Working bikes... if you enjoy it there must be something wrong with you...

[Paul the 6th]

So the morning went fairly smoothly, bodywork off, oil filter, oil, coolant, check the air filter, looks great, new spark plugs, fit the 12v socket under pillion seat for charging my phone - jobs all very well done.. Brill.

After lunch the renntec rack turns out to be completely wrong so I'm a bit buggered for GM5 on friday.

As for the brakes the plan was to take the 4 pot calipers off my broken k1 750 and fit them to the SRAD 750. I've already taken delivery of the sintered pads to fit the k1 4-pots so it'll be grand by the time I've got everything swapped over and fitted

Except the calipers from the k1 don't fit the srad mounting points.. Not even close. Facks sake, why didn't I check? So I could have save money not buying the EBC sintered pads and saved time not dismantling the brake system on the broken k1...

Oh well I'll just put the 6-pots back on the srad with these new braided lines. Ok... so there's 3 braided lines, all identical in length? I choose 2 at random and spend 15 mins trying to get the banjo bolt in the caliper on the offside front before realising the thread on the banjo bolt was too fine. FFS. Look in the box, there's 4 banjo bolts in total, I'll try that one as the thread looks a bit more coarse. Yep in it goes straight away.

onto the nearside, same issue with the bolt so I swap for a coarse threaded one. Hang on a minute this brake line isn't going to reach the master cylinder. It's about an inch too short.

Flash. Thunder. Downpour. Here comes a storm. Crap I'd better get the bike back in the garage, *lowers it down off paddock stand and wheels backwards into the garage only to catch it on my big toe, bike unhooks on the nearside bobbin and leans over like a sinking boat*.

So now the bike is wedged on the paddock stand between the offside bobbin and the swingarm. I'm struggling to get it all undone so I can grab the rest of my tools before the rain really sets in but it's no good. Proper fat heavy rain starts to fall by the time I get the paddock stand unhooked - and now it's slightly bent. F**k MY LIFE!!!

So I've just come inside, left all the tools and bits of kitchen roll and oil cans and banjo bolts all over the driveway. F**K 'em, they can get washed away for all I care right now.

Gonna have a cup of tea & a snickers and compose myself for when the rain gives up.

[Jayneflakes]

On the plus side, you have learned things today. I love working on my bike because I am learning all of the time, a couple of years ago I learned that working on your bike outside in the snow is horrible.

[Sid Squid]

Maybe it's just me, but I still enjoy spannering even after all this time.

Which is not to say I haven't experienced frustrating days like yours has been.

[christopher]

More importantly than all this. Have you got my special t-shirt for the GM sorted?

[Paul the 6th]

The one that says "I am dangerous Dave"?

Currently rebuilding a powervalve engine to go into an LC frame, when an engine stud snapped much swearing then walking away left it for two days. Came back and after much drilling and tapping now as good as new, sometime you have to just know when to walk away.

[Paul the 6th]

then the f**k up fairy has visited and moved my 8mm spanner somewhere where I can't find it. I've got stuff to be getting on with!!!!

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

then the f**k up fairy has visited and moved my 8mm spanner somewhere where I can't find it. I've got stuff to be getting on with!!!!

probably got washed away

[andrewsmith]

Paging YC or Owenski to go to the rescue

[jambo]

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

As for the brakes the plan was to take the 4 pot calipers off my broken k1 750 and fit them to the SRAD 750. I've already taken delivery of the sintered pads to fit the k1 4-pots so it'll be grand by the time I've got everything swapped over and fitted

Except the calipers from the k1 don't fit the srad mounting points.. Not even close.

Now you see I've spent so long looking at GSXR, SV and Kawasaki brake calipers of that era, that as soon as you started that section I thought "hang about, different mounting points aren't they?"

Sad, I know. And yes, I've had days very much as you describe where you go out to do 3 hours of work, 6 hours later you get in, looking less than impressed and get asked "how much more to do?" "6 hours, yes I know that's more than the entire job was going to take 6 hours ago. No I don't want to talk about why."

Still enjoy spannering though

Chin up mate

Jambo