MOT today

[YEN_POWELL]

I've ridden my bike less than a BMW owner waiting for a warranty claim this last month or so, just couldn't face riding to work on it, been taking the car instead. However, today the bike was booked in for it's MOT test.

Anyway, it passed. Clean sweep, no advisories, not been washed since 2006, 93,000 miles on the clock. The tester said, "See ya next year Mr Powell" and was led away to have his hands steam-cleaned back to the flesh layer by one of his apprentices.

[Lord Stig]

Good to hear it! Maybe mine will have the same luck (not ridden for 4 months - still started though, and on the original battery at 96,000!).

Mind you, dirt does hide a multitude of sins, eh?

[GSPD750]

and on the original battery at 96,000!

So where can I get one of those nuclear fuel rods for my AT.



Mind you ...I did get 10 years out of a BMW Mareg battery once on my gspd.

Now it's 3 years max on a Chinese battery.

cheers

[chronyx]

Anyway, it passed. Clean sweep, no advisories, not been washed since 2006

Nice pun.

Damn you, I thought I had that honour.

I can't compete on mileage, but I haven't washed mine since 2009. Why get rid of the layers of ACF50 everything was smothered in when reassembled after the rebuild?

[Lord Stig]

Mind you ...I did get 10 years out of a BMW Mareg battery once on my gspd.

Now it's 3 years max on a Chinese battery.

cheers

That trumps me - mine's only 9 years (in April, so technically just under 9). I was mostly amazed by the time spent parked up and the time it took to crank the motor to life. I expected some charge, but not that much! Previous batteries form my 600 TAs only seemed to do 3 years at most, and they were UK-made ones, not Chinese...

Well Yen, mine's booked for the MOT tomorrow, so let's hope I can match your test success. All seems basically Ok, but I might have missed something. All I intend to do is give that battery the charge it deserves, put air in the tyres....and.......give it a wash! Sorry to whimp out, but I don't know these guys and first impressions count!

[YEN_POWELL]

Well Yen, mine's booked for the MOT tomorrow, so let's hope I can match your test success. All seems basically Ok, but I might have missed something. All I intend to do is give that battery the charge it deserves, put air in the tyres....and.......give it a wash! Sorry to whimp out, but I don't know these guys and first impressions count!

Well I put my success down to the fact no examiner wants to get too close to mine in case they catch something. They fear a re-test so pass it straight away!

[Lord Stig]

Ah, well these are dreadnaught Scots, and the same ploy might not work. Well, not with the pathetic level of crud I tend to build up before giving in and getting the wash bucket out...

[Lord Stig]

Hmm. Maybe I should have tried Yen's ploy after all - it failed on a slightly loose grip (not the throttle one) and play in the suspension linkage. I'm surprised they touched that, because that WAS honking!

I'd expected I'd have a problem with the linkage at some point and years ago bought the bearings, collars and seals to do the job. They're still there ready because I couldn't be arsed - mostly because of having to get the centre stand off and support the bike without it. Anyone managed to get the linkage off with the centre stand in place? It looks like the bolt should just about pass through the centre of the mounting. I might try that first...

So I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Actually, I can't really complain - this is the first fail I've ever had on this one, and maybe the first in its life since it would only have had one MOT before I bought it with a measly 8,000 on the clock.

All three discs were advisories, so I'll have to get those sorted next year...

[YEN_POWELL]

Hmm. Maybe I should have tried Yen's ploy after all - it failed on a slightly loose grip (not the throttle one) and play in the suspension linkage. I'm surprised they touched that, because that WAS honking!

I'd expected I'd have a problem with the linkage at some point and years ago bought the bearings, collars and seals to do the job. They're still there ready because I couldn't be arsed - mostly because of having to get the centre stand off and support the bike without it. Anyone managed to get the linkage off with the centre stand in place? It looks like the bolt should just about pass through the centre of the mounting. I might try that first...

So I know what I'll be doing this weekend.

Actually, I can't really complain - this is the first fail I've ever had on this one, and maybe the first in its life since it would only have had one MOT before I bought it with a measly 8,000 on the clock.

All three discs were advisories, so I'll have to get those sorted next year...

You can regrease/replace all the bearings with the bike on the centrestand except the set directly blocked by the stand itself. Sod's law states that this is the bearing you've got play in.

If it is I would say use the side stand and car axle stand method of getting the bike in the air with no centrestand. The bike is very stable with that method.

Removing the linkage is very easy, much easier than removing and replacing the down pipes so you can get the centrestand off. I never had a problem with undoing any of the nuts/bolts on the linkage even with no cleaning over 7 years. I would recommend taking a ring spanner to them before you get the bike raised, just to slightly loosen them all whilst the bike is on the ground.

[Lord Stig]

Thanks Yen, that's great advice - I hadn't thought of the sidestand and an axle stand. That'll be miles easier once the centre stand is off and the linkage bolts loosened. I think I'll do the whole linkage as it's easier when off the bike, and the MOT fail sheet wasn't that explicit as to which was the problem (they all felt fine to me before I took it in). Anyway, I have the spare parts for all.

When I had the linkage semi-apart to replace the shock last I already knew the needle bearings and collar in that pivot were in a poor state, so I was expecting this to be a problem. I suppose I ought to do the swing arm at the same time (I have the parts for that too), but sleeping dogs and all that....

What I can't understand is why, if the likage must be play-free, I can feel no difference in handling/shock absorbance? Maybe I will when it's all done....