New addition to sig

It's maroon, and it's in superb order. 19,000 miles, all original, runs
like silk, rack and top box fitted, taxed and tested until July.

There's hardly a mark on it. rear mudguard is *just* beginning to go.
Front mudguard is just beginning to go, too, around the bridge, but Dave
Silver does brand new ones for ukp39+VAT.

The rest of the chrome is brilliant.

The Doctor has been cooing over it. Trouble is, I haven't got enough
room in the garage. And I fancy hanging onto the GN for the winter.
Decisions, decisions. If I shift all my autojumble boxes into her garden
shed, d'you think she'll notice?

 

OK. So you have *two* "main" bikes. Can't say I blame you, they are very
different beasts. But she only has one. This is probably not a good
argument to put forward.

Then you have a SOB each. Do you really need one each? Yes, you probably
do, it pisses down on both of you at the same time.

Plus you have the ST70. I assume you have other plans for this. For the
kids?

So there doesn't seem to be any disposable fat there. I can't see any
option but shifting the boxes into the shed. Who looks into sheds at
this time of year?

You probably don't want to buy another MZ just now. Or a Gold Wing.

Regards, Ian

 

He does. Just doesn't know it.

 

Probably. The bloke who sold us the CD200 wanted to buy it, mind.

Good thinking. I like that.

Um, I do, actually.

<fx: lightbulb>

Get a bigger garage!!!!

 

That, of course, is something you need to consider when buying the
house. Have you ever been round here? I can't remember. I have a triple
garage, which was a major consideration. It's three times the length and
the same width as the average one, which isn't as good as a triple width
one would be, but we have 8 bikes in there and the workbench is still
accessible.

Regards, Ian

 

If that's your gaff on the Epsom by-pass next to the church, yes, I
remember it.

 

Aha, you got it at last. Good to hear it's not a heap.
--
Tim two#21, YGL#3 & BOTAFOT#84

Due to the limitations of current email, the lip movements may be
out of synchronisation as you move your finger under the text while reading.

tim dot ukrm at dsl dot pipex dot com

 

I've spent this morning fettling it. I've ordered new mudguards front
and rear from Dave Silver because the ones on it are just beginning to
go, and the rest of it is *so* damn good and I got it so cheap, that
it's worth doing.

Close inspection of the exhausts reveals some tell-tale bulging that
means they're going to blow sooner or later, so I'll order a new pair of
exhausts too. Genuine OE ones are ukp47+VAT each side - bargain. Pattern
ones are ukp29.95 - even more of a bargain. Pattern silencers alone are
ukp28 - not really worth it given the price of complete systems.

The old exhausts and guards can go on Ebay - they'll make a few quid.

It was running very quietly when I got it, so I took it out the next
evening to cart Jamie to his RAF Cadets thingy[1]. That little ride
revealed that there was something awry with the pilot jetting (revs took
a while to drop, and it sometimes needed choke to start even when hot),
and that the chain was as tight as a bowstring.

It went well if held WFO, but the mid-range was hesitant.

A full service today revealed the following:

1. Pilot screw on the wrong setting. Re-set.

2. Needle clip set in the wrong groove. Re-set.

3. Ignition timing (he said it had just had new points and the old ones
were in the top box) set to the tappet TDC mark, not the ignition timing
"F" mark.

4. Chain indeed over-tight and a bit nadgered.

5. Air filter element so knackered that it crumbled in my hands. New one
fashioned from some K&N foam sheets I had knocking around.

6. Oil level low. Changed.

7. Spark plugs wrongly gapped. Re-gapped.

8. Vamve clearances out on two out of four valves. Adjusted. One tappet
locknut rounded off (I mean, how? They're effing hard steel) and
earmarked for replacement.

9. No spare fuses in the spare fuse clip. Put a couple in.

10. Both brakes badly adjusted. Re-adjusted.

11. Tyre pressures both near-atmospheric. Pumped up.

In addition to that, I dug out a working top box lock to replace the
keyless one in the box on it (you'd be amazed at what I've got in the
garage) and gave it a cursory polish.

Out on the road after that little lot, and it was a different bike.
Sweet, smooth, responsive, carb behaving perfectly, indicated 65mph
heading uphill along Banstead's Mad Mile and 75mph heading downhill,
which means it's sorted.

I'm just amazed, yet again, at how people can manage to **** up even as
idiot-proof a bike as a CD200 Benly. God knows who'd maintained it, but
they'd botched *everything*.

Anyway, The Doctor is in seventh heaven, because it's what she wanted,
so it'll be pressed into service. The GN250 goes on ebay tomorrow
(Sunday).


[1] He seems to be loving this. Spent the other night running around
some woods, face plastered in cam cream like a skinny Rambo. If he
passes his tests, he's allowed to start shooting after Xmas, and flying
in gliders in february. I'm going to alert the local Red Cross.

 

Not from carpet underlay? I thought that was the performance-enhancing
mod...

 

Mike Fleming was seen penning the following ode to ... whatever:

Only on ShiteOldSuzuki Two-Smokes.

 

Are they going to have to send him parcels? He'll be building gingham
gliders in the attic next.

 

#I saw the fireworks
I believed that I was dreaming
Till the neighbours came out screaming...

--
Platypus - Faster Than Champ
VN800 Drifter, R80RT
DIAABTCOD#2 GPOTHUF#19
BOTAFOS#6 BOTAFOT#89 FTB#11
BOB#1 SBS#35 ANORAK#18 TWA#15