Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Seb to caceres to Lagos then on way back followed west coast of Portugal (amazing quiet mountain roads) up to Lugo then up to the coast and along back to san seb.

Oof, maps is showing me some delectable twisties. It'll have to be for another time though. I'm coming in from either Barcelona or Valencia and heading north though, so seeking roads more central.
Saying that though....I've never been to Portugal..

Scrambler up and running.

MOT'd with one advisory for the rear brake fluid. It's above the low line, so I didn't think anything of it. But in the daylight it does show as fairly close.

The MOT guy advised just topping it up. Whereas I was planning on a full front/rear fluid change as it won't have been done for a while. Although that was originally scheduled for a sunny day in early Sept, not Nov.

Any opinions on whether it's a good idea to change brake fluid in winter bearing in mind the humidity?

Also something I didn't know which he advised me of, is that if your bike fails its MOT and you ride it away you are liable for a £2,500 fine. If you have time to run on your current MOT the failure will also invalidate your existing MOT.

It makes sense as a failure on the MOT on anything aside from horn is pretty serious. The guys who do mine have replaced bulbs for me in the past or adjusted the headlight angle.

If the brake lever feel is fine then just top it up. Chances are you'll need to look at the piston seals sometime during the winter anyway.

Is there anything I should do to prep the bike if I’m not riding it for a while over the winter? Cold air doesn’t bother me but extended wet periods or frost/snow/etc will mean it gets unridden for potentially weeks.

The new disc is still bedding in, but otherwise its fine.

I did have grand plans of more of a service - clean calipers, etc. but time has moved on. Realistically it's a bit of a juggle finishing house stuff.

The huge advantage now is the bike is back at my place, ending the logistical nightmare...

... excluding my tools which are still residing in the lockup.

On the MOT rules, I agree. But it could leave you stunk if you go to a chain like halfords and they charge you for something minor like a loose connection or adjustment of the headlight (which was the one pre-mot check I forgot to do).

I think the answer to that is find a decent MOT garage that has bikers working in it and they'll find a way to see you right. Only problem is your reputation takes a dent if they spot something obvious that you should be aware of. Last MOT I had the tester picking me up on the tuning, which is fair as I've tuned hot it by the numbers but it sounds wrong when it's cold. I use to tune it by ear for tickover but it lost a little midrange power.

In the past they've advised me on head bearings and been very surprised I couldn't feel any play. I replaced the bearings to satisfy them the next time round.

I don't think I've ever had one fail and the bar must be pretty low because I've had some seriously cheap bikes.

There's a spray ACF-50 that's great for anti-corrosion. It's used by Boeing on their helicopters, which might not be such a great recommendation atm. I've used it for years on the BMW which sits all winter and aside from the usual battery failing every few years it's done a great job.

A few weeks shouldn't be an issue. All winter is long enough to remove the battery and keep it on a trickle charge but modern bikes are often a complete pita to remove the battery. If you have expensive rubber on it you might want to get the wheels off the ground.

Head bearings mostly go from being brinallled, they get a notch in the centre, soemtimes from being run too loose and sometimes just lots of potholes do it . Have yet to have a set last more than 10k/12-15 months. Used skf and fag. Current set is not a recommended part, has more rollers in it than a normal bearing "full complement" type. So far I'm at 10 months 6k and they are still ok

Also find rubber that has oil on it will deteriorate rapid if left unchecked.
Clean the hell out of everything then even use some tyre sealant on sidewalls and exposed rubber hoses (coolant and oil, fuel hose is often super susceptable to anything).

That was what they were suggesting, that the bearings were notched. Couldn't see any signs when I removed them but who knows.

Bear in mind that the R80 was massively over engineered, tapered wheel bearings as an example. I guess the fact that it's lasted nearly 40 years backs up the engineering expertise. I have learnt that pre-load affects bearing life massively. Setting pre-load on the R80 wheels is not trivial but it's saved me from going through bearing sets.

Who was that?

Brake fluid will be fine to replace as the system is open to air.

What bike is that?

Pre loading bearings is an art. We've all played with headset on a bicycle? Imagine doing it one something you can't get to the adjusters easily, has seized nearly strupped bolts and you can easily take the weight off in order to run the normal checks.

Two supermarket carrier bags under front wheel then move it about is probably easiest way of testing them at home.

BMW f650/aprilia pegaso
IMO it and many motorbikes have very undersized front ends in general, wheel bearings, fork stanchion diameter and head bearings are mostly IMO not off large enough size and or specification for the job they do. Mine is compounded by it having the oil in the frame around the back side of the head tube. So anything other than £££ head resistive grease will just run out of the bottom the first time you go anywhere quickly.

Goodmans Autos.

I think his point was just top it up now rather than bothing to replace and bleed.

He didn't mention the hydroacopic nature of brake fluid or anything. I just assumed that's what he was getting at.

Is there anything I should do to prep the bike if I’m not riding it for a while over the winter?

• Thoroughly clean and dry.
  
• use some corrosion resistant substance, AF50, Scotoiler 365, etc.
  
• move calipers apart so they don't touch the discs - then put some sort of tape or note on the grips or levers to remind you to pump the brakes before riding so you don't crash and die.
  
• if bike is resting on tyres, over inflate them
  
• either fully drain fuel tank, or fill it to the brim and add some sort of fuel saver.
  
• remove battery and put on a minder.
  

Ah oil in frame bikes does warm the grease up a bit. Have used food grade greases in the past that are good to about 350-400 c and they have survived a bit better.

Oh that sounds a lot more involved! How does one part the callipers? The rest I can manage and will see how it goes with cold commuting...

Ain't that true. Mine always has this 'knock' hitting bumps, but I've never been able to truly silence it. It steers smoothly and no notchiness, but still. THONK!

Depends.

Sorry I should have said brake pads or pistons. You're just moving the pads off the disc in case they get stuck making it hard to move the bike. It'll probably be fine but....

° Sometimes with floating discs, you can just wiggle them a bit to push the pistons back, moving the pads off the disc.

° You could also undo the caliper and then wiggle that back and forth to push the pads/pistons apart.

° But the easiest thing will be to slide a stiff bit of plastic in between - say a spatular - and push the pads back that way.

They'll move back with a bit of firm pressure.

The short version of my list would be:

1. Liberal application of Scotoiler 365 everywhere* as unlike AFC50 it won't matter if it doesn't go on a clean surface.
   
2. lube chain
   
3. fill tank to the brim with high quality fuel.
   
   

*Obvs not bits you don't want greasy - brakes, conact points, et.

I used a method described by one of the leading r80 ‘experts’. Using a piece of Teflon string and a force measuring scale! Wrapping the string around the axle and pulling with the scale to measure a set amount of force. No idea if it worked but I followed the instructions, they’re not broken yet.

Liberal application of Scotoiler 365 everywhere* as unlike AFC50 it won't matter if it doesn't go on a clean surface.

would the trusty old WD40 fork for this at a pinch?

ACF50 is much better, although very expensive but lasts a long time. I tend to work it in with gloved hands.

How come it's taken me all this time to discover Pinlock ?

I was thinking the exact same thing. Life changing.

I still say ensis fluid is better ;)