No more NBTs from me, well for now anyway..

[Taipan]

Please can someone explain 'spannies' for me? I've seen the word a lot recently but have absolutely no idea what they are. Obviously nothing to do with spanners, so ???????

Spannies are expansion champers. Aftermarket exhaust system specifically for tuning two strokes

[Noggin]

Please can someone explain 'spannies' for me? I've seen the word a lot recently but have absolutely no idea what they are. Obviously nothing to do with spanners, so ???????

Spannies are expansion champers. Aftermarket exhaust system specifically for tuning two strokes

Thank you

[Rockburner]

I'd argue a 550 Zephyr can be made into a good bike fairly easily tbh, but yes, there's not many bikes that will take being stood for years

I'm only going off my old zed (not one of the collectable ones) which was ruined after three years stood in a dry shed. Calipers were nearly dead, chain stiff and clunky, carbs almost irretrievable. And that's before tyres.
I just don't think it's worth it. It's like saving a Bandit.

I think it depends a lot on what you want from a bike, the Zephyr is a nice smooth IL4, but a small capacity (how many sub 600cc IL4s are there?), and a nice comfy seat and relaxed riding position. It's not a "focused" bike in anyway, which means it can be a good jack-of-all-trades. Given that they're not powerful, they're also surprisingly rewarding to ride quickly - there's a sense of satisfaction you get. I certainly enjoyed riding the 2 I had.

[Horse]

Ask this guy along

[Bustaspoke]

Lol, might have been Microns as they were (even) more peaky than allspeeds iirc?

I had Microns on my X7,proper peaky,Power Wheelies

[gremlin]

Nostalgia belongs in the past.

Yeah....and it ain't as good as it used to be.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Lol, might have been Microns as they were (even) more peaky than allspeeds iirc?

I had Microns on my X7,proper peaky,Power Wheelies

I had Microns on my X7, with K&Ns and Boysen Reeds, I don't remember it being particularly peaky, I do remember it being unstable at over 100mph and it was noticeably lighter than the LC I had afterwards.

[Bustaspoke]

I had Microns on my X7, with K&Ns and Boysen Reeds, I don't remember it being particularly peaky, I do remember it being unstable at over 100mph and it was noticeably lighter than the LC I had afterwards.

I also fitted Boyesen reed valves & K&N's to it.Mine was noticbly peakier than as standard,& if you cracked the throttle open at the right rev's it power wheelied,really easy to do two up,it also had a appetite for CDI units.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I've never ridden a standard X7, mine came with Microns, mine also ate it's CDI, apparently it's related to using the kill switch and a poor earth to the kill switch.

[mangocrazy]

What are the hot ticket as regards reeds these days? I used Boyesen intially, cos that's what everyoneelse was using, then switched to Harpowa when they became the latest thing. Pretty sure my LC still has the Harpowas fitted.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I tried various manufacturers in the 80s, I could never tell any difference from the standard ones

[Yorick]

What are the hot ticket as regards reeds these days? I used Boyesen intially, cos that's what everyoneelse was using, then switched to Harpowa when they became the latest thing. Pretty sure my LC still has the Harpowas fitted.

We all used Harpowa reeds and open the Reed stops to 10mm.

[porter_jamie]

V force

[KungFooBob]

My RD250 had LC manifolds with a balance pipe!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My RD250 had LC manifolds with a balance pipe!

My 350LC had YPVS reed cages and manifolds

[mangocrazy]

Yes, to fit YPVS reed blocks to LC barrels requires machining work. My fear with the OE metal reeds was what if one of them broke up and got ingested by the motor? A fibre reed would make less of a mess, but to be fair I've never heard of a metal reed self-destructing in use.

[The Spin Doctor]

Lol, might have been Microns as they were (even) more peaky than allspeeds iirc?

May have been.

I remember that the owner (Dave the Idiot we called him rather unkindly) once having discovered expansion chambers then changed them on an almost weekly basis...

I also remember he missed a day at work. He turned up the following day with a story of having been charged with 'receiving stolen goods' and banged up for the night. It seems he'd bought one of his many pairs of expansion chambers from a bloke on a council estate who had some bikes round the back of the house. Dave duly handed over the 'cash only' price for the set, and for some reason decided that rather than just strap them to the back of the bike and ride away, he'd fit them there and then.

He was mid-spannering job and stopped to watch with interest as a Transit load of police arrived and a line of Plod hup-two-three'd up the front path and kicked the door down...

...except for the last one who stopped and said "are you anything to do with the people who live here?"

"I've just bought these exhausts from them" said Dave brightly.

He was promptly hand-cuffed and added to the line of scallywags being loaded into the Black Maria.