Motorcycles

[Sam]

Is that a Zero Engineering Bike?! That's the dream! How good would one of those look in the show room? @Giles Expenses?

@Giles:

One of my French customers has just sent me the photos below of his almost completed bike.  What a work of art:

[Giles]

Looks like we're going to be lumbered with your 48 through the Winter, that's enough Harley's for a while…...Though Paula did say I could buy as many bikes as I liked as long as I don't ride them.....

[Sam]

She's a good woman that Paula! And she didn't say anything about me not riding them 

[Graeme]

@Sam if you like the Zero Engineering bikes then get yourself up to Krazy Horse in Bury St Edmunds. They're the UK stockist.

Just make sure that you've got @Giles's company credit card with you…

[Graeme]

[Bluegrass]

Wow - that's crazy - I can't believe they don't break apart.

[HeavyGenes]

My baby Betty and the Star of India

[Giles]

This just turned up to buy some Double Ducks….

[4c]

Now that is a sweet bike!

[Jordonf9]

How is the Scout?

[HeavyGenes]

@Jordonf9 I'm in love with her. Great to ride. I'm looking to get a cafe front fairing and some new handlebars. But I'm happy and smiling even still.

[Jordonf9]

Just take the front fender off, done

I was going to test ride one of the scouts, already rode the Chief, but sadly I worked…next time haha. I would prefer a Indian over a Harley, but then again, I ain't in the market, not for another 8-10 years maybe ha.

[Graeme]

I thought that the sidecar motocross video would be tough to top. I was wrong. :o

[Sam]

Hey guys,

Some help needed.

I spent a bit of time trying to get @Giles 's bikes working today with limited success.
They both have the same engine and the bikes are SR500 and an XT500 (i'm sure some of you are familiar)
The SR500 gets close but doesn't quite get going. It sparks and turns over for a a second but cuts out.

I'm not that familiar with these yamaha engines and i spent some time getting to know the mikuni carburettor today and with a bit of tinkering i got it close but no cigar. tried closing off the air more to make the mixture richer which seemed to help. Could it be more than a carb issue? i thought maybe the fuel had lost its potency since it has been in there for a while.

Any tips or advice?

Sam

[Graeme]

I left my BMW standing for six or seven months, and it fired up pretty easily. I don't think that the fuel would go off in that time. I don't think that Giles's bikes have been sitting around that long either.

Could it be something electrical? Do they have batteries?

[4c]

That's a thought. Maybe the battery is out of water. The motorbike I sometimes ride does something similar with sparking and cutting out if the water level in the battery gets low.

[Giles]

They do not need batteries to start.  In fact the SR does not even have a battery….

[Sam]

Yeah its not an electronics issue for either.
I've been told that maybe i have the petcock in the wrong position while starting it. It's supposed to be in the pri position. I'll try that next.

Cheers guys. We're getting there Giles…

[Streetwise Hercules]

I just did a search for MotoGP and didn't get a single hit.

Undeterred, I'm going to assume someone on here watches motorcycle racing.

Fast bikes and a slow talkin' Brad:

[injunjack]

if the bike ran when it was left sitting in the garage, DO NOT change carb settings. There are no little elves that go and
tinker those.

Modern day gas is piss.  It can and will go bad in 3 months or so and leaves powder like stuff in carb bowl. That'll clogg tiny passages in the carb and it won't operate properly.

Take the carb off, take the bowl off, blow all passages and jets with compressed air and preferrably wash it in an ultrasound washer. assemble the carb and you should be fine.

Basically motor(cycle) needs 3 things to run: gas, air, spark.  If all 3 are present, motor should fire up.

Todays piss for gas also destroys rubber parts fast, especially if they have been exposed to gas and the dried.  Check gashoses, they may look OK but are deteriorating inside, also see that manifiold rubber is in good shhape and there is no intake leak (too much air -> no go or lean condition, poor start)

hth