November 2008 - Posts

• Honda ST1100 (Part 3)

  The work to the Honda St1100 is coming along in leaps and bounds. I managed to get the new fork stanchions installed, fit a new set of steering head bearing and put a new Bridgestone front tyre on today. The fork stanchions are the worst pitted forks I've seen in a long time. The only option was to replace them for new items. For the steering head bearings I opted to go for an after market taper bearing as appose to the genuine Honda part and after a quick call to Link accessories in Melbourne the new ones were on the doorstep and ready to be installed. I also got to use another one of my new tools that I bought for the new shop. A Parks Tool headrace bearing installer. This thing was good to use and of high quality. It made installation of the new bearing very simple to do. To top it off I fitted a Bridgestone BT021 on the front. Handling wise the bike is now sorted. The only items left to do are an oil and filter change and a few minor tweaks and it will be off to the roadworthy station for an inspection for registration.   Posted Nov 28 2008, 11:02 PM by E2W with no comments

• Honda ST1100 (Part 2)

  Work on the Honda ST1100 is well under way. The first thing to do was get the engine running. Pulling the carbs off one of these is a breeze due to the big V4 engine giving easy access to the inlet rubber clamps. Once the carbs were off I set about stripping them down to their bare carb bodies and cleaning all the individual jets and galleries. The amount of crap in the float bowls justified spending the time in giving them that extra bit of attention. A couple of hours later and the now clean carbs were bolted back on and ready to be fired up. I drained the fuel tank to get rid of any stale old fuel and poured in some fresh unleaded. Once the brand new battery was connected up it was time to fire it up and see how it went. As soon as I hit the button the bike fired into life with no hesitation at all. It's a amazing how this thing had stood for over 6 years but even right from the first crank of the engine the motor sounded very sweet. Next is to replace the pitted fork legs. I'll make a start on them in the morning.    Posted Nov 27 2008, 05:22 PM by E2W with no comments

• GSXR1000K6 24,000k service

  One of my most favorite bikes came through the shop today a Suzuki GSXR1000K6. The K3 model onward hold a special place with me and if money was no object there would be one of these standing in the corner of my garage at home (along with about 20 other bikes and scooters too).  The one that was here today was in need of a 24,000k service. This bike got the works and I can't wait until the owner comes to pick it up in the morning to feel the difference in the freshly serviced bike. Everything was done from oil and filter change to checking the valve clearances. When I went for my post service test ride it was hard to come back to the shop. GSXR1000 , bloody love em! Best I buy me a lotto ticket. Posted Nov 27 2008, 01:44 AM by E2W with no comments

• Honda ST1100 (part 1)

  I was asked could I get a Honda ST1100 up and running that had been standing in storage for over 6 years. It turns out the owner of the bike had given up riding the bike a few years ago but couldn't bring himself to sell it until now. The new owner was happy with the bargain that he'd picked up paying only $3000 for this 1998 ex police bike. The only downside was it was going to take a lot of work to get this thing up to scratch again and back on the highway. After a detailed inspection I'd compiled a list of things the bike would need to get it up to spec. One of the biggest issues was the amount of corrosion on the bike. Everything is rusted solid but the biggest drama is the fork stanchions. The amount of pitting and rust on them means that replacement is the only option and fork stanchions don't come cheap. Another issue with the bike will be the carburetors. Due to the way modern unleaded deteriorates pretty quickly the carbs will have to be totally disassembled and cleaned out. Apart from that a new battery plus an oil and filter change and this bike will be up and running once again.         Posted Nov 27 2008, 01:39 AM by E2W with no comments

• What ecomomic down turn?

  What economic down turn? I've been watching the news for the past few months with concern due to the economic crisis that's gripped the world at the moment but after sitting down and looking over the accounts for the past few months  I have to say I've got nothing to worry about. Business is booming and even with the recent move from the old workshop to the new shop and the disruptions that were encounter it turns out that I've actually had one of the best months on record ever. The new shop front is attracting lots of new custom ranging from small scooters to big bikes all that need servicing or repairs. This has got me thinking! With the financial situation at the moment are people choosing to keep hold of their motorcycle or scooter and have is serviced to get that extra bit of life out of it rather than trade in the old ride for something newer? I can't figure it out. Over the past few weeks I seen everything from a Piaggio Fly in for its first service to GSXR1000's in for a major 24,000k overhaul. Retail, what a funny game it is! Posted Nov 27 2008, 01:14 AM by E2W with no comments

• Honda Spacey

  A piece of history came through the workshop yesterday. A Honda Spacey. Unfortunately someone had run into the back of this one at the traffic lights and done some frame and panel damage. The bad news was that Honda have discontinued supply of spare parts for this model but after a quick ring around to some of the local wreckers I managed to find all the parts I needed apart from a tail light lens. After sorting out the rear of the frame and bolting the new panels back on I went for a quick wiz around the block on it. For a scooter that's 20 years old and has nearly 40,000k's on the clock it went pretty well. It highlights the point that buying a well built scooter from a reputable manufacturer will pay dividends in the long run. Could you imagine some of the lower end Chinese built scooter still going after 20 years? Posted Nov 12 2008, 10:05 AM by E2W with no comments

• I'm riding back to the UK (part 2)

  After a few months of looking high and low for a nice low mileage Honda Transalp we finally found one in a dealership up in Queensland. After a few phone calls the bike was on a truck and heading down to Melbourne. I couldn't believe how clean this bike was for the money. It had only 7000 k's on the clock and was absolutely mint in condition plus the price was right too. Once delivered I gave it a quick once over and it was off to Vic roads to get the registration sorted. Rob who the bike is for couldn't wait to see the bike in the flesh and was very keen to meet me at the roads department so he could ride the bike away as soon as the paperwork was complete. Once the rego plate was bolted on Rob was off and away to get acquainted with his new bike. It was now time to think about kitting the bike out for it's mammoth trip.  From the list of bolt on parts we had drawn up in the past meeting the decision was taken to get the panniers fitted so Rob could get a feel for the bike with it's luggage on. It wasn't long before a set of Touratec panniers were on the doorstep and ready to be fitted. These really are the high end of the pannier options and should be well equipped to take the knocks and falls of a round the world trip. Although these panniers are a bit fiddly to fit, once installed it was evident why these panniers cost so much. There really is a lot of strength in the panniers and the frame work. Next is to fit the bike out with some power sockets for the GPS and laptop and sort out some of the other protection items like Barkbusters and crash bars. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Posted Nov 09 2008, 11:53 PM by E2W with no comments

• Vespa ET4 spark plug cap

  What a headache a Vespa ET4 was today in the workshop. The owner complained of the scooter running rough and then eventually stopping dead. One of the first items I wanted to check out was the condition of the spark plug. What should have been a 5 minute thing to check ended up being a 2 hour repair. The spark cap would not come off the top of the spark plug at all no matter how hard I tried to remove it. Unfortunately with the ET4 there is no room to move at all in the engine compartment. Anyone who knows their Vespa history will tell you that the ET4 in a previous life was called the ET2 and fitted with a 2 stroke engine. The guys at Vespa when creating the ET4 basically just bolted in a 4 stroke engine and released the scooter into the market place. Unfortunately the mechanics that work on them have to pay the price of this design and getting a spanner on the spark plug is one of their design floors. After about 15 minutes of trying to get the plug cap off the top of the spark plug I admitted defeat and started to undo the engine mounts. About half an hour later the engine was out and I could finally get the spark plug cap off the top of the spark plug. A faulty spark plug cap had been shorting out and welded itself to the top of the spark plug. After smashing off the old cap off I could finally replace the spark plug. With the new plug fitted it was back in with the engine and install a new plug cap too. Once bolted back together I hit the starter and it fired first time. All up it took 2 hours to remove the engine and repair the running issue and all for a fault spark plug cap. Posted Nov 09 2008, 11:49 PM by E2W with no comments

• Park Tool Vice

  With the move to the new shop I was able to splash out and treat myself to some of the workshop items that I could never seem to get around to buying when I was at the old place. The first thing that went on the shopping list was a Park Tool workshop vice. I've always wanted one of these but never ever gotten around to buying one and after today I don't know how I've ever gotten by without one. As part of a crash repair on a Suzuki SV1000 I had to replace the lower fork leg. The Park Tool vice made the job so much easier. Being able to spin the fork leg around 360 degrees made it a breeze to complete the job. How did I ever get by in the past without one of these? The Park Tool vice scores 10 out of 10.   Posted Nov 09 2008, 11:19 PM by E2W with no comments

• Everything Two Wheels new service center

  The new workshop is finally up and running and although it's been hard work to get the doors open it's been well worth it. This would now have to be one of the most modern scooter and motorcycle servicing facilities in Melbourne bar none. If you're in the local area feel free to drop in for a coffee and say hello. The address is 345 St Georges Road, North Fitzroy in Melbourne or ring us on 03 90777312 to book in for your next service. Posted Nov 06 2008, 02:14 PM by E2W with no comments