Motorcycles, sunshine, wiring, servicing & laughter at mono motorcycles
What an eventful fortnight at the mono motorcycles workshop.
Our July breakfast club was a wonderful morning of Sunshine, motorbikes, good food & plenty of laughter. We have seen a major wiring project come to fruition. A quick jaunt to Oily Rag in Gloucester & plenty of variety of motorcycles in between.
28.07.19 – Our July breakfast club was a wonderful morning of Sunshine, motorbikes, good food & plenty of laughter. Thank you to everyone who continues to make these mornings such a great success. All the best, Daniel & Katy
29.07.19 – Our guest for the next few days, was the stunning P&D Custom Bikes Buell Flat Tracker.
Daniel was been asked to wire the Buell with a BLACKBOX 2 system which had already been fitted, but not wired into the bike.
30.07.19 – Day 2 of the P&D Custom Bikes Buell Flat Tracker wiring. Having laid the ignition & charging circuits yesterday, Daniel then focused on the lighting & speedo circuits.
Daniel Morris… the wiring whisperer.
Next task, was to add relays for the oil pressure & neutral switches, as these are wired positive in the speedo clock, as apposed to negative
31.07.19 – On Wednesday we welcomed the giant KTM 1290 Super Adventure.
The KTM was booked in for a Major Service & valve clearance check, but on riding over to the workshop the owner noted a MTC failure light. Upon investigation the rear brakes were completely seized. The damage was extensive, as the brakes had most likely been on for a considerable amount of time. Therefore, not only were the pads destroyed & in one case mostly missing; but the rear disc was warped, the calipers had melted inside, the ABS lead had melted & the brake fluid had boiled!
1 3/4 hours in & the KTM 1290 Super Adventure was almost stripped. Radiator out next to gain access to the front rocker cover, in advance of valve clearance check.
Valve clearances needed adjusting on the KTM 1290 Super Adventure.
02.08.19 – Early start on Friday with one of our regular customers who brought his Triumph 765 RS to us for an oil & filter change
Next up on Friday, we welcomed a Harley Davidson FXSTC with an intermittent running fault.
We were already aware that the fault was electrical & Daniel had the capacity to plug this make & model into our TEXA diagnostic machine, an invaluable piece of equipment for modern motorcycle diagnosis.
04.08.19 – At the weekend we took a journey to visit Katy’s parents in Gloucester. We finally introduced Katy’s parents to those marvellous people at Oily Rag Clothing, who were as welcoming as ever. Always such a pleasure
05.08.19 – Monday morning Daniel began finalising the wiring on the P & D Custom Bikes Buell. Wiring an entire motorcycle takes an immense amount of knowledge, patience, care & attention to detail. Daniel has a natural aptitude for this sensitive aspect of the automotive process & watching him at his craft is mesmerising. Often times seemingly connected to the beautiful motorcycles he has the pleasure of working with, we now call him the ‘Wiring Whisperer’
05.08.19 – It’s alive! The Buell sprang into life on Monday afternoon, having never been run in her current chassis! Amazing craftmanship by the P&D Custom Bike team & wiring by mono motorcycles. https://www.facebook.com/monomotorcycles/videos/380498305992957/
06.08.19 – Tuesday morning we welcomed a very tidy Honda Fireblade.
The customer & Daniel having both identified a flat spot in its mid range, upon investigation, it most certainly looks like the intake rubbers had been incorrectly seated & were damaged causing an air leak. New parts now on order.
06.08.19 – Our other guest on Tuesday was a Harley Davidson Heritage Softail.
The Softail joined us for a full service, new white wall tyres & an MOT. The process was delayed, when Daniel found that both inner tubes were split around the valve & we had to order new ones overnight. However, once completed & sporting her new white wall tyres, one can see why these beautiful machines retain their appeal. With a full service & a years MOT on her, she’s ready for another adventure.
07.08.19 – On Wednesday we were joined by the glorious red of the Ducati ST2 900. The ST2 joined us with an intermittent cut out fault. In addition, the Harley Davidson inner tubes arrived this morning & the brake calipers for the KTM1290. Its going to be a very busy day!
The Ducati ST2 having joined us on Wednesday, joined us with an intermittent cut out fault.
The Ducati would ride well for 24-30 miles & then cut out. After cooling down for between 3-10 minutes, she would then restart. Having already had her fuel pump replaced & this not curing the issue, she has joined us here at mono motorcycles for investigation.
The first test was for Daniel to road test her & replicate the cut out scenario, which she dutifully did. However, Daniel noted upon starting that there was a judder, almost like a fuel pump priming. However, upon further investigation, Daniel checked all of the wiring & the fuses & found the fuel pump fuse had a hairline crack. He thought this was the culprit & after the ST2 had had her new fork seals fitted, she was test ridden again. At 30 miles she stopped. However, when Daniel took the HT lead off to check for a spark, the bike would run for a few seconds & then it would lose spark. This now leads him to believe that it is the crank sensor.
The ST2 is too old to plug in to the TEXA diagnostic, so traditional methods of diagnosis are being relied upon & with Daniels 30 years experience, he is determined to get to the bottom of it.
With our customers agreement, we are looking at trialling an existing sensor from one of our own Ducati’s & riding the ST2 over the weekend, to see if this cures it. As Ducati are on their summer shut down, getting parts comes with a delay. Watch this space
08.08.19 – With the rear disc, pads, caliper & ABS sensor having now been delivered, the KTM 1290 Super Adventure was nearing completion.
Many thanks to Zac for helping Daniel bleed the system through, while Daniel monitored the process through the TEXA diagnostic procedures. To bleed the brakes, Daniel had to fire/prime the ABS pump using the connection from the TEXA diagnostic, directly to the KTM.
Our next Breakfast Club is on Sunday 25th August, with a planned ride out to P&D Custom Bikes Annual Bike Show in conjunction with Slinfold Classic Car Show. Daniel will be leading a group if anybody fancies joining in, or just head up there under you own steam if you fancy a great afternoon of free Music & Machines!
