1:1 Motorbikers

[Stormbringer]

Are you putting it back to near stock or carrying on with the cafe racer look ?

[PraetoR]

12 hours ago, Stormbringer said:

Are you putting it back to near stock or carrying on with the cafe racer look ?

Cafe racer! 

[PraetoR]

Some good progress made, today. Went through to my Dad's (where the bike is currently being stored) and fitted a Motad exhaust system.

At the same time,  we fitted a lightweight, aluminium rear-brake lever. The Motad system allows the brake lever to sit at the correct angle, unlike that messy excuse for an exhaust that was on, before.

 

Looks SOOOOO much better, without that awful, home-made monstrosity!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also chopped the hangers for the pillion footpegs, since the Cafe Racer seat is only for 1 person and Rachel has said there's no way she's getting on the back!

Chopped, grinded into shape, sanded, cleaned and painted. I'm super pleased about how they turned out. They look minimalistic and very much suit the Cafe Racer aesthetic.

 

OK, we got them dirty, prior to the photo, but I promise they look good! 

 

 

 

 

 

After that, we sanded down and Kurust-ed (Kurustified?) rusty bits on the frame and swingarm, fixed the wobbly side stand and gear-selector, replaced the front brakes and removed the seat and fuel tank.

Fuel tank will be getting stripped and painted. The seat will be getting altered to properly line-up to the tank and frame.

 

Really enjoyable day with quite a lot to show for it. 

[Stormbringer]

That new exhaust looks really awesome on the bike what a difference it makes 

[PraetoR]

Thanks, yeah, it does look miles better.

[supersavage]

Interesting video, My local garage never asked me to remove my helmet as they knew me.

 

 

[windz1000r]

Miss my motorbikes 

[James.S]

@supersavage Very interesting. This guy only lives about 10 miles from me & i've watched a few of his vids. Decent content, and I'm in complete agreement with him on this one.

[supersavage]

8 hours ago, James.S said:

@supersavage Very interesting. This guy only lives about 10 miles from me & i've watched a few of his vids. Decent content, and I'm in complete agreement with him on this one.

 

I've been watching his videos for a long time and it was his videos that got me onto a motorcycle. He's definitely one to keep watching 

[James.S]

30 minutes ago, supersavage said:

I've been watching his videos for a long time and it was his videos that got me onto a motorcycle. He's definitely one to keep watching 

 

Ah that's awesome man 🙂  Lamb Chop Rides is a good one to watch as well, if you haven't seen his channel already. Also  very local to me, but his bike reviews are excellent and the editing is on point.

[windz1000r]

2 hours ago, supersavage said:

 

I've been watching his videos for a long time and it was his videos that got me onto a motorcycle. He's definitely one to keep watching 

I completely agree with that video 

Where we live we don't have any issues with asking to take crash hats off 

The next city along is terrible for bike thefts and of course ride offs so all there stations ask 

 

But I never rode in the city as why would I with the peak District on my doorstep 

[supersavage]

2 hours ago, James.S said:

 

Ah that's awesome man 🙂  Lamb Chop Rides is a good one to watch as well, if you haven't seen his channel already. Also  very local to me, but his bike reviews are excellent and the editing is on point.

 

Yep also been subbed to him for ages as well. Also watch the 44teeth guys and RichyVida.

[James.S]

So, the clutch on my 919 is fully worn out. The bike's done 54k miles now so I guess it's not done too badly. I bought it on 30k and I think the first owner liked stunting, so it may have lasted longer otherwise.

Anyway i've been waiting for the replacement parts to arrive from David Silver Spares, (friction plates, springs, anti judder ring), for a couple of weeks now. I think some of it had to be sourced from dealers in Europe, but should hopefully all arrive in the next few days 🤞. 

 

But on the up side, it's meant me borrowing one of my dads old bikes for the past few weeks. A pretty rare find these days, it's a 1990 BMW R100RT with just under 10k on the clock from new.

 

 

 

So, a rather different kind of motorcycle compared to what I'm used to. I've ridden cruisers before & much older British bikes, but nothing quite like this. 

 

The boxer twin is extremely vibey at low & high revs but somehow kind of smooth in the mid range. The 60hp and 74nm torque feels more like 30hp and 40nm because the thing weighs about 250kg 😂

But, it's also such a joy to ride. It just chugs along happily and wallows it's way through the corners. A very comfortable ride, for about 30 minutes, and then you start to get a bit of pins & needles in your hands from the constant vibration through the bars.

 

But, I guess that's just part of it, and it's a nice change of pace riding something that makes you want to drive like captain sensible, rather than goading you into riding too fast, like my Hornet does. 

[everclear1984]

I picked up my new ride yesterday, a 2014 S1000rr. Well worth the 12hr round-trip to collect it! Can't wait to get out for a first spin on it later on today 😁

 

 

[Nitroholic]

Those old flat twins have a peculiar charm. Never warmed to the ride myself, but I can understand why folk get obsessed with them.

 

But yeah...a 919 Hornet is a great bike. I sold mine for the simple reason it was just such a sleeper. Hooligan in sheeps clothing. I ended up going everywhere faster than I ought, and enjoying every minute. Great brakes with loads of feel, and enough torque to lift thte front on the gas. Massively reliable too. Apart from consumables, the only thing that broke was a horn wire in 30k miles 🙂

[James.S]

5 hours ago, everclear1984 said:

I picked up my new ride yesterday, a 2014 S1000rr. Well worth the 12hr round-trip to collect it! Can't wait to get out for a first spin on it later on today 😁

 

Very nice mate! Always liked the look of those. Enjoy & stay safe  

 

4 hours ago, Nitroholic said:

Those old flat twins have a peculiar charm. Never warmed to the ride myself, but I can understand why folk get obsessed with them.

 

But yeah...a 919 Hornet is a great bike. I sold mine for the simple reason it was just such a sleeper. Hooligan in sheeps clothing. I ended up going everywhere faster than I ought, and enjoying every minute. Great brakes with loads of feel, and enough torque to lift thte front on the gas. Massively reliable too. Apart from consumables, the only thing that broke was a horn wire in 30k miles 🙂

 

They certainly do. Now that i've been riding this one for a few weeks i've noticed that my journey times are a good 10-20% longer, but it hasn't bothered me. I've enjoyed plodding along, and I'm one who tends to like getting places fast. So I can really see the benefit in owning one of these, if you're maybe a bit older and you want a fairly comfortable bike. & also if you're somebody who just wants to obey the road laws & ride at the speed limits, and not be in any risk of getting tickets, or even banned from driving, every time you go out for a ride.

 

Yeah my Hornet has been fantastic. Best bike i've owned for sure. Almost 20 years old but she's never missed a beat, and just needed general maintenance in the 24k miles that i've put on her. The clutch has been the first thing to properly 'fail'. But yeah, a great all rounder with lots of torque down low compared to most inline 4's of that era. Plenty of sound & character from the 96/97 Fireblade engine. Excellent in the twisties, decent enough fuel consumption, and doesn't leave you with aching back and/or wrists like a Blade does. They're been creeping up in value too over the past few years. Only 500 of them left in the UK. I think that quite a few people are now wanting to get back to the late 90s/early 2000s bikes as that was pretty much the pinnacle of super quick, but still very mechanical machines. Early fuel injection systems, no abs or traction control. Just pure unadulterated motorcycle fun where you, the rider, have to control everything.

[everclear1984]

A couple of pics from the first trackday on the S1K last Thursday. This bike is an absolute animal!! I've ridden fast bikes before but this is on another level.

My friend had a bit of spill but the crash bung did it's job and the bike and rider were back out in the next session 🙂

 

 

 

[Mr Fro]

Bikes as well as RC?

 

I'll add my ZXR750 - previously my track bike:

 

Now with added turbo:

 

... And it's friend the zx6r:

 

... And the newcomer to the fleet, the shabby commuter R1100RT (not my car in the background btw):

 

Seriously, if you haven't tried one of those, you don't know what you're missing. 😁

Edited October 1, 2022 by Mr Fro

[Bigjimknickers]

My latest bike, always wanted a R1200gs now I’ve finally got one so I can see what all the fuss is about!

[everclear1984]

The S1K developed a rough idle and low speed running issues. Decided to save some £'s and change the spark plugs and check ignition coils myself. 2 damaged coils found and the most in depth strip down I've ever had to do to get to spark plugs, now I'm wondering if I'll ever remember how this thing goes together again after the holidays 🤔

 

 

[hoppy504]

As I have now finished my motorcycling days, I have kept a small Honda for memories.

Every time I enter my gatage the memories keep returning of the good times.

[Nitroholic]

Dream 50R .... nice little retro.

 

Captures the look of the old race bikes nicely.

 

@everclear1984 ..reminds me of swapping plugs on an SV1000S. The front plug you can see but not remove...until the rad, oil cooler and lines are out of the way. And thats the easy one. Part of the reason I loved my 900 Hornet so much was the fact that ALL the routine maintenance jobs were easy.

Edited January 22, 2023 by Nitroholic

[Nitroholic]

Meanwhile..... in the chill of the garage ( so glad to have a roof over hte bikes now ) the daily Harley developed a weepy fork seal. As the roads have been gritty and saltry of late, that needed sorting as the grit sticks to the oil smears, and turns into grinding paste. Now...Harley liked shiny covers on the fork seals, with dust caps underneath. Muck trap!!! When I drifted off the covers....I found this:

 

 

The dust cap had gone rotten, and there was a lot of moisture trapped in there too. Bought a complete seal kit with new clips, seals, drain screws, o-rings...everything. £25. Bargain. Was a pretty simple strip down,

 

 

Fresh fork oil, plus a good chance to clean and tidy. Also took the opportunity to copper grease the mudguard bolts etc. Finally..I treated myself to a set of fork gaiters. Harley went to this layout for the Iron Sportys in 2010...so I did the same. Looks a lot better and keeps the muck off the fork tubes.

Put a new set of front pads in as well. While it was all apart.

Next job is to relocate the ECU from under the seat. Prevents fitting different seats. Not room under the side panel on these. Harley went to a smaller oil tank to make room on 2010 models..,.. but I have a plan. If there isn;t room under the side panel..make room! I now have a pattern side panel which I am widening by about 20mm to make room. Panel is made of 1mm steel, so it;s a cut and weld job.

[James.S]

[HYPER-BOY]

I've got myself a CBF1000 2013 - Lovely (but basic) bike.  Got full panniers and backbox, me and my brother are off to the NC500 in June.  Can't wait!

 

I'll get some pics up of the bike soon.