Hands dirty

Well that was almost a productive afternoon.

Yesterday was a bumper day for deliveries. One from Amazon (early
birthday presents - Let It Be...Naked on cd and Vernon God Little
in paperback) and one from ART (belated christmas present to myself,
a grey satin finish titanium race can)

Ever since some tit knocked the bandit over, the brake light's been
jammed on and the indicators haven't worked. Add that to the lack
of illumination on the clocks, with the exception of the fuel gauge
(which itself wasn't working) and I seem to have worked up a fair
list of things to fix.

So first things first, fitting the new can. All went disturbingly
smoothly and 15 minutes after going outside, the engine's burbling
away in a way that makes me consider dropping a note through my
neighbours' letterboxes saying "Sorry"!

So out comes the multimeter and the BoL and I set to work to try
and work out what's causing the other problems. The fuel gauge is
easy to fix - the connector under the tank is plugged together but
the wires need a little wiggle. Sorted.
Next up, the brake light. It seems when the bike was knocked over,
the RHS footrest hanger bent slightly, causing the rear brake pedal
to push against it and not sit fully home. Much grunting and
swearing as I try and adjust the bloody switch in situ but either
my fingers are too fat or the BoL leaves out some useful steps, like
taking off the footrest hanger before pissing about with the rest.
Another job done.

Now for the indicators. Checking continuity from the relay to the
switch, all seems well(ish). From one LHS indicator to the other,
all seems OK. From one RHS indicator to the other, also well(ish),
but I seem to have continuity from both 'poles' of the bulb mount
on the rear to both on the front. I'm sure that's not right...

Checking continuity through the switch, I seem to have a connection
from the relay to both outputs, whether the switch itself is set to
right, left or neither. Did I mention how much I fucking hate tracing
electrical faults.

At this point daylight's fading and I can barely see the wiring map,
not to mention that I'm working out in the road and it's been
threatening to piss down all day, so the panels go back on and I go
for a quick spin up the A404 and round town with the new can.
Suffice to say that I've yet to stick it on a dyno, but I'm with
Blaney on this. The finish seems fine, the noise seems fruity as
**** and the way the front goes stupidly light when the throttle's
whacked open in any gear suggests it certainly hasn't lost any
horses.

Don't suppose anyone's got a warm, well lit garage somewhere near
Maidenhead and gets a kick out of holding one end of a multimeter
probe against various bits of bike?
No, thought not. Thanks anyway...

 

I had similar. Trying to fix up my push bike so that it's in as good nick
as the turbo[1]. A trip to Halfords gave the required bits (new chain[2],
rear sprocket[3], two brake lines[4], pads[5], gear line[6], new handlebar
grips[7]). The first two were fitted with only (looks at fingers; counts)
4 skinned knuckles. Knackered front brake line removed, packet for new one
opened - hang on, I'm missing a bit. The 90 degree bend. Arse.

A trip to Halfords this morning gave the other required bits,
so maybe tonight...

Lovely, innit?

Well done for getting off your arse and doing it after
months of "which can" stylee posts...

Not really. The fun kind of goes out of it when you do it
at work as well (but with PCBs rather than bikes). Oh, and I
haven't got a garage either.


[1] I think a preemtive "sod off" is called for here.
[2] bearing covers falling off. Amazing it hasn't broken.
[3] Shark teeth abound, which causes loads of slipping. Probably
why the chain hasn't broken; can't get enough force on it...
[4] Internally rusty and almost seized
[5] Very worn.
[6] Frayed
[7] Completly worn, about to fall off.

 

Heh. Ineteresting how bicycles and motorbikes use different terms for
the same things. That list should be : chain, rear cassette, brake
cables, brake blocks, gear shift cable.

 

The terms are converging, a bit. You now need brake
lines and pads for bicycles with hydraulic disk brakes.

 

I know; I was thinking about the audience... but yes, you're right.
It does annoy me when I know the name of a bit on one bike, and it's
not the same on the other, making me look (more) like a know-nothing
numpty asking for it in a shop...

I'm still entertained by the technology transfer; mtb manufacturers
looking at (presumably) off-road bikes for "let's make it different"
bits and bobs. Does anyone (apart from Cannondale) make both pushbikes
and motorbikes?

 

(William Grainger) wrote in

Peugeot [1], BMW

[1] if scooters count

 

Didn't know about BMW... googling for it turns up this:
http://www.overclockers.com.au/mc/forums/viewtopic.php?t=852

Looks like everyone argues about countersteering/wheelie shafties...

Do they do a shaft drive pushbike then?

never.

 

(William Grainger) wrote in @pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk:

did you find this:
http://www.bmwworld.com/bmw/kids/bike_stuff.htm

 

Well, a cassette is called so because it a collection of sprockets
rather than a single rear sprocket so that's understandable. On
single-speeders it's a rear sprocket same as a motorbike.

Brakes lines and gear lines, yeah because they're cables, not
hydraulics probably, although that's changing with disc brakes
becoming the norm on mountain bikes. You can even buy Goodridge
braided hoses for mtbs now. Same goes for brakes pads, but I've
always referred to them as pads on a bicycle as well as a motorbike.

 

Cannondale don't make motorbikes any more. They ditched them as they
weren't making money an it was taking the whole business down.

The only other one I think is Peugeot (oh, and Raleigh a long time
ago). Other people like Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, Hum-Vee have done
them, but they're just other peoples bikes re-branded.

 

KTM.

 

actually, I take that back. It was someone else.

 

Chain wheel, surely?

 

No mention on their website.

 

Nope, that's the front on a single. That's where 'chainset' comes
from.

 

Chainring?

 

Chainring/chainwheel are interchangeable.

 

Some references:

http://www.sheldonbrown.org/gloss_sp-ss.html#sprocket

http://www.sheldonbrown.org/gloss_ca-m.html#chainwheel
http://www.sheldonbrown.org/gloss_ca-m.html#chainring

 

I've ridden a Husqvarna pushbike in Holland which weighed almost as much as
a moped. Puch used to do both too, don't know if they still do either TBH

 

Ah. Fair enough.

I've seen a Porsche bike, and had forgotten about it...