Chit-Chat
This page is for any comments, pictures, stories or information you might want to impart to the site that don't necessarily
fit anywhere else on the website.
There are rules!
Primarily don't be rude, offensive or obnoxious, for more details CLICK HERE
See Older Posts
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
95 degrees of bend Glyn?!?! Why you lucky lucky boy you, I'd have killed for 95 degrees when I had my little accident. I've gotten most of the movement back now save for the last few degrees - plus I can kneel albeit oddly as it's my thighbone that's short so I can't kneel evenly. I've found I can live a normal(?) live without kneeling all that much. Get yaself a little stool if you need to kneel - I find my little food waste bin is about right for myself.
As for getting into a small German sports car? Should have bought something sensible then - German sports car - at your age! Pffffft.
20/02/2026 13:15:49 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
One thing I found immediately after my knee replacement was that modern bike footrests were almost all too near the seat meaning that my knee had to be at its most flexed (or beyond in some cases). I still had the V-Strom at the time and remember fitting lower footrests to help. My old clunker Brit bikes weren't so much of a problem as they had a more relaxed knee angle.
It's been mentioned here before but I found the bike ergonomics site quite useful.
https://cycle-ergo.com/...
21/02/2026 09:57:15 UTC
Occasional Lurker said :-
For the attention of Ren ...
Whilst doing my daily "browse" of this here internet, I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw in the news, (local to me ), that Horwich Town Council, are considering starting an application to become a UK "Town of Culture" ....
Strange, but it appears to be true ...
What say you to this news ...? Would you be a perfect candidate in some kind of ambassadorial role..? Would you you use such an accolade to take this site to even greater heights..? Seriously, it would be great to hear your thoughts on this news ...
Back down to reality ... I recall, back in 2002, when the Borough of Preston became a City...( The 50th City, in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth's reign), that a lot of the high and mighty of our local leaders all received a nice little increase in their "renumeration".... I do hope that you would also benefit from such good fortune ....
Regards, Tony ...
21/02/2026 10:29:33 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
A cultural attaché role for Ed, I fear it would be wasted on him.
21/02/2026 17:04:47 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
Ren.. l'attache pour des motos propres.
21/02/2026 21:17:26 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'll have you reprobates know my abode is very cultured! Alas I fear the culture is of a different nature, the culture in my house is biological rather than societal. There's a multitudinous compendium of new, undiscovered, and perhaps alien things growing in the dark recesses. I imagine there's entire civilisations been and gone in the 25 years I've been there.
I wonder if the bike also has it's own biodiversity under all the dirt and grime.
I find Horwich to be a very ordinary town, and I mean that in a good way. There's rough bits and scruffy bits, as well as nice bits and posh bits. I feel fairly safe but I lock my doors. There's shops aplenty but like many small towns those shops are chain and charity shops. It's a town like many others.
So I suppose Horwich will have to dream up some random tales to provide excuses to become cultured. Maybe we'll find Van Goch's auntie's brother's friend's cousin moved here for 3 weeks 90 years ago.
Anyhoo I shall await my appointment as motorcycle cultural ambassador (thanks ROD) and hope the remuneration package is large and pays me to ride to exotic places and stay in posh hotels.
22/02/2026 07:43:20 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Picture puzzle of the day. What's this? Knocked up out of a bit of mild steel bar covered with harness tape. Correct answers on a £5 note.......
25/02/2026 16:03:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
The only thing that comes to my mind is some kind of handle...
26/02/2026 07:56:33 UTC
Occasional Lurker said :-
Not wanting to deface my one remaining £5 note, my suggestion is that it could be useful in holding the coil spring around a shock absorber, in a slightly compressed manner, thus facilitating easier fitment or indeed removal ...
The application of insulating tape would be a help in safeguarding the chrome plating on the surface of the spring ...
26/02/2026 08:55:08 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
This week's generous prize is not won. The device is in fact a parking brake. One aspect of having a sidecar is that there is no stand to stop it rolling away if parked on a slope. Yes I could leave it in gear but due to the installation of the Zuki engine in the Beeza there is nothing to stop me trying to start it in gear (actually this can be useful if the clutch cable snaps!). So the gadget slips over the twistgrip and front brake lever to hold the latter on. I also have a lock that does much the same thing. The tape (non-sticky harness tape) is as Mr Lurker suggests to preserve the finish.
Here it is in action:
26/02/2026 11:14:44 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Ahhhhhh riiiiiiight! Hang on a minute... that... that's a cable in the lever? Well I suppose it'll be drum brakes and looking at the other pictures - yeah. Been a long long time since I rode my Benly CD200 with cable operated drum brake up front. Eeeeeh I remember the cable freezing solid leaving me with no front brake. Them's were the days eh. I don't believe that everything new is better, far from it - but hydraulic brakes are undoubtedly an improvement up front at least.
26/02/2026 16:19:46 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
You see! I should've blummin posted my fiver.
My only thought is that with the curved ends it would hold two parts together, so then I thought what two parts? Then I thought the brake lever for bleeding of the brakes overnight, then I thought, but it's got cables?
Then I gave up thinking. I await the next puzzle.
26/02/2026 16:22:50 UTC
nab301 said :-
Drum brakes , even when they were current never did it for me , be it my "current" Enfield which I converted to disc or my early 80's Renault 4 850cc car...
Never had a cable freeze but I did arrive home during a cold spell (2011/ 2012?) with a mechanically frozen unable to switch off ignition switch! (Honda 500)
Nigel
27/02/2026 11:51:57 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , I meant to ask does the sidecar have the facility for or even need a sidecar wheel brake?
Nigel
27/02/2026 11:53:18 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The front brake on the BSA is an 8" twin leading shoe affair and is very progressive and powerful. I agree some drum brakes were pretty pathetic but by the late 1960s there were some good ones around. Norton's TLS on the early Commandos was excellent and indeed better in many ways than the later disc. I remember some heart stopping moments on my disc braked 850 Commando in the wet. It needed a full turn of the wheel at least before the water was wiped off. Just as your knuckles were going white it would start to grip at which point the front wheel would lock......
No sidecar brake and I can't see a means of fitting one easily. The wheel is in fact from a Ural with suitable adaptors. A sidecar brake is useful - not so much for stopping but to help with left hand bends which also need slight acceleration. On right handers - which of course are less scary - slight application of the bike rear brake helps to pull the whole thing round. I need to relearn all these things and have located a useful big car park on a local trading estate which is unused on Sundays so will be making my way there once all is up & running.
Sidecar paint and transport there on Monday confirmed.
This is the BSA brake - also fitted to Bonnies, Tridents and the like.
27/02/2026 12:23:54 UTC
Glyn said :-
I came across this at Kempton bike jumble today. A V6 engine and fairly well put together. I presuming it is someone’s one off. It had a ticket for £750 on it. Has anyone any ideas?
07/03/2026 20:13:48 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Glyn, that's a mystery indeed. It's got elements of Pan Euro 11/13 about it but they're V4.
Upt.
07/03/2026 21:59:54 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
On second looksies, I dont think it is a V6, it's an ST1100 with a fake front ST lead. But I've been wrong before. Fake news, who said that?
07/03/2026 22:03:20 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
See what I mean?
07/03/2026 22:05:37 UTC
Glyn said :-
I think you’re onto something there Up’t. I don’t think the Triumph tank fooled anybody but it was a very good fit seemingly sculpted around various fitments on the frame. Do you think it’s the Pan frame. Clever really because most of the Pan is covered with fairing so those who have never owned one would not recognise the chassis and engine. £750 seems reasonable value for what could become a pretty interesting machine.
08/03/2026 07:42:27 UTC
Name
Comment
Add a RELEVANT link (not required)
Upload an image (not required) -
Uploading...