what did you do with your fazer today ?

[Don71uk]

Nice day so a run out, Goodwood Aerodrome

[Grahamm]

First Group Ride this year, going to Ryka's Cafe at Box Hill.

Nice day for a ride, but unfortunately the Ride Leader was using someone else's route which didn't agree with his Sat Nav and he hadn't had a chance to pre-ride it, so we ended up on a bit of a mystery tour at one point.

Then he just put Rykas in as the destination using "Fastest Route" and it took us down some not very nice lanes through some woods.

Finally, on the way  back, we ended up going in circles at Petworth until he found the right exit to get out of the one way system...!

I've been on worse rides (but not many...)

[robbo]

At last. The clutch cover's back from the powder coaters, and is on the bike. Fitting the top bearing was a lot easier than I anticipated, but getting the clutch pull rod to stay in the correct position when fitting the cover, was a bit of a faff.
Plug change, fill with some of Motul's finest and service the exup are tomorrows jobs. Tax it on Saturday, scrub in the new rear Road Tec. Then should be all set for Mondays' Mayday run.
Anyone in Surrey/Kent or maybe Sussex areas, that needs a reliable, get it right first time, powder coater. I know the place. Wasted 40 quid and six weeks at two other places before I found this guy, CSP Shotblasting  and Powdercoating, based near Borough Green.

[red98]

got there in the end ROBBO  ...You sure the Hastings run is still on ?

[robbo]

got there in the end ROBBO  ...You sure the Hastings run is still on ?

There’s a possibility the old bill will try and stop any large gathering at Locksbottom, but not that bothered as I never bother going to Hastings. We usually go to a pub in Rye harbour. Have already sorted an alternative route, but might look in the 1066 on the A21, traffic permitting.

[coffee]

After changing my gearbox sprocket to try and clean up the bottom end pick up to a 16 which was a complete waste of time,it just made it more vicious coming out of tight turns or roundabouts! don't know what I was thinking, anyway I put a booster plug on some time ago now and as I posted at the time  the difference was amazing really smoothing out the bottom end.I've decided I don't need the lower gearing now as I don't think it needs it so put the original cog back on yesterday and with the smoother throttle and slightly higher gearing it's like another bike at low speeds! it just shows you manufacturers work these things out gearing wise.They just needed to sort out the fuelling to start with !!

[robbo]

Woke the mighty thou from its winter slumber(6 months) today. The Sta-Bil had done its intended job, as within no time it settled down to a steady tickover. Gave the exup its pre season service, and decided to give the ceramic grease a go at looking after the valves welfare. Looking forward to Saturday when the road tax kicks in, and I can get out for the first Fazer whizz of the year.

[robbo]

Took advantage of the sunny morning to scrub in my new rear tyre. Had a whizz down to The Chalet at Cowfold, plenty of bikes and sports cars filling the carpark. Things are very much back to normal here, as I had a half hour wait for my sausage sandwich. This venue is famous for a long wait for hot food, but it's always worth the wait.
To make sure I got in around 100 miles, I then headed west to Bury Hill, and then home on the A29. It was nice to get back on the Fazer, with it's far sharper handling and better brakes, not to mention the superior performance, when compared to my old Triumph, which I must add, has done itself proud this year with the use it's had. My newly serviced shock seems to have slightly raised the rear, as coupled with the 50 mm jack up, I'm much more balls of the feet at standstill than before.
On the way home the sunny conditions gave way to rain and hailstones on the South Downs, so the hours I'd spent cleaning, went straight out the window in an instant. I rolled onto the drive with 110 miles on the tripmeter, with the tyre scrubbed in and just in time for MotoGP. The cleaning will have to wait for another day.

[red98]

had a good run out on Sunday...from home in High Wycombe then onto .....Marlow, Henley, Reading, Basingstoke and onto Alton, Was heading to the railway cafe in Alton but spotted a mobile coffee bar parked up on the green so stopped there, loads of bikes passed as i sat there with tea and a home made sausage roll so iam guessing the cafe was busy, out of Alton on the B3006 down too Selborne and onto the A3 and a blast through the Hindhead tunnel. onto Guildford,Woking, Windsor and home to High Wycombe, Roughly 160 miles as i took non direct route and got lost a couple of times  ...Still a bit chilly but great to be out on the first proper ride of the year.


Upto about 450 miles since the engine swap and all is going well, Had to flush the cooling system a couple of times but looking clear now, Clutch needs adjusting at the bottom end and whilst iam doing that i will clean and re-grease the clutch releasse mechanism...


Happy with the 6 at the moment but sadly the might thou is looking a bit sorry for itself. not used since September time and sat uncovered in the garage, time to wake the old girl up...

[robbo]

(Yesterday). With a slightly improved weather forecast I was out in the garage by 07:30 in an attempt to clean off the results of yesterday’s rain and hail, in preparation for the Mayday Run. I made it to Locksbottom, the meeting place, by 9ish. There was very little police presence despite the scaremongering on several social media sites, and the reduced crowd made social distancing quite easy, as we had a stroll round checking out the bikes. The entertainment highlight was a rolling burnout by an R1, that went the length of the high street. Hope he’s got a few bob if the price of my new rear tyre is anything to go by. Our group of five left as planned at 10am and was soon away from the crowds by taking an early exit from the A21. Some cross country high jinks ensued, which got us to the 1066 cafe a few miles outside of Hastings at John’s Cross. This was quite busy, with about forty HA adding to the numbers. I must admit it looked pretty cool when the car park Marshall’s held the traffic up to let them leave en masse on their way to the coast.
After a cuppa it was off to our usual lunchtime haunt in Rye Harbour, but early into the precedings we came across an unmarked police bike, the rider dressed all in black, including his crash helmet, with just a small “Police” logo on the back of his jacket. This was on one of our favoured roads, so the legal limit it was, all the way to Rye. A similar sized group to us was leaving the pub as we arrived, so parking and grabbing a suitable table for our number was easily sorted. Good social distancing and table service got us fed and watered in record time, and after a chinwag, it was back on the bikes for some more B road action, getting us into north Kent to a country pub for an afternoon pint. It was then just a half hour whizz to the M25 where we went our different ways. It was great to be back giving the Fazer a good workout, and we all got home before the rain, having had 148 miles of fun and frolics.

[coffee]

After getting caught in the rain and hail on the way back from a bike meet on wednesday in which the bike felt really dodgy, [I hate the rain at the best of times] I decided that the time had come for a new rear,especially after getting an advisory on the mot.I got a couple of quotes and just happened to mention to one tyre bloke that I'd prefer dunlop because the front was a 207 RR,imagine my suprise when he said that's probably 20 years old ! I got this tyre from a local dealer about 2 years ago who said I could have it for £90 because he was no longer doing bikes,I never questioned it ,I was actually chuffed to get a cheapish tyre ! anyway this tyre bloke reckoned apart from the tyre being old he didn't think it would perform anything like it would have back in the day because it would have deteriorated on the shelf/floor for all that time .I ended up getting a pair of dunlop sportsmart 3's but at 270 quid it was an expense I wasn't expecting, it just shows how buying cheap isn't always the best in the long run.Hope these tyres are as good as they say,I'll let you know.

[Grahamm]

he said that's probably 20 years old

Check the DOT number on the side of the tyre. The first two digits are the week it was manufactured, the second two are the year.

If the tyre is more than 5 years old, don't use it!

[Gnasher]

If the tyre is more than 5 years old, don't use it!

Why not? 

The make and then condition of a tyre are far more important than just age as a factor not you use it.  UK law as of Feb 21 tyres more than 10yrs old can't be used on the front steered axles of HGVs, buses, coaches or all single wheels fitted to a minibus (9 to 16 passenger seats).

This doesn't apply to cars or bikes etc, this has all come about due to the market being flooded with cheap/crap Far East budget tyres.  They're cheap for a reason, the compounds they use are unstable and will be effected by atmospheric conditions alone, UV etc even when just stored.  They either split or go hard, so hard they no longer grip although the tyre looks to be in good condition. 

Yes most tyre manufactures and some bigger tyre fitting companies Kwik Fit for one will advise not more than 5, why to sell more tyres!  I've just had tyres replaced for a customer, that were dated 02 fitted to a GSX-R1000, they were fine, in all respects (dry & wet) just worn to legal limit. The new tyres fitted ae date 15, tyres can be in the system for over 5yrs before they're fitted, especially bikes tyres and not so common sizes of other tyres, hence why the government limit is 10yrs, which allows for that.         

If this tyre is 20yrs old, but if made by a quality brand, stored properly and unused, the condition of the tyre is the most important factor not it's age.           

[Grahamm]

If the tyre is more than 5 years old, don't use it!

Why not? 

Find an old rubber band that's a few years old. Give it a stretch and it may well snap.

Rubber degrades over time, it may not be visibly damaged, but it can compromise the safety of the tyre.

A perfect example is when a friend was out in Qatar and needed a new tyre for his car. He was driving along when the "new" tyre failed catastrophically, fortunately on the desert roads there's plenty of run off area! When I suggested he check the DOT number, IIRC he found it was actually over 10 years old.

So you buy a new tyre that's five years old. If you only ride a few thousand miles a year, it might stay on your bike for another three years before it gets down to the wear markers by which time it's eight years old.

Tyres are not massively expensive and, frankly, my safety is worth more than saving a few quid on the bit that holds my bike to the road...

[Kenyun]

Rubber bands are made of natural rubber, motorcycles tyres are made of 70% synthetic rubber and the rest is carbon black. With modern tyre technology there is no similarity with rubber bands or even cheap inner tubes.

[BBROWN1664]

Check the DOT number on the side of the tyre. The first two digits are the week it was manufactured, the second two are the year.
If the tyre is more than 5 years old, don't use it!

The recommendation is not to fit one over 5 years old unless you knwo how its been stored as sunlight degrades the rubber and it started to crack. Nothing wrong with using tyres over 5 years old though.

[Gnasher]

Check the DOT number on the side of the tyre. The first two digits are the week it was manufactured, the second two are the year.
If the tyre is more than 5 years old, don't use it!

The recommendation is not to fit one over 5 years old unless you knwo how its been stored as sunlight degrades the rubber and it started to crack. Nothing wrong with using tyres over 5 years old though.

 

[Gnasher]

Rubber bands are made of natural rubber, motorcycles tyres are made of 70% synthetic rubber and the rest is carbon black. With modern tyre technology there is no similarity with rubber bands or even cheap inner tubes.

 

[Grahamm]

The recommendation is not to fit one over 5 years old unless you knwo how its been stored as sunlight degrades the rubber and it started to crack. Nothing wrong with using tyres over 5 years old though.

Your life, your choice.

As I said, my life is worth more than a set of cheap tyres.

[Gnasher]

As I said, my life is worth more than a set of cheap tyres.

That's the whole point quality branded tyres aren't cheap, but just because they're more then 5yrs old doesn't make them unusable.  Mr average will only change his tyres very 3 yrs or so, many owners only do a few 1000's a year some even less.   As stated tyres are supplied that could well be at least 3 or 4 years old, are you going to bin them just because they reach 5yrs old and only half worn? 

I doubt it, if you do, you've got money to burn, to say nothing of the waste. 

[coffee]

After all of your posts I had a look at the tyre [I kept it because I thought it might come in handy for an emergency] and it's 18 years old according to the digits on the wall so whether or not it's a dunlop I wouldn't feel happy using it, it's such a long time to sit there doing nothing but I did use it for the best part of 2years in ignorance and did also take a few liberties in the dry without any problems so I don't know.

[Trebus]

Just lobbed a 2010 Michelin off the front of mine. Never gave me a problem and actually wasn’t worn out, needed a new rear and went to a different brand.

Bike spends most of its time under a cover in the garage so minimal UV exposure.

Just for information rather than an endorsement for 11 year old tyres 😂

[Trebus]

Oh, and I do always keep the bike on the centre stand and rotate the front wheel from time to time when it’s not being used.

[Grahamm]

As stated tyres are supplied that could well be at least 3 or 4 years old, are you going to bin them just because they reach 5yrs old and only half worn? 

You seem to have misunderstood what I am saying.

If someone puts a "new" tyre on which is *already* five years old or more and it's going to stay on your bike for another three years plus, by the end of that period, especially if your bike is kept out doors, you have no idea what state it is going to be in.

It may still look fine, it may still work fine, or it may suddenly give way when you least expect it.

If you're happy with that, feel free to keep doing it.

[agricola]

I've had the fazer 6 years and Im on my third set. I wouldn't keep a set on the machine for more than 3 years max, and ask my suppliers to ensure that the date stamp is either the current year or the previous year. My usage is pleasure rides and trackdays, but i'm conscious of the condition of the road surfaces these days (dreadful), the salt, the chemicals, and any abuse that i dish out to them. And I've seen perfectly fine looking ten year old tyres give way on track without any other obvious cause. The on site tyre specialist put it down to age