Jump to content

ReBorne

Free
  • Posts

    61
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by ReBorne

  1. Pah, no pic :-( The road has a long slow bend towards the roundabout, so I can only catch a about half in a shot. (That's on the days when I'm driving down when it isn't packed with traffic grrrr) And would you believe it, at the OTHER side of the roundabout they've now put about 2 1/2 miles of cones for about 100 yards of roadworks?!? Down to a SINGLE lane..... for 5 weeks!!!!! At the start of school holidays!!!! MORONS! And people have taken to going off a slip road half way through it, straight over the roundabout and back onto the road.... to jump in front of a dozen cars and cause MORE queues through drivers having to slow down and let them in!!!! As if I didn't waste enough petrol, now I either sit in traffic or take a detour through a 30 zone stopping and starting......ffs. Can't wait to get the bike on the road. Anyone know how to register as a charity?!? Lol (Remember Stressed Eric?? Looking like him right now......)
  2. "mind you the white line marked "bike filtering lanes" down the middle of some rural roads are really useful!!" At first I thought you meant those rather thin lanes with the nasty bumpy cats' eyes' interrupting them..... but you actually have lanes for motorbikes there instead of having to go down between the traffic?!? Or that's how I read it.....? I'm being dense, aren't I? This latest, greatest improvement is just North of Newcastle Upon Tyne.... if you're up this way, just stay on the A1 to miss it ;-) (Though the coastal route is a great bundle of roads!)
  3. ReBorne

    125 on a cbt

    Getting a car? Then a bike? Tax, insurance etc etc...... Ah, I wish I lived with MY parents again........ ;-) he he Good on 'yer! ;-)
  4. Driving back home from work tonight I had to come through a stretch of road leading up to a roundabout that's being extended.... In a distance of around 500 yards there are now no less than 23(!) road signs....... Doesn't sound much until you see them.... some are even within 15 feet of the back of another one..... an amazing mixture of old, new and temporary ones. Worst of it is, the roundabout has gone from a 2-lane to a 4-lane soon-to-be-signal controlled one. Deep joy. People are already treating the extra space like a speed track and totally ignoring the new markings....... Oh, and they've kindly reduced the speed from 70 down to 40 in the same stretch. Wonder how long it takes them to stick a speed camera van in amongst the foray? Probably just after the first batch of accidents....... rant over. lol.
  5. ReBorne

    Chain Pain

    Eh? That sounds much to clever and logical for me..... lol Cheers, certainly will!!! That's if I ever get to that stage, this month has been even worse of a killer than usual financially, so I guess it's gonna be a couple of weeks before I get anywhere now. *sobs*
  6. Yay! Glad to hear you're sorted mate!!
  7. There's a couple of types of the magnet ones - one is a just a straight telescopic one, the other is telescopic with a little springy bit on the end..... I know it looks fancier, but I would seriously recommend against the one with the spring. Yes, you can keep it not quite fully extended so the spring is tucked away, but when you miss the screw and it holds onto something else, the magnet is usually strong enough to pull it back out as you pull it back...... and when it's out, the spring is weak enough so that just as your getting past an offending joint/strut/plate whatever, the magnet swings to the side and grabs that instead. Gets you annoyed pretty quick...... :-D Good luck (",)
  8. ReBorne

    Chain Pain

    OH, FFS!!!!!!! Shall explain in a moment...... Thankfully I'm not having a massive problem transferring my car skills to the bike.... so I already had the chain off to clean/loosen it up a bit before fitting it back on and finding it gappy - damn, it's all fussy thing - remove the little guard to remove the chain guard, disconnect the gear selector to get the sideplate off etc etc..... honestly, it's like working on a flipping Mini again - having to take off 6 bits to get to the one you want ;-) The chain at the moment has a split link which I guess for anyone else would make it easier - and there probably IS an easier way to get it on without removing everything (when I fed it over the front sprocket it obviously gathered at the bottom in a neat little pile.... my logical, albeit slow, method was to take everything off as above to get to it :-D ) Now to the FFS....... remember when Goff thought someone had it in for her with all her problems last month? Starting to feel the same..... the bike currently sits in the front of the garage sideways on. The other half wanted access to her (push)bike, which of course I'm blocking...... The garage has wooden struts down either side about 2.5' apart.... so, I drops it off the stand takes it back a foot, checks behind has enough room, up on the stand... and somehow bumped the number plate on the strut. Not hard, but enough to give the bottom quarter a good spiderweb crack..... so I can add a numberplate to the MOT list..... I swear, the strut moved. It MUST have..... *sigh* Anyone got a straitjacket they no longer require?!? Please?!?
  9. ReBorne

    Chain Pain

    Oldgit, once again a big thanks to you.... you manage to find things even when I've been searching for a while.... I bow to your superior knowledge and your willingness to help.... :-D
  10. Don't worry, you're far from the first..... I managed to get one in beside the front chain sprocket last week ;-) However, being a Mini owner of many years, I'm well used to screws dropping in completely inaccessible places - so yes, a torch and a magnet reach thingy are a good place to start, but if you find it's in a place where the magnet tends to stick to metal beside it and not let you get it (typical of the grabbers that have a spring on the end), then one of the 'plunger' type that pushes out a little claw might come in handy too..... I picked one up at the market for a quid last year....... (last one rusted shut after a roof leak grrrr). Failing that, just pick it up, turn it upside down and shake it......???? (",)
  11. ReBorne

    fazer

    We were discussing exactly this type of thing today..... I'm the oldest in our group at 38 - and for once I was the one laughing about my age!!!! Almost makes you glad to be getting on ;-) Glad you got it down some ;-)
  12. ReBorne

    Chain Pain

    Cheers Guys. Aaaargh, I don't know whether to really thank you or curse you for you telling the truth. lol. It's good to know, but it's bad it means £££££........... lol. I'm gonna be honest, I really needed to keep the cost down on getting this bike sorted out :-( So, did a quick bit of searching around, and it's been quite interesting. I know she's not a popular bike for getting hold of replacement items, so I've been trying to find bikes that are interchangeable, eg FZ600 etc etc. Not so much to go down the route of buying s/h parts, but more for compatibility to buy cheaper parts. And this is where I've been confused. I've found 2 different chains, with 2 different specs. One can be got from £30 (I know, I know. You get what you pay for - but I'm having to get cheap and cheerful now, and update it bit by bit later). the other is at £60. I know my luck, it'll be the expensive one. lol Ok, I'm gonna go spend more time running around the web and trying to pin it down. Once again, big thanks for the help. I'm slowly learning, honest!!!! (",)
  13. ReBorne

    Chain Pain

    Hi Guys, Ok, the bike's nearly ready to go back and get a proper MOT. I've picked up the forks with the new seals and fitted them today and rectified everything on the list bar 2 things.... one is just a bolt, so no worry there. My quandry is the chain...... the guy mentioned that it was too loose and gaps were showing around the rear sprocket. I've had the chain off and lubed it up, put it back on and tensioned it up...... but there are still gaps around the sprocket, though only at the bottom half. How do I remedy this, or what does it mean? Is it a stretched chain? Any help will be greatly appreciated...... Cheers!!! (",)
  14. I work on a Home IT helpdesk, dealing with Joe Public and his computer woes. I *personally* wouldn't use Norton if I was paid. IMO, drags your system resources too much. Ditto McAfee. Get to a free software site (filehippo?) and get AVG or Avast. If you've got money to spend, I trialled Kaspersky a few months back and liked it. At the very, very least get a firewall installed. ZoneAlarm is still a favourite among my colleagues. (Don't think that because programs are free that they're useless - they let personal users use them for free and charge business users, thus still making a profit.) The advice above about not using admin login is sound if you're not too gen'd up on computers, so consider it. Ditto the backups. In fact, if you remember NOTHING else from this thread, if you have music/documents and/or pictures, take time out TODAY and do a backup of them. Seriously. Don't think it can't or won't happen to you, do it JUST IN CASE. If you could clone your bike for free in case it got nicked, you would, right? Do the same with your data. Trouble is today, viruses to kill someone's machine don't do anything but damage, the kids that write them get no real return. The money is in control (you've heard of botnets) and in getting information from your machine - and when money is involved, things get serious. So yes, it can happen to you. Don't forget your Anti-Spyware. Use 2 different programs, one will always catch some that the other doesn't. Our guys regularly spend 1-2 hours cleaning someone's machine for the sake of 15 minutes getting some protection on there. Jeez, going on the net is like going into a brothel where ALL of the girls have different maladies. You'd think about protection then, wouldn't you..........? (Speaking of spyware, if you've got 2 minutes do a search for Phorm and find out about how ISP's are trying to justify watching your every move on the net, purely in the name of better advertising..... that 2 minutes will turn into a very angry hour.....lol) And lastly, I'm not gonna start a fanboi war or flame war or anything, but while viruses aren't as prevalent out there for Mac's or Linux, you're not invulnerable. If anyone caught the news of the hacker challenge a couple of months back, 3 machines - Windows, Mac and Linux. Mac went down first, then Linux, then Windows....... it gave a lot of hackers ideas of where to focus their attentions........ so no, you probably won't get hit by a virus. But that doesn't mean you're safe. Windows may get attacked more, but it also has a hell of a lot more people working to fend off those attacks and a lot more profitability due to the sheer volume of users. OK, too much blethering. *The comments here are purely my own opinion and in no way reflect the position of my employers or their agents.*
  15. ReBorne

    1st bike?

    You young'uns don't know just how lucky you are!!! Back in the dim and distant past (c1986) this Tomos Moped was my mode of transport at 16..... my mate had a Fizzy Chicken (Yamaha FS1e) and another one had a Honda Step-Thru C50. Heavy metal was the music of choice at the time so we were dolled up in leather like Hells Angels. (Studded leather jackets with cut-off denim jackets over the top..) Stop laughing!! (Actally, it seems really sad now - but hey, we weren't the ones stuck with abysmal public transport - we could go where we wanted!!!!) (Yes, this was the thing me and a mate did 800 miles in 6 days on......ROADTRIP!!!! lol) Wish we had the choice you guys do...... except for the damn Chava Hair Dryers (aka scooters). Ah, memories...... p.s. Can't find Tomos dealers in the UK any more from a quick Google, but they seem to be available in the States for about 800 quid!!!!
  16. Ok, took the bike (FZ400RL) for it's MOT. After he stopped laughing (I wish I was joking there) he pointed out a few things and asked me if I REALLY wanted to go ahead with the MOT...... I have to admit, that while I'm ok with mechanics and (if I say so myself) pretty good with cars, I've never took a bike for an MOT before. My previous bike ownership was back before my car days and they were new, so no need. I know she doesn't LOOK amazing, but I didn't expect things to be *too* bad. Her electrics are all hunky dory, all the switches do what they should etc etc. He gave it a cursory look over. The list he rattled out? Here goes..... fork seals, brake pads (oil from seals now on disc), missing bolt on caliper(!?! WTF? I'm SURE that was there before I set out, I mean, even *I* don't miss crap like that!), rear suspension refusing to bounce back up, chain tension (which I thought was borderline anyhow but not exactly hard to resolve), no reflector........ and the exhaust will get an advisory coz it's sorta loudish but not excessive. Yet. So yeah, I'm gutted. Couple of days off this week are now going to be spent in the garage ripping her apart - the main thing to me is the forks, I tried doing them when I first got the bike coz the previous owner knew they were gone, and I managed to **** up a fork trying to change it, and had to shell out for another one. So, they're coming off and he's gonna get them to do. The awful thing is, the whole reason I want her back on the road is to save money, not have to shell out silly amounts more. Having to pay for the insurance deposit and MOT was pushing it this month, so I guess it'll be next month now. GGGRRRRRRR. </vent> The only good thing is that the fuel starvation definately seems to have been sorted. The 1.5 mile each way ride was no problem, no hitches and bloody good fun. Kinda bodes well for the future....... hopefully. Oh, and I've been working on a paint job/design for her, so while she's in bits I *might* get started on that - well, the base black anyway. Guess it also shows how ignorant and naive I can bee too. lol.
  17. I started on bikes (& peds...) at 16, converted to cars at 18, and 15 years later passed my bike test...haven't rode much since getting it, but got a FZ400RL now. (Well, had it a while already, but long story). Anyways, I find the 400 to have more than enough power, love the previously mentioned 'screamer' effect (sounds fast even when you're putting along, imo!) and the insurance has hit in at a mere 90 quid a year (admittedly thanks to 9 years NCB on cars). While I can't say spend time hunting out one like mine (I like the individuality ;-) ) I wouldn't have a problem recommending a 400 to start on. Good luck!
  18. ReBorne

    Fz 600

    Can help with no.2 coz I had this prob after my FZ400 did the same.... had me spitting feathers. I ended up opening up the switch unit on the 'bars, and shorting across the wires (middle and right hand one for main beam) just to check they worked. Lights came on, so it was obviously the switch.... used a small scredriver to clean up the brass contact there the plastic slider sits..... no joy. Pushed the wires with said driver, and hey presto - switch worked. Been ok since, must have had a bit of a dry joint which it's long stand didn't help.......I presume anyways...... Hope this helps!
  19. Sweet!! Oooh, nearest thing I've seen to mine *happy dancing* Seeing yours makes me realise the 'bars on mine have to go..... these are so much meaner! And those rear indicators.... beat the hell outta the massive orange blocks on as standard....mmmm
  20. OMG, I think I'm in love!!!!! Wanna see her from the front..... please?!?
  21. ReBorne

    FZ400RL

    The photo doesn't show it, but the paint job is a bit iffy..... she's stood a little while and it's only lately that I've got her near MOT'able. That happens in just over a week ;-) (YAY!!!) Going to be keeping her metallic black, but yet to decide for sure on the sticker / painting design..... might go for a charcoal tribal design, might go for a bit of an 80's 'metal panels with rivets' design. Any ideas, hell, feel free to air them!!! Btw, Is the FZ400RL classed as a street or naked racer style?!? I'd say street myself, but Google searches seem to blur the differences a bit......
  22. Ok, got in from work and almost caught a breath before I was opening he garage up and dragging her out.... And I'm more than happy to say I've jst had her out for a run and she's done me proud :-D Flies on my teeth and everything ;-) So, big thanks to you guys not just for the literal help but also being there for me to bounce ideas off. Now I'm just biding time till month end, payday and (hopefully) MOT without problems! Cheers!!
  23. Woot! Ok, it's peeing down here so I ain't had her out yet, but...... *fingers crossed* I think I've cracked it!!! Like I said yesterday, the sucky sucky just produced a little dribble.... (stop sniggering in the back!). Taking the front off the tap just shows a little ring and the selector itself... the back is where the goodies were hiding, the diaphragm - which looked in decent nick. Movement was ok, nothing stopping it getting back and forth. The inlet has the filter on a pipe and an inlet - being clever I worked that out to be the main and reserve inlets. Seemed like a small mesh filter in the reserve inlet. Cranked up the compressor and put a couple of blasts backward through the tap and guess what? Nothing special from the main pipe except some petrol, but I found that the filter in the reserve inlet isn't a filter - it was just so clogged with crap it was unreal! Flew nicely though. Re-assembled, threw the suction pipe on and gave a quick suck..... and YAY!!! a veritable torrent of fuel pouring out!!! So, tomorrow I'm hoping the weather is good enough to give her a shot, but I'm quietly confident. Ok, so maybe not so quiet.... but HAPPY!!! BIG BIG thanks for all the help. Some of your ideas have been invaluable. Course, if I'm wrong and it's still not fixed, I'm plain outta ideas. lol...... we'll see.....
  24. ReBorne

    new to site

    Hey man, if you get half the welcome I feel I've had, you'll love it here. So far I've had laughs a-plenty and more help than I can shake a stick at! You'll love it here!
  25. Skull Air Cover Just got 2 penny's in my pocket so I thought I'd throw them in the ring..... is this the one? lol (",)
×
×
  • Create New...