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I always wanted an RD400, rumour had it that if they didn't wheelie off the throttle in first and second then the engine was shot.
Two-smokes I did have:
RD125 air cooled twin coffin tank
RD250 air cooled twin coffin tank
RD350LCAll between the ages of 17 and about 23. Thinking back it was a wonder myself and my mates that were also into their bikes actually made it through those years in one piece!
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I always secretly hoped that Brown Bottle and Cider Woman would bring Baby Cham into the world of inebriated crime fighting.
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Leave it on the Optimate for at least 24 hours, if nothing changes it's stuffed. To be honest after a year and a bit of being flat I'd be surprised if it was OK but it's worth a try.
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Thanks VU. Now, how to tell this?
Mileage, model, year, condition, extra points for tax and MOT, extra points for recent service. Compare the market, look at similar models currently for sale in similar condition and see what they're going for to get an idea.
Basically, imagine you're buying a bike then use the info you gather to sell it.
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eBay is OK if you set a reserve that's close to the bike's genuine value. Don't go over the top though or people tend not to bid. Also try classified sections on forums, such as Yamaha Owners Club or similar. Autotrader isn't bad either - best approach is to stick it up in a couple of places.
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Should have been clearer, it would be for a heavily modded early 80s Suzuki. Bloke I usually use is chocka at the moment.
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Any really good 'trust with your mum' London based mechanics any of you can recommend? Cheers.
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You have two bikes...
True, Kat's Pingel fuel tap is currently trying to work itself free from the tank. Beyond my means to fix it, needs a mechanic - a good one.
Recommend anyone London based?
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G, are you actually going to ride your bike and join us in France?
Joel, what about you?
It's looking flaky to be honest. The Dommie is proving to take longer than expected to sort out where it's been standing for so long, choke had welded itself into the carb with what can only be described as sort of 'petrol mollasses' this had to be drilled out and am waiting on the spares.
The Mrs has also reminded me we're meant to be going on a day trip with a club we belong to on the 25th (typical - a clear month and 2 social events at the same time). She has very nobly said 'go to France' but a lot depends on if I can get the bike sorted in time. So basically that's a long-winded way of saying - I still don't know for sure.
If it goes pear-shaped for me what's the likelihood of another weekend trip later in the year. Say July / August / Sept?
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Sexy-time! ^
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Makes sense, if the lazer removal has worked for you. It doesn't always. I heard it hurts!
Also worth noting that tattoos tend to hold better these days, so less likely to fade as badly as old work. I still like my first piece from 30 years ago, even though it's a smudge. I'm sentimental though...
Mark - it hurts like fuck, much worse than getting the tattoo done in the first place, which is an easily manageable numbing buzzing sensation.
I never let the practitioner know how much it hurts, when he says 'OK nearly done now, how are you?' I just say 'Yep, fine thanks, no problems' I then go outside the building and weep like a small child that's been given a particularly vicious Chinese burn.
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Happy belated birthday! ^
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Have just picked up my next restoration project and a bit of a grail watch for me. Because of Seiko's case back marking system not only can you determine the year a watch was made but also the month in that year. This watch was made in the same year and month that I was born:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370792923796?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
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Also not something that looked like an inbred Norfolk crab ^
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I was hoping you meant one of these:
If I was looking for something pretty to put on my mantlepiece yes. However, I wanted something that wouldn't piss oil everywhere and give up at the slightest incline or inclement weather ;)
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What's a Dommie? Looked couple of pages back, and can't see pictures... Sorry for being such an ignorant
Honda NX650 Dominator - a single cylinder 650 the Godfather of the supermotards but with better manners for distances.
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OK, parts now ordered to try and get the Dommie legal and on the road for the France trip:
Battery
Spark plug
New air / oil filter
Front brake pads
Tail light lens as old one was cracked
Right side mirror as old one was cracked
Oil
Front and rear tyresPlus a couple of other bits - stainless brake hoses to perk the brakes up a bit, 120db twin horns, LED running lights. She hasn't been running for 15 years so it will be interesting to see what it takes for her to fire up again!
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cheers for info VU - bikes are a bit of a knowledge hole for me
^ I have no idea where I got 'knowledge hole' from!!!
No problem, it's all learned experience for me anyway, 27 years of having a full bike licence - good grief!
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Eightball if you want something super reliable and cheap go for one of the late 70s to late 80s Suzuki GS or GSX range, a 550 or 750 could be picked up for not very much at all. These bikes have incredibly strong engines built on needle roller bearings that just go on forever.
I had a GS750 years ago that was a shed and leaking oil, I didn't realise that the oil leak had basically emptied what there was in the sump and continued to ride the bike with a virtually dry sump. It didn't miss a beat.
Most bikes still on the road will have had basic upgrades done, which are well worth doing. For example, steel hoses to replace spongy brake lines, an Electrex reg / rec as the original Suzuki ones were crap. If you want something that is cheap to buy and run, has character (almost unheard of for 99.9% of modern Japanese bikes) and will clock up many miles you can't go far wrong.
Depending on age of the bike you could also be looking at classic insurance through Footman James or Carole Nash, which is far more reasonable than insurance on anything modern.
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Argh! Torn. Am in 2 minds about doing it on the Kat and can't decide. However, am trying to get the Dommie sorted and back on the road within a month if I can I would def come on that - TBC.
Thanks for confirming guys, updated list below:
-veLLo (coming, ticket bought)
-BlueQuinn (coming, ticket bought)
-MarkyBoy (coming, ticket to be bought)
-Vanuden (To be confirmed)
-CoppiThat (coming, ticket to be bought)
-Kuba (To be confirmed)
-...
-Please join us and put your name down!Jambon, why u no coming to france you haz shiny motorbikez?
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what were you getting wiped?
3 on my upper right arm that I had done years ago, an octopus a radiolarian and a starfish. Even if they were really well done in the first place, which they weren't, they fade massively over 20 years and end up becoming pale shadows of what they were, metaphorically and literally.
I had the choice of getting a cover-up done by an artist that I really rated (and waited ages for due to an immense waiting list) but she recommended I get zapped a couple of times to lighten them a bit more for the cover-up.
Once I saw the effect of lazer and realised tattoos were no longer permanent (they were when I had them done - short of a skin graft) I decided to get them wiped completely as they had no sentimental meaning for me and whatever cover-up I got done would also fade considerably in another decade or two.
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Really happy about getting mine lazered into oblivion, they've almost gone completely with no signs of scarring. Probably just another 4 sessions and they will have vanished. Lazer bloody hurts though, more than getting the tattoos done in the first place.
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Fury was shocking, he's just a big bloke that's fit and can swing a bit, he has no craft and is arrogant. The singing was shocking, where the f%ck did he think he was - X Factor?
Klitschko will take him to pieces, Wladimir warms them up and Fury just 'might' have a lucky punch shot (Wladimir has shown more than once his chin can be suspect) but Vitali would turn Fury to soup.
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^ Beautiful!