Suzuki A100 - The Journey

[StoneChucker]

This morning was the big day. I started work at 10am so I had time to do the necessary before then. Today was the day I had the "new" A100 WOF'd and Rego'd. I went to bed last night actually looking forward to riding the 2 stroke to work! Strange how a new bike takes all the attention for the first couple of days/weeks??

Bike started first time out the garage, and I left it idling while I kitted up. When I returned I saw the SENS was working well (Suzuki Engine Notification System) as there was a nice smokey haze surrounding the bike It did cut out briefly (explanation to follow) but started again fine and I took off. This is where I felt the new feeling of not knowing whether my bike would make it to it's destination About 500m to 800m from the petrol station near my house the engine died, with a rather unspectacular put put and then nothing. I realised pretty quickly that I'd simply run out of gas (hence it cutting out earlier). Pushed it to the Servo and filled up. By this time I was pretty hot (bike gear is not designed to push your bike in).

Set off and no further worries at all. Got to VTNZ Upper Hutt and found the testing guy used to own an A100. He did a check, and it passed easily - not a single point of concern Got the rego done and set off for Welly. The brakes on this bike are far from perfect, but this forces you to brake how you're technically supposed to, by using BOTH brakes, not just the front. People comment that the handling is shocking too, and I guess I can't argue but I quite like the new sensation of how it tips into corners, and the SUPER bouncy suspension. I can't wait to get it on a track and tip it further

The testing guy was right, they are great commuters. It has no trouble in city traffic and not much trouble on the motorway. I can get it up to an indicated 108km/h (yes, seriously) by crouching down on the tank. With a half crouch it cruises at 95 ish and if I sit upright it sits at 80 - 90km/h. I thought at first the mirrors were really crap, but have since found they have great visibility when you're in the crouched position Obviously whoever designed this bike had great forsight! Overtaking is pretty easy, but it requires a little planning. I was overtaking a couple of cars with no trouble.

I've just got used to the different gear shifting (4 down, neutral at the TOP) but I stalled once by accidentally having it in 4th when I was expecting first One gripe I have with it is the indicator switch. It's on the opposite side to the R1 and the switch is very simple. You have to visually check it's off after use, as it's got no centre push to cancel.

Something that is rather unusual is the response from joe Public. The testing guy and his mate were pretty interested in the bike, and some random guy in a truck on Victoria Street commented on how "nice" the bike was. Said something about it being cheap to run too. Never got any comments while riding in traffic on the R1

So, in summation, I feel I now have some taste of what it used to be like to be a "biker". The not knowing for SURE if you bike would make it from A - B, the senses which are stimulated (sound and feel) on the bike. The having to let it warm up more than newer bikes to obtain maximum performance. The engine noises (each part going through the motions). There's also the fact that while certainly bad for you, the smell the two-stroke produces is rather nice. When you do work/maintanance on the bike, no matter how minor, you come away with dirty/greasy hands and a sense of having achieved something, like the times when men were men and worked as such . And finally, the feeling that it's not the END of the world if you drop it (coming out the garage, on the road, wheverever). If it falls, meh , pick it up, spit and shine the exhaust and carry on as normal (No, I didn't fall off, just saying what I would do).

I can definitely see myself having a vintage bike of some sort in the garage with whatever new bike I happen to have at the time.
Just gotta get to the end of today, and I get to ride it home again.

Cheers.
Dave.

[White trash]

Good story Stoney.

When do you want to have an A100 Vs CG125 battle?

[Skunk]

Never got any comments while riding in traffic on the R1

There's a reason for that...

I can definitely see myself having a vintage bike of some sort in the garage with whatever new bike I happen to have at the time

If ya keep the R1 long enough it'll be vintage...

Good on ya Stoney, we'll compare notes next week eh?

[Hitcher]

I'm hesitant, nay afraid, to ask...

[StoneChucker]

Hitcher: hehehe, you mean what happened to the R1? Nothing Still got it. I got this as a bucket racer and just so happen to need it road registered to get to the meetings

UPDATE:
I forgot to mention, it runs pretty darn good after it warms up COMPLETELY. Takes about 5 minutes of good riding by my books. Got it to 110 km/h indicated on the way home. I was seriously impressed! It closely resembles a space shuttle on re-entry at anything after 102 km/h ish, in terms of shaking and me wondering if I'm going to make it or burn up in a glorius ball of burning metal trying

[riffer]

Ah what a good read. You've taken me back to when I was 17, had just started work at Government Printing Office in Wellington, and I used to ride every day to work between Holborn Drive in Stokes Valley and Mulgrave Street in Welly on my 3-year-old GP125.

It had 6 gears, and it was actually faster in 5th as it couldn't get past about 7,000 in top.

Like you, I had to lean on the tank to keep up to speed, and I could just get about 120 out of it.

Of course, I weighed 75 kgs back then...

Nice writeup Dave.

[Racey Rider]

It closely resembles a space shuttle on re-entry at anything after 102 km/h ish, in terms of shaking ....

Just squeeze tighter with the legs to make sure everything stays together!
Welcome to Our world.
Two/ers United

[F5 Dave]

I was pretty convinced GP125 only had 5 gears?

Back to the A100 (used to have an A50T the trail version, haha) Forget warming it up. 10 seconds on choke then just riding it gently, it's not a precise tight bit of machinery. Leaving a 2 stroke idling for that long is likely just to oil up the pipe meannig it takes a while to clear out.

[Paul in NZ]

Looked very stylish this morning in Tory st Dave!

[Ixion]

I was pretty convinced GP125 only had 5 gears?

Back to the A100 (used to have an A50T the trail version, haha) Forget warming it up. 10 seconds on choke then just riding it gently, it's not a precise tight bit of machinery. Leaving a 2 stroke idling for that long is likely just to oil up the pipe meannig it takes a while to clear out.

Yeah, there ain't really anything IN a two smoker TO warm up. Except maybe the carby itself. 4 stroke syou're warming them up to get the oil thinned out and ciculating. No oil in a 2 stroke, cept what comes in new each time.

Once it's firing cleanly ringa ding ding it.

[Pwalo]

Ah yes, the joys of small two strokes. 16 years old, sixth form, Suzuki T125,commute from J'ville to Wgtn Coll. Fantastic fun riding with my mate on his SL125.

The old Suzuki was surprisingly quick, being a twin. I also think it helped weighing 60kg on a good day as well.

And there's nothing like the smell of two stroke oil on a cold winter's morning. Sh*& I'm getting old.

[F5 Dave]

Now a decent watercooled 2 stroke you'd want to ride very gently for a while or it could cold seize. But on an A100 chances are unlikely the piston would ever get close enough to the bore.

[StoneChucker]

Cheers, but something warms up... Sounds like crap for the first couple of minutes then is pretty darn good after that.

You'll never friggen guess what!!! The thing wheelies! Well, the front wheel comes off the ground by giving a good tug and accelerating hard in first. Probably only due to the suspension rocking action though

Been doing some pretty cool rear wheel skids, which I'd never try on the other bike

[merv]

Here's a pic of my A100 back over 32 years ago. The motor on the later one is probably the same and the best technique I found to avoid plug fouling was fire it up, ride off and basically screw it hard not worrying about warm up. If you gingered those things along and then screwed it then the misfiring would start and you would end up pulling the plug out to clean it. I sold mine with getting on to 20,000 miles (30K) on the clock and it was still in good nick and the motor never needed any work.

[Ixion]

Cheers, but something warms up... Sounds like crap for the first couple of minutes then is pretty darn good after that.

..:

that's cos air cooled two smokers have a very large piston to bore clearance when cold. Alloy piston expands a lot quicker than steel bore. So when dead cold the piston is rattling around a fair bit, which sounds ratty. Once tis warm the piston fits better in the bore . Once it's hot the piston fits REAL well. Ask Mr Pyrocam !

But don't need to 'take it easy" while cold like you do on a 4 stroke. Yowant to get that piston warmed up and expanded as soon as possible.