Whats The Last Thing You Bought?

Don't get me started on male vs female sports kit / bike kit. I can rant for hours .

 

So I bought this MT500 Army bike with a nice upgrade in the form of a Mikuni VM carb...... winner or so it would appear

However, it was a real pain to start, as in unpredictable and it hasn't been out of the garage yet (no MOT). One day 1st kick from cold another, well let's just say with a full sweat on I locked the door and found something else to do.
I decided to remove, strip and thoroughly check the carb for jetting details as WHEN it did start and run for a while it was an even bigger pain trying to restart from warm. The plug confirmed my thoughts of over rich and this combination of carb and bike has a reputation for being thirsty, 50 mpg on a good day eh and only 30 hp .

So carb shoe horned out and stripped, looks big doesn't it?



Umm too big, here's a couple of numbers, should be 32mm venturi this one is 38mm, should be around a 175 main jet, this one is 250. Etc etc you get the picture, previous owner found a bargain
WTF!

Ideal for a snowmobile but not a 500 single

So dilemma, bite the bullet and spend a fair bit on a bike I haven't ridden yet or mess about with secondhand shite then buying jets etc.....

The answer and yes at nearly £400 it was a hard pill to swallow but it starts first go now...... well most the time!

 

They are like the old XT 500 with a reputation for hot starting issues, persevere, it's partly technique, acquired experience and partly witchcraft after a few months you'll be able to start it hot or cold with either leg, enjoy, smashing bikes.

 

Yeah, there's no bump starting unless it's 4th gear off a cliff..

 

Something Mr. Sandi bought for the both of us--a Sena 50R Low Profile Dual communication system. He went to Cycle Gear for something else and came home with this surprise! I've been using a Sena 20S Evo and will continue to use that on other helmets. But for our trips, this dual system connects us seamlessly! Now I just need to always remember to mute when he and I are not actively talking lest I say some things out loud that should be left as silent thoughts.

 

This could be dangerous . I sometimes sing too a little bit .

 

Me singing would be an improvement over why Mr. Sandi turns his unit completely off sometimes, @Mrs Visor.

 

Your story reminded me of a similar "frustration leading to injury" the other week. My youngest plays football in an under 14 team but had no goalie. One lad steps in and after a silly goal punches the goalpost breaking his wrist

Think he might have learnt something that day

 

A ferry pass for my trip to Norway in 3 weeks.

 

Sounds good, tell us more?

 

Wife and self are taking the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry on 21st June. Then an overnight in Harlingen and new overnight ferry from Eemshaven to Kristiansand, saving approx 900 road miles through Germany and Denmark. We have just over a fortnight in Norway, with 3 hotels booked and just winging it on a daily basis, using cabins on campsites. A very easy itinerary, only covering the lower 3rd of the country. Most Northerly point will be Alesund and we plan to visit the Telemark power station featured in the film "The Heroes of Telemark" We expect to ride around 2,800 miles door to door.

 

Sounds great, I wouldn't mind visiting the Telemark power station myself.
Would that be the "heavy water" story wouldn't it?

 

Yes, that's it. The barrels were smuggled out to France so Gerry couldn't get them.

 

Aahhh, the joys of carb tinkering! The last bike I had with a carb was my XR650R in 2010 and spent many a hour faffing around with idle jets, air screws, needle positions, float heights etc., trying to make it easier to start. In fairness, if you caught it right first kick it would fire but flood it or attempt to start it after it had been on it's side and it was a B**CH!
ECU controlled EFI is way better, until it goes t*ts up of course!

 

Whilst out on a ride yesterday
Homemade egg custard tart

 

New goggles. Retro style. I like them because they fit over my sunglasses if I want, so they look like dark lenses. I attached the strap to a snap loop on the back of the helmet, so they are always there, sitting on the front rim of the helmet. When riding into the night, I just tuck the sunglasses away and pull them down over my ryes.

 

The Quadlock kit to mount my phone on.

 

A new rear boot for the SS and a matching front on the way from a different supplier. They took some finding as they are in short supply according to a couple of suppliers I spoke to and some are quoting 50-60 day lead times. Has anyone else has problems finding tyres? There's around 1k miles left on the originals but I decided to get some in ready, just in case.

 

Six floured white muffins from the local bakers. Real bread.
Two of which will be filled with left over slow cooked (9 hr) brisket, potato wedges done in the air fryer and a pot of real gravy each for our tea tonight.