Think I've blown it ...

The RF, that is.

When I got it, it rattled. Camchain and tensioner blades were both at
it, but it went very well, so I waited for a tuit: I did change the
oil and filter twice(1), though. After several thousand miles, it was
still rattling, but hadn't got any worse and the tuit was still over
the horizon.

The clutch slip got the better of prevarication when ascending hills
became a bit of a lottery so I changed the plates and fitted new heavy
duty springs - then re-fitted the springs a different way round so it
worked. It was light, but it slipped ... then Hog visited and we
sorted a spring/orientation combo that stopped slippage but made the
clutch very heavy - but it worked so I left it.

The idle got lumpy after a while, so we balanced the carbs and it
settled down, although still rattly it did *go* exceedingly well. A
plug and air filter change 18 months after purchase made it go even
better, and improved the mpg by 20% - the old filter was disgusting,
mind. It rattled on for another year and 10k miles.


All the time I've had it, it has done this 'thing' that I've mentioned
to lots of people, but nobody has ever really put their finger on
cause or solution for certain, so I've never sorted it. Carb problems
have been suggested, but it is a real pain to get them off, so I've
prevaricated successfully.

The 'thing' it does is the reason that I've not been happy to let
anybody else ride it. It manifests itself after a few seconds of
steady throttle - when you open the throttle it accelerates as a 900
would - then it goes mad. The clutch doesn't slip any more and so it
deffo isn't clutch slip - but it feels the same as 'pinging' the
clutch when aiming for a wheelie.

Imagine making your way past a line of cars in a NSL - pop past a
couple, roll off and pull in behind a car, wait for a gap in the
oncoming line, then gas it in second or third - revs rise as you go
over the white line - then without any more throttle input the engine
screams, the needle dives for the red zone and the bike hurls forward
.... much like the turbo lag feeling in early Cosworth Sierras.

As you can imagine this is quite good fun on a straight road, but when
it happens on a roundabout as you wind on up a slip road it is more
than a little disconcerting. It has led to some very 'interesting'
marks on the rear tyre - deep scratches across the tread going right
over to the shoulder of the tyre, indicating that the tyre was sliding
sideways rapidly. It has also led to some interesting pucker marks on
the seat, but let's not go into that right now.


Anyway, to cut to the chase: the RF has not been behaving recently.
It went onto three pots on a hot day in Luton traffic and alternated
between three and four all the way home. It ticked over on three at
home, together with occasional little backfires and smoke rings from
the exhaust. This became habitual in that it would start on three and
go onto four when warmed up, or even on the way to the main road, so I
didn't worry unduly about it - I'd sort it when the rattle-sorting
tuit came along.


It came to a head on Saturday afternoon. It jumped out of second and
back in again on a couple of overtakes, and found a feral neutral
accompanied by the 'food processor mixing a bowl of assorted nuts and
bolts' noise. This I found a tad disconcerting, as did the driver of
the oncoming and rapidly closing Mundano. A click into third sorted
it and I carried on.

Going up the hill close to home saw the 'box leap out of second on a
neutral throttle, then re-engage and whoosh me forward, then flick
into 'neutral', do the bucket of bolts shake and drop back in again,
repeatedly. The rest of the hill was climbed in third, and second was
not used again until the road was flat - then it did it again.


This sounds terminal to me - bent selector forks at least, if I
haven't lunched a couple of cogs.
The symptoms sound and feel so familiar, I wonder of the selector
forks have always been worn and I've only just done them in. At least
I've possibly found the source of the 'thing' it does, perhaps.

What does the panel reckon?


I've likely sourced a replacement engine, which will be a lot cheaper
and easier than a full strip and rebuild. Now it occurs to me that it
would be a waste of time putting the bodywork back on, and I've always
hated the bulky back end of the RF ...


1. The original oil had a high metal content and was rather sticky,
so I lobbed the replacement after 300 miles and put fresh in.

 

Admittedly, this doesn't look much like a bike (I never was good at
keyboard art), but what you want to do is cut it off, right
abooout.......


Here!

\ || /
\||/
\/ \
___________\_
\_ _ =
(_)------(_)

 

there's something very "80s sci-fi" about the looks of the RF in
general, IMO.
re: the dodgy engine - would a Bandit 1200 engine fit?

 

LOL
Hey Pip my Gixxer is sitting here unused due to my spinal probs (1). It now
sports nice flat drag bars rather than the 2" rise renthals mind.

a) you have to insure it fully comp.
b) you have to collect it from Holywood yourself
c) give it back to me in a few months
d) you don't chop it or paint it black! (2)

(1) I'm blaming Carrie....
(2) You could fit the black race bodykit etc for me at some point along the
way by way of quid pro quo. Fair deal?

 

Pip says...

Arse.

However, there is that extra bike on your patio. Feel free to make
use of it.

 

I suppose there is, and at that I should be well at home with such an
appearance - but sadly, I'm not. I think it is foully ugly,
disproportionate and bulky where the bulk serves no purpose: the width
of plastic protruding at the rear sides precludes throwovers, for
example.

I'm sure I could manage something equally unlikely in appearance
myself, which will be more pleasing to me.

I don't think so - that shares dimensions fairly closely with the
GSX11 engine, which the RF bottom and came from - but the RF has a top
end all of its own and that fits between the frame rails with a couple
of millimeters either side and no more. B12/GSX11 motors are rare
these days, and those that are about tend to be expensive and/or have
starship mileage.

Thanks for the thought, though.

 

Yes, Dear.

Another black bobtail on the way ... perhaps.

 

Worn dogs, weak detent spring, bent selector... or a combination of all
three?

Not forgetting that one part of the body work made the BOMB run quite
exciting, for seat puckering values of exciting.

Hmm..

 

There's more, wot I forgot: it had been smelling strange recently -
quite strongly of petrol and of burny oily whiff when hot - after a
run, for example. I think the running on three was a bit more than
dodgy carb/blocked jet, as the oil level has mysteriously *increased*.

The RF does use a bit of oil when caned, and I last checked it before
the runout from PixieFest, topping it up to just below the full line.
It is now quite a lot above the full line ...

That's very kind of you, Matt. A completely naked bike, sans all
lights, seat, tank and wheels - that would be exciting. Heh.

 

I thought the motors were similar, which is why I suggested it. So the
top end of the RF motor is narrower than the bottom?

I'm surprised B12 motors are rare, what with all the crashed B12s...

 

Hmm... was it warm when you looked at it before? I could it possibly have
always been high but because some of the oil was in the engine (rather than
settled out) it was higher?

Can't really blame the weather as cold = less doesn't it?

 

No such thing as a crashed B12, its a "Streetfight project. 90% complete,
needs tidying".

 

Pip says...

Ah. Well, I knew the pastics were off, but I'd forgotten about the
tank, wheels etc. But still, a man of your acomplshed bodgery could
manage something if he set his mind to it.

I'm in no condition to ride it at the moment, so make free with it
until you have a chance to sort yours out.

 

Depending on your carb design, you may have either a split O ring or a
knackered or dirty needle valve. sounds like one carb may be flooding
badly. I'd get it sorted pronto, as I'd think petrol thinned oil is none
too good for lubrication of an engine.

<snip>

 

"Nidge" struggled to ejaculate:

I don't rev it like **** on the stand. It picks up onto four by about
4k rpm - and when warm it seems to be on four all the time.

I'm fairly sure there's a carb problem and a gearbox problem and that
the 'box prob has been around for some time.

That would be the "running on three when cold" then.

Exactly. If I have got fuel in the oil then the whole bottom end is
about to fall out, not just the gearbox. Hopefully a replacement
won't rattle, either. If it does, I'm used to it already.

Which one? ukrm.net seems to be fubarred still - I guess that ****
Robbo has yet to delete all the shite he's clogged it up with.

pip at garagepixies seems functional
gingerbloke at gmail dot com is definitely working.

 

I'm sorely tempted, mate. I am, too. Commiserations on the spinal
snags - nice regular exercise is what you need. Whilst I take your
point wrt the insurance, I do try not to ride anybody else's bike as
there is no way that I could replace it and I don't want to get into a
wrangle with InsCos.

If I'm left with no transport otoh ...

 

Petrol, I suspect. I just did something that I should have done
already and removed the filler cap for a sniff. I got Elly to whiff
it too and we agree that it doesn't smell just of oil, there's
something a bit "spirity" in there too - quite a sharp small, unlike
used oil and much like the proper poster paint that comes in jars.

That wouldn't be entirely ootq.

Both, I expect. By the manner in which it was missing, it wasn't a
too-weak on one pot miss, rather a too-rich miss. Hence the little
backfires at idle and the delicate smoke rings from the exhaust.
It's all dawning on me now.

 

It was cold when I initially topped it up. It was warm when I checked
it subsequently (just below F) and warm on Saturday (well above F) and
is now cold again. Still well above Full.

In most circumstances. Having a fucking squirrel bounce off an
overhead branch with malice aforethought and shower me in dead leaves
and big cold raindrops has shrunk most things except my ire.

 

What's up? Done your back properly? Same as Hog I suppose - you
bloody youngsters had best send your burds round to me and auvache for
sorting out purposes.

That's a kind offer, and I'll bear it in mind if I'm stuck - but I
need to finish the works on it first. That's encouragement ;-)

 

Sounds pretty well lunched, and if it isn't then that 2nd gear is going
to finish it off for tea. If you need a hand with fixing/molishing or
pointing and stating the obvious then let me know and we'll arrange
something.