Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

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  • Forgot to thank you for the offer but I won’t be anywhere near your neck before the 3rd. Thanks though!

  • Caustic soda with due regard for health and safety, especially eye protection. Some oven cleaners have it as the main active ingredient.

  • I appreciate I’m a bit tl;dr/csb so I’ll try keep ride report #1 to the point, but loads to report!

    Insurance kicked in at midday. 12:20 engine still wouldn’t start. Had charged the old battery an hour or so, battery fluid actually on minimum line, buying new battery soon. Spark sounded healthy enough, just refused to turn over more than a few starter splurts. Had to choke engine like hell. Choke closed idle revs very low, sluggish, without choke instant cut-out with clutch or throttle. Barely open choke, got a bit of consistency.

    Got on the road running rich. Definitely inconsistent, revs through the roof and refuse to drop if too rich, and dead low if not rich enough, so needs a carb clean. Took it round the block, needs a higher gear for lower speed than expected. Bit clunky, but the ride is super low, way relaxed. Kept revs over 4-6k and it sounded happy.

    Had to go right across town for a headlamp bulb, none in the nearby place, scrapyard recommended an old school mechanic shop. Oldboy did a bit of a bodge to make lamp fit securely. One of the two rear red lights has one of the filaments busted (only one solid light, both light with brake). Brake switches need tighter tolerances, maybe front hydraulic fluid isn’t enough either.

    At dusk, at a red a guy behind jumped out his van and said my lights weren’t on. I pushed it onto the kerb and a chap crossing the road (apparently strips and rebuilds bikes, serendipity) helps to diagnose why lights weren’t on, including rear light dual filament and speedo lamp. Lights probably just not fully switched to ‘on’ from sidelight. All ok after actually starting again. He also gave advice over the idling and revving issues, and recommended a U-turn to Halfords for some Redex.

    Stupidly paid £3 for a one-shot instead of £5 for 500ml.

    Speedo needle is wobbling all over the shop, friend who had a DR 125 said they do wear out. I will replace the cockpit with the newer ones off ebay, maybe even buy the gear indicator sensor thing.

    Anyway, I stalled a whole bunch of times because of the low revs, and had to keep the throttle on a lot with clutch and brakes on (lots of gentle inclines on the routes). Lots and lots of sitting in traffic. Most fun of the stalls was entering a roundabout before home, managed to keep it rolling forward and get the engine running after the third nearly false start after stall.

    Trial by fire for sure. If the odo’s correct was around 23 miles. Can’t believe how much slower (congested inner-city rides) a motorbike is compared to bombing along cycleways on a bmx!

  • Maybe not the most exciting update but... fork service, with SKF oil and dust seals now done ready for the Spring.


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  • This all sounds remarkably familiar, I'm sure it's some sort of rite of passage.

    When you had a run on the back before buying, had it been warmed up already?

  • Old fuel? Anytime a bike has been sat, especially outside you get some condensation in there, also chance of leaking water from bad tank lid seal, and crappy petrol from petrol stations (got a 5 litre jug filled up a month ago, its been sat in my workshop untouched since then, just went to run some 2s engine off it and misbehaving like mad. Yup, that 5l of fuel contained at least 1litre of water, excellent, thanks sainsbo).
    Before going mad, take tank off, drain it, put a litre of fresh fuel and swill it around. Then drain that, and put 5 litres of new TODAY fresh petrol.
    If that fixes any problems great, if it doesn't then you at least know its not that.

  • Few days after buying my bike i was riding along and my leg had a warm moist feel, like i was wetting myself.
    One of the head bolts had stripped the threads and was blowing oil up my leg, shop fixed it.
    much later i had a local service the bike.... thrust washer missing from cam shaft so a bit of cam float, wrong chain and sprocket and oversize rear tyre which had been trimmed by the chain slightly, i was wondering at this point how my bike got the MOT.
    Had 3 years of fun and a new swing arm spindal and front tyre before the flywheel magnets failed (fell apart) pre-internet days so scrap yards and small ads. Couldn't get the part and breakers wouldn't buy my bike for spares because the parts it needed where the only bit's they where interested in.
    Sat in a garage for several years until one day we happened on someone who had the same bike except someone drove a lorry over the back of his so he had a good engine....... i had a bike with a broken engine, two become one :)
    £500 beater Z250 single learnt a bit keeping that on the road ;)

  • I spent ages trying to kick over my first cg125 as I thought I understood chokes and idle and flooding the carb etc but didn't really. Also when cold it always needed run on full choke for a bit, took about 10 min if riding to get it up to temp sometimes.

  • Carry on, good to see the enthusiasm. Some bikes have a knack for being started.

    @BrickMan maybe see if the bike needs a fuel filter?

  • Maybe the fuel filter is full of crap too, mine used to, had to flush the tank a few times and drop the carb bowl to empty it.

    learnt my DAS ticket on a Suzuki 650DR single, that was a bastard to start and also prone to stalling until it was fully warmed up, then a bastard to start when it was hot, great fun when stalling your way around town trying to kick start it and hope you don't get kickback and end up on the floor or get pitched over the bars.
    There was of course a knack to. I didn't master it and got a leccy starter instead :)

  • my first commute after doing my CBT, the filter completely filled with rust. I was on a CG1215 I'd rescued from a mate who kept it in the carpark of Brighton Marina. I'd had to basically completely strip it, and the fuel in the tank came out as vaseline. Cleaned the carbs, new inline filter, all of it, but still got completely full of particles within 15 miles of use. Bodged it on the side of the A23 to run with no filter just to get to work!

  • It's rites of passage, your first motorcycle shall be a dog and you will have to fix it on the side of the road :)

    Sediment/rust in mine. Clear inline filter and clear fuel line so you could see what was going on, guess when it was fitted on mine they never cleaned out the carb. Petrol everywhere when i took it apart :) i used an inline filter for a car on mine because in my head a bigger filter ment more fuel flow so Beik will be faster.

  • Found an online piccy.

    Mine was banana yellow Zed 250 single, drum braked mag wheels and if you got down on the tank and put your face on the clocks, used the pillion pegs as rearsets then it would do 90'ish my chrome mudguards had rotted so the rear came off and the front I think was something from a RD350


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  • Ha! All these issues felt too much like standard procedure! Glad it’s just the way.

    Went to Shell, surprisingly the nearest garage too, and put 4 1/2 litres in the tank of Shell Save. I was going to put the V Power but thought it might be a bridge too far. At higher speeds the bike feels a bit juddery, so i assume that’s all related to these issues and the carb and the fuel and the ....

    Took it the 5 or so miles to the mechanic, booked in the carb/valve check&clean for Thursday next week. Grabbed the dual filament bulb to fit later.

    Had some real hassle with the revs, but I agree that I should have done as above and totally drained the tank, cleaned, and started again but clearly I’m a dick and didn’t.

    Sitting in traffic is rubbish. I can’t believe how much low-speed practice I’m getting from crawling around on this armchair of a bike.

    Dumped an entire 500ml of Redex in there, if it does anything, it’ll do something. Bike did feel a bit better, and I had a very fun couple of stalls.

    Then after a couple bumps, I’m in traffic, I turn to look at the rear to check lights and brakes are working.... one of the bloody indicators is hanging off!!! The cowboy had fitted it without the nut behind and just crammed some junk to keep it in the mismatched hole. Bastard. No wonder they don’t look right.

    Shoved it back in and it survived til I got home. Snag list is gonna be as long as a long thing being elongated.

    Still. Kinda fun I guess.

  • Rustbucket


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  • https://haynes.com/en-gb/suzuki/gn125/1993-2001

    Will add to the value when sell it on "comes with workshop manual" :)

  • One of the previous 14 owners already bought it! Very well-read copy came with the bike.

  • I think its usually worth the extra few P for the premium fuel, especially on smaller engines FWIW

  • Is it the ethanol content, and an issue here now?

  • If this is directed at me, I have literally no idea what I'm talking about, just repeating what somebody else on here said.

  • No, not directed at you. More to everyone, I know that in France it is recommended to use super unleaded on older bikes due to the ethanol content of standard unleaded. Else where (other forums) have mentioned different branded super unleaded fuels have no ethanol added. Think it was bp ultimate and shell super unleaded.

  • All our petrol here has a ton of ethanol - it's diabolical for carbs. Turns all the brass jets black and gunks everything up. Also eats the shit out of any rubber parts.

  • Was going to look for Zed 250 tings :)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMf1rcS48gw

  • I had Z250 twin - twas the best. Z200 single one of the best machines ever made and apparently crafted by God on the seventh day.

  • Re read and does come across as aimed at you. Sorry, as it does come across as a little confrontational was not meant to be, was just talking. Or should that be musing.

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Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Posted by Avatar for coppiThat @coppiThat

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