Repair-Chat
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Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
That headlight wiring Ian had me in flashbacks to some of my early motorcycles' wiring. Countless bundles of those bullet type connectors in now brittle plastic shrouds. Clumps of green fur causing intermittent unsolvable issues. Cutting out the bad stuff and soldering in new bits of wire with no colour matches to ensure future diagnosis and repair is nigh-on impossible.
Eeeeeee... thems were the days.
02/04/2024 07:55:13 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
They still are round here. All sorted out now (he said to tempt fate)
02/04/2024 09:51:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
The proof of your success will be in the riding Ian. Good luck.
03/04/2024 08:14:31 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I thought I'd just do a few little jobs on the Yam 250. An hour or so in the shed I thought.....
I do hate the vacuum controlled fuel system. There is no "off" position as such (well there is on another tap but you have to take the seat off to get at it). It only has On, Reserve and Prime on the main switch - the latter being a non-vacuum "on" independent of the vacuum. I may in due course ditch the vacuum unit and put a simple on/off tap in its place.
It turns out I was right to be suspicious of the vacuum arrangement. I put a gallon of fuel in yesterday, started the engine on Prime (started easily and sounds good) and left the tap on Main. When I went into the garage this morning, guess what? a pool of petrol underneath. Obviously the vacuum tap gadget is passing fuel when it shouldn't. Exactly what I feared. So I'll do my mod of replacing it with a simple on/off tap. When I lifted the air filter housing the front carb was full of petrol as well, so the needle valve in that one at least needs a good looking at. All this because idle riders can't be bothered to turn the petrol off!
I've stripped both "taps" and will replace one with an ordinary on/off tap feeding the main/reserve one. I've replaced the vacuum arrangement in that with a simple gasket with a smear of wellseal.
I guessed that the petrol would have got into the cylinders so turned the engine over with the plugs out (by turning the back wheel in gear - I'm not daft enough to use the starter) and was rewarded(?) by a spurt of petrol from each plug hole. But if it's got into the cylinders then it must have got into the oil as well? So dive underneath only to find the sump plug has been cruelly hacked about. I'm starting to realise why the PO wanted shot of it.
Of course the drain plug is lurking between frame tubes and convoluted exhaust pipes so is a bugger to get at - no chance of stillsons or mole grips.
I thought if I could get the offside exhaust off I'd have more fiddle room but of course the allen screws holding it on are rusted solid and rounded off. I expect I'll have to drill them out. What other horrors await....
I don't know what on earth those allen screws holding the exhaust on are made of but it took me nearly an hour to drill the head off the upper one and make a start on the lower one. It's particularly awkward as they're quite low and need to be attacked from a crouching position. Oddly enough the bolt holding the silencer to the exhaust came undone with little effort. Remember the days when fasteners on Japanes bikes were as soft as butter?
I'm beginning to think the seller knew about these problems and passed them on to the first mug who came along. Although I did get it cheap (I thought....)
Eventually I resorted to a thin cutting disc in the Dremel and managed to cut the head off the lower screw and release the exhaust.
This is what remains: a moot point as to how to remove the remains of the screws but I'll leave that for another day.
20/04/2024 16:26:59 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
A brief update: judicious use of a cold chisel to make a notch in the outer periphery, followed by a long punch has got the plug out at least. The "oil" that came out was about twice the normal capacity and stunk of petrol, as did the oil filter. The mashed up plug is below.
I'll let the cut-off screws rest in penetrating oil for the time being - no rush to sort them out. I've ordered the bits I need from CSM in the Netherlands who seem to have good stocks.
Oh, this was supposed to be my riding around bike while I fettled the BSAZuki.......
20/04/2024 16:24:13 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Are we looking "up" here Ian I'm guessing? Logic says it is but the image feels like we're looking from the side.
I hope you're garage is well ventilated as I reckon that oil will be 20 to 50% petrol now, slowly evaporating into a combustible gas with the air.
Logic also dictates as soon as the weather improves your motorcycle(s) will decide now would be a good time to demand some mechanical attention. You could always purchase a new fangled motorcycle with warranty and servicing carried out by someone else, all in an easily affordable PCP package. Trade in and re-sign every 3 years and never have to get your hands dirty again. No?
21/04/2024 08:36:25 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, looking up. And yes, the oil was very diluted and petrol-like. If I had a 2 stroke I could probably have used it.
There aren't really any "modern" bikes I fancy although that SWM I mentioned here a little while ago was quite tempting. PCP? Just another way to be ripped off. And as you know I like getting my hands dirty and a challenge only makes it more worthwhile.
The gift that keeps on giving is of course the theft of the Tri-Greeves and XBR500 both of which were pretty much ready for riding.
21/04/2024 10:23:14 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I'll let the cut-off screws rest in penetrating oil for the time being - no rush to sort them out.'ve ordered the bits I need from CSM in the Netherlands who seem to have good stocks.
I see a DIY induction heater project in the next episode!
Nigel
22/04/2024 13:29:10 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
PCP is fine for a certain kind of rider, and that rider is perhaps the most common type of rider.
You put a not insignificant but manageable amount down and pay X pounds per month. For this you get a shiny new motorcycle that you will use on dry Sundays, one evening a week to visit the bike meet and one, possibly 2 motorcycle holidays per year. Approximately 4,000 miles annually, maybe a little more. You get the bike annually serviced twice then on the third year you complete your PCP deal by trading in your now 3 year old 12,000 mile bike for another new shiny model and a slight increase in your monthly payment.
This way you know where you stand. X pounds per month plus a little extra for tyres and the annual service. Your motorcycle is always less than 3 years old. You're not dealing with seized brake calipers. You're not dealing with fitting a new chain and sprocket kit. You're not dealing with camchain tensioners. In fact you're not dealing with seized in exhaust bolts or mangled sump nuts or complex wiring issues and on and on and on and on.
There are times when I'm elbow deep in dirty oil and blooded knuckles and desperately worrying if my bike will actually be fit for our next trip - I think I might just sign up myself! But then with a PCP bike for the deal to work the bike must be in a resaleable condition after the 3 years (or otherwise depending on the deal). I couldn't fit my amazing handguards. I couldn't bodge in my USB charging system. I'd have to drastically reduce my mileage.
PCP might not be for me, and probably most of the readers of this type of blog. But for a lot of folks it makes a lot of sense.
23/04/2024 07:34:09 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
You're probably right Ren for some but I think I may be far from a "typical" rider. And as I've mentioned there are few modern bikes I'd want. And how would I occupy my time if not lying in a pool of oil cursing some far-away designer or ham-handed previous owner?
23/04/2024 10:47:42 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It goes to show that if both the Yammy and the BSAZuki were in prime condition you would only have been initially happy, as opposed to the now dirty and frustrated happiness you're presently suffering/enjoying.
For myself one concern is that of "ready to ride" -ness. How do you go on with your car Ian? I don't think you run old machinery and spend all day lying on the floor of the driveway with the car on jacks trying to refettle that seized brake arm or setting the timing with strobe and feeler gauges.
Would you, now, as a maturing chap, take either of your bikes to the south of France and back with the good lady in tow? I'm not talking of the physical aspect (comfort etc) I mean would you trust the bikes to make the trip? Would you feel confident towing the caravan with a 1960's car to Spain?
In a perfect world I'd have a garage and one bike for all the time use that gets fettled and messed with and used and abused. Then there'd be a nice bike that's in perfect order with low miles, kept in mothballs until that week or 2 away somewhere nice.
23/04/2024 13:09:50 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
My car is a 12 year old Kand Rover Freelander and yes I'd trust it to take me to the South of France - with or without caravan, although these days Normandy / Brittany / the Loire seem far enough. Sadly although the spirit may be willing I'm afraid the flesh is too weak to make any sort of long distance bike journey but when I was doing that it was aboard a 30 year old Norton Commando which I'd completely rebuilt myself and it never let me down although occasionally presented me with interesting intellectual problems to solve.
I confess to letting others do the necessary for the car as (a) I can afford it and (b) lying underneath seems to have lost its allure. Of course back in the day I thought nothing of changing the big end shells on a Morris 1000 in the street. Although the pleasure that gave was short lived....
23/04/2024 14:25:11 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Yes I'm aware myself the notion of lying on the floor in the rain gets less and less appealing as I get older. I'm unsure if I'm too tight or too poor to pay someone else to do something I can do though.
25/04/2024 08:05:21 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The Yamaha saga continues....
It's taken all this time to get rid of those screws. Soaking in penetrating oil for a week made no impression. My HSS drill bits had little impact. So eventually I cut them off flush with the flange with the thin disc in the Dremel, carefully centre popped them and used recently purchased cobalt drill bits to drill out the remains. I didn't bother trying to save the threads as there's plenty of room behind for nuts so just drilled 6mm clearance holes. I must say the cobalt bits were a revelation - I normally just use HSS but also have some TIN-coated drills which have probably lost their coating by now. I could probably have drilled the heads off using the cobalt ones.
Still waiting for the bits I ordered from CMS in the Netherlands.........
25/04/2024 12:46:39 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ian, you've got me all twitchy. In a good way.
Those Cobalt drills sound like something I need in the tool kit. Well I want them, I may never need them.
I've had a quick looksie on the interweb thingymabob and the prices are all over the shop. Is there a make and type you could recommend?
I've seen screwfix do Bosch 5% Cobalt at a reasonable price but I'd probably prefer to buy a set from somewhere if possible.
Ta me duck.
Upt.
25/04/2024 18:53:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Yes I'm unfamiliar with cobalt drills and now I'm intrigued. It'd be nice to have a set of drill bits that actually drills by cutting rather than wearing away the metal.
26/04/2024 07:38:13 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The ones I got are from toolstation - a small set up to 6mm diameter. I was really impressed. The link shows them. I confess I was also unaware of cobalt - just shows how technology rolls on. I don't expect they'll cope with hardened steel but they made short work of the screws - plus a bit of surrounding flange..... A tenner is a reasonable price, and I'll keep them for drilling stainless and other awkward materials. The trouble with stainless is it work hardens so if using anything but a really sharp drill it will start to skid and ultimately overheat to the point the drill bit itself softens.
Oh and it's a Land Rover not a Kand Rover. Typing skills are deserting me.
https://www.toolstation.com/cobalt-drill-bit-set/p40442...
26/04/2024 10:27:47 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ta me duck.
Upt.
26/04/2024 12:59:20 UTC
nab301 said :-
Interesting , likewise I was unaware of cobalt although the suppliers reviews are mixed to say the least!
Nigel
26/04/2024 15:51:42 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Most of the toolstation reviews are very positive. And as I say, at a tenner you can't go very far wrong.
27/04/2024 10:32:24 UTC
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