Chch Wednesday Night Cruises 2009-10

[maxf]

Attached a pic of where I think I need to go in the engine. Not familiar territory!

Yeah, that'd be about it - 2 part crankcase/tranny case, you want it upside down to get the bottom half off with as little disturbed as possible/practical (eg leave head & pistons in - with oil WELL drained - and probably generator & clutch out as they'll either span or cover items that span the split-line.... Once you can get to that shaft, it's dismantle as described (Pullers?) and replace bearing (might need a press and/or heating the bearing - old saucepan on a camping-gas stove could do) then replace all seals just in case & reassemble. Not trivial but if you can allow a good few nights to take your time and triple-check everything you might surprise yourself!

[AaronB6222]

hay people. im new to christchurch and am very keen to come along. are these rides still on currently?? i own a rg150. dont laugh lol its a great bike. im reasonably expereinced but want to get better. looking at a rs250 or gsxr600. could someone possibly email me that owns a similiar sized bike that i could meet up with prior to this? AaronB6222@hotmail.com
cheers
Aaron

[Peeteey]

Yeah, that'd be about it ... Not trivial but if you can allow a good few nights to take your time and triple-check everything you might surprise yourself!

Thanks for the vote of confidence but that's not something I want to tackle by myself, plus I don't have ... well, pretty much any tools, so I think I'd rather just save up and let Kevin do it.
Kevin Giles (KG Motorcycles), brilliant mechanic, nice guy, doesn't charge the earth and if there's a part he can't get or is expensive, he'll just make it from scratch!
Been going to him for ages now, top bloke.

Is it sacrilegious saying that with other brilliant mechanics in the group?

[Shadows]

hay people. im new to christchurch and am very keen to come along. are these rides still on currently?? i own a rg150. dont laugh lol its a great bike. im reasonably expereinced but want to get better. looking at a rs250 or gsxr600. could someone possibly email me that owns a similiar sized bike that i could meet up with prior to this? AaronB6222@hotmail.com
cheers
Aaron

Don't stress on it, you won't get left behind and you probably won't be the only one riding a small 2 stroke either. Just rock on up.

[Spuds1234]

It'll be a while, if at all, 'cause it has no REG (on hold), WOF or insurance

Plus, it may have a bearing going on the front sprocket shaft bit. I was quoted about $600-ish to fix as it's an engine pull and a case crack.

Mines in the same boat as you. No reg, no WOF etc.

Execpt mines going into the shop today to get the engine and suspension completely redone. And I think that if I talk really nice to them they will perhaps take everything off the frame for me so I can get it repainted. Then after I've paid for all that and have a wee bit more dosh, I'll get all the fairings welded back together and get all the plastics repainted.

I also have a set of original 4 into 2 exhausts to go on and the center stand. Should hopefully be all done by November.

[Peeteey]

Mines in the same boat as you. No reg, no WOF etc.

Execpt mines going into the shop today to get the engine and suspension completely redone. And I think that if I talk really nice to them they will perhaps take everything off the frame for me so I can get it repainted. Then after I've paid for all that and have a wee bit more dosh, I'll get all the fairings welded back together and get all the plastics repainted.

I also have a set of original 4 into 2 exhausts to go on and the center stand. Should hopefully be all done by November.

You lucky lucky bugger! Another thing I've been wanting to track down is a centre stand. Mine's got the 4 into 1 exhaust, dunno if one'll fit, looks like it should ...

Don't talk to me about plastics, I've had to get mine done, in the exact same spot, three times! Bloody expensive but I didn't have to pay for any of them thankfully.

Look forward to seeing the end result

[Spuds1234]

You lucky lucky bugger! Another thing I've been wanting to track down is a centre stand. Mine's got the 4 into 1 exhaust, dunno if one'll fit, looks like it should ...

Don't talk to me about plastics, I've had to get mine done, in the exact same spot, three times! Bloody expensive but I didn't have to pay for any of them thankfully.

Look forward to seeing the end result

I picked up the 4 into 2 and the center stand for $150 on trademe. A steal I reckon as Ive seen a center stand go for $60 before.

Im guessing that you had to get your side panels done? Both of mine are cracked. The front fairing is in one piece except for the fairing surround behind the speedo.

The engine in mine has done 110000km's and needs a new 2nd gear as the dogs are worn, it also burns more oil than petrol. I do hear rumors of getting the gears modified so that they push together rather than apart when the power is applied which sounds a heck of a lot better than what I get at the moment (an unusable 2nd gear).

The bike handles a bit like I'd imagine a fridge freezer would if it went around a corner at speed with both doors open and me inside it. I got the bike when it had around 75000km's on the clock. So I guess Ive done 30000kms on it and neither me nor the previous owner ever touched the suspension. So those will be looked at.

I'll also have to mention the loose connection in the wiring loom up near the head stock that causes the speedo lights to go out going around a left hand bend (sometimes they come back on sometimes they dont and require a bit of fettling to get them to come on).

The only thing that Im worried about is how easy it will be to get decals. Its easy enough for the printers to make the red Suzuki lettering down the tank and other block stuff but a panel beater I spoke so said they couldn't do the katana symbol that goes on the side panel.

She'll be a gorgeous bike when she's done. One I'll happily polish every weekend and ride only occasionally and keep away for the kids (heaven forbid) to look at and ogle over the same way I do to my Dads Laverda.

Also if you ever need a look at a katana manual, I have a hard copy that is much easier to read than the blurry pdf copy floating around the net.

[imdying]

Kevin Giles (KG Motorcycles), brilliant mechanic, nice guy, doesn't charge the earth and if there's a part he can't get or is expensive, he'll just make it from scratch!
Been going to him for ages now, top bloke.

Go have a look at the big bore GB thread, see how that guy likes him

i own a rg150. dont laugh lol its a great bike.

Nobody will laugh, a bikes a bike

[sammcj]

Kevin Giles (KG Motorcycles), brilliant mechanic, nice guy, doesn't charge the earth and if there's a part he can't get or is expensive, he'll just make it from scratch!
Been going to him for ages now, top bloke.

Don't want to turn this into a flame war but...

He did a lot of work on my old GB, he bored it out to 600cc and managed to pretty much stuff it right up, I had it back to him more than 20 times and he kept forgetting leaving brackets loose, cables unattached, clamps untightened, cables melted, I don't think he replaced the head gasket and it was leaking oil everywhere - when I took it back he managed to snap a headbolt and insist on charging me for drilling it out, the new bolt AND the replacement gasket! - it seemd to keep coming back to me with more problems than resolutions each time, he kept making excuses like 'oh it's a big single it'll do this and that' etc...

I finaly got sick of taking it to him, He kept saying it'd be done by the end of the day then getting it back days later unfixed, I took it to Honda Country in Ashburton by reccomendation, turns out he was running it so lean it was completely off the chart, we were all gobsmacked - they said 'i hope you babied it over to us' and I had been riding it hard for the past months as Kev said it was 100% fine and was running like it should, but it ended up only putting out the same power as it was as a 500.

He also managed to:
-Put a few scratches on the paint here and there
-Break some cooling fins off the engine and not fix them
-Metled the clutch cable against the engine, he did replace it but left black rubbish on the engine
-One time after picking it up from him my indicators wern't working properly, turned out some wires around the headlamp (he would have probably checked when looking for electrical faults) were cut and arking against the frame, he told me he noticed they were going to fast and he check and found that one of the bulbs was the wrong wattage... I checked later and they wern't.
-He drilled out the Jet in the carb rather than replacing it, then didn't scratch off the measurement on the side which really threw us when I took it elseware.

He was a very nice guy, and I don't for a second think he did anything on purpose but he clearly overlooked things many many times and did not take care.

I am still very angry with the situation epecially since I had been recomended him by a few good people (And warned off him by a few others), obviously he's good with some bikes but as I said, I had nothing but problems.
OK My Rant Is Over, I just don't want this to happen to anyone else, it was a big waste of time, money and bike.
Sorry guys.

hay people. im new to christchurch and am very keen to come along. are these rides still on currently?? i own a rg150. dont laugh lol its a great bike. im reasonably expereinced but want to get better. looking at a rs250 or gsxr600. could someone possibly email me that owns a similiar sized bike that i could meet up with prior to this? AaronB6222@hotmail.com
cheers
Aaron

I've only been on two rides so far, but have throughly enjoyed them, good bikes, good rides, good people!

[brp]

Cheeerz Helen - yeah sounds like a plan

Cracker nite , enjoyed the Gretta Valley pub, never been there before, hats off to the quick friendly barmaid.

RG150 ? They haul better than most 300 cc four strokes - see you Wednesday Aaron.

[Flip]

hay people. im new to christchurch and am very keen to come along. are these rides still on currently?? i own a rg150. dont laugh lol its a great bike. im reasonably expereinced but want to get better. looking at a rs250 or gsxr600. could someone possibly email me that owns a similiar sized bike that i could meet up with prior to this? AaronB6222@hotmail.com
cheers
Aaron

You will keep up no problems at all, the group tends to string out a bit. There are all sorts of bikes and all kinds of riders on the WNR.

Oh and welcome.

[McWild]

hay people. im new to christchurch and am very keen to come along. are these rides still on currently?? i own a rg150. dont laugh lol its a great bike. im reasonably expereinced but want to get better. looking at a rs250 or gsxr600. could someone possibly email me that owns a similiar sized bike that i could meet up with prior to this? AaronB6222@hotmail.com
cheers
Aaron

YEAH RG150!

Man don't sweat it you have an awesome bike. Sending you an email right after I type this.

[JMemonic]

YEAH RG150!

Man don't sweat it you have an awesome bike. Sending you an email right after I type this.

Calm down tiger, yes its another two smoker but just relax and remember to breath.

[Flip]

Calm down tiger, yes its another two smoker but just relax and remember to breath.

Old Red, he does get excited, doesn't he?

[EJK]

YEAH RG150!

Man don't sweat it you have an awesome bike. Sending you an email right after I type this.

Looks like a fish just found a pond