Aff-man and Gremlin pretend to be mechanics

[Gremlin]

On my way home in the early afternoon on Friday, I saw aff-man heading home as well. Deciding it was my turn to find out where he lived, I followed him home. After having yarning for a while (as you do), he decided that since I was there, I could help him work on his bike. He needed to bring the forks up through the clamps by 5 or so millimetres, to fix his handling.

Now, at this point, I might highlight our abilities. He reckoned he had done this before, but with professional help. Myself on the other hand, rated changing a set of brake pads and pulling a front wheel off (with some help from aff-man when things didn't go according to plan) as my greatest achievements. :wacko:

Looking at what we had to do, I thought popping it on a paddock stand would be the best... except he didn't have one. Luckily I do, so, with him bringing the sockets (don't have any), we journeyed to my house (2 min away)

While he was loosening all the bottom bolts, I was trying to think through the process (with my huuuuge knowledge) while probably asking stupid questions. He reckoned it was all sussed, and I agreed. All but a bolt on each side was loose, with the idea by slightly loosening one side, and the side we were working on a bit more, the bike would drop down. Trick was to do it just a little.

First we tried the right side. At first it wouldn't move. Then it moved. A lot. About 15mm. Panic. Dropped some more. More panic, but with fits of laughter (maybe only me) as we realised how bad it was getting. Dropped some more. :eek5: Now we were in trouble. With a bit of yelling, aff-man manages to tighten the bolt. Now we have at least 35mm showing. The paddock stand meant more weight over the front. First reaction was to reverse what we did, lightly loosen it, then I would yank on the top clamp, and the fork would drop out again (of course I don't have any kind of hoisting device either). It didn't. I was just lifting the front of the bike off the ground. :apumpin:

I reckon if aff-man stands on the wheel, I might be able to do it. We try, and I manage to raise the side back up again after a couple of heaves. Now we needed to get the left up as well, which had also dropped, but not as much. Problem was on the right side, I had the side stand to stop the bike going over. On the left, try as I might, it would not move.

We spent a bit of time scratching our heads and walking around the bike trying to figure out what to do. It was currently unridable, and we had to sort it out. We end up on the carport floor throwing out ideas. :spudwhat:

Eventually aff-man comes up with a cracker of an idea. I would hold the bike on the side stand and back wheel, with the front off the ground, while he - with a block of wood and hammer - would tap the fork down. It dropped too much, but then we put the bike down, and tapped on the clamp instead.

Eventually, and with much more refined movements, we had them properly adjusted, so for all you gung-ho chaps like us, all you need is:
- Wood
- Hammer
- Spanners to undo necessary bolts

Don't bother with a paddock stand, as it only chucks more weight over the front.

[Gremlin]

For the icing on the cake, when I had to move my bike a bit to position it, to put it on the paddock stand, I thought the side stand was down, and let it lean over.

Except it kept coming for me, all 210+kg. Panic sets in, I can't let go of the handlebars... I manage to basically arrest its fall as something touches the deck (I think it was the footpeg). :eek:

Not exactly in the best position bent over, I have to do something. It seems like neither aff-man or my brother are moving (my brother says afterwards, he was almost there).

Now thinking about it, to my amazement, I basically lifted the bike up one handed as the right handlebar doesn't offer much lift, and effortlessly too. My brother said he stood there stunned... :apumpin:

Adrenaline is an amazing thing... :2thumbsup

[kickingzebra]

You should be weightlifting with the best of them!! Impressive! More to the point, did it fix the handling???

[Gremlin]

More to the point, did it fix the handling???
Would have to ask him for more specific info... but I understand he went out for a ride today, and I texted him earlier this evening. The reply:


Went fine. Bike rides heaps better now... So with better handling I went a bit faster then normal and thus have absolutely shagged tyres Hahaha
I guess :killingme

[aff-man]

yes it did help... heaps...

The reason it didn't work as planned is that the fork on one side was "sticky" and was stuck to the top triple clamp... And so it didn't go gradually but went real fast ... Got it sussed...

Need I mention the work we did on your bike gremlin (after much begging if I remember)

[Gremlin]

Need I mention the work we did on your bike gremlin (after much begging if I remember)
I thought we were keeping that quiet, for reasons... guess not.

Yup, then aff-man helped me out telling me about preload, adjusted that a bit, have to see how it works, then I went where I had never gone before...

I wanted to adjust the throttle cable because it had heaps of play, but the grip end was already out as far as it could go, so we had to do it at the other end (hence the pleading, begging, getting him to go home to get a necessary tool, all for me :rolleyes: ). So it was off with the fuel tank and airbox...

and we couldn't wind it out any further either :doh: turns out the return cable is broken... hence the play, so thats for the mechanics to fix, and hopefully under warranty too.

but thank you to you too :not: and where the hell were you when I almost dropped the bike?? :weird:

[aff-man]

but thank you to you too :not: and where the hell were you when I almost dropped the bike?? :weird:

Laughing..... why?

[Gremlin]

geeeeee, thanks... and to think we decided to do it at my place, because of the possibility of dropping your bike. :corn:

all I can remember thinking is: I can't drop my bike

[FROSTY]

Just a silly question--You diddn't put a trolly jack or a car jack under the belly of the bike why??

[FROSTY]

ohh and --PSSSST --Champion stands do a stand for the center of the steering head--makes fork setups a piece of piss

[aff-man]

Just a silly question--You diddn't put a trolly jack or a car jack under the belly of the bike why??
Because my arrow system goes under the belly pan.. I.e. to do it that way we would have had to put the stand on the headers... and that is a big no no!.


ohh and --PSSSST --Champion stands do a stand for the center of the steering head--makes fork setups a piece of piss

I know and I want one.. but I don't have the dosh for one so this was th only way.... Well not the only way if we had a rafter we could have suspended the bike from it ... but we didn't.

[Gremlin]

Just a silly question--You diddn't put a trolly jack or a car jack under the belly of the bike why??
I know... tell me about it, you'd figure suzuki sportbikes would have centre stands wouldn't you?? It's not as if the lack of one would make them competitive :bleh:

I wanted to chuck a few bricks under it... but he didn't want to :pinch:

And we had heaps of fun trying to figure out how the hell to get out of the hole we dug ourselves... :weird:

[Ixion]

Well, you had more success than I did today. Tried to raise the forks legs on the BMW a bit. Just for a trial.

Easy enought to slacken the clamp Allen bolts (bloody tight they was, but). And the BMW has a centre stand. But could I move the fork stanchions in the clamps. Could I feck as like. Tried hammering, banging off the stand with the front brake on, everything I could think of, not a whit would they move.

Gave up, it will have to wait until I have the front wheel out and I'll pull them down one at a time, ease them with fine emery paper and replace. Even knocking them down may be tricky, the tops have delicate thready things that look easily damagable. Rod through the axle hole usually does it.

I was more successsful with Ratty though. I'm quite pleased with that.Noticed the other day that his zorst was looking rusty, the paint was wearing off. So I thought I'd fit the spare zorst I have , and give me a chance to take my time rust-stopping and VHT painting it.

So off with the old zorst on with the replacement (not new , just spare). No problems at all (other than one damn bolt that is nigh impossible to reach).

The replacement zorst is quite different to the original (the one I'm repainting - I don't know if it's original to the bike).

Original is two into one siamese, then direct into a OEM type muffler.

The replacement has a forrard expansion chamber then a single pipe to a slip on can.

Almost aborted the project when I discovered that the baffle in the can was totally rusted through and just rattling around in the can.

But I'm glad I didn't. The repalcement is louder than the original - quite a bit so. But it sounds good - not exactly like a BIG single, but like a small single trying to crack up it's a big single. Definately more authorative.

But it's no noiser at idle, or on the overrun at low revs, so i don't think it'll be a problem with cops or WoF. Just bellows a bit on full tit.

And best of all, it has made the bad flat spot I had on quarter throttle go away. I expected some effect on mixture at full throttle , though can't say I noticed it, but a blat round the block and down the motorway might not show it up. But I didn't expect the zorst to have such an effect (and a good one!) at small throttle openings.

The replacement is quite different ,as noted, to the original, but all the mounting points fitted. Including one at the back of the expansion chamber that didn't match to anything on the original, and I thought I would be unable to use - until I found the matching bolt hole on a bracket under the frame, clogged with dirt.

So I suspect maybe the replacement is the correct one and my "original" is a ringer.

All up only took half an hour - so that made up , both in time and in satisfaction, for the abortive effort on the BMW.

[Stopper Dan]

:lol: you crack me up...

[Vegan]

It always pleases me that I'm not the only one doing backyard repairs with a varied success rate :)

[Folcan]

For working on Forks I found a good solution

I took a strong rope and threw it around a bigish branch in a tree and basically hung the front of the bike out of the tree.. I had the front wheel off the ground and managed to do what I wanted to do

[Mental Trousers]

That made me laugh almost as much as Beyond riding a bike after taking laxatives.