Lovely..used the same font on my Scrambler when I had it painted
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Lovely..used the same font on my Scrambler when I had it painted
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well, annoyingly Triumph have made a bit of a cock-up with regard to my new bike, which should have been with the dealership last week. Rather than the Jet Black as ordered, they seem to have allocated the upgraded paint colour (sapphire black/matt sapphire black); I can have that at no extra charge, but it just so happens that it's the one finish in recent years that I don't like and don't want.
There is a solution, in that my dealer (Lind Watford) is instead swapping a bike they have in stock - a Tiger 900 - with a Jet Black T120 that will be delivered to Destination Triumph (a branch run by someone previously associated with the team at Watford) on 24th May. I've been assured that I'll be able to collect it from Watford, fully spec'd up, ten days later. However, that means it'll have zero miles on it by the time I set off for Wales.
Sorry to those I'm hooking up with, but I guess I'll be running the bike in during the trip (and likely scrubbing in the tyres as I set off)
I wouldnt worry about that one bit Tony. Were just out for a jolly jaunt, and anyone that thinks theyre at the TT can bugger off and do their own thing. In fact I cant think of a better way to run the bike in. Youll be up and down the gearbox, up and down mountain roads, plenty of bends and a sensible pace.👍
This is the extract from the manual on running in, and it actually sounds okay once in Wales. The challenge will be getting there whilst remembering to avoid staying in one gear and at one speed on the motorway.
I'm thinking that 3,500-4000 rpm would meet the requirement of avoiding high engine speeds, and that's where most of the torque is anyway.
I've lost track. When is the TZ Bala rideout?
I’ve just organised a hook-up - with some riding included - with a few TZ mates, as I'd booked myself a long weekend in Bala. It wasn’t ever a formal TZ rideout - I'm not well enough for that at the moment, to be honest. Apologies for any confusion caused and I'll take it offline in future.
Finally got a ride out today
Including seeing a beautiful CB750F
I missed out a little of the detail of our trip out yesterday in my haste to get some pictures up of the bikes out in the sunshine.
The lad was home for the weekend which gave us the opportunity for a bit of father son motorcycling time. The R80 is carb-less at the moment (off being cleaned/refurbished) which meant we had the Street Scrambler and his YBR125 that had been sat unloved in the back garden for several months.
As the lad was only recently added to the insurance for the Triumph, when it came time to ride, he had that and I got the mighty 9bhp Yamaha.
Tyres pumped up to the max, but the battery was totally flat. A couple of hours on the charger and it looked to be improving, but with the charger disconnected there was nothing there at all. However, quite miraculously the bike would start and run when kick started so I felt confident that it would charge as we rode.
Having agreed to meet up with my regular riding buddy keen to complete running in of his GS in readiness for a bit trip across Europe in a couple of weeks, off we go.
0.3 miles later I slow for a junction and the engine cuts completely, and despite my frantic kicking there was no way it was starting again. I send the lad off to play and push the YBR home.
It took a while to work out the issue - basically it was the dead battery, combined with the load on the electrical system. The lights on the bike can't be switched off so there's a base load of 53W (dipped headlight, sidelight, tail light and instruments) plus whatever's needed to run the fuel injection and ignition. Braking and indicating for the junction adds another 43W of load to the system (brake light, indicators and indicator tell tale). The alternator of the YBR has a maximum output of 115W at 5,000rpm, so with a flat battery and closed throttle there wasn't sufficient alternator output over the 96W load to run the injection and ignition.
Chances are if I'd been on the flat it would have restarted and run, but as I was holding it on the brake and the indicator was still on, kick as I much as I could it wasn't going to restart. Time to push.
Swapping out the battery for a spare that I had in the garage and cleaning up the terminals and I was good to go!
Despite the 125bhp difference between the most and least powerful bikes (9 vs 134) we had a brilliant few hours riding around the Cotswolds, stopping for refreshments both at Broadway tower and KOTI Autotalli in Chipping Camden. Admittedly I spent most of the time with the poor little Yamaha's tacho needle nudging the red line, but that's pretty much the only way to ride it anyway.
The lad's first impression of the Triumph was that it was far slower than he'd expected, having never ridden anything as big as a 900 before, however by the end of the day he had changed his opinion somewhat as he'd come to appreciate the effortless way it pulled out of the corners. He agreed that it was a great bike for the sort of roads we'd been riding on. He's still keen to get a Honda CB650F as his first "big" bike though as he jeans for the power and excitement of a revier 4 cylinder bike.
Anyway, despite the problems at the start we had a brilliant few hours out. Shame today is so wet and horrible :-(
Gyp as a yoof , I rode to Switzerland with my then girlfriend on my XS500. Approx 3000 miles. On the way down the M6 my reg / rectifier burnt out. Other than a red light no other issues. Fast fwd 400 miles and the battery went flat. There in followed a regime where we hopped between garage chargers every 300/400 miles for two weeks.
Oh and to max out the mileage I disconnected the rear brake light :( turned the lights off and no indicators and used the kickstart, so literally just ignition sparks.
Happy albeit dangerous days!!
Last edited by bwest76; 8th May 2023 at 11:33.
Managed to get out for a ride on the CB750 yesterday, only a 64 mile run but the bike performed flawlessly. It took a few prods on the kickstart to get it going but I put that down to the remaining fuel in the tank being a bit stale as it was well over 18 months old, even though I had turned the fuel off and run the carburettors dry the last time I rode it. I brimmed the tank and thoroughly mixed the new with the old and normality was restored with the bike starting on the button.
I called in at Henley on Thames for an ice cream by the river then popped into H's for a cuppa on the way home. I saw an "Andy Tims special" M1000R in black whilst I was there, the owner says it's the most thrilling bike he's owned and in terms of pure riding enjoyment is unbeatable. He almost talked me into ordering one!
Lad test rode a Street Triple RS yesterday. Loved it, and the yellow looks awesome.
Enquired about buying one, and there's a waiting list for cancelled orders.
Enquired about what discount there would be buying the demo and told none as they could sell at list of above.
Looked in Autotrader and sure enough there's dealers advertising ex-dem bikes at over list price.
Wonder how long before you have to buy a few T100s and Street Cups before you have a chance at getting on the waiting list for a street triple...
Just bought myself this 1982 Suzuki 750T:
According to the previous owner, it hasn't been started in the last 12 months and needs a new battery.
So:
- I've got a new battery on order
- I've got new oil and filter on order
- I've got the Clymer manual
But most importantly...
...I've joined the GSResources forum and am currently taking a deep dive into the challenges of GS ownership. There's a lot to learn.
But what a gorgeous bike!
Looks good, very clean for an 82 bike too. I dont think that was sold in the UK, Im guessing its an American import.
The engine was used in the GSX750s over here so mechanical parts shouldnt be an issue.
If its been stood for a while, the carbs may need cleaning to but if it does run, some sea foam in the fuel may do the trick. CV carbs are a nightmare to set up with pod filters so it may be worth keeping an eye out for an air filter box for possible future use.
Finally, youve got sixteen screw and lock nut valve clearance adjusters so youll have a great time setting the valve clearances.
These old Japanese bikes are nothing like modern bikes and have a great character to be enjoyed at lower speeds.
saw this today in my feed and thought some here might like a look , guy martin on a new rotary engined bike (warning contain some swearing )
M1000R collection booked in for 18/05 - It took a couple of weeks to clear French customs. Hopefully no more delays.
Getting excited.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
You're right, imported from the US at some point.
Just ordered a new oil filter, o-ring, and gasket for a full oil change.
I'm a bit worried about those pod filters too. Definitely keeping an eye open for an air filter box.
Thanks for the information on the GSX750, that should help when it comes to locating spare parts =)
I'm looking forward to the weekend so I can get to spend some quality time working on her.
Fingers crossed she starts LOL.
If anyone is interested, I'm going to list my Cardo Packtalk Black Special Edition on SC in a minute
New-ish do-it-all bike.
Only done a few miles on it but need to prep it for holls later.
I just love old Kawasakis.
Sadly due to low sales the Blade group has stopped selling Kawasakis and I was told some online parts supplier's maybe stopping as well.
Dave where do you get your bits for older bikes from?
Consumables are readily available so not a problem. For other stuff, I just buy from eBay mainly as and when I see stuff cheap.
When I bought one of my GPz750s, I also bought another complete one in pieces along with a load of spares he had.
Also, if youre not too concerned about originality, you can make more modern, readily available stuff fit. The great bonus with Kawasakis air cooled 750/4 is that the engine didnt change much between 1980 and the 2004 ZR7.
Ive a ZR7 engine, loom and electrics which Ive put aside to build into the spare GPz frame.
What do you guys use for bike stands for carrying out maintenance as and when required
For old Zeds, this is the place I use https://www.z-power.co.uk/
The Abba stand looks great, adding the accessories looks the business. Need to take a closer look, thanks