Made it out on the bike Today.
Absolutely freezing but weather held up until on the way home when it lashed down! I either need some heated grips or winter gloves.
Loads of groups of riders about and my KTM behaved itself really well.
Slowly starting to 'get' it, Proper aggressive thing which fits my fair weather biker routine better than I first thought.
I wish I had chance to get out today, when the sun was out it felt great. I think I have only done 120 miles since buying the bike.
I am hoping to see what black Friday brings for some new motorcycle gear, really looking for jeans and shirt with protection. Nothing yet but have to wait and see.
It does sound like a nightmare, but it does also sound like the ultimate lockdown project. I somewhat suspect you might actually be enjoying it more than you let on ;)Originally Posted by Groundrush
Got the pressure washer out and removed the worst of the grime after my trip out on Tuesday.
Now marginally less mucky
Ice cream or was it too cold?Made it out on the bike Today.
Far too cold
Nipped out for a bit this morning.
Cat & Fiddle for sunrise then scratched the edge of the Peak District.
Ohhhh...I feel your pain.This is my father’s Scott Squirrel from 1956. He’s done tens of thousands of miles on it over 30 odd years of ownership. He absolutely loves the thing, probably more than he loves anything else in the entire world. Unfortunately the engine ate one of its piston rings, so he took it to bits. Since then he’s fallen victim to Alzheimer’s and the job of fixing it now falls on me.
I was presented with a pile of parts thrown on a bench, along with every worn out spare part he ever had for all the bikes he ever owned (my father never throws anything away no matter how knackered it is) and he has no idea what belongs to what or how they all go together. What passes for a workshop manual consists of a pile of A4 papers 5 inches thick (I’m not kidding), which amount to every letter, article or random musings on any Scott related technical topic stretching back to 1908. Most of which appears to be a photocopy of a photocopy of a clue to the Times cryptic crossword. Oh joy.
First the barrels needed repairing as there was a big score down one of them from the broken piston ring and a large crack in the ports. That had to be laser welded by a specialist in Birmingham. Then we had to have the barrels rebored and two new pistons made. That took months as apparently you can count the number of people in the country capable of doing it on the fingers of an Agincourt salute.
Eventually we got the parts but of course nothing fits together. The pistons have to be fitted to the con rods with a file, either by slimming down the little end bush or relieving the piston to suit. This is a pig of a job because the end float on the crank is largely set by the position of the piston on the con rod. The crank is overhung, supported in the middle on two bearing and consists of a central flywheel and two half cranks pressed together on taper fit journals. The big ends then hang off the end of each crank with no outer support. An utterly crap design that never seems to go back together in the same position twice.
The gudgeon pins are a press fit in the pistons so you have to use a special puller, which I had to make. They seize up if you don’t get it right and it’s darned difficult to measure anything as everything changes each time you press the thing apart. Once you’ve done that you need to balance the rods and pistons which involves grinding out material from any place you think you can get away with it.
Then you can put the engine back together. I must have done this at least 3 times getting all the parts to fit together in the first place. You have to modify all the gaskets because no two Scott’s are the same and all the parts come in one size fits none. After months and months of ball ache after ball ache I thought I was finally getting to the end of it when I got into the garage today and find the head gasket is leaking and the antifreeze has stripped the paint off the barrels. So I pull it apart, again, strip the barrels down again ready for painting, again, and take a look at the cylinder head. It has a 10 thou bow in it, apparently a known hazard of taking Scott engines apart. Who knew?
This is a huge problem because the cylinder head has a brass tube pressed through it for the thermo-siphon cooling system which has to be removed prior to skimming. I have no idea how this is going to come out without wrecking something. I may have to destroy it and make a replacement. Knowing my luck, skimming the head will mean the compression ratio will be too high and the pistons will hit the top.
I don’t think I’ve ever known a motorcycle to fight so hard to avoid being fixed as this one. I am beginning to thoroughly despise the thing.
I had a high compression issue after skimming a warped head on a lambretta.
Solved it by making up a head gasket out of some thick copper sheet.
Good luck getting it sorted, and best wishes for your Father.
Managed to get some fresh air today on the GS and stopped for a coffee by Heathrow en route. Not a looker per se, but such a great bike to ride.
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I remember the Silk, in the 70s I used to get Which Bike every month (I bought my first aged 11...) and remember it featured.
I have a gazillion old magazines from that era and into the 80s in the loft, it's probably in there somewhere. My plan is to catalogue the magazines I have one day and eBay them so someone else of my vintage can enjoy reading them before my wife discovers them and sticks them in a skip!
I did it before with some magazines from the'90s and was surprised with what I got, not a fortune but enough for a few beers and a curry
I've got a stack of old ones in the loft (Which Bike?, Performance bikes) including the issue of Mechanics and the Biker which detailed everything needed to properly convert a 250LC to a 350LC which I knew would come in handy one day. It hasn't.I remember the Silk, in the 70s I used to get Which Bike every month (I bought my first aged 11...) and remember it featured.
I have a gazillion old magazines from that era and into the 80s in the loft, it's probably in there somewhere. My plan is to catalogue the magazines I have one day and eBay them so someone else of my vintage can enjoy reading them before my wife discovers them and sticks them in a skip!
I did it before with some magazines from the'90s and was surprised with what I got, not a fortune but enough for a few beers and a curry
When a colleague asked me to dispose of her late father's (mint) pornography collection (Playboy/Penthouse mainly), I discovered that whilst there was a healthy collectors market, there was also massive oversupply so there were already multiple copies of anything I wanted to list already on eBay; the effort involved in cataloging, listing and posting would likely exceed the little financial return that we'd get back.
Mind you, if anyone has the copy of PB with the first ZZR1100 in it (there was a picture of a lady stood on a desk) then please let me know :-)
When we last moved house 13 years ago, I had 10 years of every copy of Bike and PB. I found the same Gyp, I ended up throwing them away after initially thinking I’d make some cash!
Don't you just find that's always the case with eBay.....if you're selling something, there's millions of others for sale and your 'thing' is worth 2p. Then if you're looking for something no matter how ordinary it's somehow like hens teeth and super rare commanding a premium.
The only bike mag I kept (and I used to buy em all) was PB from May 96.
It featured me and my Tiger as the readers special.... I think I bought 6 copies.🤪🤪
Howard and I rode out to Chobham yesterday, via Watford, Denham, Datchet and Windsor. It's a lovely run (well, in a towny sense) and there's a great little Turkish restaurant there that we always end up at which was open for takeaway (and they have a forecourt to make eating it a bit easier). The weather was fantastic, too.
Can you imagine if yours was the one on the front cover!!!The only bike mag I kept (and I used to buy em all) was PB from May 96.
It featured me and my Tiger as the readers special.... I think I bought 6 copies.浪浪
Triumph must have seen yours and thought up the Tiger 1050
I like to think they got their inspiration from mine. But I doubt it.🤔
The best thing was that almost the whole conversion was done using Original Triumph parts from other models. Wheels were from a Daytona, as were cams and ECU, forks and brakes from a speed triple.. All bought from breakers.
The only thing I had custom made was the top yoke, and the exhaust link pipes, which joined up to 2 second hand ZXR 750 cans.
When I sold the bike I put it all back to stock spec, and sold all the parts off.
What I did before was sell them as a job lot (c. 250 magazines IIRC) although I did take the trouble of listing what was in there (which didn't take long TBH). I think it's the same with bike magazines as Playboy etc., there is a market but it is already well covered but if I can move them as one lot onto someone who would be interested in reading them even if I don't make a penny out of it that will do. We'll see.
If I spot the PB you're after I will let you know...
Thank you. It's only because the woman was (allegedly) a young Vikki Butler Henderson, and I'm somewhat shallow.
BMW Nav VI has started playing up out of warranty.
Garmin want £141 to replace it with a new one.
Cheaper than a new one, I guess.
If it’s doing random stuff, it’s possibly down to the temperature/condensation/damp.
I have found that a few hours in the airing cupboard did wonders for my Nav VI, and it now seems to be cured.
This is the third unit I have had (previous 2 replaced under warranty) and they all failed in the same way - which coincided with changes in the weather.
Probably worth a try anyway...
It was acting up on a very miserable ride.
A quick search online suggests it's a very common problem.
Yeah, a motorcycle accessory that cannot cope with UK weather. Not good. However, drying mine out in a warm place and then storing it in the house rather than the garage seems to have cured it - at least for now.
Meanwhile, out for a quick bimble on the bike that has no satnav at all...
Seems to be a global problem, not just the UK though, and it's an issue with the touchscreen.Yeah, a motorcycle accessory that cannot cope with UK weather. Not good. However, drying mine out in a warm place and then storing it in the house rather than the garage seems to have cured it - at least for now.
Meanwhile, out for a quick bimble on the bike that has no satnav at all...
My Triumph Scrambler does of course have a sat nav :-)
A BMW Nav VI
You also have a clock that can be read by the average older gentleman. Unlike my Scrambler which has a digital thing that can only be seen by kids who are too young to ride the bike.
Have you joined Scott Motorcycles on Facebook? They're a great resource for the marque, according to friends of mine who own several Scotts.This is my father’s Scott Squirrel from 1956. He’s done tens of thousands of miles on it over 30 odd years of ownership. He absolutely loves the thing, probably more than he loves anything else in the entire world. Unfortunately the engine ate one of its piston rings, so he took it to bits. Since then he’s fallen victim to Alzheimer’s and the job of fixing it now falls on me
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
And enough luggage to carry not only sandwiches and a Thermos, but also a cardigan and some Werther's Originals
Luxury!
I've been considering adding a top box to my Scrambler 1200. Some will say it's heresy and they may be right. I figured I could use the Triumph grab rack and a Givi adaptor plate, and then use the box I have on my GS.
However, I have discovered the Triumph rack has a weight limit of 3kg and my Givi box probably weighs that when it is empty!
Also found a picture of one, and it doesn't look great.
I reckon I'll stick to using the BMW for trips where I want to carry more than a cup of tea.
The 900 has a 3kg weight limit on the rack too, but as the rack is interchangeable with the pillion seat and most pillions are over 3kg, that limit seems rather daft.
For me sins I keep looking at Harley Davidsons at the moment and am considering chopping my R1200R in for a Road King Special 114, the logic kind of being that the Triumph Street Scrambler is perhaps not ideal for touring, and I want something with a more leisurely riding position and attitude than the R1200R for distance.
Catch is that the R1200R has 155 litres of luggage capacity, screen, handguards, heated grips, cruise and nav. The Street Scrambler has 116 litres, screen, heated grips and nav. My aged R80 has an enormous fairing, heated grips, nav and about 600 litres of luggage space with the trailer hitched up.
The Road King has no screen, no heated grips, no nav and has a mere 70 litres of luggage capacity. It also has the worst fuel consumption. The bike that I want to buy for it's touring capability is the least suited to the role.
But it is pretty.
What colour are you ordering?
Blue
Top boxes always have looked crap, always will..but they're a means to an end.
I swore that I'd never own one....but once you have, it's difficult to go back.
Only use mine on one of my bikes, and only when it's essential.
Wouldn't be without it though.
The ridiculously low 3kg weight limit is just an indemnity 'get out of jail free' card thing for the manufactures...so they can wash their hands of claims when things go bad.
I have a Givi and a SW Motech...both are rated at 3kg's....I've had in excess of 15kg's in them many, many times without an issue. As a test, I tried almost 25kg's in the shed, and although things felt very back heavy, you'd probably get away with it.
Last edited by Tifa; 23rd November 2020 at 16:47.
Exactly. Usually there's a speed limit in the manual as well. Tiger from memory is quite low ~ 110km/h
Yeah, as I said, I have one on my GS, so I don't really need one on the Scrambler as well. As we all know it's normal to have mahoosive luggage on a GS (all the time), so mine is positively lightweight.
- - - Updated - - -
Good choice.
Proper luggage (Vern's).
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Managed to crack the screen on the Tiger. Fortunately the crack was quite high so did a bit of a cut down job on it and added my trusty Wunderlich lip to it.
I get weave when I take my hands off the bars at 60+.
You just need to ride accordingly.
Many manufacturers have warnings in their owners manuals giving explicit instructions NOT to fit a top box for the same indemnity reasons. One of the more stupid ones was on a FJR1300 tourer...
I can't recall if I've mentioned this before, but...
The K1600GT is restricted to 155 as are many cars
The K1600GTL is restricted a bit (136) because it has a top box and can become unstable
The K1600B is restricted more than the K1600GTL (125) as it becomes unstable at a lower speed than the GTL because of the lowered suspension
The K1600 America is restricted more than the K1600B (101) because it has a top box as well as the lowered suspension. It's almost so restricted it almost needs to be pushed out of the dealership
Last edited by Gyp; 23rd November 2020 at 17:52.
Scored a bargain pair of floating discs on eBay, so along with my favourite brand of pads (SBS) I’ve upgrade the brakes on the Speedmaster from solid discs to floating...
Proper Bike too (although the Black ones are a little faster) Cheers, John B4Proper luggage (Vern's).
R
It was a great ride out Tony. A thoroughly enjoyable 4 hours.Howard and I rode out to Chobham yesterday, via Watford, Denham, Datchet and Windsor. It's a lovely run (well, in a towny sense) and there's a great little Turkish restaurant there that we always end up at which was open for takeaway (and they have a forecourt to make eating it a bit easier). The weather was fantastic, too.
Last edited by hhhh; 23rd November 2020 at 21:30.
Gyp why not use a small pelli case , like Micky on UKGSER?
Weird, I thought you'd replied to the above post saying they are 'maybe a 2 speeder and a TT replica' but I cant find it now?Have you joined Scott Motorcycles on Facebook? They're a great resource for the marque, according to friends of mine who own several Scotts.
Anyhow, they're both from 1930 and both are 3 speed hand change. Black one is a TT rep and the purple one is a Sprint Special.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
His peli case isn't that small and is partnered with some rather capacious panniers if I recall.
Those Scotts are beautiful!!
Wouldn't want to follow one for too long though!
Mind you...I'd make an exception for a sniff of Castrol R
I had one of my bikes cleaned a few days ago. If anyone needs a bike in London I can recommend Mo-clean.
Last edited by joe narvey; 24th November 2020 at 01:07.
Very tidy - is that the £65 wash or the £275 wash?
I think you'll be able to smell this photo.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
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