Spring Lunacy?
Moderator: D-Rider
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falcomunky
- SuperBike Racer
- Posts: 820
- Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:29 pm
- Location: NEUK
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randomsquid
- Wear the Fox Hat
- Posts: 2244
- Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:10 pm
- Location: West Mids
Ok, so I picked the bike up on Monday. Journey out was a lift to Coventry with the missus on her way to work. Train to Wolverhampton with a bit of a senior moment about where I placed my ticket, picked up by the seller just as I got out of the station. Cool. The bike still looks pretty, just about 90 miles across the top of Birmingham to get home...... within about 50 yards I'm thinking sh*t what have I done. Riding position felt OK static but major adaptation to my bits and pieces required on the move. Without regard to any potential mechanical failures I did wonder am I physically going to make it.
Once out of suburbia and the 50 mph motorway restrictions (that's about 60 miles then and how/why do so many people live there?) some slight relief in that at 70 mph the journey doesn't seem like it will be totally endless. The gearing is really short so flat out 7,500 revs will be slightly over 100 mph both good and bad given my nature, but tiresome from any standpoint. Finally got off the motorway on to the A426 to Lutterwoth and just as I am starting to enjoy mixing it with the Artics it goes on to one between Iceland and Tesco, who were not amused at my inability having cut them up, not to clear out of there......
Fuel Pipe reconnected back on our way to totally cut out in Lutterworth. Fuel pipe connected reserve tap on and we are good to go again, oh did I mention very nearly dropping it because of lock restrictions doing a u turn. So clip on pushed back in place with mental note not to rely on too much counter steer, we are back in business.
So Monday night I skipped the usual badminton as I was already physically wrecked. Tuesday night I fitted air filters and some related bits and pieces. went to wok on the other BM the suspension of which decided to finally go pogo... I mean when I got home I pushed down on the saddle and it was probably about 20 oscillations before the up and down reaction was significantly diminished. No wonder the handling was getting a little iffy on the faster and bumpier stretches of my commute.
So now I have a conundrum my wife finds amusing. "So you have just bought a new bike and now have 4 bikes, when you can only ever use one, and none of them are actually usable.... ?" Of course she like life is not being fair. The Falco has just done the winter covering for the demise of the Rs's gear box and is partially stripped, not taxed and overdue a valve check, plugs and oil change in readiness for the chasing of very fast bikes (you know who you are not) around Mallory in July. The Rs with new gear box fitted has been doing sterling service for a couple of months and I suppose I could ride it, I did get it home, but it'd not pass an MOT like that in the 100 years it'd take for the back end to stop pogoing up and down. The project racer is only going anywhere in my dreams; so its time for me and the new bike to step up.
Up to 2 am last night reorganizing the rear end that maybe as a fan of old British bikes the builder had managed to make rigid, Also the clipons and clocks had to b re installed. Oh and brakes really needed bleeding....All of which meant seat tank and fairing off. Ho hum special builds are worse even than most manufacturers in having numerous dependencies and a specific order in which things must be done, but without any documentation. Sort of finished about 2.30 am.
The ride to work was actually enjoyable, yes the gearing is short which meant I didn't get above 90. Yeah progress. Damping what damping. Only down side being a bit of engine rattle when I got there, from some where to spoil my serenity. Taxed it at lunch time , yes just 5 days left in the month but hey ho riding the train would have cost more... Riding home I didn't notice any strange engine noises and the ergonomics were manageable. Still on the bumpy bends the suspension was pretty awful, very soft and under damped at front and still too hard at the back. Oh and add to that it was just as well that I was backing off a bit as the exhausts are too wide of the frame and touch down with a little lean and suspension compression.....
So I'm going to be a busy boy, what with a new shock ordered for the RS to get to the Marches meet, an old one to get re built possibly for the new BM, the bike bench started (I had to have clear out and rationalization of the garage to justify the 4th bike) the Falco needing TLC and a growing list of rectifications to the new BM, and that's before we start thinking of the race motor or the lawn... but it will be a very different bike in a year or two.
Once out of suburbia and the 50 mph motorway restrictions (that's about 60 miles then and how/why do so many people live there?) some slight relief in that at 70 mph the journey doesn't seem like it will be totally endless. The gearing is really short so flat out 7,500 revs will be slightly over 100 mph both good and bad given my nature, but tiresome from any standpoint. Finally got off the motorway on to the A426 to Lutterwoth and just as I am starting to enjoy mixing it with the Artics it goes on to one between Iceland and Tesco, who were not amused at my inability having cut them up, not to clear out of there......
Fuel Pipe reconnected back on our way to totally cut out in Lutterworth. Fuel pipe connected reserve tap on and we are good to go again, oh did I mention very nearly dropping it because of lock restrictions doing a u turn. So clip on pushed back in place with mental note not to rely on too much counter steer, we are back in business.
So Monday night I skipped the usual badminton as I was already physically wrecked. Tuesday night I fitted air filters and some related bits and pieces. went to wok on the other BM the suspension of which decided to finally go pogo... I mean when I got home I pushed down on the saddle and it was probably about 20 oscillations before the up and down reaction was significantly diminished. No wonder the handling was getting a little iffy on the faster and bumpier stretches of my commute.
So now I have a conundrum my wife finds amusing. "So you have just bought a new bike and now have 4 bikes, when you can only ever use one, and none of them are actually usable.... ?" Of course she like life is not being fair. The Falco has just done the winter covering for the demise of the Rs's gear box and is partially stripped, not taxed and overdue a valve check, plugs and oil change in readiness for the chasing of very fast bikes (you know who you are not) around Mallory in July. The Rs with new gear box fitted has been doing sterling service for a couple of months and I suppose I could ride it, I did get it home, but it'd not pass an MOT like that in the 100 years it'd take for the back end to stop pogoing up and down. The project racer is only going anywhere in my dreams; so its time for me and the new bike to step up.
Up to 2 am last night reorganizing the rear end that maybe as a fan of old British bikes the builder had managed to make rigid, Also the clipons and clocks had to b re installed. Oh and brakes really needed bleeding....All of which meant seat tank and fairing off. Ho hum special builds are worse even than most manufacturers in having numerous dependencies and a specific order in which things must be done, but without any documentation. Sort of finished about 2.30 am.
The ride to work was actually enjoyable, yes the gearing is short which meant I didn't get above 90. Yeah progress. Damping what damping. Only down side being a bit of engine rattle when I got there, from some where to spoil my serenity. Taxed it at lunch time , yes just 5 days left in the month but hey ho riding the train would have cost more... Riding home I didn't notice any strange engine noises and the ergonomics were manageable. Still on the bumpy bends the suspension was pretty awful, very soft and under damped at front and still too hard at the back. Oh and add to that it was just as well that I was backing off a bit as the exhausts are too wide of the frame and touch down with a little lean and suspension compression.....
So I'm going to be a busy boy, what with a new shock ordered for the RS to get to the Marches meet, an old one to get re built possibly for the new BM, the bike bench started (I had to have clear out and rationalization of the garage to justify the 4th bike) the Falco needing TLC and a growing list of rectifications to the new BM, and that's before we start thinking of the race motor or the lawn... but it will be a very different bike in a year or two.
Don't put off 'till tomorrow what you can enjoy today
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Aladinsaneuk
- Aprilia Admin
- Posts: 9503
- Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:37 pm
- Location: Webfoot territory
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blinkey501
- World Champion
- Posts: 3495
- Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 6:28 pm
- Location: near doncaster
I'm glad I've raised a smile or two.
I'm far to lazy to give a blow by blow account complete with pictures, of the bikes transformation from pretty but awful to "proper (ish) job". The stuff I'm having to do now are little things like reshape the prop stand and tuck in the exhausts for a little more clearance, new front tire fitted yesterday as only about two weeks after getting an MOT it was so cracked I could've got busted. Turn in definitely better for that but in sorting the tire I found that all the spindle pinch bolts had been loose and the fork oil seals are shot. Due new pads too....... Ho Hum.
I have the work bench about done and the RS up on it ready to replace the shock this week. I've opted for a Hagon and will see if the existing one which was once upon a time a pretty good one, is salvageable by Revs for the Cafe Racer.
Thinking about break lines, alloy top yoke re jetting the Bings, fitting the Delorto's, whether the R90's barrels 'll fit in cases designed for Nicasil bores, looking out for R100 Nicasil barrels etc...............
The lawn did not get done and the Falco wasn't touched......
I'm far to lazy to give a blow by blow account complete with pictures, of the bikes transformation from pretty but awful to "proper (ish) job". The stuff I'm having to do now are little things like reshape the prop stand and tuck in the exhausts for a little more clearance, new front tire fitted yesterday as only about two weeks after getting an MOT it was so cracked I could've got busted. Turn in definitely better for that but in sorting the tire I found that all the spindle pinch bolts had been loose and the fork oil seals are shot. Due new pads too....... Ho Hum.
I have the work bench about done and the RS up on it ready to replace the shock this week. I've opted for a Hagon and will see if the existing one which was once upon a time a pretty good one, is salvageable by Revs for the Cafe Racer.
Thinking about break lines, alloy top yoke re jetting the Bings, fitting the Delorto's, whether the R90's barrels 'll fit in cases designed for Nicasil bores, looking out for R100 Nicasil barrels etc...............
The lawn did not get done and the Falco wasn't touched......
Don't put off 'till tomorrow what you can enjoy today
A nice new pair of Hagons transformed my old R100RS; I found I could corner my side of the double whites again.HisNibbs wrote: I've opted for a Hagon .
Enjoying the write-ups; making me feel twitchy for another air-head.
It flies sideways through time
It's an electric line
To your zodiac sign
I've got a Black and Silver Machine!
It's an electric line
To your zodiac sign
I've got a Black and Silver Machine!
A quick update. Yep Hagon shock has transformed the RS. Shame the clutch keeps needing adjusting so that I can get neutral...? The cafe racer has had new front tire, fork seals, fork oil and anti dive springs fitted and the handling feels a whole lot better for it. Also put a second fuel tap, new fuel lines, fuel filters and upped the main jets but still seems that fuel supply is erratic. It was struggling to run and with nearly a full tank cleared when put onto reserve. The new tap I fitted was an old one blown clear so maybe there is a lot of debris in the tank. New filters look clean though.
Erratic running aside on a back road blast it actually felt for a bit like it had potential...
Erratic running aside on a back road blast it actually felt for a bit like it had potential...
Don't put off 'till tomorrow what you can enjoy today