Welcome To Bikes And Travels...
...It's about bikes... and travels... mostly on bikes!
Spring has sprung, now we have a few months of warm pleasant rain to enjoy after the cold and miserable rain of winter.
What excitement and adventures will this year bring?
What's New?
Michael Finnegan
Sharon is sprinkling her new Z500 with accoutrements and necessary alterations. It's all good but she's still not fully feeling it just yet.
Not Too Much Chaos
It's all going far too well - I mean losing half your crew is an everyday occurrence ain't it? Well it is for this lot. There's little mention of beer.
Back To Santander
One last day on the road for the Dynamic Muppets - luckily it's an good one with easy miles and sensational scenery. Fear not - the night is not without its woes.
Bikes Are Faster Than Cars?
When you appear to be going faster than all the cars around you - does that mean cars are slow? Well it's a little more complicated than that.
A Dull Day Here Is Better Than Home
The surroundings are great, the riding is fun, the town is lovely. This isn't the best day of the trip so far but Ren is just a miserable fool.
Ponderings
Sharon has a shiny new motorcycle! The thing is she's rather non-plussed about the whole affair really. Still, it's a good place to start.
Tea Is Tea, Even If It's Poor Tea
The morning is all about the desperate search for real tea. The afternoon would have been fine if Ren's wallet hadn't been opened so vigorously.
Could Etna Be Any Better?
Save for a very minor ticketing issue Upt' and Er'Indoors remain blessed with sunshine, idyllic scenery, delightful food and fabulous roads. Some folks have all the luck eh?
Let The Chaos Commence
After the where's and why's it's time for a long ride from The Midlands to Belgium. It doesn't all go according to plan but relative to this lot's usual mayhem - it's a good start.
Bogger's Et Al's Polish Adventure
Title page for Bogger's trip to Poland. There's small bikes, big miles and "adults" who out to know better.
See More What's New
Latest Posts
Michael Finnegan
Upt'North ¹ said :-
And together, you can see the Mira shower washers don't flatten too much unlike the o'rings which just squashed and ripped. The central spacer also keeps the bars slightly apart.
I've just looked on ebay for your bars and there does appear to be a central unbolted joint. If so I suspect you need this to be a more dampened joint. The washers may help. Heatshrink wrap over the inserted parts?
23/03/2025 10:29:37 UTC
Michael Finnegan
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Ay up me duck.
I haven't got a clue how yours join up but in the case of my Givi bars they had a connecting bolt in the middle. I did the Google thing and the buzz at 5000 rpm was fairly common, many said they had thrown the Givi's in the bin and bought others. No one seemed to have fixed it.
The original fitment was just a bolt and some useless rubber o'rings, I updated those with plumbing fittings for the rubbers, a spacer to prevent the bars pulling together too much, a lock nut again to prevent the necessity to over tighten and put it all back together. The buzz was no more. I suspect if yours join in the middle then this may be the cause.
I know it's a pain the butt, but, maybe remove the bars, ride it and see if it goes away. If so address the joint if you've got one. If there is a central joint post a piccie, it might help us.
Good luck.
Keep smilin.
Upt.
23/03/2025 10:07:25 UTC
Back To Santander
Bros Steve said :-
looks like you both had a great trip Ren.
Interesting story as well. I've only been to Spain once and that was just over the border from France to the Costa Blanca
23/03/2025 08:42:42 UTC
Michael Finnegan
Sharon said :-
Thanks everyone for you comments, your kind thoughts are always appreciated.
Nab and Ian,
The adjustable side stand is a nice bit of kit. It not over engineered, it's made to do a job and it does it appears very well. It's nice when something just works as it should.
I have looked for a lower or narrower seat for the Z500 but nothing is available at the moment. Kawasaki do however make a higher seat for it...dooh. Always heading the wrong direction to me then as usual. L
Upt,
So I spent awhile the other day trying to chase down the buzz. Rad guard off, panels off, engine bars loosened and tightened again to correct torque settings and all in vain... Hit 2800rpm and BUUUZZZ.
So Upt you said your engine bars was the issue in your Strom. How did your resolve it?
23/03/2025 08:09:56 UTC
Charging Troubles (5v not 12v)
Borsuk said :-
I have one of these type. Different make but identical to the picture. It has a screw on water tight lid. Has a thermostat setting which will maintain a set temperature so set it at 90 degrees, put it in and switch it on, ride and when you stop it doesn't take long to bring to boil so not killing the battery. As it is water tight it means that it is slightly pressurised so the water boils at 100 degrees anywhere including the top of the pyrenees. 120 or 80 watt setting and I tape the bottom to the main kettle body so it doesn't come loose when moving.
23/03/2025 01:30:32 UTC
Michael Finnegan
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Well done for getting on with it Sharon, you're a trooper.....yes you are.
Illness is as crappy as crap on a crap stick, but it is what it is. Crappy.
The STrom buzzed after fitting the engine bars, a fix was required but all peace then returned to Suzuki heaven.
It goes without saying, so I won't.
Upt.
21/03/2025 16:38:06 UTC
Michael Finnegan
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, that's really bad news about your sister Sharon. I hope you have better news soon.
As always a beautifully written piece. I'm sure you'll get more comfortable with the new machine as long as you set your own pace as you suggest and I'm sure you do.
I like the adjustable prop stand - looks very handy.
21/03/2025 16:09:53 UTC
Michael Finnegan
nab301 said :-
Hi Sharon , I'm so sorry to hear the bad news about your sister. Your resilience however inspite of all that's happened recently is amazing.
The 500 seems to be shaping up nicely , my favourite mod is the adjustable side stand , the broad seat however is an annoying issue , I'm not sure if it would be possible to modify it somehow?
Nigel
21/03/2025 15:29:42 UTC
Charging Troubles (5v not 12v)
nab301 said :-
Seems like a lot of hassle to boil water , and as avid tea drinkers, surely you know that fresh water boiled once is the only way to make a decent cuppa!
As an aside an acquaintance of mine a while back gave me a super duper gas powered stove with an insulating sleeve on the "kettle " which apparently will boil a litre of water in 3 mins , surely this is the way to go for Tea/ cooking etc.
I have yet to try this device but this thread has encouraged me to report back with the results of a trial run...
Nigel
https://rocknriver.ie/products/nitro-boil-x2...
21/03/2025 14:31:56 UTC
Not Too Much Chaos
nab301 said :-
I find it interesting that the Barges cause the water level to drop , I would have thought they would displace water and make it rise ? , either way I don't think I'd be brave enough to camp so near the water ( heavy rain upstream might cause the level to rise which could be awkward unless you were using an airbed!)
Nigel
21/03/2025 14:07:52 UTC
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nab301 said :-
Thanks for that Ian , I had done a search but never thought of including the crankshaft when looking for parts diagrams...
Nigel
23/03/2025 10:26:00 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Hi Nigel.
The device arrived and I fitted it but it didn't really do what I wanted. It seems that the output voltage is related to the input so as the latter drops on using the starter so does the output. I could overcome that by using changeover relays but I think I would then be introducing too many potential points of failure so have reconnected as standard and shelved the voltage converter.
The Electra starter is unique as far as I know. It does have a sprag clutch on the crankshaft which is driven by 3 pawls which, when the starter operates, are rotated via slots in a wavy pressure waher acting as a sort of clutch to engage with the sprag. When the engine fires the pawls are retracted as the crankshaft is spinning faster than the starter drive. I hope the attached picture helps. There is no kickback protection which of course is a drawback and may indeed have contributed to the shaft failure in my case. It also needs a well charged battery with decent CCA (cold cranking amps) which I think is a more relevant figure than the amp-hour one which people often quote.
The starter has a pretty poor reputation which I think is often due to wear in the various components. I'm lucky in that mine seems to have seen little use so wear isn't an issue although I did have to replace a couple of items eg the wavy spring.
22/03/2025 10:17:08 UTC
nab301 said :-
I've always been a fan of retaining points and coil ignition but I know plenty of Indian Enfield electric start systems have been damaged by kick backs caused by low voltage and those earlier Boyer systems strangely going to full ignition advance..
The step up converter if it works seems like a good insurance policy.
I'm curious how the chain drive starter system operates is there a sprag clutch incorporated in the starter motor?
Nigel
21/03/2025 15:14:10 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, many later bikes like my Yamaha and Suzuki-engined BSA have a self generating ignition system that doesn't depend on battery voltage. In fact, in principle, they're very similar to the old magneto. The Norton feeds its ignition system from the battery - originally using points but I'm using a Boyer CDI system which still uses the battery to power it. The original Boyer system did have problems with low voltage, tending to go onto full advance which is obviously not ideal. The later Mk 4 system I have fitted is said by the manufacturer to be good down to 10 volts. It does seem to be working well but 10.4 volts seems a bit marginal to me especially if the battery has faded a bit. I'm keeping it on trickle charge so all my testing has been done with a fully charged battery.
WRT your second question, no idea - there didn't actually seem to be such an option when I bought the thing. Going by past experience the adjuster is the tiny screw on top of a blue component on the edge of the unit. I'll see when it arrives.
18/03/2025 10:24:46 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You're gonna have to help me here Ian. I totally understand that using the electric starter sucks a LOT of leccy from the system, leaving little for the rest of the bike. This is why modern bikes with computers, FI and fuel pumps WILL NOT start with a battery that is anything other than "on top form" even if it appears to be cranking just fine.
Now a CDI bike doesn't care much - it's spark comes (indirectly) from the pulse coil. How does the Boyer system work? Why does it need "good" power? And that step up DC-DC gadget - the advert advises "(2) fixed output (select) between 12-35 v, when buying, please tell the shopkeeper." Does that mean you say to the shopkeeper "Please can you set this to output 13.5v please"?
18/03/2025 08:09:09 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
With great help from various NOC members I think I'm nearly there with my Electra. The electric starter is now starting it reliably despite the missing key between motor shaft and sprocket. It seems happiest starting from cold with closed air lever and a second or so tickling.
I've finally fitted the primary cover although why the NOC supplied gasket seems designed to go under two of the lower starter assembly legs beats me. I've cut those bits off.
Carburation is reasonable although an even slow idle is hard to come by. At first the mixture screw didn't seem to do much but now is at its best about 1.5 turns out as recommended. There may have been some muck in there that has been blown out. I've checked timing using my remote rotor and as I hoped it's much easier to see that than the alternator rotor. Strobing shows a satisfactory advance from the 10 degree (crankshaft) which seems about right for idle up to 20 degrees or so at 3,000 rpm which is the most I want to inflict on my neighbours at present.
It's very rattly although this is gradually lessening, I assume as oil finds its way where it needs to be. I'm guessing cam followers as I've carefully set and checked the rocker clearances. I have read that these are noisy engines but don't have much to compare it with. There's no smoke from the exhausts and the oil is returning nicely.
I have been wondering about the voltage drop when using the starter - it goes down to about 10.4 volts - so am contemplating fitting a step-up voltage converter like the one in the link to ensure the Boyer gets enough volts.. In fact I've ordered one as it's only a fiver or so. I successfully used a similar device to get indicators to work on the 6 volt system of my ES2. It's probably unnecessary (I have a Mk 4 Boyer) but can't hurt anything. It will be fitted between ignition switched live and the Boyer live as well as the (positive) earth. See link below.
So hopefully will hit the road soon!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296547776080...
17/03/2025 14:35:18 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I seem to remember people talking about pouring salty water onto tapers so they rusted together. Or maybe not.
16/03/2025 14:00:58 UTC
nab301 said :-
I've used grease in the past for removing bearings from blind holes with the close fitting shaft/dowel.
As for tapers, Em Zeds have the clutch fitted to a taper on the crankshaft which can be problematic with a decades old bike...
Nigel
15/03/2025 18:32:07 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
The key supplied by the normally reliable Norton Owners' Club spares scheme was incorrect - too big in every dimension. So I thought I'd assemble the sprocket without, after carefully lapping the tapers with fine grinding paste. The result seems to be working well, and I've successfully started the engine with the starter - the object of the exercise - several times as well as whiczzing it over multiple times with ignition off to test.
Of course it will fail when I'm miles from home with no phone signal - but I dod have the kickstart, which works, as backup.
15/03/2025 16:03:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Aaaah we can't see that Ian as we'd need to be a member of the forum. Fear not I can see how play-doh would be a suitable medium. I reckon blu-tack, errrr... wax crayon?
Custard? Custard is non Newtonian. So when you whack the bolt/rod it would act as a solid rather than being pushed out the way. Interesting.
13/03/2025 08:14:12 UTC
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nab301 said :-
@KJ, that Bandit has moved on now but purchased as a 10 yr old with just 10k km's recorded in mint condition and one owner, it had over 40k km's when I sold it
My Dl250 has a mere 32k km's at the moment so judging by that Inazuma it has at least another 100k km's left in it!
Nigel
15/03/2025 18:47:45 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
Nice picture of the Bandit Nigel the blue was my favorite but couldn't get one at the right price. My Inazuma wasn't a training school bike but definitely had been down a couple of times with learners, the less than pristine condition didnt concern me as was just cosmetic and I was going to use/abuse it on gravel roads. Offending crash bars now binned I'm not concerned with dropping it too much plenty of parts around as Inazuma sold really well in NZ and being a beginners bike a lot have ended up in the wreckers! Interestingly the Inazuma has kept their value with dealers asking £2000 for tidy bikes which considering they were only £2500 new some 8 to 12 years ago is exceptional retained value. They are considered bullet proof so that helps their value not bad for an old "Chinese" bike. Attached photo is details of one that sold last week, highest kilometres travelled I've seen still worth £800. I'm unlikely to wear mine out before I get to old to ride it!
08/03/2025 09:01:23 UTC
nab301 said :-
@ Kiwi Jeff, that is a lot of snow! As for grounding out engine bars, did you mention that was an ex training school Inazuma? I'd imagine the bars are designed to make the bike easier to pick up if dropped rather than allow the trainee to impress the instructor with their cornering abilities.
Nigel
07/03/2025 15:42:25 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
You gotten the engine bars down KiwiJeff? I think he's showing off his cornering prowess Upt' - don't encourage him...
No KiwiJeff - I've not had a situation where the engine bars tough down mid bend - unless I am actually in the act of having an accident/bad day/mishap. As Upt' said I would hope the footpegs touch down before the engine bars to at least warn you you're "really asking for it"
Snow sure looks pretty but I'm not enamored with the idea of digging my bike out to then slither and slide down the mountain for a bit of shopping.
07/03/2025 07:34:01 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Nice pictures KJ.
The engine bars on K1100LT's will touch the road but only after the pegs have folded up. It wasn't a problem because like everything else on the K's they were rubber mounted. I think?
Upt.
06/03/2025 14:41:43 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
Found a better holiday snap to make you realise how lucky you are with your light snowfalls! The diggers were working all day to keep the roads open this picture shows how deep the snow really was! Everybody cheered up now?
06/03/2025 05:06:02 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
On another topic I've been out sliding around on the local gravel roads for a couple of hours great fun. However on the last corner of our street which is smooth tarmac something grounded on the bike which gave me a moment. The below picture tells the story, it's not the side stand or the centre stand it's the rather large engine protector bars! While I'm a big fan of not damaging bits of the bike when I fall off I'm definitely not interested in sliding down the road due to the low protector bar fitted! Application of a hacksaw is tomorrow's job before the bike is ridden again! Anyone else had this happen? Must admit I hadn't considered this as a problem up to now.
06/03/2025 04:24:57 UTC
KiwiJeff said :-
While you do have a bit of snow to put up with Japan had 6.00 metres in the area we were skiing so the below photo is of the carpark and the snow shaped like cars is cars they just have half a metre of overnight snow on them. No motorcycles were observed although there were plenty in and around Tokyo.The photo isn't the best but I'm too tight to upgrade my 8 year old phone!
06/03/2025 04:12:35 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Sunshine? In Ireland? I don't believe it! Looks lovely nab301.
03/03/2025 13:00:35 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Nice pictures Nidger, glad you've been out bog hoppin.
Upt and happy.
03/03/2025 12:09:06 UTC
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