Fazer MOT Passed - Wahooo!

It's that time of year again.  What kind of numpty buys a bike in February when it's cold wet and miserable?  This kind, that's who. 

The bike was bought in February, so the MOT was done in February.  Which means I can get the bike MOT'd in January, up to one month before the MOT runs out.  I took my bike to the local MOT place, slightly worried about the ever-pervasive problem of the binding front brakes that seems to affect all the "Blue Spot" brakes on Fazers, R1's and a bunch of other Yamahas.  I know the pads are quite worn too but not up to their limit...yet.

It did pass, but with a warning about worn pads and binding brakes.  After riding the bike to the petrol station (gulp!) and back home I checked the disk temperature.  They were fine, barely even tepid let alone hot.  It's funny how with the front wheel in the air it's hard to spin the wheel, yet the disks never seem to get hot even after a motorway run. 

The sticky brakes are a real bind...sic.  I've replaced the seals with genuine Yamaha seals.  It was a tad better but only for a short while.  I clean them, DEEP clean them 3 or 4 times a year, again it's a tad better for a short while.  When I park the bike up I push the pads back a touch to relieve the pressure on the seals...to no avail.  I've bled and bled and bled the brakes, to no avail.  I've clamped the lever to the bars, to no avail.  What the hell were Yamaha thinking when they created these brakes?  I know they work wonderfully, but they are a pain.

Anyhows, the bike is MOT'd for another year, and almost a month.  I've already got the new pads and I'll clean clean clean and put the new pads in.  Other than that, at 22,000 miles the bike's just fine, if a little dirty.

I filled the bike up and I've just calculated the MPG.  51 to the gallon.  Damn.  I hope it's due to the winter riding, the bike being stood for a while, pottering about and not getting some real riding done.  I can normally retrun 55 to 60 mpg.  I'll see what the next long run brings.  It won't be long now till I ride from Bolton to Worthing, West Sussex, to go and see my Dad.  It's usually the first big run of the year when the weather finally improves a bit.

Cheers.

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