Ventura

A shed-thread!! Something I cant resist! As far as tin sheds go, be careful if its in an exposed position. A friend of mine got one installed and two weeks later there was a storm and he found it in bits in a nearby field. Luckily it happened before he'd got round to storing his beloved Ducati in it! I would avoid buying cheepo sheds from the usual DIY and gardening outlets. They're cheep because they've used the thinest and cheapest wood they can get away with. As already said, if your looking for a decently constructed shed big enough to house 3 bikes then your looking around £1000 or so. If you've got access to reclaimed wood in sufficient quantity then the DIY route is the way to go. You can then make it to your own requirements and far cheaper too. I recently made one to serve as bike storage and workshop. Its an oddball size cos I wanted to maximise the space I had available. Ordered all the wood direct from the timber yard and set too with a saw and nail gun! Total outlay was about half of what I'd have spent on a similarly constructed pre-fabricated bought-in job. But still cost me well over a grand, especially when all the electrics etc are included. And just to prove that whatever you build, it wont be big enough!!............. V.

Ive got a Thruxton. But I like yours better!! Good job!! (Where've you put the battery and stuff?) V.

There's few better places in the world to go biking. When the sun is shining!! Great stuff Blackhat. V.

I'm there now!! Glorious weather and plenty of bikes entered. Good to see the Sprint back in action again. Oh, and my RD is entered in the VJMC show too! V.

Automating your bidding is the way to go. There is no need at all to place a bid as the auction is running as all this does is encourage others to bid higher. If you register at www.auctionsniper.com all you need to do is enter the Ebay auction number your looking at, enter the maximum price you're willing to bid, then set the number of seconds before the auction end that you wish to place your automated bid (8 secs works well) The Auctionsniper does the rest for you. Your bid goes on at a time that no-one can place a higher bid and as long as your bid is higher than the previous highest one, you win! Also the automated bid will be of an amount which is the next increment up from the previous highest, just as a manual bid is. I use this for everything I bid on, and have done for a number of years now, with no problems. There is a small charge for each Sniped bid (a few US cents) which is paid by Paypal. If you've ever lost an item in the dying few seconds of the auction then its likely you've been beaten by an automated snipe. Nows your chance to Snipe back!! Works for me!! V.

The Innovate A/F gauge must be one of the most useful tuning tools going Paul. And takes all the guesswork out of setting carbs, especially if you've strayed from the standard setup. As you say, Ive used mine on all my bikes and my friends bikes too, ranging from vintage Britbikes to litre sports bikes and even racing C90's. Well worth the outlay and great for peace of mind, especially when setting up 2-strokes. Worked great on my DT175 too and I'm presently getting it rigged up for my newly acquired RD350. V.

I have six bikes on one policy with Ducati Insurance. None of them are Ducatis any more, but Ive never found anyone else to beat them. Charges are reasonable for making changes or adding bikes too. Worth giving them a call. V.

I have a feeling that Paul is leading us on before making a grand declaration as to how he knows the answer!! I'd say your plug is exactly spot-on!! V.

Its the same thing Drewpy The carousel is at the entrance to the Pier! Not much of a ride for me tho, I live about 300 yards from it!! Agree tho that Rivington and Devils Bridge are the best meeting points, and some great roads on the way too! Plus you'd need to go past Chorley Yamaha on the way to the Barn. Always good for a bit of 'browsing'! V.

Welcome Mr Gincredible! There's quite a good bike gathering at Southport pier at the weekends these days, especially on a Sunday. Just far enough from you to make it a reasonable ride if you take the scenic route! But as Airhead says, Rivington on any Sunday too. Also Glasson Dock attracts a few. V.

The differing airboxes are certainly a little puzzling!! I notice the 1979 175F airbox doesnt even include your No23 "suction pipe"........... And then when you look at my '79 175MX it has this convoluted arrangement, which I assume is only to reduce induction noise (which cant be heard over everything else anyway) and to make the air as dizzy as possible before it reaches the filter!!......... When you look at the cover which goes over that then no wonder that little rectangular entry is such a restriction!..... (I think the additional round hole is not standard and was drilled by a PO?) I'd be inclined to remove the whole lot but as Im striving to keep the bike as original as possible, and also that its performing and riding so well now, I think I'll leave it all as it is and just enjoy what I have :D V.

Your probably quite correct Cynic. Problem is when you either mod the airbox (or exhaust) as some have done, or experience problematic running as I did, then these bits of kit are invaluable as its actually showing you if you have a fueling problem and what it is, as it happening. After fiddling about with carbs, jets and needles for over a month I eventually welded the bung in the exhaust and fitted the gauge. Twenty minutes later I had the full picture of what was going on and it was all sorted! The other thing that became apparent is that with stock airbox/filter and stock jetting these bikes actually run overly rich. Fine for keeping the engine cool, but not good on performance or fuel economy! Opening up the airbox on most bikes would require upping the jetting. On mine anyway, this wasn't required. It actually brought the mixture closer to where it should be, but at the same time still running on the rich side. I agree that WOT is not the place many of us would often be on these little bikes, but they do like to be kept buzzing. As you say, 55-60mph or around 6500rpm is a comfortable limitation. You do tho need to go to WOT to determine the correct main jet size, as its only here that its fully in play. Its also good to know that if you do have to give it the bifters, your not really doing any harm. Everyones greatest fear with these little strokers must be running lean and seizing/burning as many have done. When I had my first DT back in the 70's I didnt know what a jet was, never mind where to find it! Happily rang that things neck for 1000's of miles without going near airbox or carb (or probably near the air filter either!!) but it never let me down. So your right, they're happy leaving all well alone! But if you don't!................... V.

Interesting Flyday58. Can I ask, does that mean you're presently running with no airbox , and just a pod filter? Or even no filter? With the kit I have I could run a test to see how much difference it makes and how much leaner the bike will run. That could help quantify exactly what jetting you'd likely need for that set-up. From what Ive found so far, the awful "flappy" combustion noise starts when the mixture gets to 14.8:1 and above, which is definitely lean enough and hot enough to fry a 2-stroke piston if left running at that for any time. V.

The beauty of the A/F gauge is that your getting readings, and doing your adjusting, on real road (or track) riding conditions, rather than a 4th/5th gear dyno pull roll-on. There's a BIG difference between the two. Its amazing to watch the A/F change as your riding, and what effect the differences in throttle position, engine load and even wind direction has! Ive bought from that Ebay seller before Paul. Very good comms and very quick delivery. But be aware that the item will come from Latvia. Burtons are good too, but you'll pay a few quid more. V.

Hi Paul, sorry if I wasn't clear but it was this top cover I removed........ The inlet hole is so small on this stock cover that it badly effects airflow Since taking that off the 4500 rpm over-rich bogging has disappeared altogether. With it on the bike was almost unridable as it was bogging just at the point that the power band seems to start! The lean band at 5500 is still there a bit, but I now know I can safely ride thro it. Ive had a few of these wideband A/F (Air fuel ratio) gauges in the past, some permanently installed on the bikes and some portable. They really are indispensable if your setting up the fuelling / jetting on any bike. Ive used one on everything from my racing C90's to vintage Brit-Bikes and modern litre bikes. The first one I bought was when I fitted flat-slide race carbs to my Triumph twins. With so many points of adjustment on those things it was near impossible to set them up blind. The only other option were visits to the Dyno man, but that ends up very expensive! What Im using now is one of these, bought from Burton Power...... http://www.burtonpower.com/parts-by-brand/brands-g-to-i/innovate/innovate-mtx-l-wideband-air-fuel-ratio-gauge-3844.html I have it all installed in a tank-bag, along with its own little 12V battery. No messing with wiring, just plug in and play!! For anyone who's interested in tuning and modifying set-ups then one of these must be one of the handiest tools around. Highly recommended!! V.