Catching up

Lots of changes since last time!

The XBR finally got sorted and through the MOT although strictly speaking it should have failed because there was no damping in the front forks.  Mr sfb had to promise to sort them out straight away.  We managed to improve the damping by adding a few washers but it was clear that still wasn't very good so they now have progressive springs.  Even now, however, they still don't seem as good as they should be.

Following on from that, it became apparent that Mr sfb is no longer to be Mr sfb because he has decided to move on to better things (has been seeing someone else!) Of course, there have been ups and downs since then and Jon (the person formerly known as Mr sfb) has now moved out, although I am still privileged to  be custodian of heaps and heaps of junk that he hasn't got room for.  Unfortunately for anyone who reads this blog, this means you will probably never get to enjoy the delights of Jon playing banjo on You-tube.

To take my mind off all this, I decided that a small trip was needed and made arrangements so that I could set off for the the last night of the BSAOC rally at Wicksteed Park in Kettering.

Yesterday morning saw me loading up the bike with newly purchased tent and sleeping bag etc, checking oil level and tyre pressures and trying to make the always difficult decision as to what to wear for the ride.  Jon called round to do safety checks on my luggage loading and seemed to approve of my effforts so off I went, leaving him to lock up behind me.  The ride to Kettering on the XBR was brilliant, warm and sunny and I found myself loving the bike more with each mile. I've suffered a real crisis of confidence over the last couple of years, following a car crash and a very minor fall off the XT225 and I've been really frustrated at how I seemed incapable of getting over it.  I knew I could potentially do so much better but couldn't actually make myself do it.  I started to feel a bit more confident when Jon and I went for a ride last weekend but my trip yesterday gave me even more of a boost and I also enjoyed doing something totally on my own.  I also have to say that Avon RoadRiders are brilliant tyres.

I got slightly lost trying to find Wicksteed Park once I got to Kettering but fortunately there was also a classic show at Stanford Hall so I accosted a man on a very nice Matchless to ask for directions and he was kind enough to offer to escort me to the site.  I got a very warm welcome from lots of the BSA owners, help with putting my tent up and lots of offers of beer (which I had to turn down as I don't drink beer). There was food laid on at the "disco" - roast pork, jacket potatoes so I was able to be sensible and eat my first meal since breakfast.  I'm glad I did this as lots of alcohol was consumed later on, pear cider while in the bar and then wine later when we did our usual sitting around in the dark talking long after everyone else was asleep.  I didn't get to try out my lovely new tent as Myles and Roger decided I needed looking after and put me in my sleeping bag in their tent.  I didn't even take my boots off and I still couldn't get warm.  They both reported this morning that they had been lovely and warm so I think they just stole all my body heat and kept it for themselves.

It rained a bit in the night but was just a bit grey and miserable this morning so managed not to get rained on - just as well because even without rain I have only now managed to warm up.  I rode home with Myles on his B40, mostly at B40 speeds but I did have a couple of moments of tearing off to overtake things.  Jon had stayed at my house while I was away - he's not very good at this moving out thing - so he made us a hot drink and unloaded my luggage.  Myles went home then Jon and I went for a ride to the cafe at Quat. The throttle cable on the XBR has been catching and not closing properly and for some reason this had now got much worse so I just had to nail it everywhere - Jon commented on how much my riding had improved since last weekend!  I got made to ride the Speed Triple - having brakes that work so well scared me to death, I thought I had just touched the brake to slow down a little and it almost stopped dead. Nice bike though - too sophisticated for me.

Will investigate the sticky throttle tomorrow, I need the bike sorted for next weekends planned trip - if the weather is favourable I plan to include bagging a couple of Norton's for the Real Classic magazine's Norton Challenge - I have a route in mind that will take in three Nortons.

Busy busy...

I feel as if I spent the whole weekend tatting with bikes.  I think the only time I got away from the house was for a trip to Halfrauds for some fork oil!

On Saturday, a friend turned up to continue assisting me with getting the new electronic ignition sorted on the Tribsa - that means that he does all the wiring while I keep busy making the plate on which to mount the powerbox and coil.  I don't understand electrickery so I'll spare you any details but the new ignition, from Kirby Rowbotham, is a lovely looking bit of kit that fits where the distributor used to be.  I took the skew drive from the dizzy to Kirby and he built the ignition unit around that.  When I looked at the instructions for wiring it my brain turned to a sort of spaghetti-like mush so I had to call for help.  The mounting plate, which fits under the seat with the coil and powerbox attached underneath, is something I'm quite proud of with lots of bending and shaping required to make the steel fit in as neatly as possible.  I'm so pleased with it that pictures may follow!  Anyway, we spent most of Saturday soldiering away on the Tribsa and at last we were ready to see if it all worked.  I then remembered that I had emptied the fuel tank to use the fuel in one of the other bikes so we went to a lot of trouble to siphon some petrol out of the tank of Herbert the XL.  This involved my friend getting a mouthful of petrol and spitting it out over my hand but we eventually liberated some petrol.  Once we had done this, I realised that it would have been a lot, lot quicker to pop to the garage with a fuel can...........Still, we had siphoned enough fuel to start the Tribsa and confirm that it works both with and without the battery and sounds rather lovely.  There's still some tidying up to do and we want to replace the crimped connections with soldered ones, I need to work out some neat cable tying, replace the spark plug caps as the ones I had were knackered and we had to pinch old ones off other bikes in order to start the Tribsa.  We also found the brake light switch had died a death.  I've therefore had to order various bits and pieces from these people http://www.vehicleproducts.co.uk/ . This is only the second time I've bought from them but they seem very good and sell lots of interesting things, mainly vehicle wiring products but some other parts as well, such as brake and fuel lines and some stainless fittings etc.  Once all the final tweaking is done, we'll set the timing up properly with a strobe and then I'll be ready to fit the alloy tank and he'll be all ready to go (although still rather incontinent).

On Sunday, I needed to carry on with the XBR because it was booked in for an MOT on Wednesday.  We (I mean, Jon!) got the other fork seal sorted, while I drove up to Halfrauds for the fork oil.  We were then able to put the front end back together, then wheel the bike out of the shed, turn it around and wheel it back into the shed to take the back wheel out in order to replace the nasty square tyre with the lovely new Avon RoadRider.  This proved more tricky than expected, thanks to a rounded off nut on the torque arm and the spindle being extremely reluctant to be removed from the wheel.  Once the wheel was out we found that the bearings were seized and it took a lot of effort and swearing to get them removed.  When the bearings were finally out we set about changing the tyre.  Although I can't say it was particularly easy we did manage to get this done without using my fingers as rim protectors or causing me injury in any other way so as far as I'm concerned it was a good result!

Today, I took the bearings into the local bearing man.  They would have cost over £25 from the on-line supplier but I knew he would supply them at a far better price.  As I walked into his shop, I was greeted with the words "Hello Beautiful!"  This is always a good start, I feel.  He quickly found the bearings and then I waited for his favourite joke.

 "Ah, you'll want to know how much they are" he said, looking thoughtful.  After some consideration he said "That one is £32 and that one is £28".

 "Ok" I replied.

He looked disappointed "You've been here before, haven't you?" he asked.

I confirmed that to be the case "Yes, last time you told me £300" I smiled.

"Oh, OK, we'll call it a tenner then" he said.  I paid up happily then trundled off to the sports shop in Wellington to buy some new running shoes.

A couple of weeks ago I started going to a Women in Motion Beginners Running session, nothing very ambitious but I've enjoyed it apart from the pain in the arches of my feet, particluarly on my right foot.  The instructor suggested I go to Seatons in Wellington as they would properly assess what type of shoe I need.  When I got to Seatons, I was asked to balance first on one foot and then the other while the salesman examined what my feet were doing.  The verdict was that I needed more support so he fetched a small selection of shoes to try and then I had to do a short walk and jog on the treadmill.  I was quite impressed when, just from watching my feet, he asked if I had more trouble with the right foot than the left.  The first pair of shoes were better than my old ones but still a bit sore so I had to try another (more expensive) pair and these felt much better.  I consequently left the shop £85 quid poorer but with some decent shoes and an instruction NOT to run for a few days and just to wear them around the house to get used to them.  Running session is tomorrow so I think I'll have to go along and just walk the route.  I'm worried that if I miss one session it will be all too easy to let it slip and miss the next one as well etc etc  I was very unfit before going to the running sessions and, truth be known, I still am.  BUT I have noticed an improvement and it has even made a difference to my riding confidence when off-road, which was one of my incentives for getting fitter in the first place.  I do wonder if my right foot isn't more sore because it is my kick-start foot.

After getting home from work, I found that one of the wheel bearings is the wrong size so I'll have to go back to the bearing man tomorrow and change it.  Never mind, there are far less pleasant places to go.

MOT has been postponed until Saturday :-(

Hurrah for Dremel!

Well, after more tapping away on Saturday without success I decided more drastic action was called for.  I suspected that what I was planning was probably an act of Bodgery but someone on the RealClassic facebook page suggested the same course of action - which made me feel a bit better.  So Sunday afternoon was spent using the Dremel to cut two grooves in the lower steering head bearing race so it would be easier to tap out.  This was fairly time-consuming but eventually proved successful.  The top bearing race tapped out without much resistance.  With the old races removed, fitting the new taper roller bearings was very straightforward and they make a noticeable improvement. 

Next it was time to attack the fork seals and I took the easy option and let Jon do this.  One fork seal done and one to go!  Tyre fitting this weekend and MOT booked for next Wednesday.

More fun was had on Sunday morning.  It was bright and sunny so it seemed like a good idea to go for a ride on the XL and the Serow.  Firstly, we dropped in to see friend Ian from whom I bought the XBR.  He was suitably impressed with the bargain XL but wouldn't try it out as he had been indulging in a glass of whisky!  Ian had already spent the proceeds from selling the XBR and claimed to have "unexpectedly" won a bike on ebay.  I think it was more "unplanned" than "unexpected", the placing of the bid having taken place after an evening in the pub with a mate!  He showed us the ebay pictures of it - a rather nice BSA C11 in "original" finish, rather than a restored example - so I look forward to seeing the real thing in action.

After this, we headed for an easy off road track.  Even though it has been dry for a few days now, there were lovely deep muddy puddles just to make life interesting.  My confidence had grown (and my fitness has improved!) since last time so we nailed the bikes through the puddles and ended up soaked to above the knee, with attractive mud spatters all up our backs.  This proved to be so much fun that we turned around and did it all again.  We swapped bikes this time, so Jon rode the XL and I was on the Serow.  The Serow is only 11 years newer but so much more sophisticated and more powerful - a more noticeable difference than you might expect from the 40cc difference in engine size (the XL top comfortable speed is about 60mph while the Serow is happy at 80+ mph on the road).  The suspension is also much better.  After riding back down the track, Jon proclaimed the XL to be "horrible and stone-age" which I think poor Herbert found rather hurtful.  I enjoyed both bikes and wasn't really bothered by the less comfortable ride.  The Serow is undoubtedly the better bike but it doesn't mean Herbert Honda is any less fun to ride.

I think Jon has been spoiled by the modern delights of the Speed Triple.............he didn't used to be so critical of old nails!

Botheration!

Jon came home from work yesterday and rushed out to the shed/bike conservatory to start stripping the front end off my XBR so we could get on with working on it today.  We got as far as removing the front wheel and forks and decided that was enough work for a Friday evening.  When Jon went to put the Speed Triple away he noticed it had a gurt nasty nail stuck in the lovely brand new rear tyre.  Having just spent all his pennies on the bike he wasn't too happy about having to shell out on a new tyre already so this morning we've been out to buy one of those tubeless tyre repair kits but the instructions say not to exceeed 80kmph afterwards - sort of defeats the object of having a Speed Triple, but it is more of a get you home kit I suppose.  Just out of interest, I checked the price of a replacement on M&P - expecting a rear tyre to be getting on for £180.  They had the exact same tyres on offer at £150 a pair so it seemed silly not to get them (my XBR tyres were £123 a pair and not such a high rating or anything like as BIG).  Jon's gone to get the existing tyre plugged and will keep it as a spare once the new one has been fitted.

While he was out, I've been having a go at drifting out the steering head bearings on the XBR so I can fit the shiny new taper roller ones.  I haven't had much success, the lower bearing has moved a little but doesn't want to go any further.  I've applied heat and kept tapping away at it thinking it must eventually move.  I have now come to a standstill because the head of the hammer flew off, narrowly missing my head and the XBR tank, flying across the room, past the B31 tank and landing neatly on the floor. No damage done fortunately.  Except to the hammer, of course.  I think I'll have to nip to the farm shop and buy a new one.

Seems like a good time for a cup of tea :-)

Parcels!

I had rather an exciting day today - I had three parcels delivered to work!  First was a Haynes Book of Lies for the XL185, brand new from ebay.  Then came a parcel of bits from Wemoto - steering head bearings, fork seals, handlebar grips and a new brake lever for the XBR (plus a free keyring!).  Finally was a pair of Avon Roadrider tyres from M&P for the XBR - they look rather sexy and I'm looking forward to trying them out.  I think they'll be a lot more confidence inspiring than the horrible Continental and Metzeler combination it has on now.  I should now be able to get the XBR to an MOTable state over the weekend and book it in for MOT next week.  Then it will probably rain constantly for the next six months...............

The Daily Puppy

I like today's puppy so much I want to keep him!

Reducing the collection

We've often discussed the need to reduce our collection of two-wheeled vehicles as we have run out of space in which to work on any of them.  As a result it often seems that the shed contents are more of a scrapheap or motorcycle graveyard than a cherished collection.

I can now happily report than Jon has had some success in this regard, having sold the New Hudson autocycle and the BSA B2 (sob....I wanted that!) at the Stafford Show last weekend.  The New Hudson has gone to Southern Ireland and the BSA has gone to sunny Spain.  He has also agreed the sale of the trusty Enfield Bullet to a friend.  The proceeds have been used to buy a 1999 Triumph Speed Triple, citrussy-green bug-eyed beastie that manages to look both slightly deranged and rather gorgeous all at once.  Well done, Jon - three out and one in!

What success have I had?  Well, I've decided to sell the Morini Kanguro.  I've decided to sell it a couple of times and then changed my mind because it really is a fun bike and, having been wired so it doesn't need a battery, it always starts easily even if it has been left for months.  Anyway, this time I really have decided to sell it.........although I don't plan to advertise it at all.  I've decided that if/when I hear that someone wants a Kanguro then I will let them buy it.  If I like them.  If I feel like it.  In the meantime, it is spending some time in my new storage unit - leaving a bit of shed space here.  So, well done me for being so decisive.  On the strength of that, I bought myself a little 1981 Honda XL185 which I'll be taking to Spain in September for some trail riding - I had to buy it as the trail riding is for twin-shock only so I couldn't have taken either the Morini or the Serow.  And it was a bargain.

Earlier this week, I heard that a friend is interested in buying the Yamaha Radian and I'm more than happy for that to go.  On the strength of that and because I have nothing that will go quick enough to not really annoy Jon if he is on the Speed Triple, I've now bought a Honda XBR500.  Again, a bargain.  It's got the nice spoked wheels (not the earlier com-stars) and a Predator exhaust system - sounds fantastic!  I just need to do some tweaking before I can MOT it (fork seals, steering head bearings) and move the footpegs back to the standard position.  The friend I've bought the XBR from will eventually have the NSU Quickly on long term loan so that will leave more room in the sheds - in the meantime, it will be moved to the storage unit.

So, to summarise, Jon has sold three and bought one and I have moved two, nearly sold one and bought two.  I don't think I'm doing very well really.  It's just as well I have the storage unit so I can just move things out of the way and pretend I've reduced the collection :-)

Pictures of the new toys below - I think you'll know which is which! I'm off to clean the XBR and move the foot-pegs.