Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Air spring or air cap on top of damper circuit? Air springs really don't often leak unless something is damaged, or hasn't budged in years and the seal has rolled/burped a bit out. Air cap/damper circuit, yeah they can go in a few different ways.

So long as nothing internally is mangled (surveys desk for scrap yards worth of expensive Fox and RS parts that are mildly mangled) they are never that much to get rebuilt, £120-180, cheap compared to many other things on a bike. Refreshing my forks this month, 6 years since they were last apart, all seals, bushs, oil rings and some fresh springs of a different rate, over £250 in parts and thats not at retail.

Brake rotors, how many sets of sintered pads would you expect until your at the wear limit, 4 or 5 sets? I'm only just getting 2 sets (brembo sintered/HH on armstrong or brembo rotors), lots of city work and touring with luggage though. On the 3rd set now and TBH they are on the limit/below the limit

You mean not to use lube with a tube? Too late now!

It’s external nitrogen/air bladder, joined to the oil shock by a small banjo. Like this photo from ebay.

I spoke to an offroad specialist that’s only down the road and he’s happy to make it so.

Gonna research the Race Tech Gold Valve and such, because if I’m gonna do it, I might as well get the best rebuild I can.

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PD - It's just a remote reservoir, not an air damper, it helps keep the gas cooler. I've rebuilt two and it's not hard at all aside from finding someone to gas it up after. Have you had a play with the spring and damping calculator on the Racetech website? I reckon some of the off road suspension guys in the UK must carry a bunch of their stuff in stock but if you need I can post it from here, they're only up the road.

By the by, all my off road forks and shocks have ended up with lighter oil in than stock. I think I ended up with 3.5w in the XR on the advice of Precision Concepts (who built all the winning Baja bikes.) Oh and shock oil is different from fork oil....I now have an expensive shelf of shock oil I was planning on using in forks too....

An afternoon in the sun and they're off.

I actually used the handles and held the metal levers once I'd got the first bit over the lip.

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Have a similar Showa shock that was planning on opening and adding the compression adjustment kit to it. However I knew the shock stroke length was slightly longer, and it fits in the frame, with a bit of a height increase, some of my bike came with that shock factory, however, needs longer side stand etc which haven't got around to fabricating yet. Felt SO much better on the road, especially low to medium speed corners, few degree's steeper head angle was welcome.

PD - It's just a remote reservoir, not an air damper, it helps keep the gas cooler. I've rebuilt two and it's not hard at all aside from finding someone to gas it up after.

Yea there’s the compression adjustment, and the air bladder on it, but otherwise it’s pretty simple construction. There’s a tutorial online, but I’m wondering about getting the offroad race guy to do the work since he’ll have the tools and oils ready to go.

Have you had a play with the spring and damping calculator on the
Racetech website?

I have, but only briefly as I failed to understand it.

I reckon some of the off road suspension guys in the UK must carry a bunch of their stuff in stock but if you need I can
post it from here, they're only up the road.

‘Shock Tech’ seem to be their distributor here, that’s who the suspension guy told me to call for the parts if I wanted anything specific.

Thanks for the offer though - if I can’t get it here I may take you up on that.

By the by, all my off road forks and shocks have ended up with lighter oil in than stock. I think I ended up with 3.5w in the XR on the advice of Precision Concepts (who built all the winning Baja bikes.)

Ah good to know

Oh and shock oil is different from fork oil....I now have an expensive
shelf of shock oil I was planning on using in forks too....

Oof. Also good to know

I believe this should be a Showa, as that was quite standard for the period.

But yea, having stiffened it by 10mm (or so) pumping air in the damn thing, there was so so so much more feedback, and it would lift the front wheel so much easier. Not that I was doing that m’lud.

Last pic of the dynamic duo before they hit the chopping block….

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Such great-looking classics.

In other news, the Sherco was very unhappy this morning. After using a tree to stop myself, and a second tree to lean on, the idle revs started humming. Like hnn hnn, hnn hnn from the exhaust but the engine was rattling away consistently.

Was urged probably fuel related. So plugged in the air compressor and hopefully I can try it tomorrow and see what happens when it gets hot again.

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With a tubed motorbike tyre you can inflate the tyre with a track pump.

I guess a track pump should be able to put that much pressure in the tyre. I'd not thought of it as an option because why would I do it by hand when I have a compressor. :)

With my inner tubed tyres I needed 50-60psi (the limit of the tyre) to get the bead to seat. After I did that I read the safety and proper procedures and that told me that it could have exploded in my face, the wheel too.

My chum used to pop tubeless tyres back on with EZ start. Basically, spray a load of something flammable (EZ Start good) inside the tyre, then light, preferably from a distance and looking the other way. Impressive / Sketchy as hell. I think he did one with OA once and blew a chunk out the rim.

He'd be on some sort of watchlist these days for the shit he got up to with OA.

I'm too old for those shenanigans.

I knew there must be some mentalist way to do it.

Deodorant can and a lighter. Instagram is full of it.

It's definitely legit. Not sure I'd want to try it with any fancy mag wheels though.
Brake cleaner seems to be the soup du jour....

So the Honda c90 wasn’t ulez compliant, this resulted in a trip to riverbank bikes and handing over £175 for them to declare it ulez compliant after a dyno run. No work on the carbs needed sailed under the limit. Now I hope I don’t get pinged for the few days I used it a week or so ago after the TfL website said it was exempt. TfL really have shit websites.
Got slightly distracted at the bike shop by the plethora of really interesting stuff they had out back. My favourite being a lovely Kawasaki hardtail. Do not buy a hardtail, do not buy a hardtail.

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Nice!!

Do not buy a hardtail, do not buy a hardtail.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204029309022?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=xixewOxHSia&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=k6flbav8s2o&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Quick lunchtime project...

My old 125cc paddock stand left at my folks converted into a makeshift wheelstand.

Annoyingly I have a big long threaded bar that I think would have been a perfect fit but couldn't find it quickly. So room for improvement, but it's only to rotate the wheel for cleaning and applying the tape.

Pretty sure the strength of the axel mitigates any risk of warping /similar. But still going to be careful and not leave it on there for longer than is needed.

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Sprockets and disc are still in, because I discovered how hard it is to undo bolts on a big round object once off the bike and without rubber. Definitely a lesson learned for the future:-break fastenings on the bike first.

In maybe the first recorded case in history, my automated renewal quote for my GS insurance has gone down by 40%.

Will still have a quick shop around but it’s now under £200 fully comp including commuting.

Nice! Agree, feels like you're obligated to check doesn't it.

Yeah. I feel like if they’ve volunteered that drop, what am I actually missing out on 😅

Still, less than £300 taxes and insured for a year. Cheaper than a single months train ticket into London.