Just need to make up a loom splitter for the Cowl pilot light as you cannot buy them anymore and I've not seen any on Ebay etc. Not difficult, one male and two female connectors and away it goes! Should be simple enough to sort. But that is down the list of things. The big job for warmer weather is stripping the rear end, replacing the subframe, rear fairing and cleaning the rear end up, swingarm and shock. There is not actually much else left to do other than replacing the throttle cable and front sprocket which are now sitting in the garage while I think about doing it. The bar risers made a great difference to the ergonomics and it is spot on for my style of riding.
Had a quick ride this morning, needed to post a few bits and now I am back home thinking about changing front indicators to clear OEM ones as the replacements are rubbish and one stem snapped. They are too brittle and nasty. Clear lenses on order for rear indicators and I'll change the front ones soon with OEM stalks etc...
Before I forget, I had to return the Lonelec ECU reader as it failed repeatedly. Less than a month old as well. Tested using a different cable etc and no joy. Fortunately I had already reset the TPS after a stripdown of the tank etc! Idle was fine and it has the correct map loaded, so no changes required there. Just awaiting a replacement with cables.
The once red and rather grubby mudguard now rubbed down and primered up. There are three coats (with rubbing inbetween) and a final rubdown before it gets the black coat. Then I will give it a lovely coat of gloss lacquer... or three!
Thanks to a black hound avoidance exercise I have to replace bars, bar end, mirrors and clean up the cowling. Bruises to hip and shoulder. Good gear means you bounce back more easily. Owner of said hound put dog back on the leash and walked away without checking to see if I was okay and disappeared. A couple saw everything happen and came to check I was okay, giving me hot sweet tea and ibuprofen for the aches. He tried to chase down the dog owner, but could not find them. Ah well, around £150 of damage to the bike, so not insurmountable, but definitely annoying!! Road was damp and cold and the road area I braked in was covered in the little nitrogen canisters that youth's use for highs. Probably skittled the front tyre as I was not harsh on the brakes.
A slight limp, purple hip, a sore shoulder. Thankfully minor injuries. I put my boots on and am grateful as my left was under the bike and ankle would have taken a big hit if I had not had proper gear on. Hounds off leash are a no no in public roads!
Glad you're ok... I am dreading my first off. It makes you realise how easily it can happen from nothing!
First and foremost, I'm glad you only suffered relatively minor injuries. Sorry to hear about the bike. I can't offer any suggestions sorry but hope you can get it sorted for a reasonable cost. Whilst the unleashed dog is an issue, I'm most disappointed by the lack of care shown towards you by the owner following the incident. However the couple that looked after you restores a little faith in humanity. Best wishes for a swift recovery and quickly returning the bike to glorious condition.
Bought a rear shock that has only 8k on it for £45. Can't argue with that. Old one with 59K is now out. Rear Subframe with broken lugs is out. And the bike has the "new" shock temporarily installed. Found the draglink bearing were totally shot, falling out and rusted. So new bearings (hardened ones), sleeves and seals have been ordered. All that work for another time.
BTW, update on the bike accident. Dog owner came to the church to talk to me and apologise. He was chasing after his dog and trying to catch it before it got to the main road. He has covered all the costs of damage and even towards my helmet which took a big whack when I hit the road. Saved my head it did. So all has worked out well.
The next step is to collect bits I missed from Royal Mail delivery and then to give the bike a good clean. Rear hugger off, wheel off and then I can touch up the paint if necessary (Hammerite silver smooth) and so on. However, the loom connection to the ECU had a pin stuck in the ECU. It went back together smoothly, but it worries me having pins escaping from the socket and sticking in ECU. Hopefully it will not cause errors!
Bother! The outer part of the linkage sleeve in the swingarm has sheared, not shifting at all. The bearings upper and lower on the link are completely shot, so I've got new ones wining their way to me, but now I am stuck. I've got the full subframe off and want to keep it off until I have sorted bearings as it makes it easier to access all the areas. BUT, if I have to take the swingarm out, then I have to support the bike on something to make that possible. I've not got a huge amount of room in the garage and no means of suspending the bike. I could buy a second hand swingarm, service it and ensure all the parts were properly sorted. But that is just more time/money/effort. Not a weekend job anymore. The PlusGas has not been effective I'm afraid, and I was painting it on for 4 days and letting it soak.
Found a swingarm with good bearings and draglink for £48 delivered. that makes it a lot easier. And I can now put the -1 sprocket on anyhow, so it will come together in the end. Just a case of when now!! I have plenty of "work" on at the moment, so it can wait until the sky is clear, the days are warmer and I have a holiday!
Rear subframe is swapped out and the better one is now installed. I think I will have to take the bike to the mechanic to get the swingarm sorted as I cannot get certain parts off to swap out the bearings etc... just the issue of age and corrosion. New swing arm is in excellent condition and bearings are very good, so that is a winning bid. Must grease up the other bits and get things ready to swap over. I have a full set of bearings I will shelve for now.
That is from the better swingarm. I am able to get the bearings nicely greased up and the the sleeve polished up nicely as well. However the threaded bar is not shifting from the sleeve! I need a vice to hold it in place while I remove threaded bar! One thing at a time I think.