Khaos
Cafe Racer in Cardiff, Wales
Bike wouldn't start again this morning - no biggie, looks like a dead battery (HOPE it's a dead battery!). But the effort to get into the bike left me thinking about the effects previous owners leave on bikes - kind of like digging down layers, motorcycle archaeology.
As an example, my bike.
The bodywork lines up perfectly. The seat unit is held on by 7 bolts, all in stainless, all hex heads, all the same size. The only awkward one is the final one on the rear of the hump - where the bolt doesn't go into threaded metal on the frame, but through a hole in a specially made support frame and is held in place by a stainless nyloc 10mm nut. Well thought out, well executed - and you can see this all the way through the bike. When he wanted to do something, he thought about it first. Not always as practically as I'd have liked (ie the mirror that's directly over the throttle and monitors my right shoulder! legal for MOT? sure - Looks good? oh yes.. practical? nope!) but good quality work.
The previous owner's brother and dad made a few changes to the bike... and there's a bit of a horror story with the work. They've removed the airbox for pod filters and not jetted. Most of the airbox is in a carrier bag, but with enough little bits missing to stop me refitting. They've moved the battery under the hump, and it's a bit horrorshow under there. Wiring showing signs of rub, connections stretched to the max, you name it, it's been done. It's like night and day, the comparison between last owner and first owner (builder). Lack of giving a damn extends to the chain, which hasn't been adjusted. Swingy is showing signs of chain whip which will need to be addressed today as well. Seat's been off the bike a few times, and she's been left on concrete and dragged. Paint on the bottom edges of the seat has suffered.
She may well be living in front of the sofa for part of the winter while I try and sort the wiring out... For now, I'll get her running right, serviced and reliable. As long as herself can see Coronation Street over the seat I'll be fine.
My RXS100 is the same. I can tell what work was done by last owner - methodical as hell, and "factory right" - and by the one before (who had shares in Scottblocks). You can tell what was done by who.
I had a KH250 in the dim and distant. For some reason the right bolts to fit the bodywork weren't available at some point, and I found a lot of them had tin foil wrapped around them to make them "fit" the fixings. Everyone who owns a bike leaves a "layer" on it.
The thing that hit me today... what sort of a layer am I going to leave? Right now I'm too pissed off to really plan much with her, but I think I'm going to leave her better than I found her. I'll get the electrics back to tidy - and safe, do what's needed with adjustments and maintenance, and go from there. I hope I'll leave her a bit prettier too, once I get to the paint job.
As an example, my bike.
The bodywork lines up perfectly. The seat unit is held on by 7 bolts, all in stainless, all hex heads, all the same size. The only awkward one is the final one on the rear of the hump - where the bolt doesn't go into threaded metal on the frame, but through a hole in a specially made support frame and is held in place by a stainless nyloc 10mm nut. Well thought out, well executed - and you can see this all the way through the bike. When he wanted to do something, he thought about it first. Not always as practically as I'd have liked (ie the mirror that's directly over the throttle and monitors my right shoulder! legal for MOT? sure - Looks good? oh yes.. practical? nope!) but good quality work.
The previous owner's brother and dad made a few changes to the bike... and there's a bit of a horror story with the work. They've removed the airbox for pod filters and not jetted. Most of the airbox is in a carrier bag, but with enough little bits missing to stop me refitting. They've moved the battery under the hump, and it's a bit horrorshow under there. Wiring showing signs of rub, connections stretched to the max, you name it, it's been done. It's like night and day, the comparison between last owner and first owner (builder). Lack of giving a damn extends to the chain, which hasn't been adjusted. Swingy is showing signs of chain whip which will need to be addressed today as well. Seat's been off the bike a few times, and she's been left on concrete and dragged. Paint on the bottom edges of the seat has suffered.
She may well be living in front of the sofa for part of the winter while I try and sort the wiring out... For now, I'll get her running right, serviced and reliable. As long as herself can see Coronation Street over the seat I'll be fine.
My RXS100 is the same. I can tell what work was done by last owner - methodical as hell, and "factory right" - and by the one before (who had shares in Scottblocks). You can tell what was done by who.
I had a KH250 in the dim and distant. For some reason the right bolts to fit the bodywork weren't available at some point, and I found a lot of them had tin foil wrapped around them to make them "fit" the fixings. Everyone who owns a bike leaves a "layer" on it.
The thing that hit me today... what sort of a layer am I going to leave? Right now I'm too pissed off to really plan much with her, but I think I'm going to leave her better than I found her. I'll get the electrics back to tidy - and safe, do what's needed with adjustments and maintenance, and go from there. I hope I'll leave her a bit prettier too, once I get to the paint job.