What have you tinkered with today?

[garynortheast]

Hope you don't mind but I like to hear what parts ( not consumables) on High-Mileage bikes that may have had to been replaced over the years if you would :)

Brake and clutch levers twice, reg/rec once, starter solenoid relay once. All the rest have just been standard consumables.

[R1ffR4ff]

Brake and clutch levers twice, reg/rec once, starter solenoid relay once. All the rest have just been standard consumables.

Great :)

That's a testament to a well made and well serviced machine :)

On my 99 coming up to 40k I've had to change the R/R and have changed the Starter relay as it was getting old. I put a foldable gear lever on just in case the bike gets dropped on the left to help prevent clutch damage,

https://i.imgur.com/HrPdJ2C.jpg

I also had to ditch the original Brake Master cylinder as that went. I went with a Brembo style round one from David Silvers as I've used them on my old Hondas and I hate those M/C screws <grin> :)

https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB400F-SUPER-SPORT-FOUR/part_123885/

[garynortheast]

Actually, just remembered I fitted a foldable rear brake lever about 13 years ago after I fell off and broke the original, and also replaced all the original engine case screws with a set of s/s socket heads.

[garynortheast]

Oil and filter change done.

https://i.imgur.com/pgqyvJp.jpg

I then went on to tweak the chain tension and had water dripping out of the end of the swingarm. Took the adjuster screws and end caps off, cleaned out the inside and unblocked the drain holes on the underside ends of the swingarm, then squirted ACF50 inside.

https://i.imgur.com/21bXXur.jpg

The last job is ongoing. I've been using a biodegradable chainsaw oil in my Scottoiler and while it lubes the chain ok, it forms a black, baked on skin of oil on the sprocket and outside of the plates on the chain. I've spent the last 2 hours trying to clean it off with paraffin, a toothbrush, and elbow grease! I haven't finished yet.....

https://i.imgur.com/HbGsDqY.jpg

[Sir Trev]

You've reminded me Gary. Now I have a bike I may use on nice days over the colder months (instead of hibernating for the best part of six months) I need to get some ACF50. A job for Saturday, assuming I can find somewhere apart from Amazon that stocks it of course.

[garynortheast]

assuming I can find somewhere apart from Amazon that stocks it of course.

I normally just do an ebay search Trevor.

Lots of choices here. (https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&_nkw=ACF50&_sacat=0)

[garynortheast]

Bike now cleaned and slathered in ACF50. I'm almost afraid to ride it now in case I get it dirty. The engine is very quiet again after an oil and filter change.

https://i.imgur.com/nIexvcM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vuhowdp.jpg

[Craig380]

Looking good, Gary!

[garynortheast]

She scrubs up well for a scuffed old girl doesn't she Craig?

[R1ffR4ff]

Can't beat fresh engine oil :) It always make s the engine feel good IME. I think it was someone on here who put me onto"Smith and Allen" oils,

https://www.smithandallan.com/product/smith-allan-limitless-super-4t-10w-40-semi-synthetic-motorcycle-oil-4117

I love that it's a full gallon so does 2 oil changes and delivered to my door at an honest price. I use their Fork-oil as well now,

https://www.smithandallan.com/product/smith-allan-limitless-fork-oil-15w-4114

I use HiFlo filters as above but the ones with the 17mm Take-off as it makes taking them of a doddle,


https://shorturl.at/FNtUu



https://i.imgur.com/eX9iXty.jpg

[mister c]

She's still looking really good Gary, hats off to you

[Craig380]

Did a general inspection yesterday, which I like to do ahead of winter when I'm riding less: checked the plug gaps (all still within spec 11,000 miles after fitting), hoovered the air-filter and cleaned the breather sponge, lubed the throttle and STV linkages, cleaned battery terminals, cleaned the brake calipers of dust and crud.

[Seeker]

Got new tyres for the GSX (Mich Road 5) and found a general tyre dealer in Louth (12 miles away) who sold them £50 cheaper than local bike dealer. They said they'd fit them between 12 and 5 pm, I showed up at 12:15 and they were waiting for me.
For whatever reason it is much easier to change remove/refit wheels on the GSX compared to the SV.


I also noticed a crack in my Powerbronze hugger in the same place that someone on the reddit/GSX forum had. I emailed PB to give them a heads up that they might have a design issue, they responded that I was only the second complaint they'd received, asked for photos and then (without being asked) decided to send me a replacement. Not a bad day. :)

[garynortheast]

Replaced the bio chainsaw oil in my Scottoiler with some of the proper, green, bio Scottoil. Hopefully it won't create the sort of black coating on the sprocket that the chainsaw oil caused.

[garynortheast]

Thought I was going to have to take the Scottoiler feed tube off and blow it through as I couldn't see any oil in it. Went out to take another look this afternoon and it's because the tube is slightly yellowed. The tube is all primed and oiling the chain when the engine is running.

[Craig380]

How many miles do you get out of a chain & sprocket set, Gary? I replaced the factory chain & sprox on my Gen 3 at 44,000 miles, although I really should have replaced them at around 40K. The chain was well worn by that point, and the front sprocket noticeably hooked. That was with my usual lubrication regime of painting on a little gear oil with a 1" brush every 400 miles or so.

The replacement chain, a DID x-ring, has only needed one small adjustment in 20K miles so that seems to be wearing well.

[garynortheast]

Not really sure Craig, but at 108,000 miles I think I'm on my 3rd chain and sprocket set.

[R1ffR4ff]

Not really sure Craig, but at 108,000 miles I think I'm on my 3rd chain and sprocket set.

Have you ever had to check and or adjust/shim the valves and are you on the original clutch plates ?

[garynortheast]

Have you ever had to check and or adjust/shim the valves and are you on the original clutch plates ?

I'm sure I should really have checked valve clearances, but I never have done so far. And yes, still on original clutch plates.

[R1ffR4ff]

I'm sure I should really have checked valve clearances, but I never have done so far. And yes, still on original clutch plates.

Thank you :D

As my 99 is only just coming up to 40k miles I'll leave getting mine checked for another 60,000 miles <BFG> as she's well looked after and never abused :)

[garynortheast]

A couple of jobs done this afternoon which I've had on the to do list for a while.

The MoT picked up that the throttle wasn't returning as quickly as it should. I thought it might be either cables or the throttle linkage in need of some lube, so I opened up the switchgear/twistgrip body and unhooked the cables. Squirted some silicone based lube down the cables, and lubed the linkage, then discovered that the congealed lubricant between the handlebar and throttle tube was the problem. Cleaned it all off, applied a bit more silicone lube to the bar and put it all back together. It now works a treat, nice clean throttle action and instant return.

https://i.imgur.com/bTgQGeT.jpg

I decided as I'd lifted the tank for a clearer view of the throttle linkage, I may as well lift out the cleanable K&N air filter and...well...clean it. It hadn't been done for a couple of years ( :oops: ) and it was a bit mucky. Half an hour with the K&N recharge kit brought it up nice and clean.

https://i.imgur.com/Q0vfG9y.jpg

Buttoned everything back up and decided, as one does, that I'd better just take the bike for a spin to check all was as it should be. Grabbed a quick 30 minute hoon round the block. Throttle is now spot on, and the engine feels much nicer with a cleaned air filter.

[Craig380]

My bike is lubed, charged & prepped to the nines, all I need now is some weather that isn't sub-zero or wet now!

[garynortheast]

My bike is lubed, charged & prepped to the nines, all I need now is some weather that isn't sub-zero or wet now!

I know what you mean Craig. I had thought about a quick spin out this afternoon, but it's just too damn cold.

[admin]

I spotted quite a few bikes out today on the way to Bridgnorth. Brave souls.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[glang]

Changing forkseals on my 2006 SV650s and its going well with my homemade seal insertion tool - a section of plastic drainpipe split and wedged at one end to give exactly the right diameter:smt045

[R1ffR4ff]

Changing forkseals on my 2006 SV650s and its going well with my homemade seal insertion tool - a section of plastic drainpipe split and wedged at one end to give exactly the right diameter:smt045

Did mine same as you last year. I always place the old one on top of the new one and drive it in. Then smear some Dielectric grease
on top before putting the seal cover on :)

[glang]

Soldered up my rebound holes at the same time but dont suppose I'll notice any difference...

[admin]

Took the tank off the Transalp to check the quality of the paint on the underside. It's not up to Honda's usual standards with quite thin paint in places. You would not believe how many bits of plastic trim you have to remove. Lots of ACF50 applied. Another task was to reglue the left grip with proper Renthal glue this time.
I've also fitted OEM handguards to keep the breeze off my pinkies

[Sir Trev]

Today I have been tinkering with the power supply to my satnav. When I bolted the unit to Bullseye I wired it in the same way as I did on Hugh, to the horn. Nice and easy but the last few runs out I noticed it kept cutting out.

So while out last weekend I tried using the original power lead plugged into the USB-A socket on the dash, and it's now stable again. My job today was to route the cable better, but I soon decided I need a shorter cable.

First World problem I guess.

[garynortheast]

Finally made it out to clean the bike and had a bit of a win.

In the past I've always put the bike up on both paddock stands to clean it, but since moving here just over two years ago I haven't used the stands. I live on a very steep hill and I didn't think I'd be able to get the bike up on them without it toppling over or running away. Well today I worked out how to get the bike up on the stands, just by chocking each wheel in turn. It was actually fairly easy, and once it was up on them it was completely stable.

https://i.imgur.com/Jm5NzPX.jpg

I got fed up with the Muc Off spray bottle which ejects fluid all over my hands every time I pull the trigger, so I swapped it for one of those pump up, 1 litre garden sprays. A huge improvement; no more cramped hand, and a nice even application of the cleaning liquid.

A clean bike.

https://i.imgur.com/HBMUtre.jpg

[Craig380]

Looking good!

[Craig380]

Couple of days ago I removed the dB killer tube insert from my Yoshi TRS can, but left the billet Yoshi retaining collar in the pipe outlet (this reduces the actual outlet diameter by about 15mm, so it still cuts noise level).

The bike has definitely gained a nice bit of part-throttle pickup and go from 3,000 to 5,000rpm (i.e. just where it's useful on the roads). While it's definitely a little louder / growlier than with the dB killer insert, it isn't causing dogs on the pavement to go mental and little kids aren't covering their ears as I ride by. Early impressions are that I like it!

[garynortheast]

Pulled all my Oxford soft luggage out of the box I keep it in to check it over.

Made a couple of material and black Gorilla tape repairs to the bottoms of the 60l panniers and then had a proper look at putting them on the bike so that they don't squash the rear indicators. With the very nice looking rack I bought from Mav on the bike, I can lift them high and forward enough to do the job.

Then I turned my attention to the small Oxford Sports panniers I got from Bibio. No repairs needed, but once again with the rack on the bike I can position them high enough to clear the indicators.

Then I went through the various rain covers and found the right ones to go with the small panniers along with the correct shoulder straps. Did the same with the bigger panniers but only have one rain cover for them. I shall have to talk to Oxford about finding another one that fits, as the panniers are probably 15 or 20 years old.

Lastly, I pulled all the assorted bungee straps and cargo nets out of them so that they are empty and ready for use.

A job I've been putting off for ....err....several years!

[garynortheast]

Gave the bike a check over this afternoon, tyre pressures, chain adjustment, refilled the Scottoiler, checked engine oil level.

That done, I pumped some of the fuel rescued from my error with the car, into the tank on the bike. There was about a quarter of a tank of petrol in the bike already so I topped it up to about half full, then rode down the the garage and brimmed the tank with E5 petrol. It ran fine with the half tank of fuel and perfectly well after I'd filled the tank right up. I can't smell diesel in the containers of rescued fuel, so I might try putting in a higher ratio of it to fresh fuel next time.

Of course I needed to have a quick 40 mile evening blat around the block just to check it was all ok!

[garynortheast]

Tinkering with - well, servicing more old Singer handcranks. I've just finished a service on a 1902 27K for someone, and today I collected an 1897 28K for a service.

The 27K normally lives in a treadle base but has the crank on it still, which is what it's owner uses as she's never learned to use the treadle. I'm just waiting for a new tyre for the bobbin winder and some new felt discs for the spool pins and it's ready to go back to the owner.

The 28K has been stood for a while so needed cleaning and re-oiling/greasing, and it now turns over very smoothly. I am going to have to drill out and replace the needle plate retaining screw though as it's seized and too chewed up to undo. **Edit** I've just manage to free it off with some releasing oil and careful use of a stout screwdriver and a small hammer**
The wooden base needs a little bit doing to it. I've just re-glued one side which had come away as the old glue had dried out and I need to get new feet and the little grub screws which hold the hinge pins into the machine bed.

Both machines are in beautiful condition. Astonishing that two machines of over 120 years old are in such lovely condition. Built to last.

I'll post a couple of pictures later.

[Craig380]

I think it's lovely that they're still in use, and being maintained by you!

[garynortheast]

It gives me a huge amount of joy to keep these lovely old machines fettled and in use Craig. I've just finished servicing the 28K, and done a line of stitch with it. It sews absolutely faultlessly. I'm going to put it back in it's base and then order new rubber feet for the base, grub screws for the hinge pins, and a new needle plate screw. I bet there are not many 128 year old machines you can still buy new parts for!

[SV650rules]

That done, I pumped some of the fuel rescued from my error with the car, into the tank on the bike. There was about a quarter of a tank of petrol in the bike already so I topped it up to about half full, then rode down the the garage and brimmed the tank with E5 petrol.


Saw a test on Tesco Momentum 99 the other day - they found no ethanol in the fuel....



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdHZsgiuXVQ

[R1ffR4ff]

I've had a busy year servicing my Gen1 99 which I had planned for as she hit 40,000. None of it was actually required but I figured that as I had the time and whilst still able I'd do it.

New HyperPro Front fork springs ( new fork seals last year).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143266005422

and fresh 15w Fork oil ( Smith and Allen). Brilliant ride and handling.

https://www.smithandallan.com/product/smith-allan-limitless-fork-oil-15w-4114

New Front tyre Bridgestone Battlax S21. It's OK but not any better than previous Maxxis which I think I liked better. I put an Angel ST on the rear late last year and that's fine

New front wheel bearings.
New Front Wavy Discs
New Front Pads ( EBC) ( Fresh Brake fluid every year ).
New rear wavy disc ( Comet).
New rear EBC pads.

Swapped working cheap R/R ( Less than a tenner and 6 years on the bike) for identical one to test the spare one I bought. Working fine.

I think she looks fine for her age

https://i.imgur.com/Ewd18PW.jpg

3,000 mile oil change soon again thanks to poster who put me onto Smith and Allen,

https://www.smithandallan.com/product/smith-allan-limitless-super-4t-10w-40-semi-synthetic-motorcycle-oil-4117

Little bit of MsO2 in the oil before the oil change and here's how she sounds @ 41,000 miles but sounds a bit different and quieter now as I've just put a longer stainless steel link pipe on as I hated the original cheap mild steel one I used years ago,

https://app.box.com/s/c3mwt6nxohe1t41tdsubrwik1inalygh

When I did the front tyre I put the other 90 Deg Valve on as I did on the rear. Total game changer for putting air in,

https://i.imgur.com/HmFfjB0.jpg

[Geodude]

Nice :)