Service Daytona, Street plus RG500, 350

Ok loads of stuff going on in the garage. I completed the 120k kms. service on the Daytona, the valves were perfect. Small leak in the left side lower part of the radiator, so used some Barrs to block it up. This is a first and I hope it doesn't bugger anything else up! I didn't change the brake fluid as it was changed a year ago when I serviced the calipers. Throttle bodies were synched OK. The street had it's 30k kms service, although I didn't do the valves but everything eslo was done, filters, plugs, fluids, etc... I purchased at great expense some needle jets from Steve motocarb in the UK, with the vague hope trying to lean out the carburation of the RG 500. Nothing seems to do it, I think I will go back to running no filters and play with the needle jets to try and get it good with no filters. Seriously considering selling it if by the autumn I haven't moved forward. The 350 has had a carb rebuild and the reeds looked at which are not sealing correctly. Even with new reeds! This doessn't affect anything at revs. but will affect starting etc.... The FZR started up after a couple of seconds on the starter, running OK although the carbs -pilots need a clean.

Tool fab - Ducati

changing the frame on a 796 Ducati plus changing the engine covers. The alternator needs tightening to 250nM ! so an alternator holding tool needed fabricating, plus something for the steering head.

RG 500

Well I made a couple of air filters from a clothes drier filter. I tried the bike at Ledenon on Saturday but it was running miles to rich, I could just about get into power band but really high and with zero mid range.

I didn't really notice any change due to new ignition map, anyway I decided to go down on the mains. So all mains were set to 220, the next run was much better until one of the filters came away and was flapping loose onon nr. 2 cylinder. I thought I had done a piston through leaning off nr. 2, however returning home, the spark plug looked rich, so I decided to redesign the filters so each carb. Has it's own filter held on by tie wraps!

I wanted to richen up the needle but I was on the highest clip setting, so I went back up to 230's on the mains, but put the needles on the middle clip. We'll see how this goes next outing.

Daytona

Changed rear tyre S22 Bridgestone. F#€king brilliant but doesn't last long!

115K kms

Side car troubleshooting

Well I have my first sidecar in the garage this week! Monster of a thing, I have had to reorganise the garage to get everything under cover.

The bike is a 1990 XJ 900, which doesn't run after 10 or so Kms. Initially thought it was a petrol related issue, vacuum operated petrol tap or breather so that lot got cleaned up. But after running the bike for a bit, it soon went onto 2 cylinders - 1&4 had stopped and I had to get a tow home. What an experience driving a side car - I think the tyres need a pump as the steering was so heavy!

Anyway I diagnosed an HT coil that feeds both 1&4, measuring the low voltage side of the coils they were both out of spec. So I ordered a second hand pair, they are not yet here, so we will see.

Daytona fork seals

Just for reference the left hand fork seal had blown on the Daytona, so being a responsible mechanic I changed them both out, after having tried to clean out the seals using one of those plastic slidey things (fail).

I put about 580 ccs of silkolene 10w oil in each side with focus on the air gap as per the manual.

Daytona Front brake pads 114563 kms

I noticed a couple of months ago that the front brake pads were not wearing evenly on the dayto so at that time I removed the pads and pushed the pistons out (a bit) to clean off any crap so that they would all work optimally. But one of the pads had been used up almost to the metal, so despite putting them back in, I knew that one day soon I would be changing them again. So I ordered up the same brembro red pads and set about changing them. I now have a tool to hold the pistons back, I could concentrate on cleaning the pistons on one caliper whilst the other caliper was being held by the tool. On the left hand caliper there was a piston that was particularly sticky so they all got a good clean but I will have to keep an eye on the pad wear to make sure I don't miss something.

I had to remove some fluid from the master cylinder reservoir to accommodate the pistons right back in, so I managed to hoover up some crap with my syringe!

Now I need to bed them in.

The other thing I tried to do this weekend, was to clean out the accumulated crap in the fork seals. I don't know if you have seen these "tools" which are a thin piece of plastic with a hook shape on one end. The idea is to insert the plastic (hook end) inside the fork seal the hook shape then deploys and you move it around the seal to remove the crap. Well I watched a viedo on youtube and got to it, although in hindsight I think the mistake I made was not relieving the weight off of the front end. Maybe I'll try again when I get another freebie. Anyway you remove the dust cover and then push the plastic tool into the seal, well this point didn't work too well, as the plastic was not rigid enough and it bent and folded and once folded it could no longer perform it's task.I did manage to get it in at one point and removed some dirt however the side that is badly leaking, didn't work, so it looks like I will have to change the seals. Am seriously considering buying some Triumph branded seals as these Athena Pyramid ones don't seem to last long. I think the ones I have ordered this time are from Tecnium (piston makers from Japan) so we'll see how we do this time around! For info the last time was Pyramid seals which I only change one side (right side), and bingo this time it's the left side that is leaking so. The RHS seal has lasted almost 4 years, so I s'pose that is not that bad!

Anyway disappointed with the tool, now not so disappointed with after market seals! Both are ordered so will be changed together I will update the blog when I have done the job.