The Plains Run.

Well that was a bit of a giggle. I was late getting going as usual, so
had to ride like a bit of **** to get there on time. 40 miles in 40
minutes may not sound like much but with knobbly tyres on wet roads
with several 30mph villages thrown in, it was a bit hairy.

40 bikes turned up, mostly the sort of things sensible people use to
tackle trails that are mainly wet mud on top of chalk. The exceptions
were me (the only Tiger) & a couple of 1200 GS's. I immediately noticed
the number of new tyres present, & wondered if I'd regret turning up
with very worn & rounded knobblies (for big trailie values of
knobblies). The answer became very clear very quickly, & it was a big
fat 'YES'.

The organisers did a little pre-ride spiel along the lines of "we'll be
sticking to the by-ways, but if you want to do your own thing & meet up
for lunch, that's fine - just don't tell the land wardens you're with
us if you get busted". No road captain bollocks here then.

There were going to be three groups - one for novices & big trailies
which would avoid the deep ruts & worst of the mud, one for
intermediates which would suit people on small bikes who weren't very
experienced & masochists on big trailies, & the final group for
everyone else (definitely no big trailies). Needless to say I went for
the middle group, which had around 10 people, all on sensible bikes
apart from me & a 1200GS.

We set off once I'd finished fending off all the "what the ****** is
that?!?" questions directed at RatTig, & it didn't take long to regret
my tyre choice. Or rather my total apathy towards tyre choice. I was OK
for traction, but the front tyre may as well have been a slick. It
didn't self-clean at all, so I ended up with a mud dohnut after only a
few yards. Standing up was out of the question as I was constantly
having to jab a foot down to stop the front shooting out sideways,
which made for very tiring progress. Somehow I managed to keep it
upright all day though, unlike the GS which did an impressive sideways
half-roll in front of me, taking out the screen mounts, a spotlight & a
footpeg in the process, & squishing a crashbar into the tank.

I decided to call it a day at the lunch stop, mainly because it was on
the right side of the Plain & I didn't fancy going all the way back
down to Andover then have to ride home in the dark & rain. Little 35
watt enduro headlights ain't great for that sort of thing. The rain
started a few hundred yards from home so I timed it perfectly.

All in all a bloody good but very tiring day. There's another one
planned for early July which I'll probably do on RatTig if it hasn't
been raining all week beforehand, but I think I'll stick to more
sensible bikes for winter trailrides.

Some pics:
url:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112865&id=1357073246&l=8a6ee09e0d

 

I wanted to do that run but after a long day travelling from Holyhead to
Brighton, followed by changing the engine and an early start with unknown
quantity of a motor discretion was the better part of valour.

I'm still aching after manhandling the engine into that bike...

However, I'm up for a bit of trail riding in the future.

 

An engine change? What happened to the other one?

 

I was slightly concerned that my MT500 was eating cam belts - especially
with Norway coming up - but noticed the guides on the crank cam belt
pulley weren't running true, so it seemed a simple fix.

However, taking the crank cam belt pulley off was a shock. The taper on
both the crank and pulley were shot to bits and the pulley was jammed in
position with a couple of masonry nails stuffed up the extra key slots on
the cam pulley. So the whole thing wasn't running true!

As well as the the taper being toast the keyway in the crank was damaged
out of tolerance (now 6mm instead of 4mm) by the rocking of the cam belt
pulley - because masonary nails aren't that great as keys.

New engine - sourced and picked within 6 hours of the diagnosis - is a
lot better and has been previously the subject of a strip and 'refresh'.

Valve timing's a lot fucking better too.

Clutch is sticky after a bit of use and adjustment(s) has gone from rough
downshifts and impossible to select neutral at a stand to roughish
downshifts and just bloody difficult to select neutral.

This is not uncommon for Rotax engines using additive type oils and have
been stood a while. Apparently they get better with use....

 

Meant to add - this is usually caused by using a three legged puller
instead of the proper threaded type.

An Armstrong specialist said they can be easily straightened using
sockets and a vice. New ones are £85+vat.

....anyway the taper was fucked.

 

If you get the crank out I know a good firm who can repair the damaged
keyway.

JB

 

Thanks, I've been offered a bottom end with a decent crank for very
little.

The good engine wasn't a great deal - price payable on a safe return from
Norway! Which was very decent of the chap, especially as he doesn't know
me.

I'll rebuild the original engine at my leisure and sell the replacement
for what I paid for it.

I think the Armstrong is a keeper as I really like riding it. And it's
pretty crash proof, as I demonstrated yesterday on a bit waste ground.

 

Jesus wept, there are some right animals out there.

 

<Fesses up>

I once bodged a rear wheel bearing on the Husky 510. It had a 250 wheel
in it (originally a trick MX bike ridden by someone quite famous and
prepared by Dudley Witt) that was modified to fit the 510 by machining
the hub and fitting a bigger bearing. It came loose just before a hill
climb meeting. Too much play for just loctite bearing fit to secure, so
I cut pieces of very thin feeler gauge, poked them between the bearing
and hub with oodles of loctite then got the wheel back in and bolted up
straight before it all set. Got me through scrutineering and lasted a
surprisingly long time. Not quite so mission critical as a timing keyway
though.

Then there was the stepped key we made on Mrs Kelly's camp site in Sulby
Glen from an old bicycle spanner to take up the slop in a AJS single
alternator rotor. Hacksaw and file work using mole grips nailed to a
FOAD tree stump as a vice. Heat treated in the camp fire and quenched in
Okells IIRC. Got the rider round for the rest off TT week and home again
down the M6.



--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Aprilia Shiver Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Frucking squaddies, eh?

 

Tell the youth of that, today...

.... and they'll say, "Thank **** for the Japanese".

 

Steve is reporting £600 raised for charity on UKGSer

 

We're a bunch of fucking heroes & no mistake.