Pinned So what have you done to your bike today?

Well, I spent most of today helping a mate sort out some of the issues he has been having with his KLX250. His mechanic said the bike needed to have the forks rebuild, head stem bearings changed and his carb needed to be replaced. He was quoted over $2,000 for the work and he kind off freaked out. He's a good guy who only got his bike license recently and wants to learn about doing his own maintenance and basic mechanical work. He kept sending me text messages and emails about replacement carbs, so I offered to show him what I could the next time I was in Melbourne. I asked him to get whatever parts where needed to do the front end, but not to buy a carb until we got it off and had a poke around. His mechanic had removed the carb ($350) and said it wasn't repairable and a new one was the only option. So, the first thing we did is pull the carb off and have a little look-see at what was going on in there and why fuel was pissing out through the bowl drain tube. There was a tiny piece of metal jammed in the seat stopping the needle from closing properly. Quick clean and check over jets and orifices and a quick bench test to check for leaks...no issues. So, my mate is out of pocket for some fork seals & head stem bearings. He's also a little bit more knowledgeable.



His middle son (he is a single father with 3 boys) is a bike nut, so he was constantly asking questions and he got a quick lesson on carbs when one of his bikes was playing up after he put a new carb on it. We pulled his old Jingke carb apart and went over what does what and how to check jetting etc. He was very happy to get some help to sort his bike out and learn along the way.

I suggested my mate buy some JIS screwdrivers, some rubber grease, a pick set and a few other bits so he can practice doing some of the work we went over today. His bike is also missing the airbox cover and air inlet...not ideal for a trail bike.

All-in-all, a rewarding day, but my back is killing me.

 

Yes, the needle was in good shape and the rubber was soft, so I guessed that the mechanic had replaced this as part of his investigation. I cleaned the seat with some ear buds and carb cleaner to remove any muck and it all went back together rather well. To be fair to the mechanic and his quote, the carb on this bike is not available (as far as I know) as an aftermarket unit. It has a special connector that is plumbed into the cooling system, so water coolant is doing something in there? The only replacement carb available is from Kawasaki, so that isn't cheap. I can tell you getting the carb off (and back on again) was an adventure I don't want to repeat.

 

Today I was moving my toolbox to my new job, after that I was around the area so I stopped at Procycles to have a look and see if they had any ZX4R's, and maybe get a test ride. Well I was in luck because they had just got their demonstrator there and registered, so I took it out for a little ride. It's not the RR though just a base model, so no quickshifter, but otherwise the same bike.












Might pick up the RR in the future.

They ride like a Ninja 400, which rides like a Ninja 300, which rides like a Ninja 250R, etc. Just with that inline 4 and a bit more weight. I'd like to ride one in anger, but the demo model was brand new with 3km on the odometer.

 

I've got a new job and am now at Percy Jack Motorcycles in Marrickville.

Today I worked on a 1992 Honda VFR400 NC30, which is the first one I have touched.

It has been off the road for 10 years (the number plate VFR04 had been cancelled and reassigned to another bike, now a VFR800) , but thankfully regularly started and ridden by the owner. He is looking to get it going and sell it.

As with any bike sitting for so long, a peek in the fuel tank is necessary. What I found was very ugly. Externally, paint bubbling and rust spots. Never a good sign. Internally, someone has (poorly) treated and lined the tank, but it has failed. The coating is peeling up and flaking off, exposing massive rust underneath. Probably has a million pinholes in it.

I went to drain the bowls and they were dry, so hooked up the remote fuel, got a booster battery on and cranked it over. Once it started firing, I put the choke on full and she started right up on all 4 pots and warmed up. Then proceeded to start dumping fuel all over my workbench. After a quick look, it appears the float bowl gaskets are shot.

Convinced my employer to order a kit from @maelstrom at Litetek, spreading the love

I look forward to getting this one back on the road for someone. Though it's going to need a bit.

Tyres are dated 2006 and 2008.
Rear pads gone, disc stuffed
Rear shock is a pogo stick, no damping left
Forks surprisingly OK but will probably start leaking in the future.
Needs a battery.

Nothing too major apart from the shock, and all the bodywork is in good condition as well.

I'll get some photos up Monday.

 

I have worked on one of them. All fairly straight forward but you need small hands and getting to the screws for the balance fittings are fun.

 

VFR with the bodywork off. Needs throttle cables and a left switchblock.

Baby blade is an Aussie delivered 96 model, should be tricolour but he's had a body kit on it. In for fork seals, but also has a sick charging system and a lithium battery fitted

 

So I did another one of these, a 2006 CBR600RR. Similar story, but the tank and pump had already been done, but not the high pressure filter. The bike would not run.

Got the boss to order one from aliexpress, reassembled it with the new one to verify all was good and cut open the old one. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. This type of paper filter element is white when brand new.

 

Today I am the carby man

 

Working on a "1976" but really a 1979 model Honda Z50J monkey today.

My first dealing with a 6V wiring system. Got it going, turn key off, bike still runs. Great. Had to disconnect battery. Then the carby bowl starts leaking, parts proving to be unobtanium. Customer supplied a new Honda carb but the mounting bolts for the inlet tract were too wide. So out comes the non-hardening fuel proof gasket/dressing which did the job.

Very few of the lights worked.

Wrapping my brain around 6V electrics. It was overcharging to the point of 9V-10V which is way too much.

Looking for a voltage regulator on the bike, can't find it, discovered it doesn't have one. It has a single Selenium or Silicone Oxide diode acting as a rectifier from what appears to be a single AC winding. Marvellous.

Then learned about balanced load charging systems, you have to have all the loads (lights) going to help regulate the charging voltage.

Problem being someone has restored this bike, earth lead for the harness was bolted onto a painted frame. Never going to work. Same deal for coil and tail light, and again with ignition switch, body earth on the barrel - off position grounds the coil so it stops firing. Headlight has been replaced with a plastic 12V unit, and almost all of the bulbs on the bike are 12V bits.

Whatever was left of the 6V stuff popped because voltage too high.

Appears to have 12V horn or just a dead 6V unit for laughs as well.

Getting all the correct 6V stuff is proving to be a bit of a headache.

 

@maelstrom Carb kit arrived for the VFR400 at work, thank you






I got it all back together and tuned up, but I dare not fit the current fuel tank as it will quickly destroy all my hard work on the carbs.

 

VFR400 lives, the fuel tank does not