Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Edit:
DR350 is fine on A-roads.

Himalayan is honestly a great bike ad good off roader. I'm in the peaks on mine tomorrow but I know it has it limitations.
I have a full on Enduro bike but it's not one you want to put loads of miles on so want a winter bike that can have knobblies on and go and plough through some muddy lanes.

As long as you've got proper knobblies and ground clearance, you can go almost anywhere given patience and intestinal fortitude. I once, mistakenly, took my XR650, on Baja gearing, up a super-technical, big boulder strewn, double black diamond. In the dark. Eventually got to the top but have never been so utterly fucked in my entire life. I was hallucinating from about 2/3rds of the way up and couldn't remember if my mate was in front or behind. We eventually got to the destination looking like the scrag end of the moto extras from Mad Max. Brutal.

DR200 would do almost anything other than deep sand I reckon.

I'm going to post this in the car thread too to cover all the bases. This is a question I posed on the Facebook BMW R1150GS forum.
"I'm in Bracknell, Berkshire, UK. I should have left well alone but I tried to remove the down pipes. In so doing I snapped three of the four manifold studs. The bike is still rideable for pottering about with the exhaust held by one nut but I need it fixed. I've made contact with a company - Thread Doctor which is fairly close to me and do a mobile service. Are there any other options, i.e mobile stud removal people in the South of England? I absolutely do not want to dismantle the bike and send parts away, I do not have the time".
I keep getting suggestions about how to do it myself by welding a nut to the stud etc. My reply to that was - I cannot emphasise how much I do not want to do this myself.
Does anyone on here have a good suggestion for a mobile stud removal person?

Quite straightforward - a decent bike mechanic would do it, drilling a pilot and easy out.

You could try this guy - https://www.threaddoctorservicesltd.co.uk/

As hanford says any good mechanic, car or bike, should be able to sort that out for you. Find someone local who's a little bit more hands on/ old school (just avoid some of the places that only do oil changes/ bulbs and wipers) and you'll be sorted in no time.

Shame that Bracknell is so far from Swindon. That job is bread and butter for my local bike mechanic.

Hmm…this might become a problem.

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I'll give the tiger a loving home for you

Space for a 4th…

A friend has just spotted this beauty in Tokyo, interesting on a number of levels!

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I can't get my head around the size of that thing. The seat area looks tiny.

Reminds me of this doc https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=n8ptBkIohHE

I wouldn't do the drill and easy out on an exhaust stud. Have had bad experiences.

Agreed, the reason the tig-welded nut thing is the goto option is because it applies a significantly high amount of directed heat into the area you want to break any bond from corrosion.

Welding the nut gives a big surface area for a breaker bar, on a freshly hot/cold cycled thread.

Agree. Not sure that Tig, mig or stick make much difference.

Actually, wonder if dry ice would help? Actually probably not as Ali shrinks more than steel so great on Ali seat posts in a metal frame.

Actually would an induction heater work? One like this https://www.machinemart.co.uk/c/induction-heating/ have used similar bits on nuts, but not on studs.

I think this sight fuel gauge is so cool.

Huzzah! I seem to have found someone who will do it. I can't get it to them before the 24th but that's okay. Bigg CC Racing, Wokingham were too busy, which I understand but said GS Motorcycles just a stone's throw from them might and they will. I will report back once done. I'm going to ask them to helicoil one rocker cover bolt too.
By the way The Thread Doctor has retired to the New Forest.

Timesert are better in my opinion

Got it to my folks' place. Dad's planning on commuting on it over the winter when I don't ride anyway.
Compiled a to do list:

• [ ] fix right hand heated grip
  
• [x] adjust left hand guard
  
• [x] check voltmeter
  
• [x] maybe change foot pegs
  
• [x] fix headligt rubber cover
  
• [ ] tie cables under dash
  
• [ ] remove tool box missing lid
  
• [x] make spare key
  
• [ ] glue cracked belly pan
  
• [ ] change HT leads
  
• [ ] stopper for centre stand, or just remove
  
• [ ] new tyres
  
• [ ] new handle bar, or paint old
  
• [ ] paint side and centre stand
  
• [ ] fix wobbly turn signal
  
• [ ] look into hanging idle
  
• [ ] glue cracked dashboard
  
• [ ] fix/change usb charge socket
  
  

In no particular order.

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1952 Guiller Scooter £50 ebay

Love this. I really need to do a similar list for the XTZ. Almost lost fingers on this mornings early spin as left hand heated grip is dead and it was about -2°c with ice on the road and freezing fog...

Dibs functional right hand heated grip. :)

Muffs!