Wednesday, July 24, 2013
new adjustable levers fitted
When I bought the VF, it had the OEM brake lever fitted and an aftermarket incorrect clutch lever fitted. I notice when I rode the machine for it's rego inspection the clutch seemed very heavy for a hydraulic unit. Turns out the clutch lever was the wrong type, and was a lot easier to operate with the proper Honda part. I had seen span adjustable clutch levers on late model bikes and began a search for one to fit my 29 year old Honda. I found a set of blue anodised ones on Ebay in the UK, obviously NOS but cheap so took a gamble they would both fit.
Yes, they did! The now adjustable clutch lever is much easier for me to modulate correctly with my stroke affected left hand-kind of important on a 100+ HP cycle!
UPDATE
My Brother Mick gave me an unwanted topbox & baseplate after he bought a BMW K1200GT and fitted a BMW topbox to it. The supplied bracket was toast, so I modified the Gearsack rack and bolted the topbox directly to it using ss fasteners. I cut the rack in a way the it can be easily refitted with a sleeve, should I have the need to be able to use the slip on bag again. As I always ride solo, there is enough space for my expandable tail pack on the seat and for my throw over soft panniers. At least I now have secure, waterproof storage on my budget tourer!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
NEW BOOTS FITTED!
Had a new set of Pirelli Demon Sports tyres fitted last Friday. The tyres that were on the VF were past half worn, the front BT45 was 'cupped' as well and made the steering feel very strange. It was also very old as evidenced by the tiny cracks in the tread area. The rear BT45 wasn't as old, I don't think but was worn flat in the centre from commuting.
The Pirelli's are a crossply design carcass to suit older sports bikes like my VF, and although I am yet to give them a thorough workout they feel soooo much better than the Bridgestones.
I've read where the Pirelli's don't last as long as the BT's but as I'm using the bike 'for fun' I'm more interested in grip than longevity. Also the fact the last bike I put new tyres on, the VT250, I crashed within 40km of them being fitted. They were IRC tyres and were touted as 'long lasting' for commuter bikes. They were cheap too....
The front Pirelli has a 'wavy' centre groove that is claimed to reduce tracking over lines, road grooves etc and that's good as the BT45's I had on my last big bike, a 2007 Yamaha TDM900 was badly affected by road surface irregularities that got progressively worse as the tyre wore down.
I'll post an update after next Saturday's rally ride with the Mac Towns Motorcycle Preservation Club.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
cleaned tacho before installation
And installed.
http://imageshack.us/scaled/medium/59/g65n.jpg
Tacho Fitted part two..
The most difficult part of the whole excersize for me was refitting the fairing assembly.
The rear section is held on each side by a metal tab on the fuel tank, and there are slots on both sides of the fairing at the front on the inside. The trick is that the front slots engage at the same time as the tank tabs, so one really needs four hands. After much cursing it finally went together. I did note there was a broken mount on the fairing's internal section where the left side joins with the front. There is no weight of stress on this part so I doubt it will be an issue. One has to remember with any removal or replacement of plastics that it is thirty years old and needs to be handled with due care!
The rear section is held on each side by a metal tab on the fuel tank, and there are slots on both sides of the fairing at the front on the inside. The trick is that the front slots engage at the same time as the tank tabs, so one really needs four hands. After much cursing it finally went together. I did note there was a broken mount on the fairing's internal section where the left side joins with the front. There is no weight of stress on this part so I doubt it will be an issue. One has to remember with any removal or replacement of plastics that it is thirty years old and needs to be handled with due care!
New Boots
Well, I wheeled the VF out of the shed the other day to finish fitting the Oxford tank bag and thought, is it just me or is this bike very hard to push around? I thought it was me, as I have lost a lot of physical strength in the last 18 months.
But no, the front tyre was nearly flat and the rear had 8 psi in it! The front air loss was due to a faulty valve extender, since removed. The rear was caused by a piece of staple penetrating the carcass, I have no idea how long its been in there for but since the rear tyre is 'squared off' and well past half worn, and the front is past half worn and is also showing cracking due to age I'm replacing them with a set of Pirelli Demons in the correct sizes of 120/80-16 and 140/80-17.
http://www.google.com.au/search?lr=lang_en&client=ms-optus-au&hl=en&site=imghp&tbs=lr%3Alang_1en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=980&bih=496&q=pirelli+demon+sport&oq=pirelli+demon&gs_l=img.1.1.0l2j0i24l3.897.5634.0.11275.13.6.0.1.1.0.271.271.2-1.1.0....0...1ac.1.19.img.KF5LRTS54ao
The bike is fitted with Bridgestone BT45's, that are a radial tyre though the bike was designed for cross ply rubber originally. I ran the BT45's on my last big bike, a 2007 TDM 900 and the front tyre on that bike wore badly just like this one has. The pressure was always correct, though I did make them work in the corners! I've read where radial tyres put a lot of extra stresses through the bike's chassis, which is fine for the newer machines designed for them, but not so much for the older ones, like my VF.
I've read many good things about the Pirelli's and many riders mention the high level of grip they posess which is important to me rather than outright longevity. Nobody wants to ride in straight lines eh!
But no, the front tyre was nearly flat and the rear had 8 psi in it! The front air loss was due to a faulty valve extender, since removed. The rear was caused by a piece of staple penetrating the carcass, I have no idea how long its been in there for but since the rear tyre is 'squared off' and well past half worn, and the front is past half worn and is also showing cracking due to age I'm replacing them with a set of Pirelli Demons in the correct sizes of 120/80-16 and 140/80-17.
http://www.google.com.au/search?lr=lang_en&client=ms-optus-au&hl=en&site=imghp&tbs=lr%3Alang_1en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=980&bih=496&q=pirelli+demon+sport&oq=pirelli+demon&gs_l=img.1.1.0l2j0i24l3.897.5634.0.11275.13.6.0.1.1.0.271.271.2-1.1.0....0...1ac.1.19.img.KF5LRTS54ao
The bike is fitted with Bridgestone BT45's, that are a radial tyre though the bike was designed for cross ply rubber originally. I ran the BT45's on my last big bike, a 2007 TDM 900 and the front tyre on that bike wore badly just like this one has. The pressure was always correct, though I did make them work in the corners! I've read where radial tyres put a lot of extra stresses through the bike's chassis, which is fine for the newer machines designed for them, but not so much for the older ones, like my VF.
I've read many good things about the Pirelli's and many riders mention the high level of grip they posess which is important to me rather than outright longevity. Nobody wants to ride in straight lines eh!
Tacho Fitted....
Well, I finally got my act together and fitted the '85 model tacho unit. I'm lucky that when I bought the used one the seller sent the whole assembly, and not just the tacho unit itself as there was some damage to the instrument housing that wasn't obvious until the fairing section was removed.
It looked as though a minor front end impact had forced a headlight mount bracket through the rear of the instrument housing, right where the tacho sits. I daresay that impact broke the indicator needle and the metal to metal contact finished off the electronic part of the tach.
While the front end was disassembled, I noticed why the trip meter and odometer wasn't working properly....both the mounting screws were missing! Luckily the used part I bought had some fitted.I cleaned up the replacement tacho face with some mild detergent and cotton buds, then gave it a coat of petroleum jelly and a final wipe down.
It looked as though a minor front end impact had forced a headlight mount bracket through the rear of the instrument housing, right where the tacho sits. I daresay that impact broke the indicator needle and the metal to metal contact finished off the electronic part of the tach.
While the front end was disassembled, I noticed why the trip meter and odometer wasn't working properly....both the mounting screws were missing! Luckily the used part I bought had some fitted.I cleaned up the replacement tacho face with some mild detergent and cotton buds, then gave it a coat of petroleum jelly and a final wipe down.
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