Motorbikes. Good fun, aren't they?

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, darsy

No doubt about it.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

Mine's still in the garage. Did the throttle balancing but it still dies
after idling for 15-20 seconds, perceived wisdom is a dodgy TPS - but I
can live with blipping the throttle. Carbtunes rock!

Valves and cam cover oil leak next. Then I might finally get to put some
miles on it, provided the front forks don't fucking collapse again.

The RD is proving surprisingly reliable - of course now I've said that
it'll self destruct at Mallory...

 

Well the cam cover needs doing as it's weeping badly enough to cause a
slight blue haze in traffic - and it makes me smell of oil all the time,
which I don't notice but apparently "it makes the house stink". Seems a
waste of time not to do the valves at the same time as doing the gasket?

Fucking forks. FUCKING forks. They locked up a few weeks ago - badly
enough that total movement was 5mm, seals were leaking as well due to
pitted stanchions. Took em apart, sorted the seals and smoothed off the
pitting. Fitted em, went down road and they bottomed out over the
easiest of bumps. No idea what caused the bottoming out, nor the first
problem of them stiffening up (waaay too much for the anti-dive to be
causing it). I refilled with oil and they were then fine, if maybe a bit
weak. Went out after the throttle tune and they bottomed out again,
although nowhere near as bad - the air may have leaked out since the
initial top up, that device of balancing the forks air pressure is
highly suspect. I've been v careful with the amount of oil I've put in,
I might just go to a heavier oil before I do anything drastic as they're
quite easy to refill, currently have medium (15w), they're supposed to
be filled with 10w but Turbo forum recommends 15w.

The forks are really pissing me off, but the rest of the stuff is either
routine maintenance that I'd like to get done, or jobs I knew needed
doing when I bought the bike. I'd like to split the forks properly but I
don't have the tools, and the broom handle trick hasn't ever worked for
me.

 

I reckon I've got FAR too much mechanical sympathy for bikes. Having grown
up with engines that self destructed if they approached 5000rpm, I have a
really hard time revving the bollocks off the Zed, even though it goes quite
quickly when I do.

I don't think I've even seen 10,000rpm these last few weeks and I'm grateful
it pulls from 4000 with no effort. Can anyone help me overcome my reluctance
to 'tater this bugger?


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I want some of this fun too, but I'm a mard arse. Rev limiter? Wassat then?

I'm sat here (obviously) and I just heard a Yammy 650 thumper roar past the
back of the house on its way to the "track". It sounded lovely.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I'm glad I missed the Rivvyfest now. My eyes would've bled if I'd seen that
thing in the flesh.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

<waves>

This week might be tricky though. It's got busy very quickly.

 

I wear them, but they don't stop me seeing the rev counter.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

No probs Chris.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Duct tape then.

 

But, but, I might damage me motor if I can't hear it or see what it's doing.

Then I'd have to buy a ZX-10R.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

No, Chris beat you to it


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

OK, I've not ridden the thou, but I suspect it might be a bit like the
750.

It's not that it's ludicrously fast, it just gets a bit frenetic and
doesn't feel totally under control. I know it's not the power or the
speed per-se that's the issue, as I've ridden Black Mike/Champ/Daz's
Gixxer thous a lot faster with a lot more confidence.

I'd put it down to the cheapie suspension on the 750, and thought that
the Zed thou suspension might be the answer. It might be that whilst
better, the thou suspension might limit it in the same way the 750
suspension limits the 750 (perhaps fitting the thou suspension to the
750 might be the optimum compromise? Giz a go )

Thankfully, the bike has a good midrange, and it's at its most rewarding
when riding it at 6-7 tenths rather than trying to wring its neck
everywhere. It's not so bad hitting the higher revs in the higher gears
when the thrust is more manageable (and the soft rev limiter doesn't
catch you unawares either).

I guess a telling thing is that my recent attempts to get the front
wheel airborne on the Zed have been aborted because it gets a bit too
exciting, whereas last weekend I was getting quite competent at turning
the Harley into a unicycle, albeit for short periods, without any of the
feeling of impending death.

 

Right, if you can get hold of Beav's Zed thou for a couple of hours, I
reckon I can sort the suspension.

 

Oh I know. It's been there a few times (I even managed to see 12,000 a
couple of times) but recently I've had the wife on the back and at 8000 with
the trottle nailed at the stop, it starts to get really light on the front
end and I doubt she'd appreciate the horizon moving too much, but even when
she's not been on the back, I've ben riding like she is. I'm being a **** I
know.

It's one of the things I

Nor me. I wonder if it's actually got one?

That's what I've heard, but I'm an old twat, brought up in the days when
revving the tits off something was considered naughty. Anyway, you're right,
I should give it some and I will this afternoon, just so I can say I did.

At least now, I can't say it's the handling after getting my tyres to their
correct pressures.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Likely enough I suppose.

I've never felt it was lacking in control on the occasions where it has been
leathered, but the thought of the motor revving at 10,000+ fills me with
trepidation. I'm expecting a nut sac full of valves and bits of cylinder
head. (It's only a "mind" thing I'm sure)

I know it's not the power or the

This is the fastest bike I've ever ridden regularly. I *have* ridden others
like the Gixxer 750 and a couple of R6's, but not often and not for long
when I have, but the speed isn't the problem, it's this mechanical sympathy
thing I've got. Being n ex-mechanic doesn't help.

The front end is magic, but the back end's a bit "boingy" unless theres a
pillion. I've thought about reducing the compression damping a little, but
then it's likely to bollocks up sometihng when I've got the missus on board
and that wouldn't be a good thing.

It might be that whilst

I don't know if the front end will swap over though, as the thou has USD's.
The back end is all grease nippled up too, (5 nipples for the suspension
linkage) so unless the 750 is just a non greasable set up with the same
linkage, it might not be straight forward.

Giz a go )

EoSM.

Yeah, but at the higher end of the rev range in 5th and 6th, the fucker's
doing 140+. Not too many places I can get away with doing that sort of speed
oop 'ere in t' frozen north.

I've had the thou up on its back wheel accidently on three occasions now.
One time I was only passing a fucking Nissan Micra in Manchester city centre
and she was pissing about. I just cracked the throttle (in first) and at
about 30mph, the front sailed up as did my heartbeat. City centre wheelies
when you don't wheelie aren't recommended

Anyway, you're welcome to give the thou a go if we ever get face to face.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I've welded the yokes


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I ride an archaic 45-degree twin with a 6,000 RPM red-line.

At 7,500 RPM it feels like it's going to knock the planet out of orbit.

Taking a Zed engine over 10,000 is not scary.

Front will swap if you swap the yokes. Oddly the front mudguards are
common.

I'll make the back end fit

Ah but you do wheelie. You may not have planned it, but you do wheelie
-)

I'm all excited now...

 

I've got one of them too, but it doesn't redline until lose to 10,000. With
open exhausts it's a bit loud though.

I know, but it's an ingrained thing, spawned back in the 60's. Cortina GT's
didn't rev that hard and my old Beezer would've blown apart at half those
revs.

My yokes are staying put, I've only just cleaned 'em.

Yeah, but I shit myself every time. I need to work on doing them
deliberately.

Yeah, right



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

NO, they're shit, the spawn of the devil.

And the people who work on them.

Took the FJ in for a lengthy and costly fettling (mixture, carb
balance, plugs, tappets, timing) at an emporium recommended on here.

Didn't the fucker break down on me in the middle of London 2 days
later.

Name and shame will be in evidence should there be any problem with the
RAC dumping the bike back a these shysters on Monday.

I'm now hoping my 3 lumps of bad luck are truly used up !

P.