What an eventful fortnight we have had here at mono motorcycles. A packed diary, a trip to Hinckley, the home of Triumph, our wonderfully successful ‘Thank You’ Open Morning, classics, sports bikes & blood bikers. Never a dull moment for the mono motorcycles team.

Last week we welcomed regular customer & friend of mono motorcycles Kawasaki ZX6 for a full valve clearance service. As we have mentioned before, a motorcycle has to undergo some considerable dismantling in the process of a valve clearance check.

In this case, the ZX6 exhaust valves & 3 inlet valves were too tight & therefore needed adjusting & shims replacing. If left unattended, ultimately the valves could be damaged.

We also welcomed a Triumph Sprint to the workshop last week for a full machine detail. The Triumph was a very clean & tidy example & once Daniel had performed his magic, detailed, nano sealed & ACF50 treatment, the Triumph shone.

We headed North on Thursday to pay a visit to one of our suppliers. We realised on route, just how close we were to Hinckley, the home of Triumph. It didn’t take much convincing for Daniel to take a detour to pay a visit. We were too late in the day to get on a tour, but took advantage of the free Visitor Experience in the foyer.

The Triumph Visitor Experience takes you right back to 1902 & explores the history of the Triumph brand, right through to modern day & the current innovations. Upstairs, is an exploration through their R&D & the processes involved in the development & manufacture of the Triumph motorcycles.

Taking centre stage is a collection of bespoke & uniquely painted Triumphs, surrounded by small screens with photo’s of Triumph owners from around the world popping up on. It is a real homage to the Triumph brand & although some of the motorcycle components are manufactured abroad; it was breathtaking to be at the heart of this iconic British brand.

Back to the workshop on Friday & in amongst a visit from one of our key suppliers for some training on their online system we began work on the MV Augusta F4. The MV came to us with a miss fire & we had been advised that the building it was kept in had a leaking roof.

Therefore, after an initial investigation, Daniel checked the fuel & discovered about an inch of water in the fuel tank. In addition, part of the loom had burnt itself out causing the main fuse to blow.

After draining the tank, adding new fuel & fuel additive & replacing the main fuse & repairing the wiring, the MV still wasn’t running on all cylinders. Daniel suspected a damaged spark plug due to the water in the fuel.

Therefore, with the customers agreement, Daniel investigated further & found a considerable indicator of why the motorcycle was running so poorly. When Daniel checked the coils, one of them had broken in half inside the engine. This meant that when running, the spark through the coil was unable to make it’s way to the spark plug. As MV are no longer a going concern, finding parts has been a challenge as there are non of these coils in the UK. Daniel has managed to source one from Italy & we await it’s delivery next week.

Our ‘Thank You’ Open Morning was on 9th February & what a marvellous morning it was. Katy, having been baking until 10.30pm the previous evening, had prepared an array of cupcakes ready to feed our guests & tea/coffee was prepped & ready to be served.

We welcomed so very many people through our doors on Saturday. Many familiar faces, friends & supporters of mono motorcycles came & shared the morning with us. Such kind words of praise & encouragement were abound throughout the morning, which Daniel & Katy were truly humbled by.

In addition to those we recognised, it was marvellous to welcome so many new faces to our workshop on Saturday. Some were upon recommendations from friends, others had been following us on Facebook & wanted to come & see what we were about. It was such a pleasure to meet everyone & we look forward to seeing you all at our up & coming events throughout 2019.

Daniel & Katy took the plunge on Sunday & took the ZZR1200 out for a spin in the winter sunshine. What a lovely ride out to Hemmingways in Haslemere. The roads were dry, the air was cold, but the ride was smooth. What a wonderful machine the Kawasaki ZZR1200 is.

Back in to the workshop on Monday & we began a full service & detail for a new customer to mono motorcycles on the Honda VFR. The Honda had been sat for a while prior to her current owner having taken possession of her & he wanted to ensure she was serviced, detailed & had a thorough check over to ensure she was safe & secure.

The Triumph/Honda/Velocette ‘bitsa’ was on the ramp on Wednesday having her rear light wired in & additional wiring tidied.

The KTM 1190 joined us for repairs to a snapped rear indicator, removal of the rack & some wiring upgrades. To get to the indicator, most of the rear tail section had to be removed. However, once Daniel began the process of undoing the bolts in the rack, he discovered that one of them had had it’s head sheared off prior to the KTM coming to the workshop.

The image below shows the bolt on left as it should look. Bolt on right which was seized in place & had had the alan key bolt rounded off (prior to us working on the motorcycle) Managed to drill the head of the bolt off, slid the panel over the top, filed the top of the bolt to enable two nuts to be screwed on. The nuts were screwed together, lubricated round the bottom & very slowly rotated the bolt left to right. Once the lubricant had been left to soak in, the bolt finally was released.

When fitting bolts on your motorcycle, especially when threaded into aluminium; using a lubricant in the process, prevents corrosion & seizing in place. Corroded bolts can have their heads rounded off or even shear off entirely, meaning they need drilling out. If in any doubt, give us a call or check your manual.

A friend & supporter of mono motorcycles brought his Ducati Diavel to the workshop to identify the source of a vibration in high gear/low revs. Daniel first stripped, cleaned & rebuilt the hub. He then checked, using the TEXA Diagnostics to see if there were any faults codes, which there were non. He then completed a parameter reset, adjusted the suspension as it had been wound too tight, making the rear really hard when riding. The Diavel went home to her owner, who upon riding her home, has advised us she is riding like a new bike.

We ended this week with a visit to the SERV Wessex Social held in Eastleigh.

“Daniel & I had the absolute pleasure of attending the SERV Wessex Social last night & had an opportunity to meet a sizeable group of Volunteer Blood Bikers. What an inspirational room, full of people who give up their time to ride/deliver vital supplies across several counties. We are pictured here with Danny – Chairman, SERV Wessex & Tim – Treasurer, SERV Wessex. Daniel & I continue to support SERV as our chosen charity & your generous donations are what keeps these volunteers on the road, saving lives & supporting hospitals with blood, human milk for anti natal & neo natal departments & equipment deliveries. Even while we were there, one of the duty riders was called to action. Watching this in real time, really brought it home that these volunteers are ready to go whatever the time, whatever the weather, whatever the need. Next time you are at the mono motorcycles workshop or one of our events, please pop some coins in our collection box, as every penny goes towards keeping these amazing people on the road.”Katy

Our next event being held at the mono motorcycles workshop is the Jamies Airbrushed Art, Art Showcase.

If you are considering some one of kind artwork, portraiture or a unique design to your beloved machine (2 or 4 wheeled); join us on Sunday March 3rd from 10am-2pm & find your inspiration with the uber talented Jamie Gladman of J.A.A Custom Paint (Jamies Airbrushed Art) We look forward to greeting you then. All the best, Daniel, Katy & Jamie. Free Tea/Coffee & biscuits will be available throughout the day.

As always, for all your motorcycling needs, contact Daniel or Katy on T: 01243 576212 / 07899 654446 or contact us through our contact page.