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Upt'North ¹ said :-
That's crackers Glyn, I'd be hoping to insure the two cars and the bike for that this year. I was reading somewhere yesterday where bike policies are now being loaded for pillion cover. That's also crackers. It's a motor vehicle designed to carry two people, it'd be like saying it'll be another 20% if you're putting a passenger in your Land Rover.
Upt.
10/04/2024 08:44:01 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ed.....I think I've found you out.....all this talk of rainy, grey, windswept and grimy Lancahire towns.
I've just bought strawberries from, wait for it, Lancashire! I know.
So it's official Ed, you're tropical.
Strawberries were good too.
Upt.
Lancashire!
12/04/2024 13:25:16 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Our local nursery cum farm shop stocks Scottish strawberries when they're in season. Much better than the supermarket varieties. You'll remember Belle Stweart singing her own composition "The berry fields o' Blair"?
13/04/2024 11:13:57 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
They'll be growing in special heated and electrically lit buildings Upt'. There's a Scouser with a cattle prod forcing them to grow quickly or else. Hoards of urchins are then brought in for the harvest and waifs pack them.
If they're from Lancashire I can assure you they've never seen real sunshine until the moment you took them out of Waitrose.
Scottish strawberries Ian? You're avin a larf innit.
13/04/2024 17:39:23 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I think it was Tesco, we're not posh Upt'ere, I think our nearest Waitrose is Ponteland (you’ve all just pronounced that wrong) which isn't near at all, probably around 50 miles tit'south. Near to the Newcastle-upon-the-Tyne International Airport.
Upt.
14/04/2024 16:53:30 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The Yam arrived as promised and is actually a very cute little machine, looking muxh better in the metal than the videos I've seen. I've just done a couple of jobs on it - fitted indicators (out of the scrap box) on the front, adjusted & lubricated the clutch cable etc - and have just put a gallon of Texaco's finest in and it started up very readily.
I do however 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.
Hopefully I'll get it MoT'd next week.
15/04/2024 14:33:12 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Oh no I won't. The vacuum arrangement is the work of the devil, with not only a vacuum operated device on the RHS of the bike but a vacuum controlled tap on the left. And a conventional on/off tap under the back of the tank where you can't get at it.
Oh well, 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 thi because idle riders can't be bothered to turn the petrol off!
I've stripped both "taps" - see below - and will replace the one on the left of the pic with an ordinary on/off tap feeding the one on the right. I've replaced the vacuum arrangement in that with a simple gasket with a smear of wellseal.
16/04/2024 16:04:57 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The gasket:
16/04/2024 16:05:26 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Vacuum Taps - a solution looking for a problem.
I suppose the theory is - ahem - if the carb's float valve gets stuck open it is possible to either cause a hydraulic lock because the piston is full of fuel or cause a fire because the fuel's spilt all over the bike. So the vacuum tap removes the possibility of "lazy" riders not turning of their fuel taps like dutiful motorcyclists. Mind you all the bikes I've owned up to the CBF125 and CB500X(s) have had regular taps and carbs and I never came across the leaking float valve issue. It's all those occasional riders innit.
16/04/2024 19:42:46 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Well nobody said it would be easy....
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 daid 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've left it alone for the time being while I ponder.
17/04/2024 12:00:27 UTC
nab301 said :-
That's a pain Ian, but inline petrol taps are readily available (dare I say from horticultural suppliers too..) and should sort the vacuum tap problem if fitted after it.
Not sure on the sump plug issue without seeing its location.
Nigel
17/04/2024 13:21:11 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, I've ordered a simple on/off tap from ebay.
I'll try to post a pic of the plug. It will be easier to get at if I lie the bike on its side but then may lack the strength to pick it up again.....
17/04/2024 13:41:44 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Giving up for the time being on the Yam. 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....
To partially restore my sanity I made a new clutch cable for the BSA. Very satisfying even though I'd ordered the wrong size inner and had to search my bag of spare cable bits to find the right one. At this rate it will be hitting the road before the Yam, which wasn't the plan.....
17/04/2024 16:14:29 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
This comes back to a recent post of mine regarding what I may or may not get as my "second" bike. I keep on looking at old NTVs and the like, because they're a good solid strong machine... unless one of the previous owners of the machine was a mechanical assassin.
I do have one advantage over you in one respect Ian. Being a mechanical assassin myself I'm getting quite good at re-bodging other people's bodges and quite adept at knowing where to look for bodges. It takes one to know one as they say.
Anyhow, urgh your situation sucks. But then I also realise while this might be frustrating for you I suspect you'd be bored if it came to you in perfect condition and merely required an oil change and the bars adjusting slightly. You'd have to ride it then and where's the fun in that?
17/04/2024 20:03:59 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Oh, and I've spent the last 3 evenings fitting a new rear tyre, a new chain and sprocket set and new rear pads. I'm covered in oil and road grime, the house looks like the worst dodgy backstreet mechanic's shop and I've used muscles I didn't know I had. I am pleased to say I still have all my fingers and toes, so far.
17/04/2024 20:07:28 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ren , 3 evenings spent doing one evenings work.... ? You're obviously related to the works foreman!
Nigel
18/04/2024 15:57:32 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
He's obviously far to busy counting his fingers and toes, which isn't easy when you use them for counting.
18/04/2024 16:02:50 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Harsh Upt', harsh, however also funny.
nab301 - Pfffft. Right where to start.
Evening 1 - remove rear wheel, clean rear wheel, get into the usual battle royale with rubber, fit tyre, collapse in a sweaty heap.
Evening 2 - clean the cush drive and sprocket carrier, clean the swingarm, clean the rear brake, balance the wheel/tyre, work out how to use chain tool, break chain tool because you don't know how it works, cut chain with angle grinder, fit new chain, use the now broken chain tool to flare the soft rivet, collapse in a sweaty heap.
Evening 3 - fit new front sprocket, fit new rear sprocket, refit rear wheel, spend an age looking for a sliver of metal from the brake mount, look online to see how much a new one would be, kneel and injure oneself on the sliver of metal while looking for a bolt, cry quietly into a brew, fit brake pads and caliper, torque everything, collapse in a sweaty heap.
This lunchtime - refit sprocket cover.
Now all I need to do is worry about have I tightened everything up. No wait, oh no, have I overtightened anything?
18/04/2024 16:50:51 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
This little sliver of metal. About £10. What the flip?!?!
18/04/2024 16:53:53 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
That's a lot of money for a retainer. But of course you'll be paying for delivery from Belgium overnight, whether you want it or not, plus the profit of the Chinese manufacturer, Honda themselves, the dealer etc.
That must be a common part on other models too with Nissin calipers.
The metal is fairly funky too, like a spring stainless if memory serves me right.
But it's only money.
Upt.
19/04/2024 08:31:39 UTC
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