Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ct1m4EsNLIq/

650 miles into motorcycle ownership and it's starting to grow on me.

And, I had my first scary moment at the weekend whilst accelerating on a patchy/wet country road. The rear kicked out into a power slide - equal parts thrilling and scary, and probably handy that it's shown me the limitations of my old tyres. I think a childhood of riding motorcross and years skidding a round a fixie came in handy in that moment.

Riding the CB enthusiastically feels quite hairy - I'm torn between thinking anything faster (read Ducati 748) would be terrifying and just dangerous, and thinking that the Honda probably doesn't like going around corners all that much. A bit like doing a mountain descent on a fully loaded tourer vs doing it on a Supersix.

I'm gonna say both are probably true

Yeah I suspect something more capable would feel less hairy at speed... catch 22 is that something that feels more capable is like to feel less fast at the speeds that already feel fast on the CB thus provoking you to ever greater speeds...

Precisely, hence the current interest in modern retro’s with lower capacity engines where you get to ride them hard without ever troubling the sound barrier. Basically what he already has but with brakes.

Not saying don’t get a Ducati, just don’t have it as your only bike as once you have scratched that itch you might decide that comfort and a reduced sense of imminent death every time you twitch the throttle is more fun.

This is why my next bike is probably gonna be a Grom.

Sounds like a plan, LFGSS TET/green lane trips? currently eyeing up a CRF300L hoping to get on the trails soon.

Is anyone interested in a 19' Street Scrambler? I may just trade it in but if anyone is interested let me know and I can share more details.

For a minute, because I love a stupid project I considered buying a cheap G 310 and the rally raid kit. It's a bad idea right? The CRF 300 is the better option...

Do not buy a BMW. They are not suitable for anything.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XTwF720anwo

I did a monumental dumb dumb this morning...

First sunny (dry even) day in about three weeks so I gleefully suited up for a spin to work on the Super Ten. Go to start it and the battery is flat so I jump in the car, mx boots et al and zoom to local petrol station in hope of jump leads, second station provides the goods...
Back to HQ and in my sleepy, sunbalmed, beginning-to-panic-as-running-late-for-a-meeting stupor I connect the jump leads and give it a minute before attempting to fire...
The leads... were on... the wrong... TERMINALS 😭

I've since acquired a new battery which I'm guessing wants a charge before use and checked all (four) of the fuses but it doesn't look good so I'm guessing I've done a number on some diodes?

What are the odds of having fried the stator/ ignition/ starter? 🤷🏻‍♂️

I am an idiot and do not deserve sunny bike rides...

On brand...

Check if there is a main fuse that is popped.

Maybe you will get away with it.

110 inova?

Spoke with the owners of this Ducati last month when he had it up for sale for £2900 - seems like a super legit bike, low miles, local etc.

He just dropped the price to £1995 for a quick sale. So tempting.

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Monster would be more fun ;)

HPI it as the bike can became beyond economic repair with two damaged panels and a clip on.

Street fighter it and upset everyone.

I wouldn't touch a 750....they're not very fast even as 900s, you wouldn't want to loose a chunk of midrange. Mine has hi-comp pistons, flowed heads, FCRs and a full system and still is what I would describe as entertaining, rather than fast.

That said, they are very straightforward to work on, so I suppose you could always stick a 900 top end on if you wanted. It will always be worth less as a 750 though.

Later 750 and 900 had the same size valves...the 750 size.

The early 750 heads can be modified to fit to 600 to get bigger valves.

I used to do group rides with a guy with a 750. A good rider but he struggled to keep up. Had to thrash it the whole time. But sometimes that's more satisfying than having power which you never use.

Mine has been thrashed mercilessly and I have to say, seems to thrive on it. One of those bikes that feels much better, the harder you ride it.

No idea if they fit, but 750 heads on 900 pots might be a good shout, as you'd get a useful hike in compression. They're pretty lo-comp as stock.

Clutch, gearbox and charging system, are the only weak points, really. The clutch is bloody awful, noisy and grabby. The gearboxes are odd, very little effort required to shift, but easy to grab a false neutral. You get used to it, but it's annoying.

The wiring from the alternator is undersized and will need replacing as the insulation crumbles away. Worth swapping in a new reg / rec at the same time.

You can fit remote reservoir master cylinders from any of the fancy late model Ducs for improved brake and clutch action. Mine came with a Brembo RCS brake master but I fitted a radial clutch master from a breakers that I think came from a hypermoto SP. Definite improvement.

Ducati engines that are used work better than those mollycoddled.

Some SS and monsters even have single phase alternators, but some bikes have issues while others don't. Seems the location of the reg/Tec in to airflow helps solve that problem.

The early 900 have larger valves than the 750 but later don't. All original carbs are shit. Needle and jet wear in less than 5k there are kits but don't last much longer. Fcr really make things better.

Jung, is your bike running the open air box so bottom of tank is the top of the air box.

Clutch wise the clutch basket can get notched and that doesn't help the grabby clutch but Oberon? Slave cylinder makes things better

Also check Ducati prices for complete brake and master cylinders from different models. Have posh brembo one from Ducati as they were cheaper than aftermarket.

Got an engine management warning light on my EFI air cooled bonneville scrambler 900.

I'm trying to find a Bluetooth dongle thing to plug in and diagnose. An OBD reader right?

There's a bewildering range of them. I would like to spend as little as possible - to diagnose rather than mess about with stuff.

Any suggestions?

Ideally amazon so I can get it quickly.

Cheers

Eg
£7.99 Fasizi OBD OBDII Bluetooth Car Code Reader for Android/Droid/Torque Support https://amzn.eu/d/cRaBHqK

£29.99 Veepeak OBDCheck BLE Bluetooth OBD II Scanner Diagnostic Code Reader for iOS & Android Compatible with 2001+ Petrol, 2004+ Diesel Cars and Light Trucks https://amzn.eu/d/gUu0yGU

£102.85 OBDLink LX OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner for Android and Windows https://amzn.eu/d/b4ZsS58
(has been referenced as working with Triumph / a known product)

What CB do you ride?

A 1978 550! There's a photo a couple of pages back.