The sun is shining & the air is filled with the joyful revving of motorcycles
The sun is shining & the air is filled with the joyful revving of motorcycles freed from their winter hibernation. mono motorcycles have the workshop doors wide open, the Spring sunshine is flooding in & Planet Rock is playing some excellent tunes!
This week we saw the Polaris CBR600 engine buggy return to it’s owner. When the buggy was first received to mono motorcycles, Daniel test drove it around the farm & discovered it had no brakes. Therefore, although the buggy was originally booked in for the reverse gear fitting; we had to make the vehicle safe, therefore brakes came first.
Once we had bled them several times, it was noted that there was no fluid getting to the back brakes. The master cylinder had failed & therefore needs replacing. Therefore, the front brakes were active, but the rear was not. Once Daniel had re-located a fuel hose which had been fitted incorrectly, tidied up the wiring & found that the original CBR600 loom was still intact, headlight plug & all; he then set about the installation of the reverse gear.
Daniel fitted the reverse gear to the CBR600 engine by first welding a gear from a ZZR1400 gearbox to the sprocket nut. Daniel then made a box section frame to bolt the car starter motor to.
Daniel then bolted the starter to the frame & wired up a relay so it will only power up when the ignition is on and the buggy is in neutral.
Daniel then fitted a momentary push switch to activate the reverse gear! The Polaris buggy will return for the master cylinder fitting & more wiring modifications in a few weeks time.
We welcomed a Yamaha RD350 YPVS special to the mono motorcycles workshop this week to find her spark!
With an F2 frame, R6 forks, FZR600 swing arm, she was quickly & affectionately known as the ‘YPVS Special!’
The YPVS customer advised that she had been running about a month ago, but having sat for 3 weeks, she lost her spark. He advised that he had gone through every conceivable possibility to find out why, but was at a loss.
Daniel first tested the battery, which had failed. He then tested the outputs & wiring. He noted that the wiring to the coils needed repair, to which end they were dutifully repaired.
Following further testing & inspection, Daniel then traced the issue to the crank shaft sensor which had moved away from the flywheel, as the bolt was loose. Hence no spark. Once this was adjusted & the bolt tightened, the Yamaha RD350 YPVS roared into life in a cloud of blue smoke! Success!
Bright & early Wednesday morning, we welcomed a Triumph Bonneville to the mono motorcycles workshop.
The Triumph was with us for an interim service . The customer had also asked us to remove a casing as he wanted to polish it. Our customer, the founder of EMP Tooling, Havant, arrived at 10.30am to take the casing away. By 13.30 the casing was returned, beautifully polished & it transformed the Bonneville.
As we caught up a little on Wednesday afternoon, Daniel was able to get back on ‘Big Blue’ (Daniel’s Kawasaki ZZR1200)
Having cleaned the carbs, he subsequently found that every single valve tolerance was out & therefore all of shims will now need to be replaced.
We welcomed one of our regular customers Yamaha R1’s to the workshop midweek.
Sadly while he was out enjoying the sunshine last weekend, his rear wheel bearing collapsed. It was so badly disintegrated, that Daniel had to grind out what was left. Daniel also fitted some new rearsets to the R1.
We end our week with a Triumph 765 RS with us for a major service & valve clearance check.
Even a relatively naked bike like the RS, takes an entire day to undertake a major service effectively. Once the major service was undertaken, Daniel was able to turn the service light out using our TEXA diagnostic system.
A major service should be undertaken between 10,000 & 20,000 miles, depending on the manufacturer. To prolong the life & keep an engine/ motorcycle healthy, mono motorcycles recommend major service schedules are adhered to, especially when you consider what this entails:
- Major service
- valve clearance check (If clearances need adjusting, additional costs may be incurred. We would only carry out the full clearance adjustment with your authorisation)
- throttle bodies/carb balance
- TPS set up
- oil & filter replacement
- air filter replacement
- fuel filter replacement
- check coolant levels
- replace all fluids
- clean/check/adjust/re-grease chain
- check lights
- check tyre pressures/tread
- adjust & lubricate cables
- check brake components/levels
- check condition of brake pads (If upon inspection the pads needs replacing, we will advise prior to purchase & replacement. This will incur an additional parts charge if these need to be purchased.)
- strip & clean brake calipers
- replace brake fluid
- replace brake fluid lubricate all moving parts
- nut & bolt/headstock/wheels/ bearings, etc check
- headstock bearing strip, clean & re-grease
- replace plugs
- battery voltage check
- shock linkage re-grease
Relying on interim servicing annually, is not always the best policy. Making sure your motorcycle is regularly serviced & at least every few years undergo a full service; will prolong the life of your motorcycle. If you do not keep on top of servicing, you could see air & oil filters clog, brake fluid turn black, becoming ineffectual, brake pad safety be missed & a host of other problems occur with your motorcycle.
Without regular servicing, you could notice the efficiency & power of your motorcycle diminish. If you are ever unsure, check you service book or receipts of previous works to check what has been undertaken & when & if all else fails, call a professional motorcycle technician for advice.
With the weather warming, our events calendar will soon be in full swing.
We still have spaces on our Basic Motorcycle Safety/Basic Motorcycle Maintenance workshops on the 13th & 27th April & of course, our ever popular Breakfast Club returns on Sunday 28th April.
We are having a major sale on our OXFORD chains & ground anchors currently (while stocks last) Please do check our social media feeds & website for all our up to date offers.
