What did you do to your bike today?

[TallPaul_S]

What sort of power you thinking? You ready for a litre bike?

Oh yeah

I test rode loads of bikes last year, MT09 and Tracer, GSX-S1000, V-strom 1000 - the GSX-S was awesome, that was the most powerful bike I've ridden at 145bhp roughly. Much, much fun

I wouldn't want an IL4 litre bike as although they have loads of low down torque it's just too easy to be doing illegal speeds if you want to wind it up a little, where as v-twin has the fun bit everywhere in the rev range. I rode a monster 821 with 112bhp in November 2014 a few weeks after passing my test, in the damp and cold (in sport mode!) and loved it

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not, but I've gotten used to the speed and acceleration, 70mph a year ago would have felt very fast, but now doing 60-70 on a NSL road feels like pootling along.

A 1000/1200 v-twin with around 120-150bhp would be perfect.

Edit: I'll be keeping the CB400 as my commuter, so a 2nd bike is needed. I'll probably end up putting the money away and getting a multistrada end of the year if all goes well.

 

[Kreeeee]

What made you go for a 400 anyway?

I can't wait to get out properly, 108bhp at the flick of my wrist Probably lost a few now over 4 years.

It shouldn't do, as the older street triples actually dyno'd the same as the Daytonas. They used to have identical engines and tune despite the lower claimed figures.

 

[IC3]

5k a year isn't too bad.

I hate how people trying to sell something and the description they put up is as good as a chocolate tea pot. Is it an unfaired bike you want?

Its more like 7.5k per year, 2016 has only just hit, not even a month has went past... I don't really mind about it being faired, I just want something fun and fairly good looking. As you might already know, there aren't many 'fun' bikes that qualify for A2...

What made you go for a 400 anyway?

I can't wait to get out properly, 108bhp at the flick of my wrist Probably lost a few now over 4 years.

That bike is not that old, it'll still have around the same power. I can't wait to jump on the CB650F when the day comes!

Pictures?

Edit Yeah that Grey SV is a no, no... that guy is reading my messages. But he's not replying, I think the reason for him not selling the bike for so long is... the fact that he himself is unsure whenever he wants to. I don't get that type of childish attitude, you either want to sell something or you don't post it...

 

[ConTRo13R]

Cheers, yeah it doesn't look too hard, just need to find the right bearings (ahh the joy of riding a grey import bike!).

Honda want £80 an hour labour, I'll whip the wheel off tomorrow and take a gander

Bring it round mine.. we will soon smash the thing out. The good thing about the hondas is most of the bearings are really generic accross all models. Look at most of the headstock parts numbers they span accross almost hundreds of models.

 

[The_Abyss]

Went out yesterday with my mate and his son, the latter having just gained his full licence. We did 170 miles of mixed roads around Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire to start to give him some experience of real riding so he'll be ready to come to the Alps with us in June.

We had a really good ride - the weather improved steadily all day and the roads were, for the most part, dry by the afternoon. Very cold temperatures though so there wasn't a lot of grip on offer. I think the traction control was as tired as I was by the evening!

 

[TallPaul_S]

Cheers, yeah it doesn't look too hard, just need to find the right bearings (ahh the joy of riding a grey import bike!).

Honda want £80 an hour labour, I'll whip the wheel off tomorrow and take a gander

Well, wheel off and I think I've found the problem....

Both wheel bearings are 100% good, no play and smooth rotation.

The sprocket carrier bearing however....

"Shagged" would be putting it politely That's the inner race and what's left of the bearings, wich fell out as i took the sprocket carrier off. The outer race is still in the carrier so I've given it a spray with chain cleaner as it was black with much, and will try to drift out the race in a bit. It's a standard 6204 bearing so shouldn't be hard to find.

Also noticed one of my cush drive rubbers is broken, only the strap between the 2 rubbers - worth replacing or will it not matter?

 

[tom_e]

Put it back in and pack it with grease, that's another few thousand miles right there

 

[TallPaul_S]

LOL! I realise also that there's a spacer or 2 stuck in the inner race which ain't gonna come out, just need to find the right spacer for the bike.

 

[wazza300]

Should be OK with the cush rubber unless you can pickup a replacement

 

[TallPaul_S]

Success! Found a little trick online of putting the balls back in along with the inner race, then spacing out the balls equally, which not only allowed me to drift our the spacer but also with a correct sized socket on the inner race, drift out the outer race of the bearing

Now just to find somewhere local that has the bearing in stock, it;s just a standard 6204 sealed bearing. I'll re-use the dust seal as I'll need to order a replacement. I'm off Monday luckily.

 

[ConTRo13R]

Cush drive rubbers only need replacing once they get hard. Probably wont notice the difference on a smooth il4 though. The link that holds them together is just for ease of handling nothing else.

 

[Trucamo]

Gave my chain and sprockets a proper good clean this weekend, they are looking real nice but I think one of the O-rings is shot (one of the links is a bit stiff, was completely stuck until I worked it loose), it's due the 15k mile service (valve adjustments etc.) so I think I'm going to ask for a new chain and sprocket set to be fitted.

Has anyone had any experience with Robinsons Foundry in Canterbury? I work just round the corner from them so may give them a go.

 

[ShakenNstirred]

Cush drive rubbers only need replacing once they get hard. Probably wont notice the difference on a smooth il4 though. The link that holds them together is just for ease of handling nothing else.

Changed mine 2 years ago.
Bike felt a lot better

 

[ConTRo13R]

Gave my chain and sprockets a proper good clean this weekend, they are looking real nice but I think one of the O-rings is shot (one of the links is a bit stiff, was completely stuck until I worked it loose), it's due the 15k mile service (valve adjustments etc.) so I think I'm going to ask for a new chain and sprocket set to be fitted.

Has anyone had any experience with Robinsons Foundry in Canterbury? I work just round the corner from them so may give them a go.

My neighbour raves about them. I laugh because he takes his bike to a garage teehee

 

[ConTRo13R]

Changed mine 2 years ago.
Bike felt a lot better

How would you rate the Money to change value? I can imagine it only effected gear changes and vibrations from the drive shaft.

 

[ShakenNstirred]

How would you rate the Money to change value? I can imagine it only effected gear changes and vibrations from the drive shaft.

Mine was £35.
yes it just feels smoother when you first pull off and gear changes.
when you first look at it side by side the old 1 looks fine.
but they go hard, but they also wear.
when I fitted the new one I had trouble refitting the sprocket carrier, had to use a little water so the paddles would slide in. on the old one it just dropped in.

 

[tom_e]

Sent Bennetts an email about adding my no claims from my previous bike to my current policy and their reply was I'd have to cancel my current policy and take out a new one to be able to add the NCD.
Decided to run some quotes from other places and I can now get TPFT for under £200 compared to the £600ish I was being quoted and paid for my Bennetts cover last July, worth taking the £50 hit cancelling with Bennetts and getting a refund on my remaining 6 months which will pay for a whole year from a new insurer or stick it out get another year NC then change when I renew?

 

[MowyTone]

Took her out at lunch for the first proper ride since getting the rear wheel sorted. It's like it's a different bike, so much better. Came back to work with a smile

 

[wazza300]

Sent Bennetts an email about adding my no claims from my previous bike to my current policy and their reply was I'd have to cancel my current policy and take out a new one to be able to add the NCD.
Decided to run some quotes from other places and I can now get TPFT for under £200 compared to the £600ish I was being quoted and paid for my Bennetts cover last July, worth taking the £50 hit cancelling with Bennetts and getting a refund on my remaining 6 months which will pay for a whole year from a new insurer or stick it out get another year NC then change when I renew?

If it saves you more money then switch and lose a year ncb

 

[tom_e]

I think that's what I'll do reran the quote with 2 years NCD and it only reduces it by £30 so I'll still be up and I ran a quote through Bennetts exactly the same details with the 1yr NCD added and they want over £800!?