A bit of spannering time recently on the Armstrong mt500 ready for winter. It had a substantial oil leak from the clutch casing and upon strip down it was very apparent why; gasket, what gasket? Someone prior had relied on what looks like red hermetite to effect a seal. More worrying was the wear marks in the clutch basket. The main cause of this was the basket wobbled despite being fastened on tightly. The centre has x2 needle roller bearings and these were obviously goosed. This inner sleeve took quite a while to remove as it was seized on and surrounded by a plastic oil pump gear and magnesium. I dressed the basket up, and according to the Army manual I have, there is quite a bit of spare "meat" for these such eventualities. Notice the wear taper on the groove depth in the picture below, due to the bearing wobble. All washed down with brake cleaner and compressed air. New bearings, seals, gaskets and plates. The little square in the picture below was made by myself some 40 years ago from flat stock, as part of my MOD apprenticeship, all filed true just using hand tools and then polished with emery
Here you go @Dawsy here's another bit of my self made apprenticeship tool kit as part of our initial training. That square took weeks but as a government employee the training was more important than the cost. No machine tools, other than a pedestal drill, were allowed even though we were working right next to them. Marked out on a surface plate using a vernier height gauge and perussian blue. Drill the corners, then hacksaw near to the line ( many got scrapped by our group). Then the filing starts...... All under the watchful eye of our instructors and checked many times against master squares and a light gauge ( can't recall correct name, like a portable tv that shows a nice white light for checking gaps).
We have trodden similar paths ....... Initially I was working for the MOD which later sold out and became Vickers around late 80's. Great times. £44 take home as a 16 year old .... kerrching
What a great shade of red, @Mrs Visor. The plan for your bike sounds stunning! Can't wait to see the finished product.
At the risk of derailing the thread, similar path for me too. 4yr MOD electronics apprenticeship in the Midlands, then a year as a technician before going to University for a Medical Electronics degree. Best training you could get; even had to do 6 months in the metal bashing workshop (and the mechanical apprentices vice versa). We had fully paid block release at the local technical college for our B&HTECs. I still have the skills and will be forever grateful for that training. Started on £28.00 per week! Within a month I had a bank account, a loan and a shiny new T reg. Suzuki 250X7. Living away from home in the apprentice hostel (now remodelled into luxury flats) which even had a motorcycle workshop because many of the apprentices and technicians living there. Did the ACU training at the local ACU approved bike training school and within 6 months had passed the ACU course and had my full licence. Great days.
There is a very short wait until the start of the new year for it to be done; I am really looking forward to it .
I used to get a lift on the back of a fellow apprentices X7 when my bike didn't work. If the X7 didn't work then we resorted to his Lambrett/Vespa 200 with a big carb that sprayed petrol over your foot on the overrun
Getting dirty mostly... Good fun though, and you gotta love the muffs, 6c in summer gloves and don't feel the cold.
I bet you're thankful for traction control on such a beast at this time of year? Wife phoned up when she was out in the newest car (handsfree) and said "you know that bend you don't like near the redundant old folks home?" "Yes!" "Oh it's really slippy there tonight in the dark and I lost the car!" "Err which field are you in?" Trying to make light of the situation "Oh no I managed to keep it on the tarmac but wonder if it needs new tyres?" " eerr NO as the car has only covered 10k miles I think you need to slow down and be more mindful of field entrances!!!! Jeesuz
Yes the TC got activated a few times, had it turned up quite high. In fairness though it's a docile beast when you want it to be, it's the operator that has heavy hands That reminds me of the lad phoning his boss... Boss, the van needs a new wing mirror, aye the rest of the van is laying on top of it I've noticed a bit of a trend with new cars, the tyres are getting narrower again which is a good thing I reckon. Less rolling resistance, less road noise, less strain on wheel bearings, cheaper, and much better grip in snow.
We went through the same bend yesterday in daylight, wife driving. The field on the outside of the bend had been ploughed/seeded and I counted no less than x5, yes five, entry exit points through the hedge over a 250m stretch. The road was encrusted with mud so any moisture, condensation etc had potential to turn it into an ice rink. To be fair to the farmer, or someone, a slippy road sign had been placed on the grass verge but as the country lane is unlit and a 60 limit then it would be too little too late. Drive/ride safe out there and knock it back a bit to acclimatise for the onset of dubious road conditions
So it sounds like your wife did pretty well by keeping that new car on the tarmac and out of the field after all, eh, @Eldon?
I aren't going to tell her that who's side you on? Maybe she did in fairness but then an awkward corner in the dark deserves more caution, especially as she already knows my thoughts on it. Additionally it is blind, due to the old folks home wall jutting out, and there's a very minor junction on it that goes nowhere so no-one ever uses it..... except that once
I think there's a requirement on farmers and builders to clear the road up where they've made a mess, just putting a sign out probablybwon't relieve them of their responsibilities, especially if it's a cyclist or biker that comes to grief. There's a new building site on my way to batting central and I've seen the roadsweeper there a couple if times now cleaning the mud off the road. This could of course be because a Councillor lives near by.......
Its been a lovely clear bright day here today, so all the bikes including the STRS, were rolled out of the garage and run up to temp. I know there are various conflicting views on starting up your bike(s) for shortish periods when off the road during the winter months, but its something I've done for years. The Tuono hadn't been started since mid October, but after a cough and a spit, it fired up nicely and settled down to a fast idle quite quickly. I'm not too worried about the fuel injected bikes, but I do give the NS400 a bit more attention and it usually gets a trip up and down a (private) road to blow away the cobwebs. That should be it now until the New Year, they all benefit from being on smart chargers in the garage and I blow all the tyres up about 10% higher than the recommended riding specs. They are all filled up with 99 octane and a bit of fuel stabiliser so roll on the 2024 riding season.
NS400, always loved them - even if it was only for looking at and smelling . Unfortunately they were physically a bit too small for my 6’ 3” frame.
The 80's was the golden era of 2 strokes IMO, NS400, RD350/500LC, RG500, RGV250, KR1S and others I've forgotten no doubt but I also found them all a bit cramped. The RGV especially, felt like a heavy bicycle compared to my GPZ1000! There's just something about the sound of a well tuned 2 stroke on the pipe that sets them apart, the smell is just a bonus. An acoustic nasal feast.
