Date: 28-03-24  Time: 10:27 am

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Messages - Ben Diesel

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51
General / Re: Boots and gloves
« on: 31 March 2013, 03:30:18 pm »
Bought my Daytona Travel Star GTX boots in August 2006. They cost me £250 at the time which made me weep; but I've used them just about every day since and I estimate they've covered about 90,000 miles in all weathers. They have never leaked, all the seams and seals are intact, all the zips and velcro are in good shape. They fit my unfeasibly wide feet and they don't even smell too bad. If I had to guess, probably another 3 or 4 years life left in them. Absolute bargain.
 
My gloves of choice are Alpinestars 365 Goretex, £160 a pair. I'm currently on my third pair of these in 6 years (the second pair I have kept as a spare in case the main pair get soaked); I reckon they last about 25,000 miles a pair. The main drawback with these has been the first two pairs, the fabric inner lining working free from the stitching at the fingertips, they're a bugger to get back on your hands when the lining turns inside-out. What I like about these is that the leather has never stretched, they fit as snugly as they did when they were brand new.
 
I guess I'm from the 'you get what you pay for' school; mainly down to the past experience of buying cheap kit and having it fall apart inside 12 months. Now, I bite my lip and pay what a lot of people might consider to be big money for top quality kit. Never regretted it.

52
General / Re: Broughty Ferry
« on: 02 March 2013, 03:47:19 pm »
Broughty Ferry is on the Firth of Tay a few miles east of Dundee. It's considered to be a bit posh by members of my family who live in Dundee.

When Alan Fluff Freeman broadcast his final Saturday show for the BBC in August 1978, I listened to it while I was on the beach at Broughty Ferry.

It would be a good destination for a ride out though. Fisherman's Tavern or the Royal Arch.

53
General / Re: KFC
« on: 10 February 2013, 12:59:58 pm »
First and last time I ate KFC was 27 February 1979 04.30 Grays Inn Road, Kings Cross.

Ate it. Left 'restaurant'. Immediately threw up in street. And I had not been drinking or drugging.

Never touched that shit since.

54
Well, the thou clicked over 40k this week. It's due a new chain and sprockets, they're in the garage ready to fit. But an eventful last 7 days so I thought I would share.
 
Monday - the rear Avon Storm 2 Ultra punctured on my way home from work, 3 miles from home. I managed to wobble the old girl back to base, booked a tyre change (on my drive at 08.30 - thank you as ever to Nick Challinor at NC Motorcycle Tyres). The Avon was down to the bars after 15,868 miles (yes that's right - nearly 16k from a rear tyre on a FZ1). I swapped to the VFR for my daily commute.
 
I commute into Northampton via the A14 and A43. The last 3 miles or so is solid queuing traffic and it's the reason why I use the bike. I reckon it saves me half an hour a day. But why, when I'm filtering past the outside of the queue at about 20mph, do some drivers coming in the OPPOSITE direction, believe it's absolutely necessary to track towards the centre line, as if they're trying to give me a nudge? Especially the truck driver on Thursday morning, who was so foccin' angry he was flashing his headlights and waving at me so violently, there is no way he could have been in control of his vehicle?
 
And that evening. First, to the driver of the Type R who tried to turn me into a mobile Armco barrier on Tavalera Way - foc off. Second, to the driver of the 911 who followed me down the slip road onto the A14 - could I please have back the rubber you nicked off my new rear tyre? You'll find it smeared across your front bumper and  headlights.
 
Still alive.
 
Just.
 
 

55
General / Re: Is the cost of fuel impacting your bike fun?
« on: 14 August 2012, 07:19:43 pm »
Is the cost of fuel impacting on my bike fun?
 
Yes - because the species of car driver who believes that pootling along dual carriageways at 49 MPH will save fuel, thereby forcing lines of 44 tonners to overtake and effectively rolling road block for miles, is doing my foccin' swede.
 
And no - because apart from the above, it hasn't slowed me down at all.
 
And with effect from yesterday, for the first time in 35 years, I am without a car. So all the money it was costing me each month to keep the cage standing outside my house, not being used, will now be diverted into the bikes.
 
 

56
General / Re: MISSING OLYMPIANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« on: 10 August 2012, 07:42:45 pm »
...or that useless Ukrainian in the women's 400 metre hurdles - Eva Stumbelova?

57
General / Re: MISSING OLYMPIANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
« on: 10 August 2012, 07:18:39 pm »
Anyone see that Russian high jumper - Ivan Nokabolokov?

58
FZS600 Fazer / Re: Speedo Drive Sensor
« on: 10 August 2012, 07:00:00 pm »
I am one of the Araldite glue fraternity - but my repair lasted about 7 miles....
 
So I bought a new rotor.

59
FZS600 Fazer / Re: Busted Fazer - what are my options?
« on: 10 August 2012, 06:52:03 pm »
Why do you need to take the engine out? Surely all you need to do is remove the cylinder head. I had the same happen with my VFR, snapped exhaust studs. Local engineering firm sorted it for about fifteen quid.

60
FZS600 Fazer / Re: Speedo Drive Sensor
« on: 10 August 2012, 06:49:07 pm »
Should be only the rotor you would need to replace. And that should not cost you 93 notes...

61
General / Re: Olympic torch relay
« on: 17 July 2012, 08:48:24 pm »
It came through the neighbouring town last Sunday morning just after 8 o'clock. No way I was going to drive; so Mrs Diesel, Daughter Diesel and I got up at 6.30, walked three miles in the pissing rain, joined the thousands already lining the route (that early on a Sunday I thought we'd be the only 3 people there...), stood in the pissing rain for another 45 minutes, Met Fuzz on bikes, support vehicles, Coca Cola bus, Samsung bus (the heat radiating from the bus size tv screen - wow!), Lloyds TSB bus, relay runners' bus.... then at last, here-comes-the-torch-there-goes-the-torch.
 
Walked three miles home in the pissing rain.
 
Glad I went? Nah - would rather have got my usual lie-in, tea in bed and read the papers.
 
Worthwhile? Yeah - I was truly amazed at the number of people who were mobilised to get up off their arse and go out and see it flash by.

62
Stretch a condom or a surgical glove over the exhaust outlet.
 
I tend to keep any little silica gel desiccant bags that I find packed in with shoes, handbags, kitchen utensils etc etc, and pop them in the trays and drawers of my tool boxes, to help keep the moisture away. Might be worth your while popping a couple inside some poly sheet and loosely wrapping around your brake discs.

63
General / Re: What's in your garden.................
« on: 11 July 2012, 07:56:06 pm »
Weeds - and loads of them. But that's all part of my 'back to nature' strategy.
 
Right now, there's a pair of goldfinches out there, twittering away - probably saying 'thank you for not chopping down the 5 foot high dandelions and thistles'.

64
Messages for Users / Re: Deefer
« on: 11 July 2012, 07:51:07 pm »
OK. Thanks. I'm waiting for the seals to be delivered - as soon as they're here I'll drop by.
 
I zip past Molesworth twice a day, usually around 08.00 and 18.30 but can flex those times to suit you.

65
Messages for Users / Deefer
« on: 08 July 2012, 08:48:25 pm »
Hello Mark,
 
Do you have a hydraulic bench press?
 
And if you do, could I please avail of you to press out/press in three bearings for me, please?
 
Bri

66
General / Re: Puncture
« on: 08 July 2012, 08:40:50 pm »
I've had at least half a dozen mushroom plug repairs done to punctures over the years and never had any problems with any of them. I always have the 'tyre off the rim' repair so that the plug can be pushed through from the inside, though.
 
The last one was to plug a hole left by one of those hexagonal screwdriver bits which went straight through. My tyre fixer said that he would be reluctant to repair anything that left a bigger hole than that; but 5000 miles later and it hasn't needed even a puff of extra air.
 
There's a bit too much paranoia about puncture repairs and I suspect much of it originates from people wanting to sell new tyres.
 
£20 for a plug? Or £120 for a new tyre? For me, it's a no-brainer.
 
 

67
FZS600 Fazer / Re: Anyone got this fuel exhaust? Sounds good!
« on: 23 June 2012, 05:32:01 pm »
Had one fitted to my FZS600, now got one fitted to my FZ1 and to my VFR750.
 
Fuel Exhausts product is very good, it's good value, it's British, their customer service is first rate.
 
Baffles fit fine; but only at MOT time. Apart from the ride to and from the test centre, they stay removed.
 
Noisy? Yes.
 
Have I ever been pulled for a noisy can? In 13 years and 140,000 miles, no.

68
Fazer 1000/FZ1 corner / Re: Fairing lowers
« on: 17 June 2012, 03:33:02 pm »
I have the fitting instructions.
 
PM Sent (although by now, you've probably given up on ever receiving a reply...)

69
For Sale & Wanted / Re: WANTED: FZ1 Front Mudguard/Fender
« on: 17 June 2012, 03:18:22 pm »
Blatant bump. I'm still after this item.

70
Fazer 1000/FZ1 corner / Re: Mixing tyres manufacturers
« on: 06 June 2012, 08:16:15 pm »
I'm running a BT-023 front and Avon Storm 2 Ultra rear. No problems at all.

71
FZS600 Fazer / Re: Downpipe Cleaning
« on: 04 June 2012, 11:49:20 am »
After cleaning the black downpipes on my FZS600 I would give them a coat of Zebo black firegrate polish, leave for an hour, then buff to a semi-shine. Also works well on the black parts of your brake calipers if they're looking a bit grubby. Work it in with an old toothbrush and buff off with a shoebrush.
 
Wear gloves, though. 

72
FZS600 Fazer / Re: servicing - your routine ?
« on: 04 June 2012, 11:37:15 am »
 :agree   Download Yamaha workshop manual. Set up a spreadsheet with a worksheet for each service interval. List each task you're expected to do at each service. Tick them off as you go along. Pass on the spreadsheet as its service history when you sell the bike.
 
I no longer have the spreadsheets for my FZS600s but I have the templates set up for my current bikes (FZ1 and VFR). They can be easily adapted for the FZS600. Drop me a PM if you're interested and I'll email them across to you.
 
 

73
For Sale & Wanted / WANTED: FZ1 Front Mudguard/Fender
« on: 03 June 2012, 09:52:17 am »
Probably due to some scrote having a kick at my bike, I am left with a cracked and damaged front mudguard.
 
So I'm looking to source a replacement in Lava Red.
 
I understand that the R1 mudguard 2003-2006 is similar.
 
I would be grateful if anyone could help me out with tracking one down, please. Cash waiting.
 
Thanks. 

74
General / Re: What did you do to your bike today?
« on: 26 May 2012, 12:24:54 pm »
Oil and filter changed

75
General / Re: What did you do to your bike today?
« on: 23 May 2012, 06:33:42 pm »
MOT - it passed with flying colours, natch.

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