No video today, but that's only because I've been threatened with having my camera confiscated if I produce anything as terrible as that other one ever again.
Yesterday seemed to have been a bit misleading. Yes, on the surface it does appear that the Pile 'o Rust was brought back to life just by filling it up with fuel and electricity. But going out last night wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.
So I was back at the garage again today sorting out other things. Well, other people were sorting them out, other people who actually knew what they were doing.
2 new tyres, as expected and planned.
Brakes. Things kept happening with brakes.
I had always planned on replacing the pads. But when I removed the rear, this sort of happened.
That shouldn't happen even though they are old.
But then it turned out that the dust seal was perished and the piston was almost completely seized. So everything was cleaned and replaced.
Pretty much the same thing happened with the front brakes. Bad seals, everything stripped down, cleaned and replaced. New brake fluid, probably long overdue. At the front each calliper had 1 piston completely seized. I have learnt that that is a bad thing.
On the upside fixing the brakes so they actually work has allowed proper diagnosis of the issue with the front wheel which has been annoying me ever since Japan 2 years ago. On the downside it turns out that I have at least 1 warped brake disc at the front. After careful consideration I have decided the best course of action is to ignore it.
Then it was time to tackle the engine stuttering. This is one of the plugs.
Look up what it's meant to look like.
So I replaced all 4 of them. 3 weren't a problem but the 4th was in such an awkward position that I had to remove the radiator to get to it. Having to almost completely disassemble the front end allowed a unique opportunity to count the number of bolts which have mysteriously vanished over time. Hint: it's a lot.
Most of them are fairing bolts so aren't really a problem, apart from the rattling. But among the more concerning absences is one of the bolts which holds the exhaust on. "Not a problem," you say, "bolts can easily be replaced." True. But the thing about exhausts is that they tend to get very hot. And hot metal tends to be much more malleable than cold metal. And, well, it appears that the hot exhaust has sort of slightly deformed itself under its own weight. There is no chance of fixing that.
And then there is electrical modifications. I wasn't involved in any of this, probably for the best given past experience. But the long and short of it is that I now have permanent GPS wiring that won't cut out when going round a slight corner, and a tank bag that can be plugged into the bike for that extra special Tranny(tm) brand of electricity.
Oh, also I replace the broken left hand mirror, although it took nearly the whole morning to work out how to unscrew the old one and screw in the new one.
Actually I have done very little. These last two days I have been in the garage all day while other people have worked to get the Tranny going again. I never would have been able to do this by myself.
But the thing is that the only thing I have had to pay for is the parts. New tyres and a new tank bag (which I probably didn't actually need), plugs and seals comes to less than £300. About the same as in the UK except in the UK I would be charged £50/hour+VAT for labour.
And after all of that I they invited me for dinner tonight.
So really I have to say a big thank you to Sunny Cycles. Best bike shop I've been to by a mile.
Yesterday seemed to have been a bit misleading. Yes, on the surface it does appear that the Pile 'o Rust was brought back to life just by filling it up with fuel and electricity. But going out last night wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.
So I was back at the garage again today sorting out other things. Well, other people were sorting them out, other people who actually knew what they were doing.
2 new tyres, as expected and planned.
Brakes. Things kept happening with brakes.
I had always planned on replacing the pads. But when I removed the rear, this sort of happened.
That shouldn't happen even though they are old.
But then it turned out that the dust seal was perished and the piston was almost completely seized. So everything was cleaned and replaced.
 |
| Difficult to see in the picture but that is not what a dust seal is meant to look like |
Pretty much the same thing happened with the front brakes. Bad seals, everything stripped down, cleaned and replaced. New brake fluid, probably long overdue. At the front each calliper had 1 piston completely seized. I have learnt that that is a bad thing.
On the upside fixing the brakes so they actually work has allowed proper diagnosis of the issue with the front wheel which has been annoying me ever since Japan 2 years ago. On the downside it turns out that I have at least 1 warped brake disc at the front. After careful consideration I have decided the best course of action is to ignore it.
Then it was time to tackle the engine stuttering. This is one of the plugs.
Look up what it's meant to look like.
So I replaced all 4 of them. 3 weren't a problem but the 4th was in such an awkward position that I had to remove the radiator to get to it. Having to almost completely disassemble the front end allowed a unique opportunity to count the number of bolts which have mysteriously vanished over time. Hint: it's a lot.
Most of them are fairing bolts so aren't really a problem, apart from the rattling. But among the more concerning absences is one of the bolts which holds the exhaust on. "Not a problem," you say, "bolts can easily be replaced." True. But the thing about exhausts is that they tend to get very hot. And hot metal tends to be much more malleable than cold metal. And, well, it appears that the hot exhaust has sort of slightly deformed itself under its own weight. There is no chance of fixing that.
And then there is electrical modifications. I wasn't involved in any of this, probably for the best given past experience. But the long and short of it is that I now have permanent GPS wiring that won't cut out when going round a slight corner, and a tank bag that can be plugged into the bike for that extra special Tranny(tm) brand of electricity.
Oh, also I replace the broken left hand mirror, although it took nearly the whole morning to work out how to unscrew the old one and screw in the new one.
Actually I have done very little. These last two days I have been in the garage all day while other people have worked to get the Tranny going again. I never would have been able to do this by myself.
But the thing is that the only thing I have had to pay for is the parts. New tyres and a new tank bag (which I probably didn't actually need), plugs and seals comes to less than £300. About the same as in the UK except in the UK I would be charged £50/hour+VAT for labour.
And after all of that I they invited me for dinner tonight.
So really I have to say a big thank you to Sunny Cycles. Best bike shop I've been to by a mile.
A promising start Matt! Keep it up - we're with you all the way- Dad.
ReplyDelete