Well, we were beginning to wonder if it was ever going to stop raining!

When the rain did stop, the temperature has now dropped & the winter sun is low in the sky. These wintery days are the days we get out on our bikes, find a suitable café location with steaming tea & enjoy winter riding.

The workshop has been a hive of activity these past few weeks. Let’s take a look at some of the bikes we have welcomed through our doors.

BMW K1200RS

Last week we welcomed back the BMW K1200 for Full Servicing. The K1200 joined us a couple of weeks before for some new tyres & our customer booked the Service at the same time.

When the bike arrived for the service, the customer advised that the bike had a misfire & was running rough at low revs. Daniel tried some obvious changes like the HT leads & a coil, but with no fault codes present, the misfire looked like it would involve some further investigation.

It was only when the customer came to collect the bike that he advised that when he had purchased the bike earlier this year, it had been sat for about 8 months. When he started it, black smoke billowed out of the exhaust. He then mentioned that if he leaves the bike for 2-3 days; the same thing happens.

Daniel now feels with this additional information, that an injector may either be blocked or have failed.

The bike has been rebooked for further investigation in December.

Yamaha Vmax

We sometimes have bikes in the workshop which we affectionately name ‘Christine’ inspired by the book by Stephen King. For those who don’t know, Stephen King’s ‘Christine’ is a 1958 Plymouth Fury & is possessed by the evil spirit of a previous owner.

In this case, we don’t have a Plymouth Fury, we have a Vmax.

The Yamaha Vmax (owned by a dear friend) has resided with us for some time while she has been completely stripped, frame/wheels powder coated, new parts fitted, new hoses, new headlight assembly installed & a full motogagdet m.unit blue wiring system installed.

However, as she has come back together, she has shown that she is clearly quite comfortable here in our nice warm workshop being kept company by other bikes & gaining lots of attention, as she has decided to misbehave considerably in her new incarnation.

This has included the carbs, having been fully stripped, cleaned, completely new insides having to be removed, stripped & fettled with a total number of 6 times in the past fortnight! They shouldn’t leak, they shouldn’t have stuck float bowls, or air screws incorrectly fitted as each time Daniel has refitted them, the bike runs perfectly.

However, Christine has decided in her stubborn way to not play ball & throw microscopic spanners in the works the closer she has got to completion, which has included going out on a cylinder, or randomly leaking.

Anyone having built a custom bike will understand our frustration, hence the nick name ‘Christine’ – the bike is possessed!

HOWEVER, today (11.11.2022)  after having the carbs off again, Daniel & Oaklie having fettled a little more, refitted the carbs & Daniel having balanced them; finally ‘Christine’ is now running smoothly & on all cylinders. Now it’s time to arrange an MOT & get Christine home for Christmas.

Triumph Speed Triple RS

Daniel has been teaching Oaklie the fine art of valve clearance checks & adjustments. The Triumph Street Triple RS having been regularly serviced with it’s previous owner, has clearly had the valves checked before as Daniel found that the rocker cover gasket had been stuck down (not standard from factory)

In this case the bike not only had a rattling clutch basket (now repaired), but when the bike arrived at the workshop there was a secondary ticking sound which we could both hear.

During the process of the valve checks, the location of the secondary ‘ticking’ sound has been found. One of the exhaust valves was found to be too far open. This would make the bike lose performance due to the valve not being able to open wide enough & stopping the gases in the exhaust escaping as they should do.

Honda CB200 engine rebuild

The Honda CB200 Custom we have been commissioned to build, is now starting to come back together.

The inside of the engine looked pretty immaculate when we first took it apart, not surprising really as the bike has only done 325miles from new!

However, now the engine has been expertly vapour blasted & cerakoted by Wesley of Hi-spec Coatings & Vapour Blasting, it looks like it has simply rolled off the original production line some 38 years ago!

The Honda casing is part of a suite of external components, including the wheels, which have been powder coated by The Wheel Specialist, Fareham.

Ducati Multistrada 620

The Ducati Multistrada joined us as a non-start. The customer advised that the bike had cut out while in motion & thinking the battery had failed, he charged the battery. The bike then started one more time, but then stopped & would not start again.

Under investigation, Daniel found that the bike had immobilised itself due to the alarm failing (it had immobilised the fuel pump) Where the alarm had failed & caused a considerable drain on the battery; the battery has now failed the tests & needs replacing.

Honda CX500

We welcomed a Honda CX500 to the workshop this week. The CX joined us for a replacement stator (photos show how burnt the windings are) rocker cover polishing courtesy of Portsdown Polishing Services, an in-house paint refresh to the engine & replacement of the rear shock absorbers. Oaklie has pretty much stripped the entire bike down himself this morning, being supported by Daniel where needed.

Seasonal Offers!

Christmas Gift Vouchers

Looking for the perfect Christmas Gift for the biker in your life? Then how about a Gift Voucher for Service & Repair at mono motorcycles?!

Vouchers can be purchased at £25, £50, £100 denominations & are valid for 1 year from purchase.

Contact us today on T: 01243 576212 / 07899 654446 or email us at E: info@monomotorcycles.co.uk

Winter Motorcycle Safety Check & Oil Change £99 (includes VAT)

Package includes physical visual safety check with safety sheet record & oil & filter change only.

Available 1st Nov 22 to 31st Jan 2023. Exclusions apply.

Please contact us for more information T: 01243 576212 / 07899 654446 E: info@monomotorcycles.co.uk

Events

Saturday 4th February 2023 Basic Motorcycle Safety & Maintenance Workshop

Join us on Saturday 4th February 2023 for a morning of essential motorcycle safety & basic maintenance.

The session will be 1 ½ hours + a 15-minute break + Q&A time & will cover the essentials of motorcycle safety & identify basic motorcycle maintenance needs.

The session is aimed at complete novices, those who are new to biking & those who wish to feel more confident in understanding their motorcycles basic maintenance needs.

We will cover areas such as: Checking tyre pressures, tyre tread/depth & legal requirements, greasing the chain, checking the chain/sprockets, checking brakes, how to check oil levels, coolant levels (if appropriate), checking fork seals for leaks/fork stanchions for marks or rust, how to charge the battery, checking headstock bearings for play/notching, MOT expectations, etc

Note: We will not be teaching you how to service/repair your own motorcycle. This session is an advisory session only.

Session 1: 10.00am – 10.45am

Break 15 minutes

Session 2: 11.00am – 11.45pm + Q&A time

The session is £10 with free tea/coffee & biscuits for all attendees.

Details of how to book & make payments can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/561611312399940

Saturday 4th March 2023 Spring Open Morning at mono motorcycles

Join us to discuss your service, repair or wiring needs for 2023 & beyond at the mono motorcycles workshop New Barn Offices, Funtington, PO18 9DA

Coffee & Tea £1.00

Sunday 23rd April 2023 Breakfast Club is back!

Breakfast Club is back in 2023!

Join us for a hearty breakfast, catch up with friends, or drop in for a pit-stop!

Location: mono motorcycles, Row C, Unit 4-5 New Barn Offices, Funtington, Chichester, PO18 9DA

Sunday 18th June 2023 mono motorcycles Custom & Classic Bike Show 2023

Our second Custom & Classic Bike Show is already planned for Sunday 18th June 2023. We are already taking registrations for motorcycles in a variety of categories:

2023 Categories:

Best in Show, Best Paint, Best Custom, Best Cafe Racer, Best Bobber, Best flat tracker/scrambler,

Best Modern Classic (any fully restored modern classic 1970-1999),

Mini Mayhem (Fully restored classic or custom under 200cc),

Best eBike Custom (fully electric motorcycle)

Register your bike by sending an email to info@monomotorcycles.co.uk with a description of the bike, at least 4 photographs of the front, sides & rear & which category you wish to enter.

We are also looking for an eclectic selection of trade for the show & therefore if you or anyone you know is interested in bringing your business to the show, please do contact Katy in the first instance by emailing info@monomotorcycles.co.uk for more information

Check out our Facebook & Instagram feeds for regular updates

As always for all your motorcycling needs, please do contact Daniel or Katy on T: 01243 576212 / 07899 654446 or email us at info@monomotorcycles.co.uk