weimieman

Morning all Just a quick few lines to catch up with you lot. I think it was towards the end of November when I last posted so I would imagine that a lot of you will be cringing now knowing that I have a couple of months worth of blah blah to bang on about but sadly, no. Nothing to exciting to report really. The usual slowed me down from posting and keeping up with everybody's projects. Christmas, work, etc etc. You know the score. I have kept dropping in from time to time seeing how everyone was but just from google so I have been around, just not putting any of my ramblings on the screen As for my trusty DT, she's well and currently in a slow charge due to lack of activity over the past few months. To be honest, she's been in the garage in bits again due to an ongoing petrol leak that I just couldn't get on top of. Long story short, fixed it at the weekend with some super duper petrol resistant rubber. I made a up a couple of gaskets and within 30 mins no more leaks. If anybody is experiencing the same sort of issues, drop me a line for this miracle product. I need about two square inches but the minimum order was two square METRES so if you need some, I'm here MInd you, the petrol leak was the least of the DT's worries. Remember that really bad wind we had before Christmas? Well I'd bought one of the larger plastic greenhouses for the back garden so the DT could have her own personal space. Apparently she didn't get on the with Goldwing in the garage as, in her opinion, bikes shouldn't have that much plastic on them with a great big clear wardrobe door at the front. Her words, not mine. Anyway, the greenhouse was weighed down well at each corner with some patio flags as I didn't want it floating away with my pride and joy in it like a scene out of the Wizard of Oz. What I didn't factor in was the constant rocking of the thing, quite agressively from side to side. After one of my daily checks to make sure everything was okay, I noticed some white powder on the floor by the front wheel. As I looked closer, there was some red powder as well. The naive part of me thought it was just something that could have perished in the cold weather, the realistic part of me knew it was going to be nasty. It couldn't have been worse (it could obviously but I like to dramatise). The red and white powder were what remained of my once colourful front mudguard. The plastic shelf in the greenhouse had been rubbing on the mudguard overnight becuase of the high winds rocking it side to side. Rubbed down to the original plastic. I was gutted. Nevermind I thought. I enjoyed the experience of the spraying and preparing the first time. The second time I would be a little better (probably). Worse things happen at sea, write it off to experience. At least it can't get any worse. FATAL ............. LAST ................ WORDS................. A couple of days had passed and I was checking in on the old girl again to make sure everything was okay. The shelf had been removed so no more rubbing of the paint. Check. Patio flags still securing the greenhouse at each corner. Check. Overwhelming smell of petrol even in an outdoors greenhouse. Check. What? Who? How???? The leak had returned, big time. Again, no biggie. Its December now and let's face it, she's not going anywhere until the weather improves and that isn't going to be anytime soon. Off with the rad cover, seat and tank screw. Tank drained and laid safely to rest in the garage. Meh, that can wait a while, no rush. Insert nagging from wife about smell of petrol in the garage floating up into the lounge!!! Yeah you could smell it, but from a male point of view, it's not unpleasant is it? It's like the smell of a two stroke. It's a blokey thing isn't it? Right. A few layers of shrink wrap on the tank to protect it and I'm afraid you're relagated to the greenhouse. You know, the greenhouse that has served me so well so far and not caused me any problems whatsoever <insert sarcastic comment here>. The next day I did my little scout outside to make sure everything was okay and obviously it wasn't. The wind had rocked everything a little, but just enough to move the tank slightly and just enough to allow what little bit of petrol was left in to leak out and get trapped between the tank and the shrink wrap. Despited some frantic unwrapping like an over anxious five year old on Christmas morning, it was too late, the damage was done. The petrol had eaten into all of my top coats and undercoats revealing primer all along one edge. Where it hadn't gone all the way through, it's left a very creased effect in what was once a bright shiny diamond white tank with freshly laid decals. Gutted was not the word I would have used. The swear box that day overflowed and paid entirely for Christmas 2011 with a lot left over for a couple of good holidays in 2012. Even my wife said that I enjoyed doing it the first time so just strip it again, respray and put new decals on. "Just" she said "just". I know she didn't know how many hours of blood sweat and tears I put into that tank so I think she was kinda feeling guilty for kicking the tank out of the garage in the first place and giving me her "blessing" to spend more money on a bike she hates was a way of easing her guilt! Anyway, to be honest, Christmas came and went, my job changed at work and both bikes took a back burner so to speak (not to mention, this forum). After fixing the petrol leak with the miracle rubber last weekend, I have kind of accepted the tanks new rugged looks and I think I'll leave it. It looks, well, rugged. There was a danger last year that the old girl was looking a little too good to be used on the roads again, let alone the beach which really was my sole intention of getting the bike in the first place. I'll be honest though, the mudguard is annoying me but rather than a complete respray, I think I'll just be doing some nice touching up to fill in the gaps. My wife even bought me book on spraying and pinstriping for Christmas. I quite like this new guilty version wife. I bet I can milk this for a while. "Guilty wife" lasted until about the 4th of Jan and "old wife" returned asking me when I was going to get rid of the bike as I hadn't ridden it yet! Ho hum, it was nice while it lasted. So thats pretty much me up to speed. If anyone would like to see the pics of the various damages, I'll post some over the weekend. It might even brighten your day when you realise things could be worse. Much worse. You could have bought a greenhouse for your bike So to summise, I hope you're all well and your projects are going great guns and I vow to do better with my forum activity from now on.

Thanks Paul and back at ya All the best to everyone on here and apologies for being so silent for a while!!! Believe it or not, I've not had much to say lately but I'm sure a new project in 2012 should get my gob flapping again. I'm enjoying sitting back and watching the everyone elses projects at the moment.

That looks like a productive days work! Best of luck and I'll be coming back for updates to see how you're getting on

Fantastic, made my day already

Ha fantastic. I saw an ad similar to this last year but it was a Citroen Saxo genuinely for sale but he basically slated the car off from start to finish and typed in that annoying text/talk language which we all hate on hear! I hope for his sake that ebay do pull it otherwise he's looking at some hefty final value fees!!!!

There are very few things left in the world that get me drooling anymore but three little letters still do it for me "CNC". That would be a lottery purchase, don't know where the wife would let me keep it though

Irrelevant how many years you wasted mate, the point is yer back!

Can't you book her in for repairs/upgrades? You may get a courtesy wife from the garage, one that has that new hooters smell

to the site Chappers. Nice intro as it's always nice to know what sort of looney we're dealing with on here! As mike said, beware this time of year because our two wheeled stallions do not like wet manhole covers and leaves or god forbid, a combo of the two. Oh and diesel at bus stops is always a corker to look out for Just remember though, no matter how wet it gets, its still better to be out there on two wheels than not all all

Well all I can say after tuning into my latest episode of Farmer County Choppers is that you're a braver man than I!!!! Looking great though, that polishing patience is really paying off

They are going a great job of lying then cos shes looks pretty damned good Might just be me but that instrument cluster looks quite space agey and ahead of its time. Maybe I need to get out more This link might help you ww.nongaymanlybikeracks.com

Yeah re post over in the projects as it's a great thread

Jeez, I've not been on your thread for a bit Dave and with the last few posts you must be gutted mate. There's got to be some way to get around the pencil pushing a-holes surely. I'll check in again soon and hopefully I'll see some good news

Thanks for that I bet you can picture some of your polished parts on her can't you Heading over to yours now to see how you're getting on

Cheers for following the thread Pat. Its nice to know that I've done something people find interesting! I'm fairly sure if you can make it from over the water then I can make the effort from a few hours away I'm kinda wishing I did replace that seat sponge now!

Me thinks you would be correct in that statement! Every effort will be made I assure you.

Thanks for the heads up on Garstang but until I can think of the next project I'll be steering clear of these wonderful aladin's caves. Thank God auto jumbles don't take credit cards as my car would be full! Glad you got the policies sorted

I've only been on these forums a few months now but I know that Kev's replies can be a little, how do I put this, a little raw but after going down the correct route of making an intro or two you pretty quick know how the forum and it's etiqutte works. Also you know that Kev has lost a lot of weight and kudos to him for that.

Will do. I'll take one tonight when I get in and upload in the morning when I get back to work. To be honest, I think it'll fit quite well but I kinda just half heartedly chucked it in last night as with it being a nice day after a cold night, the roof plastic was full of condensation and any slight tap on the framework was casuing it to drip down my neck so it was a case of "bugger that" and I left the back wheel poking out slightly. One side zipped up fine and the other is about two thirds down. I've got a feeling that it should fit in fine but worse case scenario you'd have to remove the far shelf so you can really swing the front wheel in. Don't know what my insurers will say though as it kinda goes behind the definintion of a brick built property to house the bike in! "I don't know how they got in M'lud, maybe they used a blow torch or a stanley knife, it's beyond me"

Sorry to hear about your bad luck but fortunately you seem to have gotten off lightly. Small consolation for something that shouldn't have even happened in the first place. I've been lucky in the past as I've been on the road 22 years now and bar the couple of stupid locking up the front brake when I was learning, I've only been tapped once from the side. It was heavy traffic one Monday morning going to work so I was sneaking down the outside of traffic very slowly making my way forward. I was looking for any twitchers in line, indicators on etc but it should have been fairly safe as there was only one lane going into the city centre. Next thing, bang, my ankles on fire due to Mrs "Can't be arsed to sit in traffic so I'm doing a U turn and going back to the motorway" pulling out and smacking me. Fortunately being of the more mature years, she only pulled out about 10mph so I was hit lightly on the side whereas if it was Mr Boy Racer who'd just passed his test and had twelve mates in it with baseball caps and hoodies then I dare say I would have been across the bonnet. I had a great biker solicitor who worked the case for me as I was always worried that I shouldn't have been going down the outside of traffic as so many anti bikers hate. His defense, " as bikers, it not always safe for us to stay still in standing traffic as we're vulnerable from behind so we have to keep moving". Don't you love knowledge and experience

UPDATE LATE PM 8-11-11 DISASTER STRIKES Well not so much disaster, but a mild inconvenience to be honest. After having a tinker in the garage last night I noticed a smell of petrol which I didn't worry too much about as next to my bikes there is an unleaded can with the top off (empty of course) so I just assumed it was that. Further inspection I was sure that it was the pipe off the petcock and putting it on or off in the last few months must have stressed it so a quick trim back and I thought it was sorted. Nope. Its the flipping gasket between the petcock and the tank. That really is a lesson I've learnt for my next project that little consumables like that should be replaced as they are 25 years old at the end of the day. Until I get some gasket material at the weekend, I've been "forced" to lay her up in the back garden in my plastic greenhouse as the smell is wafting up into the lounge. Bloody women, they don't appreciate the manly smells of motorbikes as she hates the smell of a 2 stroke! I'm sure there is something in the wedding vows about love, honour obey and appreciate 2 strokes. No? Must be my bad memory then

Thanks a lot, much appreciated. Glad to be able to keep her on the road for another 25 years !!

Ta very much I'm aiming for the next meet but I might just bring some pics and arrive on something that can get me there in less than three days!!!!

Spot on Paul. It was from Tower in Blackpool and everything on its dated back to the early 80's including the little cardboard tag attached by string. Of course being me, I've kept the tag

Well spotted eagle eyes! As I was moving her around last night I did hear a bit of drag so that'll be on the to-do list at the weekend. Those big pics really do show off things don't they