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Glyn said :-
There is a tinge of sadness there Ren. I’m glad you’ve still got it and it’s in your shed not mine. I remember 50 years ago when we had an Austin A35 that reached 100k miles in the middle of the New Forest. We knew we needed to mark the occasion somehow So we stopped it right there and folded the front doors back onto the wings ( the leather straps had long gone) and the three youths present linked arms with a door on each end and sang it Auld Langsine. It seemed appropriate at the time although I fail to see the reason today. It was very unusual back then to have a vehicle reach that sort of distance. A few years later I bought a Toyota and they claimed they would send you a certificate when it reached 100k miles. Given the reliability of those cars this was something they soon stopped doing.
01/09/2025 10:33:34 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Sadness? Yes Glyn, possibly vanity on my behalf too for thinking I was some kind of special for achieving 100k on a 125.
I am learning that being sentimental does not serve me well. I have too many things I keep for 2 reasons. 1 "It'll come in handy that" for things like bits of wood and part of a broken side panel from I bike I've not owned for 15 years. 2 "That's from when..." for things like trinkets and pictures and toys.
I am at risk of becoming a hoarder like you see on telly. I am slowly but surely working through my junk and binning a good portion of it. And I *need* to feel the same about the 125. Yes we shared a lot of miles, yes we created a lot of memories together, yes it was a faithful friend. But it is an old, broken and worn out motorcycle. A collection of metal and plastic. It has served it's purpose, it is now junk.
I'll find a way of disposing of it. I'll see if there's a local yoof who might want the engine to take apart and learn with but not the whole bike Ian. A yoof would have to spend WAY more than a serviceable 125 costs to get my 125 back on the road, it's a false economy.
02/09/2025 08:32:11 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Bits of wood always come in useful - for supporting things in the bench drill or when painting, wedging under wheels, use as soft drifts - the uses are endless.
07/09/2025 14:29:44 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I agree absolutely Ian - however just how many random offcuts of wood does one human being need? Merely a tub full, the corner of a shed full, a whole shed full, even a whole house full?!? It is all too easy to head inexorably towards a whole house full, logic dictates somewhere between a tub full and the corner of a shed full might be "about right".
08/09/2025 10:18:34 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
That's true of course and there is stuff in my woodpile that must be at least 10 years old. But how satifying when you spend 10 minutes burrowing through it and find just the right bit!
In other news, I've decided that the Norton's failure to proceed the other week was down to fuel starvation - either because of a partially blocked tank breather or a too-small main jet which was several sizes below the original 190 at 120. In my feeble defence the 120 was recommended to me by someone. Plus the original size was for a monobloc whereas I now have a Concentric clone, although I suspect main jets should be the same regardless. I did try raising the needle a notch but that made it hard to start and run very roughly at part throttle. It's now reliably started and run for a few minutes several days in a row with no failures so will gird up my loins and set forth for another test run tomorrow, hoping not to rely on the hospitality of my new friends in Little Alne.
08/09/2025 12:55:24 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I can picture the scene at Little Alne - "Get kettle on love, that 'owd duffer on the Brit bike is out side again giving it large with the 'kift-difft-difft-difft' on the stater again. Battery will soon be flat"
Good luck Ian...
08/09/2025 13:01:22 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
This may all lead you to wonder why I don't just buy a new bike and ride it around. I have found myself wondering the same thing on occasion particularly when for one reason or another there isn't a single bike in the garage which is in full working order. Which always coincides with nice warm dry weather - I've done enough of the cold wet stuff to last me a lifetime or two.
I think the answer is that I enjoy the challenge. The process of taking either a pile of unconnected parts - as in the Tri-Greeves I built a couple of years ago - or resuscitating a bike like the Norton which was advertised as "needing mild recommissioning" is in itself a very satisfying experience even if on occasion being very frustrating. It keeps my mind active and help me retain and develop skills from engine rebuilds through electrical rewiring to painting using coach enamel. And when (if?) the bike is actually finished it's a lovely feeling knowing that without all that hard work it would just be an inert collection of parts. The fact that the end product isn't - like a painting or a garden - merely something to look at and give aesthetic pleasure, but actually has a use whether popping out for a few spare parts or just a leisurely ride up into the Cotswolds or wherever. And of course if it does break down I can meet some very nice people!
08/09/2025 16:04:43 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Yeah I can understand that Ian. I mean it's like me changing my own tyres. I have, after far too many scratched rims, trapped fingers, sweaty heaving matches with recalcitrant rubber, and wasted money of crap "wondertools" - decided that paying a tenner to get 'em changed is the obvious, definitely better and simpler option. And yet...
And yet I will be swapping tyres again soon. I just have this urge to master it (I accept I may never will). I can hate it in the moment but the sense of achievement when it's (finally) done is worth it. I enjoy thinking up new techniques and fudging my own abysmal tools. I am it seems a blithering idiot.
What has made the whole task less traumatising is I now have 2 spare rims for the 500. As such I currently have 2 fresh new tyres mounted to wheels in the bedroom. When the tyres in use are worn I can swap wheels easily. Then I can change the tyres at my leisure. This takes most of the stress out of "HAVING" to get them done as I need the bike this weekend kinda thing.
I don't believe you do find working on your bike stressful Ian as it's not essential that bike X is working today. If this were the case I'm sure you could buy a "nearly new" bike that would likely start and only require the minimum of work, keeping the vintage bikes for tinkering and meeting random nice people when they do break down.
09/09/2025 08:05:46 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, I spent many years with only a bike as transport for all purposes so it had to be running and reliable. In the days when you could pick up a non-running Honda 250 or the like for a few quid I also often had a "spare" or two. I confess that I didn't enjoy having to keep them, or the knackered unreliable cars that I later had, running but needs must. I think I've only taken a bike to a workshop a couple of times in my life having grown up when it was normal to do everything yourself.
So I do now have the luxury of a reliable car plus 2 bikes on the road (or nearly) plus one in the completely dismantled state of a rebuild. But I can step away at any time. And having had various health struggles over the last year or so the fact I can spend the odd half hour - or half day - in the garage is welcome therapy.
09/09/2025 10:02:00 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I got as far as Studley this morning which is about 4 miles away. There was a traffic queue and when I stopped the bike the engine just died. I managed to push it into a convent=ient driveway. Fortunately this time I had some tools with me. I popped one of the plugs out and again it looked very white. I had one spare so put that in its place and it started OK. So a quick U turn and back home upon which it died on me again. It seems fine when riding along but idling seems a problem.
I've been using "Brisk" plugs which are highly recommended. But when I had the bike in the garage I replaced them with Champion N4s and again it started immediately. I daren't take it out again yet......
09/09/2025 11:42:07 UTC
nab301 said :-
I think we all do our own repairs for the satisfaction of diagnosing correctly and also for cost saving . I remember as a 14 tear old repairing my older brothers Yamaha 80 (2 stroke) and correctly diagnosing a blocked main carb jet just on his description of the issue.
Ren , as for tyres if you can choose when to fit them , they always slip on easily in summer on hot days , or I suppose you could turn on (or up) the heating at home....
Wandering around a local dealer recently there were numerous signs stating that workshop labour rates are €100 euro inc vat per hour , I wonder how much a valve check on a 24 valve 6 CYL BMW is ?
Nigel
09/09/2025 11:43:18 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Yes, labour rates for bikes are ridiculous especially when very few actual repairs are done these days. The local small garage I take my car to charges £70+VAT which is fairly cheap - and they do a very good job. But even if I wanted to where will I find a local garage which can fix my Norton?
09/09/2025 12:58:15 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Oh Ian! Well at least you got home under your own steam. Is it worth getting a used motorcycle trailer and teaching Mrs Soady how to hook it up then sat-nav to your pin? It might be a prudent investment. You could collect and deliver your own motorcycles too!
As for actual repairs Ian? Goes to show just how reliable modern vehicles are. As/when/if we do go fully electric there'll be even less physical repairs save for the rolling chassis. Most of it will be diagnostic and mostly by replacement not careful investigation.
Shim check and replace K1600 nab301? A quick search suggests £700-800 at a workshop, a grand for an official BMW dealership.
09/09/2025 13:06:11 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I already pay the nice people at Britannia recovery £150 a year so am very happy with their service. And I also have breakdown cover "free" with my insurance but haven't tried them yet. No doubt I will one day.
Meanwhile the Norton is languishing while I work out what to do with it. In the meantime work continues on the little BSA C11. And the B'Zuki sits there saying "Why don't you just take me out - I'm far more reliable than that old clunker." Which is of course true.
10/09/2025 10:30:20 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
Oh the embarrassment!
I took the tank off the Norton to check the fuel flow. There was nothing with the (newly fitted) tap in the "On" position but a steady flow from reserve. Clealy I'd effectively run out of petrol and hadn't even thought to try reserve. When I stopped, putting it on the prop stand probably tilted the tank enough so that a bit of fuel flowed into the tap (on the left hand side) so was enough to start the engine and get me home. And my fan club may remember that I'd come to the conclusion that the previous breakdown was fuel starvation - yes it probably was, and for the same reason.
I think the tap allows a very generous reserve which of course is a good thing. Which may be foolproof but not against this fool.
I should have applied Occam's Razor and gone for the simplest explanation first.
10/09/2025 14:50:49 UTC
nab301 said :-
Ian , at least you posted a reply I was scratching my head wondering what the issue was! .
I had something similar on my current Enfield 10 yrs ago , I eventually sorted all the electrical issues and the bike would pull "strongly" up hill but had issues on downhill stretches , you've guessed it, fuel starvation downhill below a certain level in the tank.
Nigel
10/09/2025 15:45:16 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'm glad it's not just me...
Ren. Feeling slightly smug and less dumb than usual
10/09/2025 20:27:52 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
It's starting well now with a gallon of Texaco's finest E5 in the tank. The first fine day with no other commotmets I'll venture out. Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye....
14/09/2025 15:42:54 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Fear not Ian - I'm arranging for Glyn to come and collect you on his trike...
15/09/2025 07:56:28 UTC
Glyn said :-
It’ll need a bit of patience though, I don’t pick it up until Wednesday and I’ll need a bit of time for the rebuild but should be there by Xmas if you’re still waiting.
15/09/2025 22:17:06 UTC
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