While working on the SRAD project I hit a bit of an impass while waiting for parts. For safety’s sake I decided to remount the tank rather than leaving it on the floor, even though I didn’t have the pump and probably won’t get it for a week or so. I strongly suspect the ebay seller I purchased it from is not in the London that we all know but the lesser known one just outside of Beijing. It upsets me when you buy something that promises to be UK stock and then when you checkout you get given a delivery date of over a week out.
Look, enough of that, I’m just upsetting myself. My mood wasn’t lifted any when I decided that the safest way to ensure I didn’t scratch the tail piece while fitting the tank was to remove it. It was when I looked up underneath the tail that my heart sank. Somebody had done some serious butchery in there and completely mullered the pillion seat support frame. They had taken an angle grinder to the luggage strap loops and half gone through the frame – an instant MoT fail. No way would I let a bike go out like that, it will probably be used as a track bike but then people often go to the track with a mate / wife / girlfriend / prostitute so I am not willing to take the risk.
Fortunately I found one on ebay for a measly £25 and it had the plastic undertray, which is a massive bonus as whoever hacked the frame also hacked the undertray.
All I have to do now is find a tail light and indicators – I think I have a tail light in my stash, I know I have indicators. The relay is still fitted as the noddy light on the dash flashes if I flick the switch, so that’s nice.
Turns out the rear light I thought I had wasn’t the right one so I will need to order one of them at some point. They are quite plentiful so not dear, I will see to it forthwith.
I shall now put this one away as I am waiting for jets, fuel pump, undertray, rear support, rear light and number plate bracket. While it’s going to be mainly a track day thing I figure whoever buys it may want to actually ride it to the track so I will do all that needs to be done and put an MoT on it.
I don’t think it would be much fun as a road bike, I sat on it and the rear sets make the riding position very cramped, even for 5 foot 8 Dave.
Oh, I have to sort the leaky forks too – they are not peeing out but I would certainly say they would be an MoT failure. Talking of fork seals, I see that some people that sell them also sell a tool to clean out any dust or detritus trapped between the seal and the chrome stanchion. They claim that often seals are changed when they are ok but the trapped particles stop the seals from sealing properly. I might give it a go and see what happens – there is nothing to lose. If it doesn’t sort it I will replace the seals anyway, it’s not a massive job – maybe an hour each side or so.
I need to give everything else a good looking over, given the job that has been done on the rear end I can’t trust anything so I need to check every nut and bolt, God alone knows what I might find.
Just a quick note for anybody following the saga with the Honda 650 Vigor – it is now running about 3 ¼ turns out on the idle, a 175 main jet and a 55 idle jet – the standard ones being 165 and 50 respectively. It starts and runs so much better and the exhausts don’t glow any more, which is a bonus. I need to give it a bit more of a trial but it is so much better than it was, the off road test I have given it shows a transformed bike, much easier to ride, smoother transition from idle to open throttle and it doesn’t spit when the throttle is eased off either. Some further refinement may be required but it is very, very close to perfect.
It’s been very slow recently in terms of sales so nothing new has come in, I am starting anew project for Scottie and Ian though in the form of an interestingly modified Honda C90 Cub. I won’t go in to much detail here as it will be a separate project but hopefully it will be one with wide appeal.
Article provided by David Powell of Boston Bike Bits.
