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Ian Soady¹ said :-
The little Beeza has arrived after a tortuous journey round the North Circular for some reason. It looks pretty good although plenty of issues to get my head around. Which was of course the principal reason for buying it.
No rush so I'll just ponder it for a while until I develop a plan of campaign.
24/04/2025 16:26:30 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Do you want another one me o'd mucka. Currently £410 at a Birmingham auction house?
Plus buyers premium of course. VAT?
Upt.
24/04/2025 17:02:27 UTC
Rev. Mick said :-
As to gear. I always use my own helmet. I've got 20kg on Ryanair so pack the helmet in the middle. Don't really need motorcycle boots on a scooter, but if you've got some spare weight why not.
Put in hammock, tarp, bivvy bag, sleeping bag and mat. Sleeping covered.
As we shall be doing some mountains, walking boots and outdoor gear much of which can be riding gear.
The ADVs we agreed have top boxes and have 40 litres under seat. So you have masses of room.
Put it all together in an 80 or 100 litre duffle. We then persuade either hotel in Malaga or hire company to mind bag.
The rest of the space can be filled with nonsense. Marino wool tops and legwear don't smell even after a month. Heavy merino socks, plus liner socks.
If you need the kitchen sink Ryanair will take your money.
I recently spent a month in Nepal (not with bike) on 12 litres. I have never been any where ( Afghanistan aside) that did not have markets that sold clothes, toothpaste, shampoo, batteries. You've got a huge amount of hard currency you can buy the best. You don't have to take it back if you are stingy just give it to nice people you meet, if you don't want to ship back.
In Sengal a rip off (or possibly real) Tommy Hilfiger t.shirt was €2 and you get to haggle with amazing stall holders.
Always eat local food, it's really good that's why local people eat it. My only rule is buy food where you can see it cooked, if you don't like what you see don't eat it. Even if you end up paying it's not expensive.
Always take a Spork unless you really good with chop sticks. Headtorch and Antisan.
There billions of people around this planet who can travel on tiny amounts of "stuff".
25/04/2025 01:02:22 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
There's one important item not covered Rev. Mick - tea. As my recent Iberian expedition has clearly demonstrated Johnny Foreigner may well be friendly and helpful and kind, but they can't make proper tea. As such where's your water boiling system and tea bag supplies? I bet you're one of those uncivilised types that drinks - oh I can barely say it - coffee. Bleurgh.
25/04/2025 07:49:58 UTC
Rev. Mick said :-
I too love tea. That is why travel in Southern Asia is such a joy.Proper tea not factory tea bags.
Sitting with my back on a 250 Honda in a tea estate in Sri Lanka with fresh made tea as the sun sinks. In Assam wow,on a river boat down the Brahmaputra.
The Iberian peninsula does tend to be more coffee focused. I don't really like coffee but my buddies often need it to start the day.
Get a camping tea press, never been any where they won't give you a fill of boiling water plus some nice Assam tea leaves (my preference) and away you go go. Ladies on Indian road maintainance gangs make tea on the side of the road with a few twigs. Mini gas stoves are now tiny.
Iberia has amazing herbal tea no need for milk.It is sacrafice I know but in the end drink what the locals drink. It makes the first proper tea when you get back so nice.
I am joking, a bit, when I say, you could wander around looking for cafes with Union Jacks displayed. Men in Union Jack underpants making proper PG Tips where they understand what your asking for. You can get a proper full English breakfast with Heinz Tomato Ketchup. There are lots of really nice couples from places all over England to talk to.
Having said that, when travelling with herself I have visited Irish bars in many many towns and cities round the world. Have to keep her happy
25/04/2025 09:09:38 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
That's a C15 which is a kind of descendant of the C11 although different in almost every respect. Nasty little things being essentially an overgrown Tiger Cub.
I've had a chance to look over the C11 and found a few bodges and creative modifications but it seems basically sound. The front brake - and indeed the forks - are decidely dodgy so will be a priority then I think I'll whip the cylinder head off and have a look inside there. I also need to find some way of making / adapting a prop stand. I don't want to spend too much money on it but it's mainly something to keep my mind and hands occupied.
25/04/2025 17:09:57 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
That BSA looks later than the C15.
Maybe a Barracuda??
25/04/2025 22:34:33 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, possibly, but they're all much of a muchness and all based on the same basic engine. The later B50 was a better machine but drastically re-engineered.
26/04/2025 10:02:48 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
As Max Bygraves would say.
"I wanna to tell ya a story". Complete with hand movements.
Er'Indoors motor is a Seat Mii, owned since new in 2013, 49,000 miles on the clockometer.
It's has a revvy non turbo 1 litre 3 cylinder engine.
Nice little car and great fun to drive.....but......
Last summer the Engine Management Light made an appearance.
Pffffffftttttt.
Read the code and it was a bank 1 fault which in English is Lambda number 1.
Change Lambda number 1, reset, fault back 40 miles later.
Change Lambda number 1 again, well you never know, reset, fault back 40 miles later.
Read Internet nonsense.
Pffffffftttttt.
Change number 2 sensor, reset, 40 miles later, you've guessed it.
Change battery as it was 12 years old and was ready anyway, reset, pffffffftttttt.
Scratched my bonce and rang around a bit, eventually spoke to a company in Ashington who are "Diagnostic Experts" in the NE.
Arranged a visit to sunny Ashington, it was blummin freezin. £100.00 plus tax to diagnose. Three hours later, "there's nothing up with it".
"As we've done nowt no charge, bring it back next week and we'll rewrite the EMU, then it won't see the fault". It's only 295 squid plus the tax.
I hate tax!
Return to Ashington yesterday, one hour each way, three hours later, "we can't read your EMU, leave our premises immediately and don't pass go and don't pay!"
But?
Advice on leaving, "if you fit a genuine and new Seat eggshost and cat I think it will be OK, or why not try a Lambda extender"?
Me.......what's a Lambda extender.
Cost of new Seat exhaust is over £2K. Pffffffftttttti'ttttty Pffffffftttttt.
So, if you're still with me....
What should one do.
Perform a viking burial?
Shoot the dashboard with my 12 bore?
Shoot Experts with my 12 bore?
Fit a £5 Lamda sensor extender, apparently designed to pull the sensor back from the flow slightly. It's a thing apparently.
If this was a bike then Cat removal and a healer would be an option but not on a car come MOT time when it most definitely wouldn't pass.
Any views?
It can't be just me?
It's just me isn't it.
Upt and all ears.
29/04/2025 11:12:16 UTC
ROD¹ said :-
OK, I have absolutely no experience of this, so I am only repeating what I have heard.
I am told that not all code reading tools will permanently delete the fault code, but it can be permanently deleted by disconnecting the battery, pressing and holding the horn to use any residual current in the vehicle, and then reconnect the battery after a 30 minute wait.
As I say I do not have first hand experience so happy for anyone with knowledge to comment further.
29/04/2025 12:14:00 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Thanks Rod.
I was told if I stand on one leg, wave my arms wildly about and touch the battery terminal with my tongue it would probably work. It didn't.
What you're suggesting Rod is a full system reset. Done already I'm afraid. Dint work. Light came back on. Does anyone know a cure for madness.
Upt.
29/04/2025 12:45:30 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
To clarify Rod, I'm not aware (and I've looked) of any code reader which will permanently delete faults if the fault persists. Hence the EMU has been out and on the bench but couldn't be read.
I might try licking the terminal again.
It can't hurt!
29/04/2025 12:49:06 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I'd try the magic box. For a fiver you're not risking much. Unless it fries the ECU......
29/04/2025 14:51:42 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
A quick google tells me a lambda extender (lambda spacer) is... right. It screws into the exhaust where the lambda sensor should be, then has a short tube then the threads to screw the lambda sensor into. As such the sensor is out of the serious flow of the exhaust, just getting a whiff of the passing gases. This allows the sensor to think everything is hunky-dory with the o2 levels even if they ain't.
Now you say you have 2 lambda sensors. I believe there will be one before and one after the catalytic converter? My initial thoughts are thus. The car is 12 years old with 49000 miles. That's 4,000 miles per year. Would I be correct in thinking it is used quite often for shorter journeys rather than occasionally for long journeys? I'm thinking the cat is blocked and the sensors are trying to tell you the readings aren't making sense.
Does it burn any oil by the way?
30/04/2025 07:53:05 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
OH and wiring. You might be throwing sensors at the car but if the wire between either of the sensors and the ECU has a high resistance or intermittent short or disconnect then the ECU sez "what's this nonsense/I can't hear the lambda sensor!"
It'd be fiddly as hell but bypass the wiring with fresh wires?
30/04/2025 07:58:09 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Also check for leaks in the exhaust as these mess up the levels of air and exhaust gasses which confuse the lambda sensors. This page is "informative"
https://www.walkerexhaust.com/support/tech-tips/5-steps-to-take-before-replacing...
30/04/2025 08:04:27 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
This is worth a read too
https://forum.rac.co.uk/threads/7094-Lambda-Sensors-and-Catalysts...
30/04/2025 08:06:35 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Thanks Ed, interesting stuff.
The car uses precisely nowt in the oil department. Never had to top it up in over 12 years.
The usage is a little strange in that it doesn't do proper short journeys that often.
The journeys are generally 15 or 20 miles. Park up for an hour then drive home. This usually about twice a week. So with man maths.....about 35 to 40 miles per week but only two trips. So let's say about 200 miles per month, or around 2500 miles per year.
The extra 1500 probably come from the odd trip to Newcastle or diagnostic experts in Ashington. It returns and always has around 63 mpg without trying.
I've had a reply from elsewhere that the Lambda extender did work for someone with a Volvo.
I put a Redex fuel system cleaner in it yesterday and it may get plugged into a Snap-On machine on Friday if my buddy can sort out the loan.
Upt.
30/04/2025 09:15:03 UTC
nab301 said :-
Upt , as mentioned before you need the actual DTC (powertrain) P ****code via a proper code reader / scan tool and then you need to look at live data related to the code , so if the lambda sensor is involved , look at fuel trims and live lambda to see if the lambda sensor is switching correctly and it's not correcting for a lean (air leak)/rich mixture , as Ren says it may be a poor connection wiring fault or even an incompatible replacement sensor but I'm guessing it would default presumably to a base set up and limp mode and as it does 63 mpg and drives fine there can't be a huge amount wrong with it!
Nigel
30/04/2025 17:15:47 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Nidger....
The "experts" had it on there rig for about two hours and ran every check they said they could carry out and no faults were found. Their best guess is a non oem exhaust and cat which was fitted a couple of years ago. Obviously putting a £2K plus eggshost on a 12 year old Seat Mii is nuts.
This could of course be why the "experts" picked this guess knowing I wouldn't do it?
If it has to stay with us for another couple of years so be it, if the £5 fix works I'll be mightily impressed. I might even pay a tenner!
No, that's daft talk.
Upt.
30/04/2025 18:45:18 UTC
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