Continuing - So what did you do to your bike today...?

[Hooli]

Hooli you need to get Kingi to send you the air intake snorkel off an old toyota hi-lux then floods would be no issue to you at all.

Thinking about it since, I need to check the oil level/colour as I'm sure the wiring into the ignition housing isn't sealed where it passes over the top of the gearbox. Memory says it goes through a tube on the engine casing. Bit like the way 4x4s always need breathers from axles & gearboxes extending.

[grog]

When young took my 250 Hustler thru a creek crossing. Not sure of depth but i thought it was up to tank. It never stopped, never affected it, no idea how it could keep going. Maybe imagining how deep it was, dont really know. Amazed me at the time, still does.

[Andre]

Thinking about it since, I need to check the oil level/colour as I'm sure the wiring into the ignition housing isn't sealed where it passes over the top of the gearbox. Memory says it goes through a tube on the engine casing. Bit like the way 4x4s always need breathers from axles & gearboxes extending.

There is a plug at the end of the tunnel. In addition there should be sealant applied to the plug and specific points of the crank case and engine cover.



Still a good idea to check the oil for water as there are also other points where sealing could not be perfect.

[mt.b]

Took the front calipers off the forks, removed the pads and cleaned both with brake cleaner. Then finished off the calipers with Kerosene. Huge difference! I felt like I was a frog that had jumped out of a pot of boiling water after a bit of a test ride!

[Hooli]

Not my bike obviously, but a mate's who's been riding about 5 months now & threw her 'Nelly' down the road on Saturday night. I'd been round Saturday helping her check it was safe to ride to work the day after & sorted a few bits such as the front calliper seized on it's sliding pins & forcing the exhaust off the swing arm. Considering she dropped it turning right out of a junction on a wet road over leaves & white lines, I'd say the dragging front brake was a big factor in the accident especially considering she's a really good rider normally. Chinese Hondas obviously don't have the quality of real ones as the bike was brand new when she started riding,

She came round tonight to sort the rest of it. I did the calliper again with a bit of grease as all she had Saturday night was GT85. Took the pegs off, it's one plate that bolts to the crankcase for both pegs & the sidestand. Bent the RH peg back to the right place as it was well up & back from where it should be. Then straightened the bracket for the exhaust & found the exhaust wouldn't fit after that...

Judging by where she ended up & the marks on the bike it'd slid backwards into the kerb & hit the exhaust bending the can upwards. So we worked out where the kink was from pics and proceeded to bend it straight. That's where it went wrong as even after heating the pipe up to bend it, it spilt. It's a bloody good job my neighbour is an excellent welder, has a full workshop at home & was in wasn't it? So got that very nicely TIG'd up & reassembled the bike for her to ride home.

That's one happy biker lass today at least.

Have a pic of 'Nelly' in bits as it's the only pic I took of the whole job.

[GSXKING]

You're a good man @Hooli 

Friends like you are rare. Keep up the great work 

[grog]

Well done Hooli. Im sure shes appreciative.

[Kiwifruit]

Top bloke Hooli.....and you've still got your grandads wire brush 

[Hooli]

Top bloke Hooli.....and you've still got your grandads wire brush 

 

It was my dads, but probably dates back to his national service in the 50s. I've got others but sometimes the shorter bristles make it easier to just get to the spot you want. Scraping all the cracked paint off the bent frame section before slapping some fresh paint on in this case.


She's a decent lass & appreciates the help, so that makes it worthwhile. TBH it's nice to do something that feels useful, unlike my job, for a change.,

[Kiwifruit]

A good deed never goes unrewarded. Like you say makes you feel good to have done it 

[Eric GSX1400K3]

Good job mate,well done.

[Rynglieder]

Today I 'ave dun Mechanicing.

Oh yes 

While exploring the underbelly of the beast for exhaust clamp replacement (discussed elsewhere) I noticed that the oil filter had the look of something that had served in the second Gulf War. Something else that I had probably neglected too long.

Now, as you know in recent years I have been happy to pay more skilled people to work on my bikes for me but as these days I am one of the "economically inactive" having retired early to live off diminishing savings I have to find ways to save a couple of quid here and there.

And so it came to pass that I made a capital investment in an oil filter wrench, plus the necessary consumables from Amazon. It all went well on the whole, not much blood was spilled – a slip with the ratchet under the bike sent a knuckle skidding along the edge of the drip tray, but it was not enough to send me down to the A&E department.

My planning had not be completely thorough, I had to drive up to the local dealership to get a new sump plug washer which I had overlooked. Still, I paid the £1.83 in cash to keep it off the household accounts, I reckon I'll get away with it.

Not a big deal for you boys out there, but I think it was 20 years ago since I last tackled an oil change with my own lily-white hands, so I'm going to bed tonight with a smug sense of accomplishment.

Just the blood to clean off the front door lock and handle and were done here.

[Kiwifruit]

Funny that Pete..... I wear leather gloves to perform that sort of work. Not much of a knock required to start a leak these days, blood thinners help with the flow !!!!

[Eric GSX1400K3]

Could have saved yourself the 1.83 from the household budget (plus the trip to the shop and back) and re-annealed the copper washer yourself using your gas cooker blue flame and some long nose pliers, at least that's what we do in the colonies, as taught to us by a certain Mr.Hooli.

[Hooli]

Could have saved yourself the 1.83 from the household budget (plus the trip to the shop and back) and re-annealed the copper washer yourself using your gas cooker blue flame and some long nose pliers, at least that's what we do in the colonies, as taught to us by a certain Mr.Hooli.

Great idea except the Suzuki sump plug washer is ali so you can't do that.
Having said that I replaced mine once on the first oil change I did at 12k cause the shop sold me one, that's now been on there for 'quite a few' oil changes & still doesn't leak so why replace it?

I think it works out at 40 oil changes on the same washer from some quick maths.