Sadly on of the pitfalls of riding when there’s been bad weather - all the sh*t washes into the road
Some years ago I was returning back from work on my XJR - riding with spirit on the rural ride home when there was instant loss of control- a 4” length of pipe had gone straight into the rear tyre- luckly I was able to safely come to a stop - instant flat tyre
Low loader relay home
Who's everyone using for multi-bike insurance cover? Currently with Bennetts but I'm just doing my annual shoparound.
[QUOTE=manganr;6358239]Who's everyone using for multi-bike insurance cover? Currently with Bennetts but I'm just doing my annual shoparound.[/
Devitt for me
I have only 2 bikes but I decided to insure them separately as it seems to offer more flexibility, more opportunities to build NCD, and barely cost any more money.
I have chopped and changed between Cornmarket and Hastings Premier, and currently have one with each.
Well, given that I won't be able to ride for 2-3 months, these guys are collecting my bike tomorrow morning and will be storing it for me until I'm ready. No sense leaving it standing outside and vulnerable to the elements, and it removes the possibility of me being tempted to ride before I know I'm ready.
I’ve just added a Kawasaki z1000 as a 3rd bike to my multi-bike with Carole Nash, and they told me it didn’t actually add anything to my current premium, so it is effectively now insured fully comp for free.
That was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t even mind so much paying the £30 admin fee for adding it.
Just picked up my bike and drove it the mile back home. I've also had a new chain fitted. I can already feel the difference, in the gear changes. Is it a bit more responsive, or am I just finding what I would like to find? And for good measure I had an oil change, too.
I'm about to go for a couple of hours of moderate riding, gently pootling about. Which isn't that different to how I normally ride, tbh.
A little update for those still interested. I’ve fitted the exhaust and battery and thought I’d give it a go at starting the engine. Ignition on, and press the starter and all I get is a whizzing noise. Mmm. Clutch cover off, and it soon becomes apparent that the starter motor is turning the wrong way.
When you look at the end of the starter gear it should turn clockwise, mine was spinning anti clockwise. This can’t do any harm as all it does is spin the sprag clutch bearing.
So what was wrong? If you look at the photo below, you’ll see that I’ve circled a blue pen line on the magnet case and the brush case. This is how the motor was aligned when I removed it.
In this photo you can see another red circle which is keyed to the brush case, so basically someone had had the case off and not put it back in the same position, very easy to do as it still fits together. But that little notch in the case needs to locate in a slot on the brush case, or polarity will be reversed. Took me an hour to figure it out, but it’s right now👍👍🤓
I shall not even tell how long it would have taken me to even think that a piece I hadn’t touched could be mounted wrong.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I was suspicious when I came to remove it, as the bolts weren’t as tight as they should have been. But why anyone would mess with a starter on a bike that’s done 900 miles is a bit of a mystery.
I shall now be checking every fastener on the engine to make sure nothing else has been messed with.🤓
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I love this thread and am really looking forward to seeing the end result of Enochs efforts, that looks lovely.
I’ve spent a bit of time lately getting a shed / workshop / bolt hole sorted for me and the bikes. After a bit of a health scare I’ve had a re-evaluation of things, I’ve always wanted to get lost in some more involved spannering on motorcycles but always put things off thinking I could do a bit more when I retire / wind down a bit. I’ve moved a few watches on and whilst I will still have a small collection, I have definitely diversified my interests somewhat.
Here’s a few pics of what I started with and how it’s coming along. Nothing like some of what you guys are doing but I’m having a great time stripping down the old CB360 and diving in. This is purely a learning exercise, I’ve never done anything beyond fitting farkles and minor bits like brakes, so this will be taken apart and put back together, making it safe with new parts where needed but I do intend at this point to pretty much leave its patina. Who knows, maybe a full resto will follow with something else.
Still lots of organising and sorting to do in there but this is where you’ll find me now.
Thanks Tony, things are ok and I have my head around everything now. It’s not the worst it could have been but it has given me a slap around the chops.
It’s good to see you posting and hopefully feeing better each day. Best to you.
Crikey, that's a proper shed interior. You've done pretty much everything that I wished I'd got around to doing with mine (It's still the same as the day it was constructed). Well done, sir!
Funnily enough, a CB360 was the first bike my best mate bought when he and I started biking in our teens. Solid, dependable machine. Have fun :)
Smashing looking work space that. I can see time just passing by whilst fettling in there. And a nice little project bike to be going on with. Nice one
Like Ralph on here I had seven bikes on with Carole Nash ,( modest machines 50cc to 800 cc) for about five years premium was £350/400. Then I removed a 125cc Van Van and tried to add a 125 cc Monkey. “Sorry sir we cant insure a monkey !” I wouldn't mind but I collected the bike on a Tuesday having checked on the Monday what the premium would be. Monday OK , Tuesday no deal, different person! So I binned them off and switched to RH as mentioned by others above.
great bike workshop Greg,enjoy,although no offence but the Honda reminds me a little of a couple of horrible G5's with crappy engines i had back in the day. its very therapeutic doing a bit of leisure spannering.i am mostly retired now but have enjoyed restoring a couple of my old britbikes over the last couple of years ..at the moment i am uprating the ignition system on my TR7 V8 sports car,[its rust free but still a crappy 70's car but what a lovely engine] .happy days!
Last edited by greasemonkey; 1st March 2024 at 10:09.
Wow that brings back memories. CB250K4 was my first Jap bike back in the day. Was a step up from a Tiger Cub at the time. Never rated highly for performance but was ok for a 250. The twin leading shoe front brake was pretty good as well! Did a lot of happy miles on it, including two up with the girlfriend.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Euro compliance has killed them off, and to be honest they are pointless with the state of the roads now. That’s why the likes of the GS has surpassed sports bike sales for the last 15 years.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
the main thing is that the naked bikes of today are more comfortable and more powerful than the sportsbikes of 20 yrs ago, theres no need to have a broken back or numb arse anymore unless you want to do multiple track days per year and need a top end in excess of 160mph.
Just keep an eye out on that one that’s parallel to the A1, not only the camera van but the police use that for training so you can be sitting at 60 honest officer and get passed as if your stopped by multiple vehicles. They’’ve been using a grey Leon recently with a few marked cars chasing.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Well, with my bike safely in storage, spurred on by Greg and with far too much time on my hands, I now have my little project over the next couple of months scoped properly in my mind.
I was going to throw caution to the wind and have a brick built garage constructed at the end of the garden, but I’ve now decided that I’m going to go for a simple metal workshop/storage unit which will accommodate my bike, one or two things from my existing sheds and give me some simple lighting and power in order that I can see what I'm doing and hook the Bonnie up to a battery tender when not use. in addition to safe and dry storage it will be give me a nice space for fettling, simple customisation and upgrades, etc. The workshop is likely to be this one, in fact.
Over the course of the next week, I’ll be getting two or three local building companies in to give me detailed quotes and very much hope for the work to have been completed by the end of April, at which point I should be strong enough to bring the bike back home and start riding it again. There is one major downside to this plan, however, in that with an internal area of approximately 10‘ x 12‘ I could theoretically fit more than one bike in there. That’s not in itself a bad thing, of course, but in an ideal world I wouldn’t want to be continuously tempted by different types of ride. I guess that’s what you’d call a first world problem, anyway.
Splendid plan Tony.
Might I suggest that you consider a bike lift to put in the middle? Partly to make fettling, simple customisation and upgrades, et cetera easier, but also because this will remind you that you need to be able to move around the bike to work on it which means it's impractical to get another bike in.
Then buy a second bike
Tony,
1) have a look at Biohort sheds, too. They are rather expensive but the quality is super with a good gauge of steel. I bought mine second hand (could have been on this forum) over 10 years ago and it’s still perfect.
2) get the biggest one you can afford fit. You will never stop regretting getting a smaller one.
3) choice is good. A second bike is a blessing, not a curse. You will not buy one unless you really want to, and that day a shed too small will become a major issue.
Best wishes.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thanks, Marc, and all points noted. I am somewhat constrained by budget, hence going for a shed rather than a brick built structure. I’ll think very carefully before making the final decision in terms of both size and supplier, though, and am 100% with you in terms of going as large as I can.
You're also spot on regarding a second bike, of course. I just want to be sure that if I do make that move I go for the right bike for the right reasons. For example, another Tiger 900 GT Pro at some point would probably be a wonderful companion for my Bonnie.
Edit: I’m fairly sure that a marginally bigger 10‘ x 13‘ is as large as I can go. That said, I reckon I could comfortably fit two bikes in that space if I do decide to “expand”.
basic shed pours are enough, no one is going to be swinging around a 8/10 ft 4/5 " pour - its the chain and anchor point that matter (hard to cut)
Am in Richmond, eating a snack by the waterfalls. I'm about to ride along the Reeth road, which 70 years ago my grandmother proclaimed to be the finest stretch of road possible.