^$£^£$^$% Yeeeeeeesss!


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50891456988_4aa1f6d5ff_c.jpg

[dozi]

Look forward to seeing the bearings

[admin]

Well done. Persistence pays off.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Adam Ef]

Today I have mostly been doing learnining...


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50894462203_7bbe12b50d_c.jpg

[admin]

I'd like to learn to weld. I'm not sure how often I'd need to use it though.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Craig380]

I'd like to learn to weld. I'm not sure how often I'd need to use it though.


Same here - but I suspect it's a bit like going into B&M Bargains. You never go in there with a list: you find out what you need to buy as you're going round :)

[Adam Ef]

Yep. If you want to really get into it and make the process easier there is a LOT of gear you can buy. I've just got a cheap second hand mid range mig welder from someone locally. All set up with wire etc. Then got cheap gloves, jacket (old german factory stock on ebay) and a decent enough mask. The mask is important.


I factored in the cost of getting my van fixed before MOT to justify a small spend on it. I have done brazing in the past too. Very different but has some basics that are similar. I managed to build a bicycle frame as part of a four day charity course I did a few years ago. All guided by experts, so not sure I could do it on my own. That sort of thing involves a lot more tooling and jigs etc too. Mig is cheap but a bit of an ugly finish. Brazing is a very nice finish but a very expensive setup. Especially if you need insurance for handling the gases.

[Adam Ef]

Look forward to seeing the bearings


They aren't good. Came out in bits.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50898689558_50183fc689_c.jpg

[admin]

Past their best I think.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[garynortheast]

Past their best I think.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

Nah, give 'em a clean and refit them with a bit of fresh grease and they'll be good as new!

[Dave20046]

Yep. If you want to really get into it and make the process easier there is a LOT of gear you can buy. I've just got a cheap second hand mid range mig welder from someone locally. All set up with wire etc. Then got cheap gloves, jacket (old german factory stock on ebay) and a decent enough mask. The mask is important.


I factored in the cost of getting my van fixed before MOT to justify a small spend on it. I have done brazing in the past too. Very different but has some basics that are similar. I managed to build a bicycle frame as part of a four day charity course I did a few years ago. All guided by experts, so not sure I could do it on my own. That sort of thing involves a lot more tooling and jigs etc too. Mig is cheap but a bit of an ugly finish. Brazing is a very nice finish but a very expensive setup. Especially if you need insurance for handling the gases.
Whatever you do wear jeans. I'm quite partial to the tracksuit bottom when working on vehicles (for the flexibility climbing under wheel arches etc ). Nothing more alarming than molten weld run off burning straight through your crotch and taking a tour of your cleftal horizon after a quick yet painful visit to nutsack village. Especially if you're contorted into aforementioned wheelarch and can't run away and scream, you sort of end up wiggling like you're in a straight jacket trying to flip up your mask with one hand and punching yourself in the crotch with the other hand.


...or so I've heard...

[admin]

Today's job replacing the hdd in my laptop. Nice new ssd now installed.

https://i.postimg.cc/NjXZ08hz/IMG-20210202-134901172-HDR.jpg

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[dirtydog]

Most Nissans and quite a few Renaults of that era have that problem. DD get some refurbished by someone else as they're a right sod to do

Took a friend 4 hours to replace a Nissan cube handbrake cable on a ramp

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk


I can get recon calipers for £84 each so I'll probably go down that route

[garynortheast]

Today's job replacing the hdd in my laptop. Nice new ssd now installed.

https://i.postimg.cc/NjXZ08hz/IMG-20210202-134901172-HDR.jpg

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

Really cheeses me off that so many laptops over the last few years need the entire back off to get at the hdd or ssd, and often also the RAM. Why have manufacturers stopped giving folks just a small discrete panel to access these components? :-(

[admin]

Really cheeses me off that so many laptops over the last few years need the entire back off to get at the hdd or ssd, and often also the RAM. Why have manufacturers stopped giving folks just a small discrete panel to access these components? :-(I agree. It was a right faff. I guess it boils down to cost or maybe to put off people from upgrading so they buy a replacement.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[shiftin_gear98]

^Nailed it in one.

There's no money in people upgrading things at home. So they make everything as awkward as possible.
Tossers.

[andrewsmith]

I can get recon calipers for £84 each so I'll probably go down that routeI would as that's a good price

Sent from my ELE-L29 using Tapatalk

[Adam Ef]

^Nailed it in one.

There's no money in people upgrading things at home. So they make everything as awkward as possible.
Tossers.




Yep. If you look at the price of Mac laptops (I have recently and then went for a lie down) they jump hugely in cost if you want the larger hard drives. If people knew it was easy to change their own then they'd never opt for the more expensive models. So Apple make it as difficult as possible to swap bits out. I have managed it though when my wifi card failed in mine.

[DJ123]

Yep. If you look at the price of Mac laptops (I have recently and then went for a lie down) they jump hugely in cost if you want the larger hard drives. If people knew it was easy to change their own then they'd never opt for the more expensive models. So Apple make it as difficult as possible to swap bits out. I have managed it though when my wifi card failed in mine.

It's how they make so much money, same with their phones. Very overpriced and usually very under specced compared to what the Android equivalents have.

Tbh i think for a laptop you don't need a huge amount of storage like in a desktop. I bought a Macbook about 18 months ago, standard one with 120GB HDD and 8GB memory, 13.3" monitor. Took me a while to get used to it, and i'm still learning things today. And i absolutely prefer the machine & OS to a Windows OS, for multiple reasons.

[admin]

I agree. It was a right faff. I guess it boils down to cost or maybe to put off people from upgrading so they buy a replacement.

Sent from my SM-T510 using TapatalkI also think it's this current trend to make laptops as thin as possible.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Dave20046]

I also think it's this current trend to make laptops as thin as possible.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk
Which is even worse because they solder the SSD to the motherboard in some cases which is great for upgrading/repair :compcrash:

[DJ123]

Fitted my new rear shock which arrived today. Just need the right weather to use the bike for 'essential travel'.

https://i.ibb.co/Xj68Mc3/IMG20210203102619.jpg (https://ibb.co/8NGct1d)

https://i.ibb.co/jZwCFZC/IMG20210203114956.jpg (https://ibb.co/G3MZj3Z)

https://i.ibb.co/Q6NHL7k/IMG20210203115005.jpg (https://ibb.co/tbs2gwz)

[gadget]

Just received my front full length braided brake lines today, looking forward to a dry day to fit 'n' blead the system. There was nothing wrong with the oem lines or stopping power tbh but an upgrade is a good idea I thought. Btw ... what's your thoughts on bleeding a full two line system... conventional or back bleeding?
Which has the best results and/less aggravation?

[DJ123]

Is this the standard SV set up, with one line from master cylinder to calliper, then a feeder line to the other side?

I would do a conventional bleed and it should be fine. You could do the main line calliper first and clamp off the feeder line. Once this is done unclamp it and bleed the next one.

[gadget]

Is this the standard SV set up, with one line from master cylinder to calliper, then a feeder line to the other side?

I would do a conventional bleed and it should be fine. You could do the main line calliper first and clamp off the feeder line. Once this is done unclamp it and bleed the next one.

Mine is a 99 curvy 'S' so has one line from master to a splitter under the bottom yoke which then goes into 2 lines ...one line per caliper. So I'm now changing to the full 2 line set up straight from master cylinder, one line either side. It's apparently called a 'race setup!
Was now wondering which of the two bleeding methods was the most successful... conventional top fill or the syringe type backfilling?

[Adam Ef]

I did mine on the ZX6r (same "race" set up) from the calipers up and then a bit the other way too. Then bled the master cyclinder at the top last.

[Adam Ef]

Did I mention I'd got another stuck bolt on the DRZ? Another steel bolt fused into an aluminium sleeve inside the swingarm linkage. Very minimal room around it to try and get it out. No way to hammer it. Another couple of days heat and soaking and then a bit of brute force and swearing and it is now out.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50905171042_afb92c128b_c.jpg


I did make a home made tool to fit in the space to try and press it out. A cut down clamp with flats for a spanner ground onto the remaining thread. It might have contributed a bit to the eventual removal but didn't noticeably budge it how I thought it might.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50905047611_935c0f6a42_c.jpg


.

[Dave20046]

Just received my front full length braided brake lines today, looking forward to a dry day to fit 'n' blead the system. There was nothing wrong with the oem lines or stopping power tbh but an upgrade is a good idea I thought. Btw ... what's your thoughts on bleeding a full two line system... conventional or back bleeding?
Which has the best results and/less aggravation?
I syringe upwards through the caliper nipnips, I have a full two line setup (double banjo at mastercylinder and one line to each caliper)

[yorkie_chris]

I don't miss that awkwardness on DRZs! Awful design!

Bleeding I allus just conventional bled down from the reservoir, never had any problem as long as you keep in mind that air rises, so you sometimes need to release the master cyl and tip it downwards on some bikes.

Some Italian bikes rear calipers could be awkward, end up taking bits off and holding it at odd angles to let the air get out.


Today I am mostly tinkering with how to design some anchors which will be welded together from 10mm steel. Each complete anchor for the boat will weigh not far off the same as an SV.

[dirtydog]

Did I mention I'd got another stuck bolt on the DRZ? Another steel bolt fused into an aluminium sleeve inside the swingarm linkage. Very minimal room around it to try and get it out. No way to hammer it. Another couple of days heat and soaking and then a bit of brute force and swearing and it is now out.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50905171042_afb92c128b_c.jpg



.

Nice blow torch, I have the same one although a little worse for wear after being used nearly every day for about 15 years.
Needs a refurb kit putting on it at the moment

[dirtydog]

I don't miss that awkwardness on DRZs! Awful design!

Bleeding I allus just conventional bled down from the reservoir, never had any problem as long as you keep in mind that air rises, so you sometimes need to release the master cyl and tip it downwards on some bikes.

Some Italian bikes rear calipers could be awkward, end up taking bits off and holding it at odd angles to let the air get out.


Today I am mostly tinkering with how to design some anchors which will be welded together from 10mm steel. Each complete anchor for the boat will weigh not far off the same as an SV.

I changed the front hoses on my sv a few weeks ago, just bled them down from the reservoir, no problems with it all.

Italian rear brakes, the 2 that spring to mind are the Raptor and the Mille. Raptor was the worst rear brake I have ever come across

[gt alex]

Hi I am running dual lines from a radial master cyl. It all bled normally but got to a point I couldn't get it any better but I was sure it still had some air in it.
After researching the net I found several articles on getting that last reluctant air out.
I don't understand how it works but it did.
Just pull the brake on and lash around it holding the brake hard on over night and the next day mine was 100%
Hope this helps I was amazed.

[gadget]

Hi I am running dual lines from a radial master cyl. It all bled normally but got to a point I couldn't get it any better but I was sure it still had some air in it.
After researching the net I found several articles on getting that last reluctant air out.
I don't understand how it works but it did.
Just pull the brake on and lash around it holding the brake hard on over night and the next day mine was 100%
Hope this helps I was amazed.
Not heard of doing that but f i get any problems with it I'll give it a bash, can't do any harm I guess.
I'll probably go with the 'back fill' method as I can see the relevance in chasing the air upwards rather than downward. As long as I can fill each line in one go I think it should be a doddle, may even do the 'brake on ' trick for good measure.
Cheers.I'll

[Dave20046]

Brake on trick always used to do me right. I could never work out how it worked. I've since decided it lets tiny bits of air out around the seals.
I used to have to do it on my curvy until I did a rebuild of cyl and calipers.
Haven't had to do it on the pointy and I strip and fluid change those fairly often.

I also bleed at the mastercylinder (banjo) on some bikes when needed, not often with the back fill method. Nice blow torch, I have the same one although a little worse for wear after being used nearly every day for about 15 years.
Needs a refurb kit putting on it at the moment

I thought the same! I really should invest in one, I use one that was my dads that he hadn't used it for about 20 years before I got it - I'm fairly convinced it's just a narrow, semi accurate camping stove

[Adam Ef]

Finally getting round to actually putting bearings in the linkage and swingarm on the DRZ. Propane torch helped a lot, partly to ease the fitting of the bearings and also to warm the parts to hold in a freezing garage.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50919619923_3906699991_c.jpg

[dirtydog]

I thought the same! I really should invest in one, I use one that was my dads that he hadn't used it for about 20 years before I got it - I'm fairly convinced it's just a narrow, semi accurate camping stove

I bought a £40 torch from toolstation to get me through while I was waiting for the refurb kit and it's night and day difference between them

[Dave20046]

I bought a £40 torch from toolstation to get me through while I was waiting for the refurb kit and it's night and day difference between them

Maybe I'm not a bad workman afterall - in my head I have been blaming the tools but nor dared say it outloud. Had some difficulty on 22mm Tee's :smt110

That said my major plumbing is done now so it looks like I'll be giving this torch to my kids so they can struggle like I had to.

[DJ123]

New grips on the bike as the old ones were a bit worn out. A slightly tedious job cutting the old ones off, trying not to damage the heated grip elements - they still work which is good news and a saving of £200 buying new heated grips.

[Adam Ef]

Another day off out in the freezing cold. Slowly getting there with the DRZ but also slowly losing the motivation as it's dragging on a bit (a lot) and it's very, very cold outside. Carb back on today and throttle and cables that I got locally through FB fitted and it all fits and works at last. Managed to fire up the bike for a few seconds, but turned it off very quickly as the exhaust is still not fitted back on so it was crazily loud. Refitted the exhaust and it wouldn't fire up again. I think the battery might be kaput from being out in the cold. The charger isn't happy with it either.. keeps showing an error message and it's only crept up to 9v, so I think it's gone. Also missing a couple of washers from the linkage which I think might have been missing already when I took it apart. Specific size and width, so back on to Fowlers Parts website to order 4 of them at £6 a pop, plus postage... £6 for a washer!!


Cold and waiting on more bits has now stopped play again. Back to work tomorrow for a few days. I'll be so glad when this is all done. I really didn't intend it to be a project.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50929500908_f030409aa0_c.jpg

[dirtydog]

Maybe I'm not a bad workman afterall - in my head I have been blaming the tools but nor dared say it outloud. Had some difficulty on 22mm Tee's :smt110

That said my major plumbing is done now so it looks like I'll be giving this torch to my kids so they can struggle like I had to.


I use mapp gas and the turbine flame tip as well, can solder 28mm easily with it

[gt alex]

It has been a good day, I just had my gen 1 sv650 cafe racer with my single throttle body conversion on the dyno for the first time and it looks promising to me.
62hp at 8800 and over 44 ft/lbs torque almost flat 5000-6000.
Still needs work idle is way rich
So I will put some effort into the idle and the a gen1/2 cam conversion before another dyno session

[gt alex]

Dyno day with single TB. Got 62hp 8800 rpm and 44.5 ft/lbs torque 6300 rpm

64.2 hp (47.9 kW) @ 9000 rpm[12]
42.3 lbf⋅ft (57.4 N⋅m) @ 7200 rpm[12] from Wikipedia

So I am both disappointed and pleased
with a single throttle body and a home made manifold I have a better better mid range torque and max power only rolls off 200 rpm early and sacrificing 2hp.
I really think I will stick with this and add cams to see what that does. Also the muffler is nothing flash but I like the look at this time.

[glang]

Adjusted fast idle on my 2006 SV650S. Followed the manual to get the correct voltage showing on the TP sensor so pretty easy though havent tried it yet...

[gt alex]

testing single TB on gen1 sv650 cafe racer

[maviczap]

It has been a good day, I just had my gen 1 sv650 cafe racer with my single throttle body conversion on the dyno for the first time and it looks promising to me.
62hp at 8800 and over 44 ft/lbs torque almost flat 5000-6000.
Still needs work idle is way rich
So I will put some effort into the idle and the a gen1/2 cam conversion before another dyno session

If you're looking for some Gen2 inlet cams I have a pair I'm not going to use

[Adam Ef]

We scrapped our old washing machine last week. I kept the back panel and it's slowing taking shape as a patch for the underneath of my van. My first proper welding task and I think I've set myself a bit of an awkward challenge. Access to the spot I need to weld underneath is not great (even jacked up and on axle stands) and it's snowing and freezing out.



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50939309366_81e79e91df_c.jpg

[Adam Ef]

New battery on the DRZ . Tank hooked up with a little fuel in and it runs again at last! Just got to get the back end back on it now. Chucking with rain again though, so might have to pause until the next day off.


0KQryJGtnlE

[DarrenSV650S]

That DRZ will be like a new bike when you're done with it :thumleft:

[Adam Ef]

I am getting a bit carried away. Once it's apart I like to do a decent job. Found myself cleaning up bolts and nuts with a wire brush drill attachment today though. I really just need to get it back together and check it rides ok. There's a long list still to do... fork oil, front brake bleed, possibly braided lines, fit rear indicators, front LED spots etc etc...

[Adam Ef]

More van fun. Making slow progress. Ran out of mig wire just before finishing it. Then it got dark. Looks like the van will be jacked up for a few days until I have a day off again.



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50947308036_66f2d0347a_c.jpg


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50947307916_aacbea92ea_c.jpg


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50946609303_365df9b879_c.jpg

[admin]

Looks good. Very neat welding.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Craig380]

I had a nice spin out in the almost spring-like temps and didn't get cold at all. Had to wash the bike when I got home though, while the roads were mostly dry there were still enough puddles and muddy / cruddy bits to get it mucky despite the SV's superb mudguards :-|

[Dave20046]

Bloody everything as per usual. I had a pipe burst in the night (thankfully outside, but the water still would have been an issue). My (potentially very nosey?! ) neighbour noticed and turned off my water at the street. What a good bloke*, took him some decent beers.
*He's clearly been in Yorkshire a long time as he said "I thought about just leaving it as it was outside and I didn't want to come on your property but then I thought what if you're on a meter?!"

The tinkering was actually minimal as I've got more important **** to do so I just cut the pipe at the house & capped it in about 30 seconds - this should probably be a smile of the day...


Adam that weldings really neat, I've done a fair bit and I'm crap - is that post tidy-up grind or before? Still impressive in either case, natural enginneyur you are!
Weren't you just learning recently?

[Bibio]

i cant see any welding. all i see is prep work. very nice it is too :-)

[Adam Ef]

Yep, no welding yet in those pics... just the ground away edges of the patch.

[Dave20046]

Yep, no welding yet in those pics... just the ground away edges of the patch.

Something up with my eyes, I was sure I could see perfect little circles of welding. You've set a tough bar to beat now :shaking2:

[admin]

Something up with my eyes, I was sure I could see perfect little circles of welding. You've set a tough bar to beat now :shaking2:I thought the same, mind you I'm using a tablet to look at the photos rather than a PC.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Seeker]

Yep, no welding yet in those pics... just the ground away edges of the patch.

Edd Chyna would be proud!

[DJ123]

Currently painting my Motorbike trailer. Laying down a Hammerite base on the runway and will be going over it with some Anti-Slip paint to make it easier/safer to load the bike in damp conditions. Then checking the bearings over and seeing if they need replacing, or are good to go for another year.

[Adam Ef]

Cleaned out the rear caliper and started getting the DRZ back together. I need it to get to work tomorrow. It's now started pi$$ing it down outside. I'm mid coolant refresh and all panels are still off. Dammit.


Satisfying to see it going back together knowing the back end of the bike is all fresh bearings, cleaned, greased and working well. Frustrating having these little bits of time between work days and not getting a satisfying chunk of time or decent weather to finish it. I need to move onto the front end next too. Going to ride it for a bit first though if / when I get it back together.



https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50952945436_cf266814d6_c.jpg


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50952244083_cd363da3b2_c.jpg

[shiftin_gear98]

Adam, you need to build yourself a man shed. Sod working outside all the time.

[Adam Ef]

I've got a garage. It's too full of all the bikes you guys keep making me buy :D



(I do actually have ideas / plans for a workshop space, definitely needed before next winter... I won't take on a winter project again without one)

[Adam Ef]

Actually got the DRZ back together at 1am last night so I could get to work today. It starts and runs but is very erratic. Feels like there's a vibration like it's stopping and starting a few times a second. It cuts out when coming to a stop and idling once warmed up too. Possibly a carb issue? It wasn't doing it before I had everything apart.

[Seeker]

It wasn't doing it before I had everything apart.

We recognise the fact you like to change your bikes, you don't need to go through this elaborate ruse of "maintenance" :D

[admin]

Actually got the DRZ back together at 1am last night so I could get to work today. It starts and runs but is very erratic. Feels like there's a vibration like it's stopping and starting a few times a second. It cuts out when coming to a stop and idling once warmed up too. Possibly a carb issue? It wasn't doing it before I had everything apart.Fuel supply, sticky float?

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Grant66]

If you ever want your bike refurbished, sell it to Adam and then buy it back from him a few months later [emoji1787]

Adam gets the "joy" of tinkering in the rain and snow and you get a fully fettled bike. It's a win/win [emoji3060]

Seriously, I'm impressed with the level of work you do to these bikes. If it was me; that DRZ would have been under a tarpaulin for years before selling for scrap.

Sent from an S20 using Tapatalk with that kin cr4p blocked

[Adam Ef]

Fuel supply, sticky float?

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk


That's the area I'm thinking of. I need to pull the carb off again when I get time at the weekend. Back to cycling to work again for now.

[Seeker]

Feels like there's a vibration like it's stopping and starting a few times a second. It cuts out when coming to a stop and idling once warmed up too.

start it at night (ie: dark) to see if there's any tracking along HT lead or around the coil if the bike's been wet. Is the plug new?

A blocked pilot jet wouldn't allow any idling.

[DJ123]

Currently painting my Motorbike trailer. Laying down a Hammerite base on the runway and will be going over it with some Anti-Slip paint to make it easier/safer to load the bike in damp conditions. Then checking the bearings over and seeing if they need replacing, or are good to go for another year.

Last coat of anti slip went on today. Once that's dried i'll be tackling the mudguards next. And it'll be looking better for it once all done.
Getting it already for the bike trip this year, hopefully . . . . .

[Adam Ef]

...Is the plug new?



Yes it is. Good point. I'll put the old one back in to narrow it down. I got the right plug and had to remove the small screw cap off the top to make it look like the one that came out and fit ok. I remember thinking at the time it was odd and wasn't 100% on how secure it felt.

[DJ123]

Fitted a new coil spring to my Mum's Audi A1. Not too bad to do, but a bit fiddly.

[Dave20046]

Fitted a new coil spring to my Mum's Audi A1. Not too bad to do, but a bit fiddly.
Goood job.Fronts are a bit of a PIA (unless they've changed the design?)... or likely, you're much brighter than me :oops:
I found the fixings could only be tightened under load and there was no mention of it in any of the instructions I could find, which prompted a 'take it all off again' and see what I've done wrong before reassembling and knocking it off the stands to try and see if that did the trick - I was pretty relieved when it did

[DJ123]

They are a PIA as you have to compress the springs so much to get the strut in/out as the wishbone doesn't move that far.
I did see that under load you should be able to undo/tighten them - which is fine for the inner nut which is easy to access. But the main nut holding on to the car was impossible, unless you had a torx on the inner and a ratchet or deep ring spinner on the outer nut. I found the best way was to wrap the damper strut in a microfibre cloth and clamp it (lightly) with mole grips. Then i could hold the inner, whilst tightening the nut with a ratchet on top - was a lot quicker & easier. I wish i did this on removal as it would have been a lot quicker and easier!
Only took a couple of hours overall which i was happy with.

My own car had the Summer wheels/tyres put back on today seeing as this cold spell seems to be over for a while - cue snow showers at easter.

[Adam Ef]

Got the carb off the DRZ again, just to see if I got anything wrong last time I stripped and rebuilt it. Adjusted the float very slightly and gave everything a good spray in case any grit had got in there to cause the juddery ride problem. Soaked the jets and even though they looked clean I was suprised by the amount of dirt in the cleaning fluid after they'd sat in it for half an hour.


I wanted to check if I'd messed up the air / fuel mix when I put it back together last time. I definitely hadn't even touched it as the screw was totally seized in place. Ended up drilling a pilot hole in it and luckily getting a torx bit to hammer in securely and then screw out. Sourced an extended screw this afternoon and need to get it all back together tomorrow afternoon. I've got a two and a half hour speed awareness course to do online first though in the morning. Grrrr.


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50966012377_e7fd370f3a_c.jpg


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50966012327_179938d8d6_c.jpg

[Dave20046]

They are a PIA as you have to compress the springs so much to get the strut in/out as the wishbone doesn't move that far.
I did see that under load you should be able to undo/tighten them - which is fine for the inner nut which is easy to access. But the main nut holding on to the car was impossible, unless you had a torx on the inner and a ratchet or deep ring spinner on the outer nut. I found the best way was to wrap the damper strut in a microfibre cloth and clamp it (lightly) with mole grips. Then i could hold the inner, whilst tightening the nut with a ratchet on top - was a lot quicker & easier. I wish i did this on removal as it would have been a lot quicker and easier!
Only took a couple of hours overall which i was happy with.

My own car had the Summer wheels/tyres put back on today seeing as this cold spell seems to be over for a while - cue snow showers at easter.

That's good going I did both and it took me a full day...although blowtorch was required on pretty much every bolt!

[DJ123]

Ouch. To be fair my Mum's car is only 7 years old and done 40k miles, so the bolts were probably in a better condition. I also had the luxury of being able to soak everything in penetration fluid for a few days beforehand.

[Adam Ef]

Test rode the DRZ. All good and great fun for half an hour then it got increasingly lumpy and erratic. Very off and on around corners and unless revved it wanted to stall. Didn't like constant throttle. I made a short video of what starts to happen once it's warmed up. 15 minutes more riding and it cut out totally and wouldn't start until it cooled for another 15 minutes. Then still wasn't happy on the ride home unless revs were kept high and varied throttle inputs. Only just made it home. I'm thinking igniton coil? Possibly fuel getting into the oil though apparently. I can't see why that would happen though?


zQQiZ1HNZcA