Inconsequential ramblings of an Old Git

[Yorick]

But only a 250... Did you get the choice of colour scheme? Mine was one of the first batch in the country and basically you got what arrived at the dealers (after a nine month wait from paying the deposit). I think at the time I would have preferred the white/red one but it wasn't a deal breaker.

I had a black 350.

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[mangocrazy]

That's had some 'field' modifications...

[Yorick]

That's had some 'field' modifications...

I liked to use all of Cadwell Park's facilities.

[mangocrazy]

For the first time in longer than I can remember I've managed to get out on the bike(s) for 7 days consecutively, aided in no small measure by the fine weather we've experienced recently. One thing it has proved is that I'm really not bike fit any more. This needs to change. So...

Sunday 30th May - KTM Duke (with Mrs Mango) - Castleton, Hope and surrounding areas
Monday 31st May - KTM Duke (with Mrs Mango) - Carsington Water and surrounding areas
Tuesday 1st June - KTM Duke (solo) - Sheffield to Stafford and then to Halesowen and back to Stafford
Wednesday 2nd June - Aprilia Falco (solo) - Stafford to Sheffield via Ashbourne and Bakewell
Thursday 3rd June - Yamaha RD350LC (solo) - Sheffield to Bawtry and back
Friday 4th June - Yamaha RD350LC (solo) - Hathersage, Ladybower Reservoir and Strines
Saturday 5th June - Aprilia Falco (with Mrs Mango) - Ashford in the Water, Tideswell and Baslow

In the course of 7 days I've discovered a number of excellent biking roads and now understand what it means to be retired.

Top banana

The trip to Halesowen (one of the more unlikely destinations for a bike ride, I grant you) was to visit John and Nick at Revs suspension. They gave the KTM the once over in an attempt to discover why the suspension feels less compliant than I'd like. The first step they took was to loosen off the front wheel spindle pinch bolts and vigourously bounce the front end up and down on the brakes before retightening, to ensure that both fork legs were operating completely parallel. I could definitely feel the improvement on a short test ride after that.

Then they turned their attention to the rear suspension and it quickly became apparent that the harshness I was feeling was down to the spring using up most of its travel with just my weight on the bike. As soon as any serious bumps were encountered I'd use up all the remaining travel and start hitting the bump stop. It isn't possible to adjust spring preload without removing the shock (thanks, KTM) so that will have to wait, but at least I now have a direction to pursue.

The LC now has about 150 running-in miles under its belt and has been razzed away from traffic lights through the gears enough times, so it's ready to go on Dave Whattam's dyno for proper carburation setup (when he has a spare slot, of course).

And the Falco once again impressed me with the way it handles, goes and steers, but it's now becoming obvious that the riding position needs altering to cope with my ageing bones and muscles. I don't want 'sit up and beg' but something closer to the Duke's riding position would be very welcome. So I'm on the look out for a damaged (but not terminally so) top fairing that I won't feel too guilty about attacking with a hacksaw to give me the necessary bar clearance (Clarence). This is almost certain to turn into A Project.

You have been warned.

[Scuffmark]

I likes a project especially a project with pictures

Not seen John at Revs for many years, great fella.

[mangocrazy]

Yeah, I really like John. He tells you exactly what he thinks and he's straight down the line. Really knows his stuff, as well.

Pictures wil be provided.

I've already sent off for a pair of these:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32970646020.html

That will lift the bars 30mm, and the supplied bars will be thrown away and replaced with some that will be positioned further back and up and will look something like this:

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This allows me to rotate the bars in an arc to find their optimum position, and also bring the bars inboard to a degree so that the bits that are liable to bash the fairing/screen (such as brake/clutch reservoirs) can be moved out of the way. At least, that's the plan.

[Supermofo]

One thing it has proved is that I'm really not bike fit any more

This. I've just not ridden enough and my body is telling me that. Having said that I wasn't too bad on the Southwold ride which was about 5.30hrs of riding. At the very end I did find my self shifting my arse off the seat and the final A10 stretch was spent sitting on the rear seat just to move the weight about a bit, it wasn't very comfy!

[mangocrazy]

Back in the 1990s I was riding pretty much every day during the week, as I had a 45 mile each way commute to work through dense traffic and the bike was the only way to make sense of it. Then at the weekend I'd be out on the bike with my mates.Then I moved up to Sheffield (away from mates) to a job which was either 20 minutes drive or 25 minutes walk depending on which site I attended, so hardly ever used the bike to commute. So it's time to reverse the trend and start using the bike as much as I reasonably can, I think.

I'd say that 5 and half hours of riding is pretty solid. I wouldn't beat yourself up about a few twinges after that time in the saddle...

[mangocrazy]

I suppose I ought to reintroduce myself after the length of time I've been away. Stuff kicked off in my private life immediately prior to the Pembrey track day in August (that I missed) and has continued kicking off to a greater or lesser extent until recently. But things are back on a more even keel now, so it's time to return my attentions to two-wheeled matters. And this forum, of course.

It's been nearly six months since I've updated this thread and really given much thought to mucking about with bikes, but I've recently recommenced work on making the Falco a more comfortable place to inhabit by altering the bar position. But first, here's a pic of the current throttle side setup (already non-standard).

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The bar clamps will have a 30mm rise over the current clamps and the bars will have an extra 75-80mm offset from the current ones, so the bar position will be roughly 100mm/four inches higher and further back than at present, which is a substantial difference. Go large or go home is my motto...

I did the first trial fit of the new fork/bar clamps and handlebars yesterday, and it's become immediately apparent that surgery of the upper fairing will be required, Thankfully I've managed to acquire a pre-damaged top fairing that I won't feel as guilty about butchering. I got it from a mate after he'd had an off on his Falco on a track day a while back. The fairing is pretty well abraded and scratched on one side but is definitely repairable.

I will also need a replacement screen, as I have no intention to hack my exceedingly rare Puig screen about. As far as I can tell the fairing (and screen) will need cutting forward of the rearmost fairing to screen fastener point - that's at least 4 or 5 inches of the trailing edge of the side part(s) of the top fairing that will need to go. So most of what you can see in the photo of the upper fairing will have to go. I've also ordered a set of Gen 2 Tuono throttle cables from AP Workshops and will be in contact with Venhill shortly to get them to make me an extended choke/fast idle cable.

I'll also need a longer braided hose for the brake lines, but will use John at Hel Mobile for that. I can send him the current one and just ask for the same but 100mm longer on the top section. The clutch line is a funny one. Due to the way it's routed I think I may well be able to get away with using the current one. If not it's a fairly simple task to get a longer one ordered up.

So (at long last) progress is being made. Pictures when I actually have something to show...

[weeksy]

Welcome back fella. Nice to see you. Anything we can do to help, just shout

[mangocrazy]

Cheers Steve. Things are cool now and have been for a while, so I thought I ought to show my face. What's been happenin' ?

[weeksy]

I bought a KTM 690 Duke.

It used to be a boat anchor

I sent it back

I bought a brand new mt07

Dodgy knees bought an mt09

A Frenchie won MotoGP, some bloke won wsb, it wasn't Johnny Rea who's the best wsb racer in history though.

[Skub]

Nice pussy.

And welcome back dude.

[mangocrazy]

I bought a KTM 690 Duke.

It used to be a boat anchor

I sent it back

I'm surprised it even got through the doors of Chateau Weeks...

I bought a brand new mt07

Good move. If I didn't have a Duke I'd be looking closely at one of them

Dodgy knees bought an mt09

Nice. An MT09 SP could possibly be on my radar if a) it wasn't so damn fugly and b) it had even a trace of wind protection. The rest of the package is spot on.

A Frenchie won MotoGP, some bloke won wsb, it wasn't Johnny Rea who's the best wsb racer in history though.

Yeah, was aware of those. Next year I think Pecco will be unstoppable. And that Turkish fella is a bit spicy.

[weeksy]

Fromage Grande bought a GSXS750 ! the man who only rides old shitters !!!! He loves it... but he's not keeping it... lol.

[Horse]

He loves it... but he's not keeping it... lol.

Now come on, you're talking about not keeping bikes?

[Supermofo]

Fromage Grande bought a GSXS750 ! the man who only rides old shitters !!!! He loves it... but he's not keeping it... lol.

He's gonna sell it and then buy another in 2035 with 70k miles on it and a crust of age. It'll be perfect

[Supermofo]

Good to see you back Mango, wondered where you'd gone.

[mangocrazy]

Good to see you back Mango, wondered where you'd gone.

Thanks. Combination of things really. Been busy with other stuff, buggered off to the moneypit in France for a month or so (little or no Internet available), just generally dropped off social media/forums but now the weather's getting cold I quite like sitting in front of my PC and talking/writing shite...

[mangocrazy]

It's now the turn of the VFR to receive some winter-bothering. This spends most of its time in my garage in France, waiting patiently for us to visit. Over the last couple of years it's had to be very patient indeed...

The last major work I did on it was probably about 5 or 6 years ago and involved replacing the OE steel exhaust system with a Motad stainless replica that I'd bought about 5 years previously (possibly longer). The job was a royal PITA, as anyone who has ever had to work on a VFR's exhaust will attest. Getting the old zorst off used up my (extensive) vocabulary of profanity and fitting the new one was only marginally easier. And after all that, the collector box didn't fit correctly, sticking out too far rearwards. This had the knock on effect of making it impossible to re-fit the centre stand, and also meant that the scope for pushing the rear wheel forwards when unhooking the chain (prior to wheel removal) was compromised due to lack of clearance (Clarence) to the collector box.

So all in all, a bit of a fuck-up.

I'm determined to fix this issue, but on closer examination it rather looks like the Motad pipework is at fault - the really complicated, hard to get at bit that serves the rear LH cylinder, to be precise. And in the time between me buying the system and discovering the problem, Motad have very inconsiderately gone bust, so no recourse there.

Anyway, there have already been too many words with no photos, so here's one of a VFR in a state of undress mounted on an Abba Skylift in the stoppie position:

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As you will notice the rear wheel, shock, tank, seat, subframe and all bodywork has had to come off and are in various locations dotted about the house. All that lot had to come off to give decent access to the rear headers. Here's a view from the rear of the bike of access to them (heat shield plate removed).

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The problem seems to be that the rear LH header outlet is substantially further back than the RH side. No matter how I move them prior to tightening up, there is always a mis-match. The following photos will hopefully make this clear:

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