The Rabbit Rally, BMW Problems…

My R80 has died, seven years of fun, thousands of miles, always totally reliable, now dead.

So I was off to Sussex for the weekend, fully loaded for the TOMCC Rabit Rally, and my bike as usual was running great, down the M4, up the 329, down the M3, and around the M25, cruising at 65-70mph, nice and quiet, smooth, just a perfect little bimble, with a nice weekend camping, and a few beers to look forward to in Icklesham.

Stopped at clacket lane for a coffee, while my mate topped up the fuel on his Norton, and again my R80 was running great, turn off at junction 5, and head towards Hastings on the A21, where we got caught in heavy traffic at the big hill just before the by-pass, climbing up the hill and the bike coughs twice, backfires, and then dies. I pull to the side of the road, and park in a driveway halfway up the hill, and nothing, the bike will turn over, but no ignition, dead?

So I pull all the camping gear in the drizzle of a Friday morning, get out my tools and check through everything that is obvious…

I Changed the plugs, Nothing
Checked the coil for a short, Nothing,
shortened the plug leads, Nothing.
Dropped the float bowls and checked for water, Nothing.
Checked all the wiring connectors, Nothing.

Lastly I swapped out the ICU for a spare one I carry, and the bike started but ran rough?

So we thought we could head on and try to make the rally site, but alas I only made it about another mile before the bike was unrideable, the revs were jumping all over the place, and each cylinder was dropping in and out, the tacho was also jumping around erratically?

So while my mate rode on to the rally site, to get me collected with a trailer, I set to with checking the valve clearances etc, they were all fine, so I nailed it all back together?

I then spent all day Saturday stripping the bike, and cleaning every wiring connector, I also stripped and rebuilt the carbs, Nothing, still the same, it will fire right up, but as soon as you give it any revs it starts jumping about and misfiring like crazy, you can’t even pull away in first gear, it is that bad.?

So  Sunday, I phone the AA for collection and relay back home, Now here is a funny bit that may prove important? while waiting on the AA man, one of the Triumph riders asked if I could give his bike a jump start, sure no problem, so we connected up the leads, I started my bike and it was still jumping around erratically just like before, but the minute he touched his starter button in an effort to start his bike, my bike ran perfectly, as soon as he took his finger from his starter button it went back to missing and popping like before, and it did this same thing three more times just the same

so why would the extra load of his bike smooth out my bikes erratic running?

Oh the shame of it, heading to a rally on a trailer

Something New on the Horizon?…

I need to find a new (old) bike for the summer, my R80ST could really use a little down time, the push rod seals need doing again, the cam chain needs looking at, and I would like to have new valves fitted sometime soon. But as I only have a bike for personal transport no car, I am loathe to take it off the road right now.

R80ST at Caversham Bridge

Now due to unforseen circumstances, and losing my job, at the end of last year, I had to let my Guzzi Ambo go, which only left me with my Beemer on the road, so now I need to find another bike.  But I am fussy! I like my bikes to have a certain cool factor, I suppose this makes up for the fact that I myself have none.

So I put the word out, mentioned it to a few friends that I was looking for something old’ish, but something with character, and useable. Well one of my friends had just the bike, sitting unused in his workshop,  would I like to pop round and see it. Hell yes, was the reply to that question, and so I did, and sitting in the corner, covered in dust was a cool old 1977 Yamaha XS650, so I grabbed a quick (poor quality) picture on the phone and made arrangements to go back when it was convenient to pull the bike out for a better look.

77 Yamaha

Well that day was yesterday,

On pulling the bike from the shed, and parking on the side stand, I was a little concerned to see oil dripping from the left side exhaust joint where it is attached to the silencer, but this oil turned out to be an oil petrol mix!
So next I pulled the dip stick, and sure enough the motor was full of fuel and on checking, it seems to have been parked up with a fuel tap slightly open, and all the fuel had migrated south. No big deal really, so out with sump plug, out with the spark plugs, and a few minutes later, I had a nice clean flushed out motor

Next while the sump was draining, I fitted a new battery (supplied by the owner, Richard) cleaned and refitted the spark plugs, and then replaced the sump plug, and refilled with new semi synth oil (again, supplied by Richard) Ignition on, and two kicks later it was running like a watch, smoke everywhere as it burned off the oil residue in the exhaust and cylinders, but it sat there with a perfect tick over. all it needs now is a clutch cable, and a tacho cable, to be back on the road

XS650

So if all goes well, I should be picking it up in a week or two, just the right mixture of age and coolness for a summer bike. And my first ever Yamaha too.

All Quiet In The Shires…

I have been laid up now for three weeks, since my trip into hospital, so as such I have not done anything motorcycle related, which I find frustrating. The weather is what you expect this time of year, wet, windy, and getting cold. But mixed in with that are some real nice chilly sunny days, days like today when you would like to get out for a ride, and get some pictures of what remains of the autumn colours.

So, I have things to do on all three bikes when I feel better, and able to do it. my R80st has been with me now for five or six years, I forget which, but it was bought as a project back on an October day, and dragged back here in the back of my van.  Right now it needs a couple of pushrod seals changing, this will be the second time I have done these since the bike has been in my ownership. But I might wait to do this until the new year.

My R80st

BMW R80st

My Moto Guzzi Ambassador also needs a little work right now, and I shall put this one at the front of the que. I am waiting on a couple of parts to arrive right now,  one being a used cylinder head for the right hand side, as the one fitted has lost the exhaust threads, so the exhaust is glued in place! it has been working Ok, but it is a job that I have wanted to do for a while.  So I am debating on whether to do the valves and guides on both heads at the same time? I shall see when the replacement head gets here.

I also have some new springs on order to fit in the distributor, the small springs that go on the throw out weights, this should be a fun fiddly little job. I also want to change the front brake shoes, as they scream loudly when applied, working better than a horn, and surprising all around.

Moto Guzzi 750

And of course my Norton project.

I still have a long list of jobs to do on this bike, and a long list of parts to find also.  But I have the wheels sitting here with new tyres fitted, so as soon as I am able to go and get it from the metal basher, I should at last have it up on two wheels. I can then set to with fitting the motor, and gearbox, and maybe even getting it all wired up. While I look around for the other main parts I need to get it somewhere towards being finished. I do however have a fairly long list of parts that I now need to concentrate on finding.

Chain cases, clutch assembly, headlight, switches, mudguards, stays, magneto, dynamo, carburettor brakes, both front and back, Now this may not seem a lot, but there are some tricky parts to find in there.  I also have some smaller parts that need making up on the lathe, steering stops, plunger caps, etc. I also want to get my oil and petrol tanks in to be painted, I have thought long and hard over this one, as there are so many different styles of paint on these bikes that have been done over the years. But I have scoured the internet for ideas, and I think I will go for something like one of these…

Norton Paint

Norton Paint

The Rabbit Rally….

Boy was it HOT!

I have just returned from the Rother valley Triumph clubs Annual Rabbit Rally, and boy was it hot!,  great rally as per usual at the Robin Hood pub, in the little village of Icklesham, and did I mention it was hot? 30+ degrees, see I told you it was hot.

But what a great weekend, spending time with friends, and generally just chilling out. I had intended to take the Moto Guzzi Ambassador on this rally, but it again played up, I can’t believe I have had it nearly a year, and have not made one rally on it yet, this is a major disappointment to me, as people keep telling me what great bikes they are, but this one is pushing my patience. So I again took my trusty BMW R80st, although this played up on the way home with a mystery miss-fire on the electrical side, possibly caused by the heat affecting the trigger unit, or maybe a failing bean can?  we shall see what I find.

Cool of the Night

 

Triumph T120

 

Winnie

 

 

 

Out on a Sunday…

Sunday morning was upon me, so I thought what should I do with it? I know, I shall drag the Guzzi from its slumbers, and have a pootle about in the direction of the Barge, and maybe look into booking a few places for a camping weekend later in the year.

So I walked down to my lockup, and dragged the old girl out, she was a bit sluggish to start, the cold had got to the battery, but it did start. Next I had to find a garage as both tyres were pretty soft, so once that was sorted, and after a blast round the block, to make sure all was well, I headed out.

 

Out for Coffee

 

The first thing I needed to do though was find a roadside coffee hut, and grab a bacon roll and coffee, well that wasn’t to hard to sort out and I was soon getting on the outside of both…

while enjoying the coffee, a nice little Fiat 500 pulled up..

 

Fiat 500

 

 

Coffee and roll now done I once more headed out, to do my task for the day, and having done that I returned home to give the Guzzi and my R80 a good wash, to clear the lingering road salt that blows about at this time of the year…

 

Guzzi and Beemer

 

My Bikes

 

Once that was done, I adjusted up the gear linkage assembly on the Guzzi before dropping it back to the lockup.

I am so looking forward to warmer days…

BMW R80ST Trouble…

I took the ST out today on a coffee run, to blow the cobwebs out, but as I stood drinking my coffee I noticed a lot of oil over the back tyre and wheel, So it seems I have a leak, and I am not sure where from, I am hoping it is the brake cam shaft again, ( although I only changed the o-rings last year) so I am going to replace the shaft o-rings, and run it to see if it leaks again. something has let go though, as my rear tyre got covered but to be fair, my R80 has been Mr reliable, it just goes and goes.

R80ST Rear Wheel

So after getting it all cleaned up, and dropping by my local shop for some free o-rings, rubber grease, and borrowing some of their brake cleaner, I put it all
back together with fresh oil in the drive unit. It was then I found the cause of the problem, the filler breather on top of the bevel drive had corroded up inside, blocking the breather holes, so the bevel drive had got too hot and blew the oil out past the brake cam shaft o-rings. So I now have a new breather on order, and a spare set of o-rings.

Oil Leak