tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2511985013246663502024-03-05T20:43:40.516+00:00Bike-in-a-box blogLiving with Chinese import bikes-in-boxes, the Huoniao "Firebird" HN125-8, a Honda CM125 clone (aka the Lexmoto / Haotian Vixen HT125-8 and Superbyke RCC125), and the Lifan LF250-B, a Yahama Virago XV250 clone.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-34799056459789652632012-04-08T19:29:00.002+01:002012-04-08T19:36:14.352+01:00Theory, practicedWell, <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span> didn't take long.<br /><br />I've frequently looked at Gumtree ads offering a swap and thought "Who on earth would prefer to swap bikes rather than getting cash in hand?", so of <span style="font-style:italic;">course</span> today I went out on the Firebird and came home on this.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWJ_t_NLxIybngQDxKTRXlTSK-rQ4Wz3DI3zX78pMubJ-6BlV2aDrsYupWyjX9En3zv3e3USayg-9gDC3eK7RHgDA9zyfqRTnTU7JwIIePUoLWv3FBCcoQmuvJdOvQej9hmDlaujDpGU/s1600/new.jpeg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWJ_t_NLxIybngQDxKTRXlTSK-rQ4Wz3DI3zX78pMubJ-6BlV2aDrsYupWyjX9En3zv3e3USayg-9gDC3eK7RHgDA9zyfqRTnTU7JwIIePUoLWv3FBCcoQmuvJdOvQej9hmDlaujDpGU/s320/new.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729099282761381890" /></a><br /><br />It's a 2002 GPZ 500 S with just 4500 miles on the clock, plus a fair bit of sad neglect injuries to be healed. But mechanically, it's sound as a pound and goes like <span style="font-weight:bold;">A SENSIBLE COMMUTER BIKE</span> (or if my wife isn't reading, it pulls like a flipping train).<br /><br />That was a straight swap, no cash either way, and it didn't even cost me a penny to swap bikes on my insurance. Plus the world has two more happy people in it, which has some inherent merit of its own.<br /><br />Farewell, faithful Firebird, now go and put that daft grin on the face of your new owner.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-15810366736524327582012-04-07T16:38:00.004+01:002012-04-07T16:51:33.150+01:00The end of an era for me, the beginning for someone elseWell, I passed my test 2 years ago on this very bike, and have still being riding it on and off since then, without any hint of fuss or bother. It's since been joined by a 250 cruiser, a GPz 305 and a theoretical Bigger Boy Bike, and sadly there's no more room in the garage, and just not enough hours in the day to ride them all.<br /><br />So, it's back to stock for the plucky Firebird, where it's happiest, and off to Gumtree and eBay. The bike - of course - just sailed through its first MOT, no advisories, and is freshly taxed and sluiced down. The bronze paintwork on the side panels is looking a little tired (perhaps reacting with the plastic underneath), but otherwise it's doing just peachy. I've even riveted closed the "speed holes" that I'd drilled in the exhausts, making a rather fetching 8-rivet circle of silver dots.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwXK6FDjXzJk0Btu9X5bt6PhJdqTCcFenn0I3lsr2cbYpfjRROlB5WIUlnpIsyYNn6EwRWg3R1dQGlQ8rWRKdM8B5FSno-axpbdBZ7R0cI4LWHDo1aNeJ8KOZzfCvcNi-s82fvdELmbk/s1600/1.jpeg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwXK6FDjXzJk0Btu9X5bt6PhJdqTCcFenn0I3lsr2cbYpfjRROlB5WIUlnpIsyYNn6EwRWg3R1dQGlQ8rWRKdM8B5FSno-axpbdBZ7R0cI4LWHDo1aNeJ8KOZzfCvcNi-s82fvdELmbk/s320/1.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728684498566616306" /></a><br /><br />There we go, one of those 3 year old Chinese pieces of tat that rust away by the time they're a year... uh... old. Some mugger is going to steal it from me and ride away with a daft grin on their face, and I will be genuinely sorry to see it leave.<br /><br />I think that I can now confidently declare that properly looked after, these can be decent, unpretentious little bikes. They're not the fastest, they're not the biggest, or the most plastic, but they get the job done and are just an absolute joy to ride - it <span style="font-style:italic;">still</span> puts that same daft grin on my face every time I get on it.<br /><br />The era of dismissing all Chinese branded bikes out of hand is over. Long live the Firebird!Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-71567172440320009652010-05-25T18:55:00.005+01:002010-05-27T11:26:51.366+01:00I present for your consideration: the FireBob<img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/28asu2d.jpg"><br /><br /><em>It's true: undressed is sexier</em>.<br /><br />What's going on? Where's the chrome? Where's the <em>pimp</em>? Well, it's at the back of the garage, waiting to be put back on if the urge ever takes me. You know, the next time it rains. In 15 minutes, in other words.<br /><br />Until then, I'm liking the bobber look. Liking it a <em>lot</em>. It's not a full bob - I haven't (yet) chopped off the frame behind the rear shock mounts, but even with the slightly protruding tail it's still a big change from the dressed look.<br /><br />There actually aren't that many changes, it's mostly removal: front and rear mudguards, the crash bars, screen, side panels. The changes are: 4.5" headlight - the electrics <em>very nearly</em> fit inside it - smaller indicators front and rear (the rears mounted into the holes on the back of the frame proper that used to secure the mudguard and rear luggage rack), straight bars, a custom seat in place of the stock one, and a bullet stop/tail light on the far side, mounted on a bracket off the top shock mount. The battery is simply covered over with a 4-thickness layer of black plastic fabric. Usefully, there's a black plastic inner-guard running up from the swing arm mount to just behind the shock mounts, which I've kept on - no fettling required.<br /><br />The only real design decision was to mount the plate up behind the seat as a legal UK plate looks unpleasantly large placed on the traditional bobber position, on the side of one of the shocks. Putting it up there also helps to blend in the trailing frame behind the shocks.<br /><br />There's only a few bits of custom work, just brackets to hold the plate and the stop/tail light in place.<br /><br />Further bobbing options are: reduce the instrumentation to just the speedo; chop the exhausts; chop off the frame behind the shock mounts. Two of those are non-reversible, so I'll leave them for a rainy day. Well, a rainy day followed by a sunny one.<br /><br />The bob went remarkably smoothly. The wiring for the indicators took the most time. The rest of it was just bolt-off, bolt-on. There was an oops moment when it revved its nuts off when I started it up, but some adjusting of the accelerator cable connectors sorted that.<br /><br />How does it ride? It rides like it looks: like half a bike. There's not <em>that</em> much weight taken off, but - particularly in comparison to my 250 Lifan - it feels so light and nimble that it's Grin Factor 7, Mr Sulu. The only point of issue is the straight bars, which are a £5 worth of 745mm x 22mm 16 gauge aluminium. With the stock bars on, and rotated backwards and down, the ride was amazing. With the straight bars, there's more of a lean-over-the-tank style, which I'm not sure I like yet. The bars themselves feel bizarre, like they're pointing forwards, and they may be too much style-over-substance to keep. I'll give them another few rides, but might either have to bend them back, or splash out on some pre-bent "drag" bars.<br /><br />Well, it's not like I'm ever going to be <em>done</em>, is it?Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-4605241286832854152010-05-09T13:40:00.004+01:002010-05-10T12:40:39.481+01:00Screen if you want to go faster<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0Y7vSDfHFavqVvT66dsZIPcnPAbFTEgAVpRIR4IiBXfGl_VR_qEeQpx2gNWulrSV64gkvymeqSUFUZ9C1cZTluQQ7AUqKhIsR8HcEO-Cd-lOVWj9rNLKIbT5tbI_skJXtxyiXt1_azw/s320/screen-mk-2.JPG" /><br /><br /><em>You could build an empire on perspex and patience.</em><br /><br />I may have mentioned that the wind blast on the Lifan was something fierce, so a screen was the first thing on the agenda. As usual, I <strike>cheaped out</strike> went for the hand-crafted option, eBayed some 500mm x 500mm perspex and got busy with the jigsaw and heat gun.<br /><br />Attaching it to the bike is a touch of pure decadence: about 2/3 of a genuine screen fitting kit designed for the Jinlun JL125-11. This comes with a cryptic selection of brackets, bars, bolts and rubber widgets- there may even be grommets - and of course no instructions, so my utilisation here of it is somewhat <em>experimental</em>.<br /><br />The screen feels secure and does a great job at keeping the wind off, making an open face helmet a practical choice again. Huzzah! That said, the wind noise does still get harsh above an indicated 50mph, so ear plugs are de rigueur.<br /><br />Which reminds me, something had been bothering me about the Lifan. The engine is great, with smooth and almost linear acceleration up to around an indicated 55mph or so, then it starts the long haul up to... well, I don't know, I haven't had a chance to wind it up on a straight level road. Despite any claims to the contrary, I doubt it'll see much of the high side of 70mph, but then again, that's the legal limit, isn't it?<br /><br />But for all the better acceleration, it didn't appear to be going as fast as it should, based on the indicated speed on the single tank-mounted dial. This was a puzzle until today when I took a trip past the local speed-nag sign, which informed me much to my surprise that the Lifan speedo is bang on accurate. All vehicles I've ever had have read 5-10% over, the Firebird included. So the Lifan isn't slow, it's just not lying its little chromed plastic socks about how fast it's going. I'm looking at <em>you</em>, Firebird. Yes, hang your bars in shame.<br /><br />The Lifan's not a bike that lends itself to hurry though. "What's your rush?" it seems to ask, "Isn't it better being where you are now rather than where you're going?" I think it makes a very salient point.<br /><br />So, I'm warming to the Lifan. The riding position now feels more natural and secure - although holding the clutch while doing a u-turn, with the long, forward bars turned away, remains something of a art. I guess you grow to love the bike that you ride.<br /><br />That said, I forgot the kids' ice cream at the shop, so I feel a trip back there is required. Absolutely necessary, in fact. Firebird, I choose <em>you</em>!<br /><br />[Update]<br /><br /><b>Aaaahahahaha!</b> Forget everything I just wrote, it's Firebird for the win. What a laugh. So much easier to ride, it's just ridiculous.<br /><br />The Lifan is a good capable bike, don't get me wrong, but it's rather sombre. I feel like the <em>American Chopper</em> blokes look when they take a new bike for a ride, all po faced and serious. The Firebird is far more grin inducing, and isn't that what it's all about?Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-7672025444021513782010-05-02T21:30:00.006+01:002010-05-04T14:27:36.556+01:00Ask not how many bikes you need<img src="http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/5964/bikesd.jpg"><br /><br /><em>Ask how big a garage you need to store them.</em><br /><br />For 10 points, which lying liar lied these lies?<br /><br /><blockquote>I really don't need a bigger bike for my commute or pleasure jaunts, so unless I plan some touring in this year, I'll be sticking with my 'Firebird'.</blockquote><br /><br />Well, that lasted all of a week. My head was turned by the jaunty number pictured above, a Lifan LF250-B. For all intents and purposes, it <em>is</em> a Yamaha Virago XV250. I suspect that Lifan bought the jigs when Yamaha stopped making the Virago, and just started churning them out themselves. It needed a bit of minor maintenance to correct some neglect - it had been stored outside, and the right side of it had suffered a little from the weather - but it's substantially sound, and feels well made.<br /><br />First order of business was an oil change, to Halford's 5W-40 synthetic motorcycle oil. The oil in it was quite emulsified (creamy looking) which is consistent with it being used for short runs, as the previous owner admitted glumly - we both need longer commutes to work - maybe we should swap jobs? I got it home OK, but when testing the rear brake light sensor (which didn't work), I snapped the rear brake cable, which was rusted and clogged up with crud. Ah well. ChineseMotorcyclePartsOnline got me a next-day replacement, and the sensor switch just needed a strip and clean. The chain and engine got a good scrub down with Gunk engine cleaner; the amount of road crud under the front sprocket cover was unbelievable: I think I hit a layer with dinosaur fossils in it.<br /><br />Job's a good 'un now though, and the Firebird got another oil change while I was at it, at 4400km. That makes... um... <em>lots</em>. I've lost count, but it's more frequent than every 1000km, that's for darn sure.<br /><br />Back to the <strike>Virago</strike> Lifan. The previous owner slapped those YAMAHA stickies on the tank - did a good job of it too, they were very convincing, but the first thing I did after taking this picture was to strip them off. Who wants to be seen riding one of those madly overpriced Japanese bikes?<br /><br />On the plus side, it's got a splendid 250 v-twin engine, smooth, torquey, and surprisingly quiet. It feels like a much more grown up bike. However, the riding position is very different to the Firebird - lower, with feet forward controls, and a bigger reach to the bars. The Firebird is comfier and far easier to ride, which - to be honest - makes it more fun. It's just so light - in weight, handling, gearshift and clutch - that it feels like a pushbike in comparison to the Lifan. My appreciation for the Firebird just grows with experience.<br /><br />Of course, that hasn't stopped me stripping it for parts. The pimp panniers and tool roll went straight on to the Lifan, and the Firebird got its old cheap fabric panniers back. Those keeping score will also note that the Firebird has its stock seat and rear rack back as well. Those with x-ray vision will have spotted that I've also put the stock air box back in as well in place of the cone filter. This is to quieten the bike down a bit: it sounded a bit hooligan next to the more refined Lifan.<br /><br />Now, I'm not done with the Firebird yet. I'll be keeping it for some time, for a couple of reasons.<br /><br />The first is that I plan to bob it. Look, it's a proper Plan, with bullet points and all.<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Remove the add ons: screen, spotslights, front and rear crash bars.<br /><li>Start stripping the stock parts: remove or shorten the front mudguard, remove the seat and rear rack.<br /><li>Replace the handlebars with lower, shorter ones.<br /><li>Cut off half the rear mudguard, and mount it on the swing-arm.<br /><li>Cut off the frame behind the rear shock mounts<br /><li>Remove the side panels, mount the battery lower down, cut the horizontal frame members at the rear vertical member, and angle them down to make room for a lower solo seat.<br /><li>Replace the headlight with a smaller one.<br /><li>Shorten the front indicators. Shorten the rears and remount them near the shock mounts.<br /><li>Put the rear light and license plate on the side of the bike. <br /></ul><br /><br />The goal is to move towards this look (but with flat bars):<br /><br /><img src="http://pages.prodigy.net/shadowshack/_uimages/iminkedbobberl.jpg"><br /><br />Unfortunately, there's a spanner in the works. Don't tell her I called her that though.<br /><br /><img src="http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7712/wifeonbike.jpg"><br /><br />Yes, that's <em>barely legal hot wife-on-bike action!</em> Turns out she's bike-curious, so I've been taking her for secret dates on the local industrial estate, so she can practice wrapping her thighs around a throbbing powerhouse. Then I let her have a go on the Firebird.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-48890675075469930242010-04-04T17:07:00.003+01:002010-05-02T21:36:59.019+01:00And that's a wrap<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpMlzeX5HxsxX8v_v6ApuWCer104E3ktH2nYZqhc3U7SYOPCUKirOiSbtFDXrZ75JNbczARS94B8tlynVYi3Ilix4s6NHySqRJeU4zmSVSqsp47hwu9a6DExIQfG_Zh4pyi6tLwJLhyU/s320/wrapped-exhaust.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456314856440544210" /><br /><br />After the cut-a-cat adventure, the exhausts were looking a little tatty. With hindsight, there are two much better methods of de-catting them:<br /><br />1) <a href="http://huoniao.forumotion.net/modifications-and-customising-f9/diy-cat-removal-alternative-method-t286.htm">A single cut near the end of the cat bulge</a>.<br />2) Just buy a set of <a href="http://huoniao.forumotion.net/learnerlegalcom-sponsor-f13/hn125-8-chrome-pipesnon-cat-t292.htm">nice shiny chromed and cat-free exhausts</a>, £60 delivered for the pair.<br /><br />I sprayed my pipes with high temperature silver paint, but it didn't really match the rest of the bike. Black would have been a better choice, but I went another way.<br /><br />Something that's making a faddy comeback at the moment is exhaust wrap. It's basically a fibreglass tea-cosy for the exhaust. The techno-babble is that it keeps the temperature of the gasses up inside the exhaust which helps them flow through faster. That's as maybe, but it also covers up sloppy weld jobs, and makes the exhaust look a little fatter.<br /><br />I did some rocket science that indicated I'd need 5 metres to cover around 60cm of exhaust. That seems like a lot, but it's all about pi. Mmmm, pi. For once, I got my reckoning right, and 10m just did both exhausts, nicely secured with stainless steel tie wraps.<br /><br />Does it make any difference to the performance? Not so as you'd notice, but that's not why it's there, is it? The main effect is to soak up water, WD-40, ACF-50, road dirt and such, and steam or burn it off in huge clouds every time you stop. Larks!<br /><br />Easter weekend seemed like a good time for a spring clean. The bike was looking pretty grubby after winter riding, and there was actually some road grit layered on it - we're not having that. "Gunk" engine cleaner is just the ticket for de-grubbing, and I spent a happy hour brushing the best part of a litre of it into all the crevices of the bike, including a thorough soaking of the chain, which was in dire need of a clean. A good wash down, and the sparklies were restored, then treated to a good coat of ACF-50 to keep them that way.<br /><br />It was also time for some basic maintenance; a chain tension and rear brake adjustment, inspection of all the nuts and bolts, and I bled the front brake, which was starting to feel a little spongy. The year-old fluid was already looking fairly mucky, so it was easy to see when the clean stuff came through from the master cylinder.<br /><br />The other modification I made recently was to remove a few things from the bike, namely the L plates. Huzzah! I am now a Big Boy (Jnr). I really don't need a bigger bike for my commute or pleasure jaunts, so unless I plan some touring in this year, I'll be sticking with my 'Firebird'.<br /><br />I didn't have any lessons, I just went for it. £31 for the theory, £15 for the Mod 1 offroad, £75 for the Mod 2 on road, twice, as I failed the first one (darn unmarked crossroads), works out well compared to the cost of training, or of re-sitting my CBT which would have been up at the end of April. The DSA has recently acknowledged the existence of our bikes, and has classed them as A2, i.e. proper bikes capable of 100kph, so there's nothing stopping you from sitting your test on your Firebird, waiting 2 years, then buying a Hayabusa. Excelsior!Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-89904839476862517032010-03-25T21:01:00.004+00:002010-03-26T09:31:11.047+00:00Ride In Peace, chumrade<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3FWNd6WThYY7wujPD-wrAh3XXUQkLJ2qQciwYE2Mq25_JuijCm5LzYrkqOtMHn-Fjc09JH26LTxShT28ihoZ2-TXHLw_Z9g3RdP6QcWBC8lihapth5zEaKPzZMBIfF_TOvw7tObWseKc/s320/andrew.jpg" align="right"><br /><br />Last summer, my workmate Andy and I <a href="http://bikeinabox.blogspot.com/2009/07/lang-way-roond-announcening.html">went on a bike tour of Scotland together</a> on our plucky little 125s. A brilliant time was had. Laughs, spills, and anyone complaining got to be Charley (Boorman) for the day.<br /><br />Like myself, Andy was planning to sit his test and move up to a Big Boy bike this spring, either a Suzuki Bandit or CBR600. He took a week off, and I was looking forward to telling him that I'd passed my theory and Mod 1 when he came back.<br /><br />Last week, Andy's mother called him in sick after his holiday. We assumed he'd just got a bad dose of the cold that was going around. After a week with no news, we were shocked to hear that he had been taken into hospital, and that he had cystic fibrosis.<br /><br />We found it hard to believe; cystic fibrosis is a chronic hereditary condition for which there is no cure, and which is usually debilitating and eventually fatal. Andy always seemed so healthy, and had never mentioned it to anyone outside his family, never complained about it or made an issue of it, not once.<br /><br />With treatment and good luck, people of Andy's age with cystic fibrosis can live on into their 30s or later.<br /><br />Andy was not lucky. He died on Tuesday night aged 26.<br /><br />Andy will be sadly missed by all who knew him. I will remember him fondly as a gentleman, and the best of bike buddies.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-50534152118191397042010-02-21T22:02:00.005+00:002010-02-21T23:07:31.331+00:00Let there be... different light<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpxHK4rbxObZeANKC3xUIO_JpD6k89TWec0GqfUWvxD3ctagc2SeG2nUhyphenhyphenE8MMUxG-TYIbcDuoYbx3VJ5Y-S6bs8iHf3vRaM9nbxoyafx7oeJ13fJ61xAw2q3ZFVfZm9KANdXJUfPaYs/s320/rear-light-before.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440821614278723186" /><br /><br /><em>We need to talk. Times are tough, and I have to let you go.</em><br /><br />The stock rear light cluster, I mean. Nice enough, but I think it looks out of place with the smaller seat.<br /><br />I eBayed a smaller chromed light, and tonight I bodged it on. Now, normally I'd go in with the angle grinder, but the kiddies were in bed, so I had to do it on the shush. Also, there <em>may</em> be an element of learning involved here, in that I decided not to cut the stock light cluster mount to bits - yet. It also mounts the indicators and number plate, so it'll need some thinking through.<br /><br />The temporary solution was to put a bit of 20mm x 20mm x 2mm aluminium angle across the two mounts for the stock light cluster, and hang the new light underneath. It doesn't look ideal, but it'll do for now. I can always go back and screw it up later.<br /><br />Anyway, cut to the chase, here's the new light in situ:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRHfZjfbbu7WsjZU61eU_end2xPD36SYWCLZd2cK61RXPSTOpGxfsNkU_rgZHL4YCosPjFOZt3YbRBev5b2eY6FiAG79Tmt3sR8BRrRnHbsat7gcDG46lHHPQI8vz3oxijFWmsLcm59o/s320/rear-light-after.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440821438285085378" /><br /><br />I'll leave it until next weekend, then if I'm still enamoured of it, I'll likely lop the top off of the mount, run a bar across from the indicator bolts, and mount the rear light on top. Or not, as the whim takes me.<br /><br />Something to watch out for is that <em>The Man</em> requires rear reflectors (stuck to my panniers, huzzah), and also a number plate light. The stock cluster has a clear patch underneath that ostensibly lets some light down onto the plate, but I'll have to add another light to do this. LED, naturally. eBay, <em>ho!</em><br /><br /><b>[Update]</b><br /><br />Ho'd!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.scooter-assassins.com/pics/whiteskullsdark.jpg"></img><br /><br />Winner!Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-69032267676831520022010-02-07T16:29:00.004+00:002010-02-07T17:14:48.836+00:00Warp core offline: proceed on emergency impulse power<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7ckvEDQdgBxXXlqjGyWXRfYm3xDZiQSYhI36CxTr1ci2IP2HWOgWac1j1CBPkyId3vlRfKNbQz3EhhYe7e2Dz7XOOLGtnSA79m5qm9NYwZkoxiAJbg21Xq4TLSd7ascQmUr1IZahobM/s320/constellation_damage.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435542580034366690" /><br /><br /><em>Prepare to jettison warp engines and disengage by sublight evasion.</em><br /><br />Another day, another adventure. Sunday beckoned, flouting her tempting charms at me, and off I went for a jaunt. Just a few miles, off to try and find the missus (farming, as she has a wont to do), then on to le supermarché pour la grub et les stúff.<br /><br />There were a few big bumps in the road on the way, courtesy of emergency repairs to the winter potholes - which I'm <em>sure</em> the Cooncil intends to sort out properly later - but I didn't think anything of them. See as I cunningly build an alibi for myself for what is about to occur...<br /><br />Exiting the car park and hitting a little hill, the bike suddenly faded and spluttered. Oh dear. This again - it happened on the Lang Way Roond trip as well, on the Lang Way Hame, due to the main jet needle being unsecured and riding way too high (mea culpa).<br /><br />A quick haul onto the pavement, and the diagnosis began. The last thing I'd done before going out was to grab my trusty multitool(*), and damn glad I was to have it.<br /><br />The plug was seriously fouled. Hmmm, that's familiar. I immediately suspected the needle again, but decided to clean the plug and lean the idle mixture out first to see if that sorted it. Nope, although I did get another 1/4 mile closer to home, nursing the bike along in gaps in the traffic.<br /><br />At the next spluttering expiration, I parked up and unscrewed the throttle assembly on top of the carb to check the needle. Unfortunately, it was fine, properly secured under the clip and spring. Hmm, it did <em>seem</em> like a jetting problem, but not the needle this time. If the main jet was clogged, surely it would run lean, not rich?<br /><br />Maybe the engine was just cooked? I gave it some time to cool down, with the plug out, cleaned everything up again, reset the idle mixture to 2 turns out, and had another go at getting home.<br /><br />Bizarrely, the bike ran fine at idle and up to about 1/8th throttle, but on 1/4 throttle it just choked and faltered. I was quite impressed that it managed to get up to 30, nearly 40 downhill, on 1/8th throttle, and I managed to route through some industrial estates rather than holding up traffic on the big roads.<br /><br />Eventually, I nursed it into my work car park, but with a big hill between me and home, Something Must Be Done. I was swithering between admitting defeat and calling my rescue service, or even shoving the bike into the work foyer overnight, but manned up and went for the carb strip. This is perfectly possible at roadside with pliers and a small Phillips bit, just take care not to lose any screw or nuts.<br /><br />With it all apart, the cause was suddenly and glaringly obvious:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cISOSRi_2vkJtbdk5SfbZOUvYAKcbxpd1hF1Jo-pYpEEgz2nNasiu9orFunISYt0SQGGcbCSpxKq48RAqvfSLhDvbJoZ-nP1eI5-JB8dnjIOEkMGdqVxF9P3A6RjxyEpYzzkJLe6Ch4/s320/float-bowl-jet.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435539637488040354" /><br /><br /><em>[Dramatisation]</em><br /><br />Yup, the main jet had actually fallen off and was lying in the float bowl. That explained the behaviour fully - with no jet in the tube, as soon as the needle was raised, fuel was flooding up into the carb.<br /><br />Huh, typical Chinese quality control! By which I mean that the stock 90 jet was fitted just fine, but some chump must not have tightened up the 95 jet that I - I mean, <em>he or she</em> - replaced it with.<br /><br />Ah well, adventure over. With the jet secured properly, the bike immediately ran fine again.<br /><br />The lesson here is that these bikes really are idiot proof, if the idiot can just <em>stop mucking around with them</em>.<br /><br />So, no more fiddling, I promise. Well, I mean <em>after</em> I try the 100 and 105 jets again...<br /><br /><br />(*) Should Plod ever argues the toss with you about carring a multitool with a knife blade, please do remember this phrase: <em>folding pocket knife with a cutting edge not exceeding 75mm/3", and I'll be having it back with an apology after I speak to the duty solicitor</em>.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-12851276429690752382010-02-04T22:30:00.002+00:002010-02-04T23:19:35.965+00:00And the performance is... is.... iiiiiiiis...<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 167px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab4EFKlLYVXFVpphH_h1mbt6_EasxuKng8PCbYp-r-DbyJKIjF9O6b8rf8oh5XJBF3yjUbrEmHjFEuen5JX5-3GX60uzqTljpp6W1bHYGr5fYEYkFrrzXghFPhyphenhyphenCD2mHIompbxphog_4/s320/lights-redux.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434519484533369922" /><br /><br /><em>But first, some more ẁorship at the temple of LED</em>.<br /><br />The lower spots (£15 delivered!) came with a nice LED ring but 55W halogen foglight main bulbs. There was no way I was going to traumatise my poor little dynamo and battery by wiring in another 110W of load, but fortunately there are LED equivalents for the H3 type bulbs.<br /><br />As you can see, they're tecno-tastic. It's like living in a bright bluish-white Futureworld. The moment there's a LED equivalent of the Xenon BA20D headlight bulb, I'll be on it like Angelina Jolie on an African orphanage.<br /><br />But that's not why we're here, is it? It's to find out if de-catting the bike made any difference to the performance. Well, did it? <em>Did it?</em> Wait - why am I asking you? I'm the one who knows.<br /><br />The glaciers withdrew briefly today, and I went for a lunchtime drag along the handy local dual carriageway. Up the on-ramp, feeling good, 30mph, 40, and an indicated 50 as I hit the main carriageway. Throttle pegged, here comes 55, and the 60-ish that's the usual top end. But wait - what's this? Do we see 65? <em>We do!</em> Do we see 70? Near as dammit, we do, in 5th and a fraction over 10,000 RPM. That's more like a real 65, but it's comfortably faster than the bike has ever shown on the flat, enough to keep up with the traffic and safely overtake Micra Man.<br /><br />So we're clear, that's the purpose of getting that little bit of extra performance. It's not about burning rubber on the shopping trip, it's about the difference between holding up and keeping up with cars on open roads. Slower isn't safer if it means you're being tailgated by Astra Man.<br /><br />For those keeping score, that's with a 17 tooth front sprocket, stock CDI, aftermarket coil and HT lead, a K&N stylee filter, 95 main jet and a DR8EIX plug (DR9EIX is a better for extended high RPM). Now that the engine can exhale, I'll re-try the 100 and 105 jets to see if the needle can go into the Forbidden Zone past 70.<br /><br />So, was chopping the cats worth it? I'd say yes, but only because I did it on the cheap and enjoyed the process. If you had to pay for 2 aftermarket exhausts - assuming that you could find ones that were definitely cat-free - would it really be worth spending 1/5th or more of the price of the bike to get another 3 or 4 mph?<br /><br />That's up to you to decide, gentle reader. I can only write my own tale. What's yours?Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-63031347991898322372010-01-31T20:25:00.012+00:002010-02-01T00:35:26.776+00:00Operation Convert Bike To Sparks: success!<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnBV5308ly7x06V31kpYCTYS7XroeccXuyOaNkDnsukqF2FDyWVIHjEQ5iudrjLK01OmuGhu0ihJG4RifNzRO92W2BxneurjcLOYuKz7ROcjc6e5W79m6bosG3Aq0Moyyifmrjhh5c8k/s320/sparky.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433005587265603106" /><br /><br /><em>Sacrifice to the Gods of Entropy and they may eat you last</em>.<br /><br />Things that I have learned:<br /><br /><ol><br /><li>1.5mm mild steel is arc weldable, but not necessarily by me.<br /><li>Sometimes, close enough isn't good enough.<br /><li>There's nothing you can damage with an arc welder that can't be fixed with an angle grinder, <em>or vice versa</em>.<br /></ol><br /><br />My first attempt at welding in a section of pipe wasn't a total success. I used 38mm OD 1.5mm mild steel (35mm ID), which is at the lower end of what's arc weldable. Cut to the chase, I got it butchered together, but made a serious snafu: once it was all welded up, the exhaust plain didn't fit, no matter much much I swore, pleaded, or tried to negotiate with it.<br /><br />I did a fair bit of offering up, then removing, tacking and re-offering but made one fatal error - I didn't tighten up the manifold nuts when offering the exhaust up. Consider that a few degrees of difference at the manifold means an inch or so at the tail joint. One I had it all welded solid, I could choose between a tight seal at the manifold and a clear 1" gap at the tail, or have the exhaust bolted on but spitting from the manifold.<br /><br />In the event, I called a Mulligan, and decided to do it over. Since I'd burned through so much of the 1.5mm tube, I decided to go bigger. 2mm would likely be OK, but I wanted to be sure and went to 3.2mm, with an OD of 42.4mm = ID of 36mm. This was likely too big; an ID of 33 or 34mm would be a snugger fit, but you can always narrow wide pipe down.<br /><br />First things first. This time, I'd be doing some serious welding with the exhaust on the bike, so the tank and battery had to be removed and buried 6' deep (well, balanced on top of the bins out the back, anyway):<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGYHvkUgYMSj52tLi8DHrz652nEdDDyi5l3iWXEXY-M_C2yAJwn2Xn3oF2IeuqMB3AN4xDlJMeNjS5sOK54C8cGUTUT8EH_b_KjNUqa9XuzboMgsN-om4bHmtm0R8uK_6jfIHSAq8JsY/s320/safety-first.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433003115899798690" /><br /><br />Then I ground off the 1.5mm pipe section from the left hand pipe. As always, it took longer than I'd expected, and there must have been a small earthquake or similar, as I... uh... ground almost all the way through at one point. Mind Control Lasers, maybe.<br /><br />Aaaaanyway. Remember the adage: welding can fix anything that an angle grinder messes up, and t'other way around too. A bit of 1.5mm patching over it covered up the evil. Let's never speak of it again.<br /><br />I cut the the 3mm pipe to 1" longer than the removed section of cat-pipe. Another mistake I'd made the first time round was to make the replacement pipe too long. This meant that it went too far up the curve of the pipe on both ends, which contributed to screwing up the angles. See, I do learn, eventually.<br /><br />Then each end of the pipe needed notches cut so that I could narrow it in. I'd recommend hacksawing these, rather than grinding them out, since the narrower they are, the easier it'll be to make them gas tight later:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSAFctbpncQiyZ8vG-Fr-7rwYEPzKSEXnE3j-dlwJv48UJGyd4CfB01JGhhs5x0aAbI_3JnUGC0cPUaehQKM4Bpon1e4P68o4HZdPC9ePF5084iaYQEqKcVV5ZSnbCYIn6ymaU4-NF7fM/s320/8-way-cut.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433012429521710834" /><br /><br /><br />Another lesson learned - this time I bolted the downpipe on solidly before even thinking about fitting the pipe. Note the car jack holding the lower section up at approximately the right height:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAwOLxpi5lRA00SQBLEadqw9BGY2KgJorc0eKfqeh-awntMAO7e7LiHXyjj32neH2xu_VVaEGZ1kW5V0C-HnUtMCum1QHmieWCLd69Dy6vuqud3-Tx6NyV4u_XkMzpN_uUIxSKcsup8s/s320/right-way-to-do-it.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433003353953817122" /><br /><br />Then the ends of pipe section could be gradually narrowed down and offered up until it was fairly tight over both ends. I had to remove the whole assembly to bang it down tight. That's where your <a href="http://www.anvilfire.com/FAQs/select_faq_index.htm">Anvil Shaped Object</a> comes in handy. You do <em>have</em> an Anvil Shaped Object, right?<br /><br />Once the new pipe was as tight as I could get it around the original exhaust, it all went back on again, and both ends of the exhaust were solidly attached. For those playing along at home: <b>solidly attach both ends</b>.<br /><br />Then and only then did I weld up the joints. Rather than just tacking, I manned up and welded as much as I could manage in place. (Pro tip: remove the brake pedal on the right side to get more access to the bottom weld).<br /><br />Only when I'd gone as far round the pipe as I could manage did I remove it. The unwelded parts of the pipe ends needed banging down again to get as tight a fit as possible. And the first thing I did then was to put it back on and check that it still fitted. See? Learning! <em>See?</em><br /><br />With everything seemingly OK, I removed the exhaust again and finally finished the welding. In my pre-emptive defence, it's a fiddly job, as you have to move the rod in 3 axes: rotate around the pipe, oscillate up and down to cover the joint, and move the rod in as it melts down. Very zen. Then there's the 8 notches in each end, 32 in all, that need sealed up. About 65 amps with a 2mm rod, for those taking notes.<br /><br />Not the nicest welds in the world, but no, since you ask, I'm <em>not</em> planning on giving up my day job:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjr8frY_2cAOnrIH6AAp-k5ZCsUyvaid8zK_I6Te3MdOsM7l_7vkQMgS2y3EYMBFDwzAHs51nQUsbdOqlTbtSlTFZ9uoU3B7EKls76yX33uXVAFJbFDo3j9zJ8MdXXIB3zEibcnyPTxEk/s320/pre-grinding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433003432912360450" /><br /><br />Fast forward, the 2nd exhaust went the same way, and a lot faster, since it was just a production line now. The bike fired up fine, this time with the exhausts seated properly. I found a few pinhole leaks, but they were quickly welded over, and some grinding neatened the welds up some:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1znQg4XufiYppUHdv6Isnxdn90FVZ3zqX0ot7Unyu_4oCCZDD5q7MMy0gItfeH76ReFlQvPSHoyVHd0FwO1qcjuiZ4ddJEwjGU6LAojMD-ka1qgC972bHRK5DXeUoASAIw8zp9IduBA/s320/post-grinding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433003521293348450" /><br /><br />...although they still need filing, filling and sanding before I paint over them, and I won't finalise that until I get a chance to take the bike out for a run. As usual for this winter, there's a localised Fimbulwinter on the stretch of road right outside my house. Hopefully my de-catted Penguin Murderatron will contribute to this <em>alleged</em> global warming which we could really do with round about now.<br /><br />Speaking of which, here's one of the offending, offensive cats, the one that I didn't try and drill though:<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vQScMWjeCVD0roukRhgTFD6B65wj_h_FLwv8wY7IlmXq0hRvyPCOqjdZJGsG2CwNPwEzAiTAhai34BMvp8s5MLm0V0Ks-N7xT0Xu3cGKZZlX-1xxOacLsG408xDAEYcNX6KgiPeiFYM/s320/that-darned-cat.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433003228415175282" /><br /><br />You might think it wouldn't be hard to drill right through that. Well, think it all you like. It's harder than a scrap-yard dog with a flick knife.<br /><br />Well, that's us 90% done. If I was doing it again, I'd try and get some 33 or 34mm ID 2mm pipe. Also, I wouldn't do it at all.<br /><br />But since it's done, all that remains is a road test to see if I've helped, harmed or not done a damn thing to the performance. Nobody laugh; it <em>could</em> have helped it breathe. You'll see. <em>You'll all see</em>.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-45533649231335220702010-01-17T13:32:00.009+00:002010-01-18T22:58:07.303+00:00Catalytic cutting catastrophe<em>But first, Previously On Bike-in-a-box-blog</em>.<br /><br />Measure twice, cut once, goes the mantra. Well, in an uncharacteristic display of common sense, I only drilled <em>once</em> before measuring the choke assembly.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6opq3iExq4j2KDy47O3OQzscUFvYjEHgHDT-LpbggFN20OH45om_Q7C31yExBytkGn-87_BQrJQkNQ-nYMW7tpCl9SurukIvjwCJUHLqrLriRQjTiu3Ya8Nvrdt1LpnKAPOfBRzlXkk/s320/choke-assembly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427702584855685522" border="0" /><br /><br />The small metal widget in the top right is the actual choke actuator, which rotates to operate the choke inside the carb. Note the shiny new hole drilled in it, where I was going to attach a choke cable. Note also that with the plastic choke lever down (i.e. choke off), the actuator is raised. Annoyingly, it's sprung so that without being held up there in the off position, it would spring down and turn the choke being fully on. This is pretty shoddy design to begin with - if the choke assembly fails for any reason, the choke will come on full. Not good. Note that this is on a Japanese Mikuni carb emulating the behaviour of the Japanese designed CG125: I don't think a Chinese design would be as fail-fragile.<br /><br />The show stopper is that the actuator needs to be pulled up in order to turn the choke <em>off</em>. However, all sane choke knobs are pulled up to turn the choke <em>on</em>. I'd have to reverse the direction, which could be done by attaching the cable to the plastic choke lever instead. However, the lever <em>isn't</em> sprung, and would require the choke cable to not only pull it up, but to positively push it back down again, which wasn't going to happen.<br /><br />I tried fettling it various ways but couldn't find an arrangement that would operate the actuator correctly and reliably (i.e. stop the choke from springing on), so I declared it a draw and shelved the idea.<br /><br /><b>Decatalysing, Round One</b><br /><br />Guru Forchetto from defunct TheChineseBikeForum always held that the cheap basic catalytic converters fitted to our bikes were one of the primary causes of the drop in torque and power from their original configuration. Arguments about exhaust baffles and back pressure and two exhausts versus one aside, it's undeniable that these engines were not designed with cats in mind, so it's worth a try. The polar bears can just deal with it. What have they done for <em>me</em> lately?<br /><br />So I've had a plan for some time to de-cat my bike, and this weekend saw it swing, saw and weld into action. This may turn out to be a <em>mini series</em> in its own right.<br /><br />First, where and how to cut? From doing a bit of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter">wikiing</a> I'd hoped that the cat would be a relatively fragile ceramic, that I'd be able to drill, chisel or just smash to pieces by going in at one end.<br /><br />So I decided to make a straight cut just under the cat bulge. First, I drew a couple of lines across the cut so that I could match up the orientation again later - this turned out to be pointless because the amount of handling required quickly erased them, but not a disaster as it's easy enough to offer the pieces back up again and re-mark them prior to welding.<br /><br />A hacksaw went through quite easily, and I was pleased to find that the mild steel is a good 2mm thick, and thus OK to arc-weld back together again.<br /><br />It turns out that inside the pipe there's an <em>inner</em> pipe of slightly smaller diameter. I'm not sure what the purpose of this is; probably some sort of circulatory magic gubbins. In the event, I inadvertently lopped off an inch or so of it, which I just discarded rather than trying to weld it back on.<br /><br />This exposed the end of the cat bulge and the cat lurking inside. It starts 3/4" or so inside the bulge, and looks like... well, I'll take a picture first next time. It's a honeycomb structure that looks to be stainless steel, but very fragile, so in I went with a 20mm wood-hole cutting drill bit, expecting it to shred fairly easily.<br /><br />Hmm. Er. Mmmm. Nope.<br /><br />The honeycomb immediately flattened and toughened up and the bit was just polishing it. OK, switch to an 8mm HSS metal bit. That went in 1" or so, and that's all she wrote. I drilled a few such holes, but they weren't anywhere near close to going right through the cat. Pressing hard resulted in another 1/8" penetration and a glowing red bit tip. Oh my.<br /><br />Next up was a curved chisel, which I whacked into the cat around the edges to see if I could detach it from the pipe walls and just pull it out. It went in 2" or so, and I managed to deform the cat a fair bit and pull some small lumps out with pliers before the chisel, well, snapped clean off while I was wiggling it around.<br /><br />OK, rethink. If I couldn't get it out from the end, what if I cut the cat bulge in half in the middle? I might be able to chisel the half-cat out from either end and pull them out. So in with the hacksaw, which went through the pipe wall, hit the cat and... that's all she wrote (again). I just couldn't get through it.<br /><br />After some more bashing, whacking, stabbing and hammering, I had to acknowledge that all I was doing was choking up the cat, and called it a night before I made things worse. These things are <em>tough</em>:<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3IZPWS1WQ4j4kZ5_DmRRliC3G8vOUcjc-XLSqs1b5Dkxg-XKvxgpmXXGHFz0zbQneBlrVpD5QZVFI4jC_6wvrrFai0PK8sqyl-YI_44Z6gBGc6L2XtXgrl9GWl23HIfVrlGeXK6Q5Ew/s320/cat-innards.jpg" /><br /><br />Note the snapped off chisel at the bottom!<br /><br />That left me with a butchered cat, and a half-cut pipe. I wanted to get the bike back the road, so decided to just weld it all back up, and source some pipe to replace the whole cat bulge with, rather than trying to remove the cat and retain the pipe.<br /><br />My welding is... well, weld is as weld does. If it holds, it's a good 'un.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpAX9Z7VIw_w5f3ntkcg_uNkG3PidQ2GNb0OFpEU8wlIM-Cg4z5wmZodWdHQbHfAvjDhqff9McCOf37ADKwSAfqqds9RizJzqSprYYdann_aRaPIXwK_i34JcO96V4EH9CqeCCNNKW6w/s320/not-best-weld-1.jpg"><br /><br />Not the best weld in the world, but it's been a while since I did one. That's using a 1.6mm rod and about 50 amps; I didn't want to blow right through the steel. Actually though, I reckon it could stand a 2mm rod and 60+ amps, which I'll use when I replace the pipe.<br /><br />Getting the main weld right was a bit of a fuss. Putting the pieces back on the bike and marking the join was simple enough, but I'd cut too close to the bulge, and hadn't enough straight pipe on the cat side to get a clamp on the pieces. In the event, I had to hold the pieces together while tacking them, sans face shield, and just wearing clear goggles to protect from weld splatter.<br /><br /><img src="http://cdn3.knowyourmeme.com/i/2156/original/ze-goggles-zey-do-nothing.jpg"><br /><br />I got it eventually though, and butchered my way around the join, brushing and grinding it down and going around a few times to try and get it solid - I should have switched to 2mm sticks, really.<br /><br />Well, good enough. It'll only have to hold until I get the pipe.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyeauQeV4yBd3P-Uxs8copy9oI5Qc-onLyMB29mW80k2sLrv_UvnsM_SI3kRBDO_ZIHnkQxPShVK1DIX0oUlZ5CozVVg2ZO96h_Iy6tyQ3SQ_qMZWZEHWYJVTfbXPcxhQ-wiXJ7d8VXA/s320/not-best-weld-2.jpg"><br /><br />I'm not even going to paint over it, since I'll just be cutting and re-doing it soon anyway. <br /><br />Despite the choked up cat, the bike started and ran fine. The weld is gas tight, and the exhaust didn't drop off, so job done.<br /><br />I'll get some pipe with an ID that matches the OD of the main pipe, so that I can sleeve it over it (much like the cat bulge) rather than trying to weld a piece inline; that's unnecessarily tricky. Having it sleeved will also make it easier to keep it together while I tack it and offer it up.<br /><br />Well, not a success, but not a disaster either, and I did achieve my real objective: Welding Stuff.<br /><br />Welding Stuff is all that separates us from the animals. That, and blogging.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-74076191996472130702009-12-10T14:06:00.003+00:002009-12-10T14:31:27.344+00:00Bend like the reed, don't break like the oak.In other words - I give up. The hot rubber smell is still present, but I can't determine a cause. The bike is running absolutely fine, with no hint of clutch slip, and I can't think of any other cause.<br /><br />So we'll shove it on the To Do list, along with the stripped sump threads, for the first engine rebuild. While we're making that list, the exhaust is smelling slightly oily, so a piston ring replacement followed by a <a href="http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm">Mototune break-in</a> is on there as well. I'm quite taken with the idea of a hard initial run-in to seal piston rings, and am regretting running my bike in so gently.<br /><br />All that said, it <e>is</e> running great - I'm really just looking for excuses to strip the engine.<br /><br />While I await the joyous day, it's back to more fiddling with lights.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.soundwidgets.com/uploaded_images/yin_yang.blm-787163.gif"><br /><br />The speedo bulb developed an intermittent fault which steadily got worse until it gave up altogether. Obviously, my legal team leapt into action and served a writ of habeus judice under the Statutory European Human Consumer Rights Act, demanding a replacement of the entire bike, £50,000 in inconvenience and legal costs, and a <em>hundred beelyon dollars</em> in punitive damages.<br /><br />While I wait for that to play out in Brussels, I popped the speedo unit out for a look. There are two nuts underneath that hold the unit together. With them removed, the top lifts out - itself a sealed unit - exposing the light bulb at the back. Some fiddling revealed that it was just a loose fit between the bulb and the holder, just a casualty of vibration. But since I had it off, I went all LED, all the way. The princely sum of £6 secured 6 x T10 501 round top LED bulbs, which are now fitted to the speedo, tacho, indicator, neutral and full beam lights.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.dmsonline.co.uk/store/images/RNGLED501W.jpg"><br /><br />They're a definite improvement in the centre console; the overall light output is probably similar to the 2W incandescents that they replace, but it's much more directional, which is ideal for these mounts. In the dial consoles, the advantage isn't so clear. The top of the dials are better illuminated, but the bottoms less so. Still, the important speeds are at the top, so I'm OK with that.<br /><br />So I'd recommend replacing the incandescents with LEDs, but would suggest using larger wide-angle caps for the dial controls.<br /><br />Next on the project list is fitting a choke cable. The choke is mounted directly on the carb, and it's fiddly reaching under there to flip it, especially in the dark, with thick gloves on - i.e. in winter, when you actually need it.<br /><br />So I've bought a universal choke cable, sold for use on Minis.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/accessories/photo/a420.jpg"><br /><br />I reckon it should be possible to finagle this onto the bike somehow to remote operate the existing lever, although it'll need shortening, and mounting brackets fabbed up. Mmm, fabbed. Let's all say it together; faaaaabbed.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-57996520332705499462009-11-14T15:21:00.003+00:002009-11-14T15:52:07.014+00:00Listen... you smell something?<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mv1MDrvtzg9JQnC0qIU7S2siWAZkCQVJvHjV_LV-MVNbHXfZ3jmDziWg66SeH2dEBYRdxvpaDdUmmL4vmXzOLrwvnaH9QVNSbcqfhzhHt9vYguyVWlmLWIK6iJwkkbYdA6XmiiTj1GI/s320/Burn051.jpg"><br /><br /><em>Some exaggeration for effect may be in evidence</em>.<br /><br />Where I been at, I hear you ask? I been at one with my bike, just tripping and... uh... gripping and... such-like. I think in the near future, we can only expect updates when things go awry.<br /><br />Up until this week, things have been non-awry. I haven't managed any more mini-epics, just commutes and pleasure jaunts. The bike has been behaving itself just fine, although the tyres are not great in the wet, and roundabouts need to be treated with serious respect - I've had a foot down to correct a wobble. Woke the cagers up, anyway.<br /><br />However, this week has brought a potential new issue, a mild cooking smell. It's a 'hot' smell rather than sharp burning, is evident even after short runs, and it smells <em>vaguely</em> rubbery. There's nothing binding on the wheels, and I can't find anything touching the engine, although it does seem to be coming from down there. So, internal then.<br /><br />I suspect the clutch, particularly with the switch to fully synthetic oil and the Activ8 treatment that I did a while back, but if it's that, then it's taken a long time to start slipping. I've adjusted it up, and there's no feel or sound of slipping evident.<br /><br />Well, first port of call was another oil change today, still with 5W-40 synthetic, but the smell still seems to be evident. Then it stalled entering a roundabout, just faltered, popped and died. OK, I was being a bit limp-wristed, and it started right up again, but we're not having that.<br /><br />The other thing that occurs then is the valve clearances. I've had them tighten up to nothing once before, as did SteveF on the Chinese Bike Forum, and they are suspiciously quiet at the moment. First thing tomorrow, it'll be off with the rocker cover and out with the feeler gauges. Then we shall see what we shall see. Oh yes, we shall. See, I mean.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-20313854825798164832009-09-10T21:52:00.007+01:002009-09-12T21:58:11.643+01:00Intensify forward lightpower!<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUKmsqiN7tfflKv06pXGNFuffX9AAW-1FVeWFBxuR_ExUEZGo36XEot3OJcir_IWVzKPozojwITX-oCzM6dVbyJucqRTL0hDp0eyeWPY9j4s02rE9yQkvKpOIJEDeyIhDyOfNY8gixIc/s400/intensify-lights.jpg"><br /><br /><i>I don't want anything getting through...</i><br /><br />...'specially geezers in Kias.<br /><br />Well, what do you expect? The bike's running like a dream, so I was left with no choice but to add some more bits. <em>No choice</em>, I tell you.<br /><br />The two new lights are the ones below the headlight. They're fitted to a bar that's bolted on to the mounts that were used by the stock "Huoniao" badge, and were a steal at just £15 for the pair including delivery. There's a LED light-ring round the edge, and 55W 'halogen' (apparently) bulbs. I've only wired up the LEDs just now, since I'm already running a 55W headlight, and 175W or so total in lights would be asking way too much from the plucky little generator and battery. I may wire the 'halogens' up to the full beam switch as brief "flasher" lights for saying "hello" to other bikers - or "HERE I AM!" to cagers, for that matter. The more presence, the better.<br /><br />In servicing news, I did another oil change at 2880Km or so. I think it's the 6th change in total. I've been getting some clutch drag with Halfords 10W-40 semi synthetic motorcycle oil, so went for their 5W-40 fully synthetic. Verdict: <em>yes</em>. It's subjective, but the bike feels a little quieter and smoother, and the clutch drag is definitely decreased. With the 10W-40 semi, when the engine was hot, I had to kick up from 1st to 2nd and then back down to get neutral, but now I can go from 1st to neutral more easily.<br /><br />The cut-down DPR8EA-9 plug was working just fine, but I got the eBay itch and grabbed a DR8EIX (I had a DPR9EIX-9 in for the Lang Way Roond). The starting and warming up with the iridium plug is great, and in conjunction with the 5W-40, the low speed running is really steady, with no hint of hesitation or roughness, and less clutch grab. We're only talking about a marginal improvement, but it all helps with confidence at low speed. Which as we all know - or will find out eventually - is where you're most likely to drop the bike.<br /><br />Speaking of which, a work chumrade (not the Lang Way Roondie) has just bought a spanking new <a href="http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/bikereviews/searchresults/Bike-Reviews/Suzuki/Suzuki-GSF650-Bandit-2007-current/?&R=EPI-90892">Suzuki Bandit GSF650S</a>. Lovely bike, absolutely lovely. And heavy. Really heavy. And I've got these short Scotch legs and... well... I dropped it in the work car park. With 90 miles on it.<br /><br />I'm going to hell.<br /><br />On the bright side, the bits to fix the right side (indicator, brake lever, mirror) were surprisingly cheap, and hey, now I own part of a Big Boy Bike. Plus as a salve to my conscience, <em>he</em> then dropped it at some lights, on the left side, so at least it's nicely symmetrical again.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I really do think I'm reaching the end of what I can do with the Huonaio[*], short of grinding and welding, so it may be time to start thinking about sitting a test. Not necessarily so that I can get a bigger bike, but it's an easy piston swap to a 150cc, or we could give it large to 200 or 233cc.<br /><br />You gotta have a dream, don't you?<br /><br />[*] davidqc over at the Chinese Bike Forum turned up the trouser-stiffening info that Huoniao means <a href="http://www.thechinesebikeforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2509&KW=firebird">Firebird</a>. Hmm... <em>Firebird</em> HN125-8. Sounds much studlier.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-23642520081222022522009-08-25T22:40:00.002+01:002009-08-25T23:02:59.613+01:00A quick quickie<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf5iqrnMst-bSmAZU0_xHjt5uwLcNo2WcGnhe0bBYXHULeAjAtaflyNRjsgYu-udWNSmY2jAK5rdWTEyI63T8_re2psavUnkdIhUSn08Wfw5muCHk7MvmjQ9o1RfOedDBZS3106ixgsk/s400/Star+Wars+-+Warp+Speed,+Disney.png"><br /><br />Aaaah, that's the stuff. The stars have aligned themselves <em>advantageously</em>, and the bike feels the strongest it's been yet. To recap, we're currently on:<br /><br />Halfords 10W 40 semi synthetic oil.<br />Activ-8 friction reducer.<br />K&N cone air filter<br />95 main jet (down from 100)<br />Needle in centre position (down from 2 up and 1 up)<br />Idle screw about 2 turns out<br />DPR8EA-9 plug with the earth electrode cut back.<br />97 octane fuel<br />Stock CDI<br />Aftermarket coil.<br /><br />There we go. I did file the electrode back a little more, and it doesn't seem to have harmed it (yet). Now the bike is happy all the way through the rev range, pulls away strong, revs smoothly right up to 10,500 and the plug is staying clean. It's perhaps a little <em>too</em> clean, and I may go back to a 100 jet or raise the needle, but for my current short commutes it's probably good enough.<br /><br />Today's purchase was 5 Metrics of Halford's 5W 40 fully synthetic oil. I had a look at Castrol Power 1 GPS 4T 10W-40, but it's 4 Metrics for the same price and only semi-synthetic. I want to give filthy Nature a body-swerve on the next oil change to see if I can reduce the clutch drag a little.<br /><br /><b>I'm modest to a fault</b><br />I feel that it's my duty to mention again how much positive attention this cheap little hack gets from other bikers. A Honda CB750 pilot - a proper classic bike, so obviously a <em>discerning</em> chap - collared me at the shops to enquire about it. Apparently it's a "really tidy little bike", a epithet with which I can only concur.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-29738492195052077062009-08-23T21:36:00.007+01:002009-08-23T23:04:54.816+01:00Poor bike. Poor, poor bike. When will the madness end?More entries in the Catalogue of Foot Shooting.<br /><br /><b>Bondage</b><br />The rear of the leather panniers on the bike would rub against the wheel given their druthers, so I made up an aluminium bracket to hold them away from it. It's a W shape, attached to what were the rear seat/luggage rack mounting points, with the centre of the W being an arch over the wheel. When I first made it, the arch was right up under the rear mudguard, giving plenty of clearance. However, after putting the custom seat on, the panniers are now slung directly on the rear mudguard, and are sitting lower down (which is generally a Good Thing). I had to extend the left and right corners of the W down, which meant "stealing" some length from the supporting arch. I thought it was still comfortably high enough...<br /><br />You can probably guess the rest. Spotting a big ditch in the road, I stood up to smooth the ride. With the rear unloaded, the wheel jumped up, caught the centre of the aluminium bracket, and dragged it around - I mean, it actually pulled it into a U shape, until the bracket ended up wrapped around the front of the wheel.<br /><br /><em>Screeeeech</em>, went the wheel as it locked up hard. I'm happy to report that I held it up, even got the clutch in and kept the engine running.<br /><br />There was a little cosmetic damage to the ring over the sprocket, but the bike seems to have survived the incident just fine. I've kept and sorted the bracket - the panniers need something to hold them apart - but now the arch is running <em>behind</em> the wheel rather than over it. All seems OK so far, but it's something else to keep an eye on though.<br /><br /><b>Smut</b><br />The bike has been bogging down at idle, and every time I've pulled the plug (DPR9EIX-9) it's been sooted up badly. I changed the 100 jet (stock was 90) down to a 95, and leaned the idle out, but to no avail. Suspecting that the D*9* was running too cool (it transfers heat to the engine faster than a D*8*), I rustled up a spare non Iridium plug that I happened to have lying around, a DPR8EA-9. Something I've been meaning to try on a plug is cutting the earth electrode back so that the spark jumps diagonally. The idea is that this exposes the spark more fully to the fuel-air mixture and allows better combustion, rather than having to flow around the electrode. The effect - if any - is probably minimal, but this is a Project Bike, so here goes:<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXu4ztyX2VrxkLaLaIUJkdAlW5oyIjdq68Yfoc8adJ1sglPMaxOyzoqOsAQFm0_2UiLxPZ3d3d-IhkUjZ53IPr-MI_gkutyp_tnlPjl6iLk_NsFTqcgclVDpviAwYdgLo33fgX6Pz2cjs/s400/plug.png"><br /><br />It's rather conservative; there's still some overlap of the electrodes. I think I'll trim it back a little more - you know, until it stops working. Note that the gap between the terminals should still be 0.6 - 0.7mm, just diagonally rather than flat.<br /><br />Verdict: well, it works. I won't say that it works any better, but the bike started and ran just fine up to 10,000rpm, so if you fancy a fiddle, I'd say go for it. It'll give you something to bore the missus with, if nothing else. <b>Update:</b> my missus just read this entry, so <em>Mission Accomplished</em>.<br /><br /><b>Slipped disc</b><br />After my ride to test the trimmed plug, I pulled it and it was already sooty as a chimney sweep's nostril. Something's not right here, thinks I. I'd already moved the needle back from raised one slot to the centre slot, but pulled the slide to lower it again.<br /><br />Ah <em>hah</em>! When I disassembled it, I found that the spring clip that should sit on top of the needle circlip and hold it down had found its way underneath the circlip - in other words, the needle was sitting way too high, and there was actually nothing holding it down except for the wafer-thin grasp of gravity. That explains the sooting, although the mystery of why I can't leave well enough alone remains unsolved.<br /><br />This spring clip is really fiddly to fit, but I took my time with it and got it solidly in place, with the needle left in its stock centre position. Tomorrow will tell whether I've managed to "improve" the bike all the way back to its out-of-the-box performance. <em>It could happen!</em>Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-54526281837505045172009-08-12T15:55:00.004+01:002009-08-23T23:02:59.147+01:00How low can you go?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ_8qNNanknRXaWtsYj1GrXBI9GLtTMef03uhyphenhyphenx0zDIHq23bKHg99rXVDQMjJ4hCmsbcE5cvidpHedJv1k8frkDMxO9XWHT1PrCKtSFR9zgt_SCqPIN1Ehf6jt6TktrZ2u0SDkxYEcPY/s1600-h/bike.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 267px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369091812273910530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJ_8qNNanknRXaWtsYj1GrXBI9GLtTMef03uhyphenhyphenx0zDIHq23bKHg99rXVDQMjJ4hCmsbcE5cvidpHedJv1k8frkDMxO9XWHT1PrCKtSFR9zgt_SCqPIN1Ehf6jt6TktrZ2u0SDkxYEcPY/s400/bike.jpg" /></a><br /><br />How's that looking? Speak up? "Super Pimp", you say? Well, if you insist.<br /><br />That's a custom seat made from a piece of spare floorboard, some upholstery foam, and cheap (but surprisingly nice) brown vinyl, courtesy of eBay again. It slots into the retaining groove at the front, and has two bolts and wing nuts holding it down at the back. It'll need a bit of re-jigging, but is basically sound, if not quite as supportive as the original. I may put another layer of foam in, as it's only medium density.<br /><br />In other news, the bike was bogging down at idle and low revs. Pulling the plug after a period of idle revealed it to be blacker than a parking warden's heart, which I've attempted to sort by leaning out the idle mixture substantially. I'd forgotten that I'd been creeping it richer and richer during the Lang Way Roond to try and keep the engine cool (through evaporative cooling) but had taken a good thing too far. Now I'm running it really lean for a bit to see if I can find a happy medium. I suspect that I <em>should</em> be using the choke for a minute or so in the morning, rather than running it so rich that it doesn't need any choke while cold. Further bulletins as events warrant.<br /><br />And in a further bout of en-tweakening, I've replaced the aftermarket "POSH" branded CDI with the stock one. The bike is very slightly less eager between 5000-7000 rpm, but runs smoother above 8500rpm, where the POSH was missing, allowing a higher push in 4th gear before the shift to 5th. I think the POSH was staying too advanced at high rpm, lowering the top speed. Xian now do a "Kamizake" CDI which they've developed themselves with testing from Forchetto from the Chinese Bike Forum. I may give that a try to see if it gives the best of both worlds.Peeriemoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00942676847285474124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-40080386478856927342009-07-29T19:17:00.003+01:002009-07-29T23:32:52.849+01:00Oops, I did it again<img src="http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/shoot-self-in-footjpg.jpeg"><br /><br />I whipped the seat off today, and the (probable) cause of the weird missing problem was immediately obvious. I've fitted an aftermarket POSH CDI, which is larger than the stock CDI and consequently needs a custom securing solution. I'd just wired it in place to the frame at the front of the seat area with the connector (actually a plug converter) supported on top of the mount that the old air box had attached to. So when I put weight on the front of the seat, it pushed the CDI down and strained the connector. <b>D'oh</b>.<br /><br />That seems to match the symptoms that I'd been experiencing, and a quick re-positioning of the CDI seems to have sorted it, although I'll need to do another long run to confirm that. While I was fiddling, I adjusted and lubed the chain (it was seriously slack after the Truncated Way Roond), nudged the pre-load on the rear shocks up one notch and put the carb needle back to the middle position, since the bike had a thirst on it on the last leg home.<br /><br />So <em>yet again</em> I've self-inflicted a problem on the bike. If I'd just leave it alone, it'd be fine. But where's the fun in that?Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-45720713361138749902009-07-28T19:02:00.004+01:002009-07-28T23:53:48.321+01:00WIN!(partial)<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8X_O84dipDeR2jn17dRGvt5gePnZ43KEE3pVTGLgz-QCbhVJ65aa18kpiUXndivSxtL8RGr3sVNeyR8YmTQPxlm9tuDUavUC_zfEInZyGdsIIaUo-Zy8isD8TGpgSRzVKsCWq69cY68/s400/applecross-pass.jpg"><br /><br />This is a £720 (+ pimping) Chinese bike half way up the 20% gradient Applecross pass, shortly before tailgating a Jeep up the rest of the way.<br /><br />The Issues that dogged day #3 seem to be in hand, and minor. Here's the story.<br /><br />I dropped the bike on day #3 (while dismounting, obviously) and later that day, it started missing pretty badly when it was hot and under throttle. It also had real problems pulling away from a stop, backfiring and dying in 1st gear unless I thorougly thrashed it (like, 7000rpm) and let the clutch out verrrrry slowly.<br /><br />Fix attempt #1 was to pop the rocker cover and check the tappet clearances, which seemed fine (i.e. there were some, but I didn't bring feeler gauges). I loosened both tappets another 1/2 turn to be sure, and checked that there was an audible buzz.<br /><br />The bike was just fine when cold, and started off strongly. However, when it had heated up, the problem came back in spades, and I this time I noticed that it was missing noticeably whenever it hit a bump in the road. Very curious. I suspected fuel issues because of that.<br /><br />Fix attempt #2 was to strip the carb, check that fuel was getting to it, that the floats were free and the jets weren't blocked. While I had it apart, I richened the idle mixture a little more, and raised the needle one notch - I'd previously put it back to the centre position. All seemed fine, so again we carried on.<br /><br />Oh dear. The bike hopped and staggered its way on to the remote village of Kinlochewe, where I charmed the natives into revealing that there was a Man Who Fixes Motors round the back of his (unsigned) farmhouse just up the road. After another cooldown, I thrashed the bike to within 200 yards of said house, when it just up and died. It was then a push-job to get it to the surprisingly well equipped little garage, where the <strike>spanner monkey</strike> highly skilled professional initially said "I don't do bikes" until I engaged his interest by assuring him that it was really primitive and old skool, and going through the things that I'd tried.<br /><br />We had a good fifteen minutes of prodding and poking, with the bike (again) starting and running absolutely fine while cold, and refusing to misbehave. Eventually, the Man Who Fixes Motors noticed that the spade connectors on both the coil and rectifier were loose, and crimped them up. Off I went for a quick test run, expecting the bike to die any second, which it absolutely... didn't.<br /><br />RESULT!<br /><br />So just crimping the connectors seems to have sorted the missing problem, at least while running, and at least when I'm sitting towards the back of the seat. Yes, it's that weird. When I shift my weight to the front of the seat, the bike stumbles. You know what I'm thinking? The accursed side stand cutout switch, which I'd "cleverly" relocated under the seat...<br /><br />Unfortunately, my confidence had taken a knock, so we bailed on our John O'Groats aspirations and headed back for civilisation, in the form of Inverness. You can tell that it's civilised because there's nowhere to park. We made it there, and slightly past, to Fort Augustus on day #3, then pushed the other 150 miles home on day #4.<br /><br />There's not a lot to tell from the last day, since it was almost all on the A82. It's a nice enough road, with some stunning sights, but the winds down Glencoe were just vile, and it was a relief to get past there and into the central belt.<br /><br />I'm confident that once I get the seat off, there will just be a bit of loose wiring to find and fix and the bike will be pristine again.<br /><br />Overall, I'd say it did very well. It was caned on and off for 4 days solid while carrying a significant load, often in excess of an indicated 50mph with the throttle pegged up Ben and down Glen. The only wobble in the whole trip was when I hit a wet cattle grid at a slight angle and was forced to correct. Contrast with my chumrade's CBR125 which was reportedly quite twitchy in the bends, especially in a crosswind, so that said chumrade was slightly slower through the twisty stuff. On the other hand, while I was pegging it in 4th up a hill trying to reach 50mph, he got bored and just zoomed past, so fair play to the little Devil Machine.<br /><br />We both had a blast, enjoyed our bikes, met some interesting people (fully half of whom weren't nutters) and saw some astonishing places. I've lived in Scotland all my life, but haven't seen more than a tiny part of it as an adult, mostly the central belt and A9 corridor. There's much more to see, and a bike is a brilliant way to see it. What are you waiting for?Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-76920347938089594182009-07-27T21:03:00.007+01:002009-07-28T11:29:34.705+01:00Lang Way Roond: truncated<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvDUvfMUt7gJ_yb2iit_Pb9alKt9NHDmVsRJliS5_0fmuR8LshFekdvtvS036y5SS2DL2IzPKDenQm9rmcgcliRl2nvgQPzetu3nfwDVFTnVFqEGLo2bP0czSWfPgdfKYpK9t2oI8_wA/s1600-h/volcano.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363233311664876754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvDUvfMUt7gJ_yb2iit_Pb9alKt9NHDmVsRJliS5_0fmuR8LshFekdvtvS036y5SS2DL2IzPKDenQm9rmcgcliRl2nvgQPzetu3nfwDVFTnVFqEGLo2bP0czSWfPgdfKYpK9t2oI8_wA/s400/volcano.gif" /></a><br /><div>I had a delighted call from Mr Borg this morning - they were in Applecross having tootled over <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOgCTHeMsjY">this rather nice road </a>and had an absolute blast. Apparently he doesn't mind single-track roads now, not on his motorbike in any case. Next stop was due to be Ullapool. <p><br /></p></div><div></div><div></div><div>Alas a text at teatime revealed things had not proceeded according to plan, and they were in Inverness. Later this evening he called to elucidate - he was having bike troubles and had had to stop a number of times to tinker with it, eventually having to push it into a garage. He and the bloke in the garage managed to get it going again but he didn't feel confident in <strike>crossing Mongolia</strike> heading into the remoter parts of Sutherland with it playing up so they'd made for Inverness, then headed down to Fort Augustus to a campsite. <p><br />They've decided to bail as Andrew's bike is also struggling a tad now and they're both knackered. But they've both had a great time and the trip is clearly labelled <em>success</em> from that point of view.</p></div><div></div><div>They're hoping to get home tomorrow, all being well, and he'll presumably update with pictures/stats/rants/road reviews himself.<p></div><div></div><div></div><div>Mileage = 279km or 173.3706 Mediaeval miles.</div><div>Running total distance = 279 + 210 + 349 = 838km or 520.7332 Renaissance miles. </div>Peeriemoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00942676847285474124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-16894980629796518842009-07-26T20:29:00.007+01:002009-07-26T21:01:01.659+01:00"It's amazing scenery here - it really reminds me of Scotland."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWCYBX6jQlefcv450rPXgpr5ZPbWr4Mx5FXdX6NxBsB2-0pd8mJb704ENYSPF8v1FcvAEUnv2wjZwuj6x4g2PF_pBFJY8asLiGXV2Pe8LeJD0ADpfqkVo1jwaqEYERpXx4NEv5q1IrU8/s1600-h/gloom.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362854193552318434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWCYBX6jQlefcv450rPXgpr5ZPbWr4Mx5FXdX6NxBsB2-0pd8mJb704ENYSPF8v1FcvAEUnv2wjZwuj6x4g2PF_pBFJY8asLiGXV2Pe8LeJD0ADpfqkVo1jwaqEYERpXx4NEv5q1IrU8/s400/gloom.jpg" /></a> <p><br />Actually that's a picture I took at Loch Morlich last week but as Mr Borg informed me in today's telephonic update that it was a little rainy I thought this'd be appropriate.<br /><br /><div align="center">Stats for the day:</div><p>Sheep - 4 (seen? run over? he didn't specify).<br />Dolphins - 4.<br />Rain - ALL.<br />Drops - 0.<br />Falls - 0.<br />Gearshifts fixed - 1.<br />Bikers met - 2.<br />Ex-bikers met - 3.<br />Knitting - FAIL.<br /><br />Mileage: 2029 - yesterday's (1819) = 210km or 130.494 Prehistoric Miles.<br /><br /><br />This evening they've stopped at Kyle of Lochalsh, having travelled via Mallaig and taken the ferry to Skye. They took a little tootle around Skye - "Got to Portree, had a good pee, then turned back" and headed for the bridge. They stopped in Broadford to see if <a href="http://www.teoshandspun.com/">Teo's Handspun</a> was open but it wasn't - 973 Excellent Husband Points for trying though. 'We were going to go to the Scary Fairy bit but were too scared' (No, I haven't the foggiest).</p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Oh yes, the title refers to Obi Wan McGregor's comments every ten miles or so of <em>Long Way Round.</em></span></p>Peeriemoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00942676847285474124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-56302167279146594822009-07-25T20:34:00.008+01:002009-07-25T21:26:48.309+01:00Lang Way Roond: the Beginning<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcL0GHNAheMxrXNr7KBVbl8perUiPpLRYa-fPeY81s4xvZ1kcOrKpSdqEXqP4guLr71-bCt497HSHR2q3JRIHveI3T9ohwqyoU8nocQXlZ4g5DPnOUxscaaj6yZWFMfULq2Aab2hNnKo/s1600-h/bike+journey.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362486530979699586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcL0GHNAheMxrXNr7KBVbl8perUiPpLRYa-fPeY81s4xvZ1kcOrKpSdqEXqP4guLr71-bCt497HSHR2q3JRIHveI3T9ohwqyoU8nocQXlZ4g5DPnOUxscaaj6yZWFMfULq2Aab2hNnKo/s400/bike+journey.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>"With great power comes great responsibility."</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong><br /></div><div align="center">or<br /><br /></div><div align="center">Mwahaha, revenge of the missus.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Blogging powers now passed over to Mrs Borg.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><p>I've had several updates from Mr Borg today. He set off at around 9.40, the 9am start he'd predicted being, predictably, optimistic. They made it to Oban and then to Fort William in excellent time and were hoping to get to Mallaig before stopping for the evening. However they seem to have taken a very scenic route (by which I mean really, <em>really</em> the Lang Way Roond) involving sheep, via Strontian, after which strontium was named - must be true, both the sign-post and Wikipedia say so. They've given up for the night and are camping in Strontian in a campsite with <em>facilities</em>, i.e. showers. So they're not stinking yet.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><p>Mallaig and Skye tomorrow, though Skye may be skipped depending on the weather. Roads are great (apart from the single-track sheep-infested highways that Mr Borg is not so keen on) and the scenery is likewise great and 'we really must go there together sometime'. This is going in print so I can remind him.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Some stats for the avid readership of this blog:</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><ul><li><div align="left">Helmet drops - Rogerborg 2, Chumrade 1</div></li><li><div align="left">Bike drops - Rogerborg 0, Chumrade 1.</div></li><li><div align="left">Mudguards jammed against wheel by weight of toolbag - Rogerborg 1.</div></li><li><div align="left">Clutch adjustments - Rogerborg 1.</div></li><li><div align="left">Textile panniers resting on exhaust downpipe - Rogerborg 2.</div></li><li><div align="left">Panniers <em>fixed</em> - Rogerborg 2.</div></li><li><div align="left">Sheep on road <em>avoided</em> - ALL.</div></li><li><div align="left">Sheep <em>hit</em> - 0.</div></li><li><div align="left">Distance <em>travelled</em> - 1819-1470 km = 349 km = approx. 216 Old Folks' Miles.</div></li><li><div align="left">Sump plugs <em>lost</em> - 0.</div></li><li><div align="left">Campervans <em>overtaken</em> - 1.</div></li></ul>Peeriemoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00942676847285474124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-72339772342167055262009-07-24T22:03:00.008+01:002009-10-17T23:53:20.188+01:00Lang Way Roond: the Inventorising<img src="http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/special/wildershores/images/Dieulafoyattack_small.jpg"><br /><b>Keep away from the baggage, foul denizens of Ullapool, lest I send you back to the frozen Hell from whence you sprang!</b><br /><br /><br /><u>Bike #1: Huonaio HN125-8</u><br />1 x bike-in-a-box, some modifications, just serviced<br />1 x rider, containing spunk, possibly gumption<br />1 x pair textile panniers<br />1 x pair of large leather panniers<br />1 x backpack<br />1 x cargo net<br />1 x pair motocross boots<br />1 x pair thin canvas shoes<br />4 x cotton/synthetic shorts<br />1 x pair Sealskinz(tm) waterproof socks<br />5 x pairs anti bacterial sports socks<br />2 x cotton vests<br />1 x synthetic T shirt<br />1 x synthetic long sleeved shirt<br />1 x textile jacket<br />1 x textile trousers<br />1 x back brace<br />1 x helmet (style still <i>to be decided</i>) <br />1 x neck/face warmer<br /><strike>1 x pair summer gloves</strike><br />1 x pair waterproof winter gloves<br />1 x waterproof poncho<br />2 x emergency space foil blankets<br />1 x Gelert solo tent<br />1 x self inflating mat<br />1 x summer weight sleeping bag<br />1 x small angler's stool<br />1 x wind up LED torch<br />3 x disposable lighters<br />1 x eye mask<br />5 x pairs ear plugs<br />1 x roll toilet paper<br />1 x pack 80 baby wipes<br />1 x set eating utensils<br />1 x small umbrella<br />1 x talc<br />1 x antibiotic handwash<br />1 x factor 50 sunblock<br />1 x pack Immodium(tm)<br />1 x dry shampoo<br />1 x toothpaste<br />2 x toothbrushes<br />1 x deodorant<br />4 x anti-blister plasters<br />1 x roll sticking plaster<br />1 x multitool<br />1 x small chain (for chaining items to bike)<br /><strike>1 x disk lock / alarm</strike><br />1 x collection of assorted nuts, bolts and washers<br />1 x junior hacksaw<br />1 x 1/4" socket set<br />2 x mole grips<br />2 x monkey wrenches<br />4 x assorted spanners<br />1 x set spare bulbs (including headlamp)<br />3 x assorted screwdrivers<br />1 x spare chain (428 / 118 links)<br />1 x set Allen keys<br />1 x plug spanner<br />1 x needle file (flat / half round)<br />1 x 12v power socket<br />1 x Cheap-O-Matic<sup>tm</sup> sat nav<br />1 x 12VDC->240VDC + USB power inverter<br />1 x mobile telephone + charger<br />1 x Kodak DX7440 camera<br />1 x gas camping stove (can't find my petrol one)<br />1 x set camping pans<br />1 x backpack full of trail provisions (chocolate, spiced sausage, dried fruit, noodles, etc)<br />1 x hip flask with 1/4 pint malt whisky<br />1 x empty 5 litre can of petroleum distillate (<i>to be filled during ride if it seems necessary to get <strike>us</strike> me through the Wilds</i>) <br /><br /><u>Bike #2: Honda CG125</u><br />1 x silly overpriced miniature Japanese trinket, just serviced<br />1 x rider, containing optimism born of lack of experience<br />1 x pair teeny weeny "sports" panniers<br />1 x tank bag, effectively doubling the height of bike<br />1 x oversized 2 man technical tent<br />1 x giant squishy sleeping bag<br />1 x handkerchief<br />Perhaps some spare pants, although I wouldn't count on it<br /><br />Let's <i>riiiiiiide</i>!<br /><br /><small>Really, really slowly.</small>Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251198501324666350.post-33048535708774674802009-07-23T21:17:00.003+01:002009-07-23T21:37:43.095+01:00Lang Way Roond: the Announcening<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXwuMN9fqZb6mVbEwWl1RS-pCfzsZh4JGyqSswhFS6G-g_VkLO4tWZOtKmQnvzplg_01LtWJ95qvNvE1BYwcFmEaICkqoeGwPM9_o1udNvITmvXQskwRNnh0q3lET9yWbNkfcmThr7ow/s400/lang-way-roond.jpg"></img><br /><br />Inspired by such adventure biking legends as The Chinese Bike Forum's SteveF and his planned jaunt from London to Cape Town, and... uh... The Chinese Bike Forum's SteveF and his planned jaunt from London to Inverness, I'm going to be setting off on a mini-epic tour of Jockland next week.<br /><br />I'll be teaming up with my workmate, fellow L'rner and (soon to be) staunch chumrade, Andrew, and his <i>accursed Japanese devil machine</i>, a Honda CBR 125.<br /><br />The itinerary is (approximately) Glasgow -> West Coast -> Oban -> Mallaig -> Ferry to Skye -> Around Skye -> Bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh -> the sheep tracks up the West Coast, all the way round past Ullapool -> North Coast to Thurso and John O'Groats -> East Coast through Wick down to Inverness -> Speyside through Aberdeen -> Dundee -> Queensferry -> Back to Glasgow.<br /><br />Well, that's the <i>plan</i>. Obstacles include one or both bikes exploding, running out of fuel half way up Sheep Fancier Pass, or being kidnapped by the six-toed locals in the back of beyond and locked in the cellar with their sister-daughters. Alternatively, having time called by the missus and having to cane it back home by the shortest route.<br /><br />I'm figuring on an average of 40mph (and that's optimistic) with 4 hours riding a day, so 150 miles a day or thereabouts. That should see us finished in... uh... actually, I have no idea, since I haven't measured the distance. Preparation is for people with fat chested PR bunnies tucked away in their London command bunkers. I'm looking at <i>you</i> McGregor.<br /><br />Win, lose or horrible Lovecraftian human sacrifice, it should be a trip to remember.<br /><br />Next post (and the last before kick off) will be an inventory of gear. I'll be carrying most of it, since the CBR 125 is about the size of a razorblade, and Andrew has gone for "sports" panniers. I can fit two big leather panniers on the back, plus two small ones on my front crash bars, so I guess I'll be pack muling the loo roll and beers.Colin MacDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01681687023913022670noreply@blogger.com1