What have you tinkered with today?
Just wondered what you have been doing to your bike today? Whether it be a service, a repair or a modification (or even just giving the dirty girl a good old wash down). Thought it would be good to acknowledge those little efforts that help keep your steed running sweetly.
Am fairly new to Org, so if there is a similar active thread, please send me the link. I got my first big bike 2 mths ago , its a 2001 naked with 50k (and needing lots of TLC) As my front brake was binding I decided to investigate. I loosened bobbins using a nut and bolt and cleaner. Whilst cleaning I noticed that one of the front calipers had perished seals (one was half hanging out) and was full of corrosion. Ive not had much hands on experience with mechanics, but after watching a variety of Utube vids, I felt like having a go at rebuilding the caliper. The pistons needed a fair amount of attention. The new seals arrived today and I was able to put everything together and bleed the brakes etc.....problem solved...and brakes are much more responsive...I guess the pistons must have been jamming before. I felt quite pleased with myself after, especially as two blokes I ride out with, said they had never dared mess with their own calipers, other than to change pads. These blokes have done 80 years of riding between them....wtf!!! |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
good for you, you have now learnt a valuable skill that will save you wonga cash in the future. well done :-)
word of caution though, if the pistons were pitted anywhere below the seals then you run the risk of the brakes failing due to fluid leak. did you clean out the seal recesses completely of crud before you put the new seals in? did you use Red Rubber Grease to assemble the seals and pistons? did you also pay attention to the sliding pins and grease with RRG? and please tell me you never put copper grease on the back of the pads if there were shims there already. copper grease eats and swells rubber seals. did you do both callipers? i'm afraid to say that there are a large number of bikers that dont know a spanner form a screwdriver but it sounds like your heading in the right direction of knowledge :-) |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Had no rrg, but its on order. Will give sliders attention when I do other caliper at weekend. Do you coat both piston seals with it? Does that not contaminate the brake fluid? I did use a little copper slip on pad shims though. I'll avoid that in future.
Don't mind making a few errors as long as I learn in the process. ....oh and as long as I don't cause myself injury in the process! |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
you 'rub' the RRG into the seals (between finger and thumb) and give a little coating you also smear the piston wall with RRG before you insert it into the recess/seals. yes you will get a little red coming out when you bleed the system but it wont harm performance. dont worry if you have excess RRG when you insert the piston as the seals will 'wipe' most of it off, when you push the pistons flush wipe the excess into the groove then remove the rest. it wont matter if there is some left on the 'faces' of the calliper as RRG is very high temp grease and wont melt. i cant emphasize enough that you must get the seal recesses as clean as you can, its the crud that builds up in the recesses that seizes the piston due to forcing the seal against it.
i know this might sound OTT but i strip/service my callipers every year just before the winter, do this and you will always have good brakes, also RRG and time is cheaper than pistons and seals ;) |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
60 Glove Boxes destined for China
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Good for you. I'm like Bibio and service the brakes every year. The performance stays constant, I will say my other bike hasn't had the calipers serviced for 20 months and they're rubbish
sent with the power of thought, through the medium of magic marker |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Moved to Bike Talk, as it's talk, about bikes ;)
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Nothing yet, I've just had breakfast.
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Trying to get 888 race bike to complete lap of The Island.
Cheers Stuart |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Sent back a dangerous aftermarket Welsh lever and endlessly dicked about with satnavs
Incredibly Tomtom no longer let you map your own routes on a PC & send to device and the garmin I have is one of two models where it isn't possible. New google maps (app) no longer supports it & other free iphone apps also don't appear to support it so now I have to either pay for an app or buy a higher spec garmin. grumble... |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I have stripped my bike down to release the swing arm, but having got this far I have decided to give myself to Jesus and give up motorcycles. :rolleyes:
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Trying to install Aether mod for minecraft. Trying being the operative term
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
What ya got planned for the swing ARM Jane? .. I fancy removing mine during winter, to repair, paint or maybe replace if i can get a cheap one. The silver one I have is very knarley, and would look better in black I think. Just been up West Gate Road Newcastle for a tank pad and some red rubber grease. also adjusted throttle so it doesn't stay open when turning right. Quick fix, but a massive difference.
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
tried to fit a USB socket to the bike to charge the Cam but the heavens opened up and stopped play.
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Cheap as you'll get Naked |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Serviced brakes (i think i'll be swapping out the front pads pretty soon) & changed the oil filter pre mot. Passed so that's always a bonus.
Non-motorbike but still two wheeled tinkering, picked a lock off my pushbike that lost the key for moons ago. All-in-all quite a productive day. |
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sent with the power of thought, through the medium of magic marker |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I stripped the Lights down on the street as I had to replace one of the bulbs. S'all good the chrome has been polished and I once again have light.
Serves me right, I was riding home in the dark thinking blooming heck these lights are brilliant way better than the gixer and the SV's ever were. Ping, down to one side but it was still better than the gixers were at their best. |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I fitted a scottoiler without instructions #likeaboss
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Thanks for the swing arm offers but I think ill tackle it over winter and try and preserve the one I have. Gonna use this bike to get some practice with fixing and restoring. Would love to build a custom street fighter, but and light years away from having the knowledge or confidence just yet.
Anyway just for giggles, I stripped down the caliper, that I had only just re built, so Icould red rubber grease it down, in all the right places. Got some servicing to do over the bank holiday also. |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Last few days outside in the rain in a *health and safety free zone swapped a renault megane scenic 1.9 dci engine for one that hadn't eaten its own turbo and pistons :smt107 never done one before and best of all it works :D
*Done without the aid of a net or engine hoist in the piddling rain and in the old school style with bits of wood, bricks and other car height raising items.. oh and one jack :smt075 Danger will robinson ;) Ps bike tinkering was wiping oily hand print off it after the above ;) |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Fitted some loverly Braided brake lines to the front.
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
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Then I just have to do the front end. :smt107 |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
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. But that's handy to know about the petrol stops- will use that next time :thumbsup: Went out and bought a higher spec garmin.... And still ended up using google maps ! |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
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i have fitted a 5V1A/5V2.1A USB charging socket to the cowl for charging my Cam on the go via USB. it will be plugged into my gizmo and the Cam set up for 'car mode' so when i stop the cam turns off and when i start my journey again the cam starts up and continues recording (well thats the plan anyway), i have my spaznav set up exactly the same, yes i am a clever boy :rolleyes: |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Took wheels off to swap my nice track Michelin's off and put Angel GT's back on. Love Michelins on track but they don't look to be lasting too well on road use. And they don't feel as planted in the wet !
Also used the oppurtunity to clean around swingarm and suspension linkage. Also fitted braided lines last weekend - look very bling (White one's) and sharpen up brake response. |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I'm tinkering with Chris numbers fubarred HDD, not sure what he's done to it, but doing a Deep Scan as we speak
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I'm slightly worried that this will throw up photos of me in a hot tub in Wales in midwinter looking like a ball of mozzarella wrapped in lycra. Have the brain bleach on hand.
(Electro and Christopher were in there too! ) |
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My mind has been numbed to the point that nothing phases me now, sort of self defense mechanism. :smt107 |
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I've only just got my big bike and am gonna do an oil and filter change, and air filter change this weekend. Excited coz I've never done anything like that before. Only ever replaced the clutch lever on my 125 because I dropped it and bent it in half...lol
I hope it still works after I've done it!!! |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Good stuff ollies, I will be doing the same to my bike today. OFf to find a 2mm Alan key to undo the tiny studs on my horrible gold foot pegs, before spraying them black. Might spray my radiator too as its scratched to hell and is really letting the bike down. Any tips for doing this guys?
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Just back from a wholly awesome trip to bonnie Scotland so today the bike will get a thorough wash and wax, chain and sprox cleaned and lubed, fluid levels checked, brakes cleaned and inspected, tyres checked for wear, damage and pressures, levers and pedals checked/adjusted/lubed, etc., etc.
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I fitted a topbox and extra lights to the Mrs scooter yesterday.
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
I put some tape on the bar to stop the switchgear rotating when I use the choke. And WD40'd the mirror bolt so that I could adjust it to a better position. I was going to do more but the rain came on
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Re: What have you tinkered with today?
something to stop my topbox key scratching the yoke as one of my pet hates is scratched top yokes.
http://i57.tinypic.com/14waxk9.jpg |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
:drink: Managed to refit back wheel without dropping the spacers once !!!! :salut:
Wooooo Hooooooo |
Re: What have you tinkered with today?
Washed bike, but main success was fixing the hydrostatic drive on the old lawnmower.
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