Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Remove calipers for service, oh look, leaky forks, try remove forks, oh look, don’t have 17mm Allen to remove wheel, remove wheel, oh look, bearings have play in them, refit forks, oh look, headstock bearings are rough.

I just needed to fit new pads, and here we are…

You know you have yourself to blame for looking at the bike. It was all downhill from there.

We are.

I've just (hopefully) converted my spoked tubed tyres to tubeless.

1. Clean rust off with brass brush and a scotchpad, then Rustins Rust Converter.
   
2. Loctite 290 dripped into both sides of the nipple and the nipple/rim interface.
   
3. Lay 1mm 3M Extreme Sealing Tape 4411N in the channel.
   
4. Add new valve (90° 8.3mm)
   
   

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Look whose talking! We’re both bouncing on bullshit

Mostly horseshit over here!

I reckon I am mere moments (more likely months) away from making my own two stroke pipes. Welding is getting much better. I can make tubes out of 18 and 20 gauge formed over a bar of inch stock in the vice and pie cut and weld them into odd shapes at will. Not made any cones yet but same principle. Getting much better at adding .030 mig wire as filler too so fit is a bit less sensitive now.

Bought a 80buck cheapie belt and disc sander which helps with the fit no end and today….drum roll….a fancy horizontal band saw for a hundo off Craigslist.

I drove all the way to Whittier, checked it switched on and brought it home. Where it promptly cut some unexpectedly fancy curves in my 1.5 tube stock. Looks like the blade is kinked, so need to order another. Boo.

Progress though.

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The tube is just a bunch of segments I hacksawed out of a piece of 1.5” hot rolled pipe and stuck back together without making a proper job of cleaning or fitting. I can weld prettier, honest!

Clean the seals and see if that helps, re grease the headstock and hope. Front wheel bearings are pretty straight forward.

Would now be a good time to look at a rear end....

Baby screen sits fine

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Ah, ain’t got no problems doing all these jobs. Done em before, just didn’t WANT to have to do them.

aren't you supposed to overlap the tape (much) more?

Out on the monkey along with a BMW R26, odd pair! cracking weather this weekend.

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How is the R26? Interesting to see the origins of the R series but it doesn't look very powerful!

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiX2WigPpPc

The Langen is interesting but goodness is it ugly. If I remember correctly, the engine was developed by a little Italian company that had it in a monocoque sports bike chassis. Pretty ambitious.

Here it is, ex-Ferrari F1 mechanics behind it. It's rad.

https://vinsmotors.com/it/duecinquanta-strada/

Tight residential type rat run road, twisty and 30mph near a school. Always cars parked on the side going up. I saw a van blocking my view. Gave a b-beep b-beep, came round. Double-parked van opposite too. And cones on my side.

I clocked the workmen then BAM right in front of me is a mumsnet SUV going too fast.

Full emergency stop on cold tyres on the CBR. Stopped barely a foot from her bumper I guess.

Underwear remained clean but I think I lost a Continue.

Those carbon intakes are gash, bars awful as well. It seems to be a bit tame from that video. He gets on his own rgv250 at the end and when he briefly opens that up it's the sound of a 2 stroke engine that everyone remembers.

Apparently they have a mode that will do that. It's not cheap either!

I didn't watch the whole thing but Shakey's face after they started the RGV500 - you know he's going home and googling '500GP bikes for sale.'

I'd love to learn more about the engine - VINS claimed 95 hp or something in race trim and that's a frigging good effort. I think Aprilia just cracked 100 with the last RSW250 and that thing was a beast. A lot of port area required for that level of power, can't see rings or pistons lasting long!

I can't really get my head around the fuel injection aspect. It seemed to be the reason they could tame the engine for emissions but it's always been the character of a 2 stroke engine that makes it fun to ride.

The low weight must make it fun though, just think a sports bike version would have looked and probably ridden better. 2 stroke cafe racer is not a niche that's ever been that big.

Ricardos did fix the two stroke emissions a while back. But not sure how viable for cheap mass production.

Saw this outside a bar tonight .
Very well executed

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Kick start and about 40 years old

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It probably still has the electric start. I'd rather have it the way it was. All the practicality has been binned. It seems the original owner liked it enough to give it twin plug heads...I wonder what he'd think of it now? I can't see a silencer...I bet the noise is terrible.

I didn’t hear it , the owner said it has keyless ignition and the kick start is redundant ( not working)
I know what you mean about practically , it wouldn’t be for me , and I have an Urban GS, itself not a study in practically but the bike looked well put together, apparently his 50th birthday present

Btw … I found out that in France there is a rule that you must always wear gloves on a motorcycle.