2009 motorcycling highs and lows

I really liked my post DAS CB500, an excellent all rounder

 

Mine, spending a whole month on the bike (XJ900) doing Europe from end to
end.

Finaly getting to Applecross and hooning around Scotland between heavy
showers.

Coming into Carcassone over the mountains after 19 days on the bike, the
headlight falling out and momentarilly wanting to just go home.

Getting home and wantong to go round again

 

Its getting to be a bit of a tart that bike, isn't it

 

High points:

For me it'd have to be doing the Elefant on the outfit with Platy as
co-pilot. The fucking beast handled worse than anything I'd ridden
before yet we both kept laughing. The actual rally was it's usual riot
of bad behaviour and large amounts of alcohol which is due to be
repeated in a couple of weeks by some of us.

The French run and Chimay were great and the Alps trip was a roller
coaster ride swinging from low points to high points within hours on
several occasions.

Riding the Tenere to Stafford for the bike show the day after having a
load of stitches removed from my hand. I wasn't sure I was up to
riding the distance and when I got there and noticed that my finger
needed stitching again I realised how addictive bikes are.

Being told by German plod to leave the country on two separate
occasions has to be a high point.

Low points:

Crashing the 10R.

I suppose getting nicked by German plod could be classed as a low
point but sitting outside the nick watching burnt try to video the
cops noise testing Krustys MV was fucking hilarious.

All in all it was a pretty good year and with a bit of luck this one
will be just as entertaining.

 

To be fair, that was the high point for some of us.

Almost as amusing as TOG failing to get the Ducati running on the trip
to the Bol d'Or in '99.

Shame I fucked the recording up 'cos Krusty was looking very worried.
Picture'll have to do:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8963323@N05/3893197863/

 

<snork> further proof man ought to keep the stock exhaust... I mean
really, all aftermarket does is look pretty make noise and draw
unwanted attention. 8^) Any power gains you gain from an exhaust is
pointless without major fueling modifications.

 

Krusty has got a stock exhaust.. It's just the some[1] of the
internal baffles may have, erm, become detached somehow..

[1] all.

 

Like I said... ;^) That's okay though. I seem to recall a certain
feature on a certain suzuki that opened up the exhaust and let you
clean the baffles with a blow torch...sure uncorked the 2smoke in the
process also.

 

Most Suzi 2-strokes had removable baffles. A wood fire was good,
you could throw the baffles in the fire and recover them cleaned from the
ashes the next morning. I had security banging on the lab door once when
I tried to decoke/deoil the T500's exhaust pipes. I'd stuck the header
pipes in the extraction port from our welding area, turned the fan on
high, started the crud burning with an oxy torch, then turned off the
acetylene and blasted it with pure oxygen. I couldn't see how much smoke
was coming out of the extraction vent...

--
Ivan Reid, School of Engineering & Design, _____________ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

And in many cases save several kilos of weight & allow significant
power increases.

A power gain is a power gain you muppet. How can it be 'pointless' just
because you don't like the bit of metal it comes from? If you mean you
won't get the power gains from an aftermarket exhaust without changing
the FI/jetting to match it, then yes, obviously. But it's hardly 'major
fueling modifications'.

 

Nah, that was in quiet mode, it still had the tailpipe baffles in.

 

Aye, I remember the time she made me and several other UKRM'ers
welcome in your house when you were laid up in hospital.

Heh, in my case, unfortunately not 'almost' :/

Paul.

 

ROTFLMAO!!! That's why I did it outside and yeah I was working on T500
also (72 model to be exact) Things go right this year I'll likely be
getting a new set of oil lines for mine from Crook's Suzuki. It's a
compleate basket case adn I HOPE the crank isn't too rusty to clean up
and have rebuilt. My proclivity for castor over the others is with
good reason...high temp lubricity.

 

lol.

 

That's the ONLY story I'll buy. 8^) Weight saving is a GOOD THING...

heh, your definition. I wont argue the point.

 

Off the top of my head, can't recall if mine was '71 or '72 -- T500R
(unfortunately not TR500...) in purple-and-white.

--
Ivan Reid, School of Engineering & Design, _____________ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO#003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

Blue and White with that nice <rolls eyes> red pin stripe...that bit
is a decal. Likely keep the stock intake and exhaust. Modernize the
tail light with salvage specials tail lights. <wink> Not worrying on
the fiddly bits UNTIL the motor is done and running properly.
Fortunately the stock exhaust isn't rusted out and the baffles are
fine...the sucking sound you hear is me jetting it for my altitude
(3,782ft with Marias Pass (el. 5213 ft./1588 m.)) just down the road
(roughly 60mi)

Going to make things interesting...and before you ask the cases aren't
going to be polished. I prefer the 30+ year old patina on the
aluminium. <shrug> guess that makes me weird.