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Ian Soady¹ said :-
pic 3:
20/02/2026 10:16:42 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Aaaah I'm starting to get the understanding of it now Ian. So I'm figuring the sidecar tub and mudguard will end up the same red as the BZuki?
20/02/2026 13:10:57 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
That's the general ides. Also, if you look at the body there are channels running along it. There are alloy strips to fit in these but I'm contemplating replacing them with stick-on chrome beading that I've got from ebay. Mainly because the alloy strips are held on with little nuts & bolts through the holes you may notice. I'd need to be a contortionist (or emply a suitable child) to fit them, plus they need a good polish. If my chrome strips don't work I can always find an urchin who will do the job for half an out of date pasty.
20/02/2026 14:37:28 UTC
Glyn said :-
The reason I thought the pistons were stainless is because the replacement genuine Triumph items are (I know Triumph don’t make Nisin calipers or parts and so are not actually “genuine”). I tried the old trick of getting them almost all the way out to clean them but there were indentations that could not be removed with t/cut or metal polish. The pistons were incredibly tight and after I pumped one out I had to use molegrips to remove the second even though it was almost there. The pistons had a light gold finish to them. When I saw your posts I went out ( with my magnet) to find the old ones but have lost them. The three copper washers were indeed well spotted. The lower one was used to mask the face when I painted the caliper. Now refitted to the bike it’s been removed and the 2 new items used. Those chrome strips you speak of Ian will make it look similar to a Watsonian from the front. Was it Steib or Watsonian that fist came up with that look?
21/02/2026 11:10:31 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Steib were first - Watsonian copied them as did Garrard for their GP which was a very sought after model. Steibs are actually steel (which makes them heavy) - in fact I've just weighed all 3 wheels on the bathroom scales (and it was hard getting the outfit in there!). The chair wheel with no ballast is 100kg; the rear bike wheel unladen is 80kg and the front wheel 100 kg which is more than I would have thought. Of course the scales may be wrong - they constantly tell me I'm heavier than I think I am. I may even have set them to pounds rather than kg at some stage.....
This is a Steib publicity image from 1949. Interestingly showing a right hand drive model but without the swoopy mudguard - not sure when that came in. At that time Watsonian were turning out staid but well built child/adult models like the one my dad had.
21/02/2026 13:07:51 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The ballast box in position with one paver. I'll probably sand it down and give it a coat of my favoutite satin black while the body is away being painted.
22/02/2026 13:05:18 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , that's looking good , your vision has finally become visible ( to us) !
@ Glyn, nice job on the caliper , I was recently replacing pads on my Enfield and only then discovered the pistons were a bit tight . The pistons were fine it was the usual problem of corrosion in the caliper seal grooves (pushing the seals out ). It's such a common problem usually with secondhand bikes that I've purchased that a few years ago I obtained an internally expanding piston removal pliers and a caliper piston slide hammer kit , makes it an easy job . In this case on reassembly the caliper was reluctant to bleed , I stripped the master cylinder and the seals and bore seemed fine, cleaned everything meticulously also using an airline, reassembled and the caliper bled in seconds ... must have been dirt in one of the master cylinder orifices.
Nigel
24/02/2026 12:27:34 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Sidecar & mudguard now dropped off at the paintshop. The van driver and his 2 assistants - probably his sones - looked a bit sketchy and there was a powerful aroma of dope when they exited the van. However, very helpful altogether. He also gave me some magic ointment, probably also cannabis derived, to rub on my twisted knee. Will it work? Who knows. Not yet anyway. Not bad for £40. Anyvan and shiply were quoting £150-ish which is what I paid to get the whole lot - body and chassis - delivered from Wisbech to Redditch.
02/03/2026 12:29:51 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
And now for something completely different.
I'm struggling a bit with the throttle position sensor on my DRZ-400 engine (Keihin flat slide carb). I needed to remove it as I'm fitting a calble operated choke plunger. However, I can't see how the throttle spindle can actually rotate the sensor as both have a female type connector. Am I missing something? I'm sure nothing fell out. In any case, would it matter if the sensor was disconnected? I'm assuming that if the CPU doesn't see it there will be some sort of default value.
I'm told that all it does is alter the ignition advance slightly when the throttle is closed and it's idling. It can't affect the mixture as there's no electrical connection other than the TPS. I'm also told by one person that it's not necessary - but of course the opposite by someone else.
02/03/2026 16:55:55 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
So... What exactly is the engine from. Suzuki DRZ400, what year and any other model details? Is the carb likely to be original to the engine. In an ideal world there'll be part numbers on the carb and/or TPC.
I'm sure there'll be a parts diagram online, it's a case of finding the right one. That'll help us work out if there's a widget connecting the 2.
03/03/2026 07:38:37 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Does this look at all familiar?
03/03/2026 08:01:59 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Ah - the above carburettor seems to be a Mikuni, most of the DRZ400 carbs I'm coming across are Mikuni but you have informed us yours is a Keihin. I'm wondering if you have a trick carb fitted with the TPS for the Mikuni just screwed on to stop it flopping around.
03/03/2026 08:10:21 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
The most common Keihin for the DRZ seems to be the FCR. There's an exploded diagram on the link below and if you find item 109 there seems to be a widget between the throttle shaft and the TPS...
https://www.frankmxparts.com/Keihin-FCR-MX-37-39-40-41-flatslide-carburetor-part...
03/03/2026 08:19:29 UTC
Glyn said :-
I thought it looks to me that those 2 parts fit together but then realised that Ed posted the picture not Ian. On the Keihin carbs fitted to the ZZR they did not alter the mixture in any way that I could see but, obviously, altered the CDI to alter the timing. My Yam Diversion had a faulty TPS and ran like a barrel of bolts until I replaced it.
03/03/2026 08:48:39 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Thanks all, it is an FCR as referenced by Ed in his link - and ironically it's where I've ordered the choke assembly from! My engine being from a CCM it's the high power version(!) It is indeed part 109 I'm missing. I forgot to add pics but they will be shown below. I'm told by someone on a dedicated forum that I don't need it as all it does is change the advance slightly when idling and in gear to prevent stalling. Glyn you're right there's no way the mixture can be affected as there's no connection to the carb from the ECU apart from the TPS.
I don't believe I lost that part as I took it apart carefully and have searched the bench top. A previous owner had done some extensive work on the carb, documented by various changes to jets etc and I think he must have lost it.
My current plan is to leave it off and make a cap from nylon to fit over the spindle end to avoid air leakage. I assume - maybe wrongly - that if the ECU doesn't see any resistances then it will revert to some default setting, however Glyn's experience with the Divi makes me wonder.....
This is the carb end:
03/03/2026 10:17:33 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
and this the sensor. It wouldn't be impossible to make a link piece if necessary.
03/03/2026 10:19:02 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
My experience with electrotrickery is if you depart from standard it'll probably upset some'at else. Plus I wouldn't want to run a fairly stressed engine with incorrect ignition timing. Pistons shouldn't have holes in them, ask me how I know?
Upt.
03/03/2026 11:00:48 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Firstly - the TPS Ian is holding has 2 holes... the carb Ian pictures has but one threaded hole to secure the TPS. Looking on the exploded diagram in my link it actually looks as though that is by intentional design! Cheapskates pffffft.
Secondly it looks to my eye that you'll be looking for - essentially - a flat piece of plastic! There's a slot in both the carb side and the TPS side, perhaps a bit of random plastic can be filed down to fit? There is the risk the correct item may have an offset in which case... urgh.
03/03/2026 11:51:14 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Thanks both. Well spotted Ren - I omitted the flat plate for clarity. This has 2 threaded holes for the 2 slotted holes in the sensor and one for the securing screw. This is spaced out with 3 washers and an oversize nut which strikes me as non-Suzuki..... Interetingly the exploded diagram doesn't show the plate.
I'm buying the cable operated choke from a place in the Netherlands and having found the part number see they actually have the connecting bit of plastic in stock. It's only a fiver but postage adds another 6 quid or so. Can't decide whether it's worth it. It does look as though the 2 blades are indeed offset.
03/03/2026 12:16:51 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Small price to pay for piece of mind Ian. Good shout on the offset.
Postage is a killer ain't it. Every package I post these days is over a fiver. Just posted a birthday present off to Staffordshire, because it was over 1 kg and a medium size, "that'll be £6.80 sir". Just posted a letter to the USA at the same time, I think that was £3.40 for two pieces of A4.
Pffffffftttttt.
Although it's cheaper and more fun than driving to Smoke on Stench. On that note our fuel in the village goes up at 1 pm due to you know what. Damn decent of them to tell us beforehand.
Upt.
03/03/2026 12:50:31 UTC
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