Biker life as we knew it is over...

[McJim]

Group rides scare the crap out of me!

should come out for a ride with me then - we can argue about who rides at the very end!

[MIXONE]

should come out for a ride with me then - we can argue about who rides at the very end!

You are already riding at the end.
Well Invers is the end of the world isn't it?

[Big Dave]

I spent 10 years keeping my Tbird in showroom condition and hanging in the shed. Was enough.

Belt drive - tell me they are ghey to my face :-)

[Voltaire]

- There is this "metric system" that makes a 1/2 inch spanner 13 mill
- The back wheel is driven by a rubber belt. (Fuck me dead!!!)
- The petrol taps do not work when turned to "on". They need a vacuum from a bike that does not start because the petrol taps are not providing petrol as there is no vacuum as the motor is not running...
- You can't adjust the carbi. There is none...
- You cant take the tyre off and fix the tube, There is none...
- If you grease the cables they seize!

What have I missed?

Add here:

Check out the classic section...its yesterday there everyday.
No Ipod as I would not hear it over the engine ...as if I would ever want to.

[Ixion]

- There is this "metric system" that makes a 1/2 inch spanner 13 mill
..

No it's not! 1/2" Whitworth is about 0.820 across the flats , which is how metric spanners are measured. So that's about a 20mm spanner. 1/2" whit is a damn big bolt on a bike.

[breakaway]

When dealing with this electrickery one must take care as the smoke trapped inside the thing is what makes it work. Let it out, and you're done for.

[Voltaire]

No it's not! 1/2" Whitworth is about 0.820 across the flats , which is how metric spanners are measured. So that's about a 20mm spanner. 1/2" whit is a damn big bolt on a bike.

which reminds me....where do you get cycle thread taps and dies from?

Mine are old and some are missing...

[Ixion]

true. but the really important thing is not to become confused between imperial and metric smoke. Try to use metric smoke in imperial electrics and you'll blow them up for sure. Of course, with Eytalian bikes , metric electrics will blow themselves up frequently, with no input required at all. Just ask any Ducati owner.

[Ixion]

which reminds me....where do you get cycle thread taps and dies from?

Mine are old and some are missing...

Gaps! gaps are the devil. Cycle threa dis CEI. Discussed at present in this thread

[Mystic13]

What I hate on my "modern" bike is if i get a flat battery i can't push start the thing because the bloody electronics won't initialise and therefore no engine management system and no spark. FFS. Surely it would be easy enough to set the bike to start froma push start then have the battery charge.

There are a fair few stories on the BMW forum of said rider merrily riding along and then the bike cuts- out and dies (while riding). The bike batery is found to be dying and consequently the bike can't be re-started. I like the stories when people are running in heavy fast traffic in the outside lane.

This is a real backward step. I'd hate to be caught out in the middle of nowhere with a bike I can't push start.

[Conquiztador]

Yes, call me a old bastard. but I won't have a bike that I cant kick to start it. Got a NV 400 sorted for my oldest, and I did take her to SI for a ride. (see my Blog) Worked bloody well, but I was soo worried that I would get a problem with the battery/drain it, and then have to push the thingy.

A kick, a carbie, taps w/o any vacuum stuff, no "black boxes" and air cooling and I can fix the thing on side of the road.

[slofox]

Carefully setting the timing advance lever when starting to (try) and avoid the kickback...

Being very fussy with this usually served to lull one into a false sense of security so that when the bike did kick back visciously, one's foot was fully on the kickstarter and took the full brunt of it causing heavy bruising and resulting in a foot too sore to change gear. (right side gear lever)...

Yep - BTDT - got the shirt...

[slofox]

What I hate on my "modern" bike is if i get a flat battery i can't push start the thing because the bloody electronics won't initialise and therefore no engine management system and no spark.

With ya there Mystic - recently left the "parking lights" on by mistake..(what kinda pussy bike has PARKING LIGHTS???). Next morning the battery was dead and so was the bike. No ride until the friggin battery charged up. Lucky I own a battery chargererthingummy...

[Vern]

And who can forget the delights of kick starting a hot 500cc single. I love my all electric, all metric, FI bike.

Yeah specialy if you let the decompression lever off a bit soon.

[slofox]

One thing I do NOT miss is the Whitworth thread - coarse as hell and always prone to stripping...I lost count of the number of times I had to pull out a stud and replace cozza stripped thread. Gimme nice fine metric thread any day...