Recently I've had a whole heap of business at work and some other major things to organise. I'll be back updating in August.
Keep it rubber side down.
Monday 23 July 2007
Monday 9 July 2007
How to Start an SV...
when it doesn't want to.
The simple answer is that you can't. It'll start when it's good and ready.
If you refer back you'll notice a mention of this problem in the Ride to Cornwall at Soltice Services on the A303, it's happened once or twice more, however due to the great British Summer, I assumed it was just water getting into the ignition/starter switch. On Thursday however, it was dry, and the loud silence once again accompanied the starter button. I left it a while, nothing. Over the space of 4 hours it didn't start once. Eventually I called the recovery company, who unusually sent a guy who knew what a motorbike was, rather than someone in a flatbed truck expecting to see a Ford Fiesta broken at the side of the road.
Naturally the bike was so fearful of this that it decided to fire up first time when he arrived. I reassured him that the bike really wasn't starting earlier, and he seemed to believe me. He found a botched clutch switch override from a previous owner, and we assumed that this was the cause of the issue. Despite the fact that the bike was obviously working, he offered to take me to BAT, for a warranty repair job, and off we went. We had an hour to cover the 13miles, but through London traffic it was touch and go, we arrived right at the last moment and wheeled in. Before even hearing the recovery guys findings they all said "Clutch Switch". So I felt quietly confident that they were right.
Fast forward to Saturday morning and I picked up the bike. I got as far as my parents house trouble free, but it wouldn't start once there. Another frantic phone call to BAT and it was decided to pinch the solenoid from a brand new SV in the showroom, and Spidermonkey would fit it at his house on Sunday morning. The bike behaved for the rest of the weekend, and once the new solenoid was fitted it carried on, so fingers crossed it's solved. The solenoid is a little square box that lives behind the right hand side panel, under the front seat if you ever have this problem and need to fix it, but check your clutch switch first.
Intermittent problems are so hard to pin down, so there's no way BAT could've known about it. If the bike started everytime they tried, they'd never have known there was a problem there; and they've been superb with helping to fix it as soon as possible, so again, all credit to them for working so quickly on the machine!
The simple answer is that you can't. It'll start when it's good and ready.
If you refer back you'll notice a mention of this problem in the Ride to Cornwall at Soltice Services on the A303, it's happened once or twice more, however due to the great British Summer, I assumed it was just water getting into the ignition/starter switch. On Thursday however, it was dry, and the loud silence once again accompanied the starter button. I left it a while, nothing. Over the space of 4 hours it didn't start once. Eventually I called the recovery company, who unusually sent a guy who knew what a motorbike was, rather than someone in a flatbed truck expecting to see a Ford Fiesta broken at the side of the road.
Naturally the bike was so fearful of this that it decided to fire up first time when he arrived. I reassured him that the bike really wasn't starting earlier, and he seemed to believe me. He found a botched clutch switch override from a previous owner, and we assumed that this was the cause of the issue. Despite the fact that the bike was obviously working, he offered to take me to BAT, for a warranty repair job, and off we went. We had an hour to cover the 13miles, but through London traffic it was touch and go, we arrived right at the last moment and wheeled in. Before even hearing the recovery guys findings they all said "Clutch Switch". So I felt quietly confident that they were right.
Fast forward to Saturday morning and I picked up the bike. I got as far as my parents house trouble free, but it wouldn't start once there. Another frantic phone call to BAT and it was decided to pinch the solenoid from a brand new SV in the showroom, and Spidermonkey would fit it at his house on Sunday morning. The bike behaved for the rest of the weekend, and once the new solenoid was fitted it carried on, so fingers crossed it's solved. The solenoid is a little square box that lives behind the right hand side panel, under the front seat if you ever have this problem and need to fix it, but check your clutch switch first.
Intermittent problems are so hard to pin down, so there's no way BAT could've known about it. If the bike started everytime they tried, they'd never have known there was a problem there; and they've been superb with helping to fix it as soon as possible, so again, all credit to them for working so quickly on the machine!
Sunday 8 July 2007
Karma
I was waiting at a set of red lights on Hayes Lane in South East London when a learner turned left from the lights on the left hand side. Almost immediately another car swung around after him and started beeping and being very aggressive.
Arsehole.
I pulled away from the lights a little quicker than usual, over took the idiot and backed off to about 20mph, ensuring that the learner got some distance, and also that he was forced to stop at the next set of lights, with just enough time left on amber for me to squeeze through.
A little wave over my left shoulder and mission complete.
What a prick.
Arsehole.
I pulled away from the lights a little quicker than usual, over took the idiot and backed off to about 20mph, ensuring that the learner got some distance, and also that he was forced to stop at the next set of lights, with just enough time left on amber for me to squeeze through.
A little wave over my left shoulder and mission complete.
What a prick.
Tuesday 3 July 2007
The River Effra Rises again
I was running late, I had a doctors appointment at 5:45 and due to starting issues with the bike, I didn't leave until 5:20pm. I was in a hurry. I was taking my usual route South on the A23 towards Brixton when the heavens opened, and it bucketed down. Torrents of water falling from the sky.
As I approached the Junction of Stockwell Road and the A23 a wall of water 18 inches high rushed towards me, and within seconds the water was over the wheelhubs of the bike and sizzling around the bottom of the engine, then I noticed the smell, sewerage. The flash flood had lifted it from the sewers. No way I was hanging around in this, especially not in slow traffic guaranteed feet down at some point. I pulled off on to a side turn and was greeted with a floor as white as snow or spring blossom. I nearly lost the bike. It was hail, half an inch in diameter.
There are some photos here, I wouldn't recommend riding in it. Eventually I found my way home through the back streets of Brixton, and got to the Doctors just 15 minutes late.
It was July, and this was totally unexpected, like the apocalypse had arrived. Sadly I didn't manage to snap any pics myself.
More about the starting issues later.
As I approached the Junction of Stockwell Road and the A23 a wall of water 18 inches high rushed towards me, and within seconds the water was over the wheelhubs of the bike and sizzling around the bottom of the engine, then I noticed the smell, sewerage. The flash flood had lifted it from the sewers. No way I was hanging around in this, especially not in slow traffic guaranteed feet down at some point. I pulled off on to a side turn and was greeted with a floor as white as snow or spring blossom. I nearly lost the bike. It was hail, half an inch in diameter.
There are some photos here, I wouldn't recommend riding in it. Eventually I found my way home through the back streets of Brixton, and got to the Doctors just 15 minutes late.
It was July, and this was totally unexpected, like the apocalypse had arrived. Sadly I didn't manage to snap any pics myself.
More about the starting issues later.
Monday 2 July 2007
A Quiet Weekend
Not much biking this weekend due to other commitments, hangovers and really, really bad weather. I did manage to get out on Saturday afternoon to Westerham with a banging hangover and a pillion, again the bike handled the pillion well, and he was by far the largest person I've taken; he also remained quite comfy for the 3 hours we were out, so the jury is out on the comfort level. The poor bike was filthy and soaked, and I can really feel the chain needing replacing now, it's lost the smoothness under acceleration.
Unfortunately it'll have to wait until next payday, though I have found the cheapest chains around from Busters Accessories, only £57 for chain and sprocket set, so i'll do that then.
"Each kit comes with front sprocket, rear sprocket and chain. Prices quoted for 520, 525 and 530 kits. Supplied with OE quality DID, Regina, RK or EK chain. "
I'm sure that's good, but I'm not a chain expert. Anyone?
Also I've taken to liberally applying WD-40 as part of the cleaning process around the engine (to make it all pretty and shiny) and to remove chainlube etc from the undertray and swingarm. It's the only stuff I've found that'll get it off, and I can guarantee that it'll be cheaper than specialist products.
If you use aerosol style WD40 do keep it away from the chain, though I'm told the 5litre "non spray" bottles of it are excellent for chain cleaning, the solvent needed in the aerosol style is really bad for chains, but is absent in the bottled stuff. Stick to Paraffin or muck off for that.
Unfortunately it'll have to wait until next payday, though I have found the cheapest chains around from Busters Accessories, only £57 for chain and sprocket set, so i'll do that then.
"Each kit comes with front sprocket, rear sprocket and chain. Prices quoted for 520, 525 and 530 kits. Supplied with OE quality DID, Regina, RK or EK chain. "
I'm sure that's good, but I'm not a chain expert. Anyone?
Also I've taken to liberally applying WD-40 as part of the cleaning process around the engine (to make it all pretty and shiny) and to remove chainlube etc from the undertray and swingarm. It's the only stuff I've found that'll get it off, and I can guarantee that it'll be cheaper than specialist products.
If you use aerosol style WD40 do keep it away from the chain, though I'm told the 5litre "non spray" bottles of it are excellent for chain cleaning, the solvent needed in the aerosol style is really bad for chains, but is absent in the bottled stuff. Stick to Paraffin or muck off for that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
