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Topics - Grahamm
26
« on: 13 March 2021, 07:23:56 pm »
Or Muddy Talker as he was sometimes referred to... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/56388596The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical.
I don't make mistakes. I make prophecies which immediately turn out to be wrong.
There's nothing wrong with the car except that it's on fire.
And now, excuse me while I interrupt myself.
And that just shows you how important the car is in Formula One Racing.
Either the car is stationary, or it's on the move.
That's history. I say history because it happened in the past.
27
« on: 03 March 2021, 12:24:49 am »
Here's a very interesting video countering the objections that some people have to electric vehicles because of the pollution from generating electricity. (NB Feel free to discuss this, but *politely*... )
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« on: 14 November 2020, 05:30:23 pm »
Someone on another Forum pointed me at this website https://roadcurvature.com/map/ which shows the curvature of roads for those who think straight lines are boring! It seems to be based simply on analysis of the map data (there appears to be no way to screen out roads with only 30 or 40mph limits that might be twisty, but not exactly fun at those speeds ) Still, it's a great resource for bikers Here's "Cottage Corner" on the Morestead road... https://roadcurvature.com/map/?threshold=low#map=13.981/-1.2432/51.0149
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« on: 06 November 2020, 05:41:29 pm »
Ok, this one is already on the Facebook forum, but it's very difficult to follow all the different conversations on there, so hopefully we can discuss it reasonably here. Theft victim charged with murder after ramming thief off his motorcycleTHE victim of a motorcycle theft has been charged with murder after ramming two motorcycle thieves from his motorcycle as they tried to escape. First of all, I'd like to ask that, despite how people feel, we keep this discussion civil and avoid ill-tempered comments. The short version is that the biker heard someone trying to steal his motorcycle, chased after them in his car and rammed them twice, the second impact causing the thieves to be knocked off the bike, one dying after hitting a lamp post and the second suffering serious injuries. It should also be mentioned that the biker then left the scene and other members of the public then had to help the injured people. Now, whilst some people may be thinking "they deserved it" or "serves them right" or "I'd do the same", there are few points that need to be made. (NB I follow The Secret Barrister on Twitter who often explains how the newspaper headlines and stories about cases like these are often exaggerated or distorted and don't necessarily represent the facts correctly). So, a few points... 1) Obviously, theft is wrong. 2) You have the right to use "reasonable force" to defend yourself and your property if it or you are at risk. 3) Using a car to chase people and knock them off a motorcycle most probably does not come under the heading of "reasonable". 4) Taking the law into your own hands is generally frowned upon. 5) Whilst the headline says the prosecution are calling for a murder charge, it's unlikely that such a charge would actually be proven as it would be necessary to demonstrate intent to kill. 6) Because he left the scene, presumably he was aware that what he had done, so it's very unlikely he'd get off completely. Most likely the charge will be reduced to manslaughter and he'd probably be best to make a guilty plea before it goes to court to get the maximum reduction in sentence. 7) Yes, certain members of the Police are authorised to use "Tactical contact" to stop stolen bikes, however they are *trained* for this and to evaluate the best way to do it in a way that causes least danger. 8 ) No matter what you think of bike thieves, the penalty for theft is not murder, so please, no lynch mob style comments about "they deserved it" or "if more people did this, there would be fewer bike thefts". 9) The Prosecution are trying to get their case out into the public domain and media, unfortunately the Defence can't generally do the same. That's just how the system works. There's probably more, but that covers a fair few things that will come up.
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« on: 26 July 2020, 09:57:39 pm »
This is a thread for anyone who, like me, has replaced the OEM FZ6-SA (2006) rear shock with a YSS one. Because I'm only 64kg I found that the ride was too hard and, after measuring, it turned out that the Rider Sag was only 19mm (it should have been between 30-35mm!) Unlike the OEM FZ6 rear shock which only has 7 adjustment "steps", the YSS rear shock has a collar on a screw thread which gives a whole lot of potential adjustment. Of course this also meant that I had *no idea* how much to turn it by to get the sag I needed. It turned out that adjusting it wasn't actually too difficult, there's a small allen bolt in the middle hole of the collar at the back of the shock (although it's screwed right in, so you can't really see it...) so you need to get in there with a long 3mm allen key (better than the little short one they supply) and take it out, then you can adjust the preload. For me, I found that unwinding it by 1 full turn gave a 4mm increase in sag, so I then did it by 2 more turns and the sag is now 31mm which feels a lot better.
32
« on: 24 July 2020, 08:29:00 pm »
Does anyone know the dimensions (length/ external diameter) of the spacer on the front forks of the FZ6-S Fazer 04-06? It's part 18 (or 38) on the picture. Alternatively, does anyone know the internal diameter of the Inner Fork Tube (2 or 22)? I want to shorten mine to reduce the preload on the Hyperpro fork springs I bought (they're a bit too firm as I only weigh 64kg), but I want to get some PVC or aluminium tube to experiment with rather than start cutting down the OEM spacer! https://www.bike-parts-yam.com/yamaha-motorcycle/600-MOTO/2006/FAZER_ABS/FZ6-SA/FRONT-FORK/16_1637-1637/B26/0/23235
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« on: 20 July 2020, 11:33:59 pm »
Two threads have vanished.
Not moved, but apparently permanently deleted since my account no longer even lists any posts from those threads.
There was no requests to tone things down, there were no warnings, there was no locking of the threads to give people a "Time Out".
The threads have just been deleted.
I (and, I'm sure, others) would be interested to know who did this and whether the decision made unilaterally.
34
« on: 20 July 2020, 05:07:10 pm »
From today's New Scientist magazine: A new artificial material effectively cannot be cut, holding out the promise of lightweight but cut-proof bike locks, security doors and protective clothing.
Its inventors embedded ceramic spheres in aluminium foam to create a material that couldn’t be cut with angle grinders, power drills or water jet cutters. They dubbed it Proteus after the shape-shifting Greek god, for the way the material metamorphosised in different ways to defend against attacks. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2249275-material-that-cannot-be-cut-would-make-the-ultimate-bike-lock/Ok, it's not going to stop someone picking the bike up if it's not chained to something secure, but it should stop the "two scrotes with a moped and an angle grinder" sort of thefts...
35
« on: 11 July 2020, 10:19:09 pm »
I don't know about you, but I HATE those stupid plastic connectors which Yamaha has used to link multiple wires. Some you have to push down on a tab to release the catch, others you need to lift a tab *up* to release the catch... But, whatever you have to do with them, they're an utter ba$$$$d to undo! So, has anyone used dielectric grease on them to help them release more easily? I know the grease is non-conductive, but, when you push two connectors together, the grease gets "scraped off" between the metal contacts to ensure there is continuity. Would putting it on those plastic connectors be a good idea? PS: No, I'm *not* going to use Vaseline - a) it degrades any rubber it comes into contact with, b) it melts when it gets hot and c) it's petroleum based, so could, theoretically catch fire!!
36
« on: 07 July 2020, 09:19:57 pm »
As you might have seen in the "What did you do with your Fazer today" thread, I've had a bit of a nightmare and now I need to replace the left mirror and side stand for my 2006 FZ6-SA as soon as possible.
If anyone has these, please let me know.
BTW I'm also going to post this on the Facebook group.
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« on: 03 July 2020, 06:01:49 pm »
After doing a bunch of work on my FZ6, yesterday I took it for a ride around the block and everything was working. I got home, picked up some stuff, tried to start it and... nothing I switch on the ignition, press the starter and I can hear the relay click, but it won't turn over. I have had this problem before and usually if I put the side stand down and flick it back up so it gives the bike a jolt, that sorts it out (or, switching it off and switching it back on again...!) But none of these are working now, however if I bump start it, it runs fine. The side stand switch and clutch switch seem fine and the neutral light on the instruments comes on. I wanted to check the neutral switch as well, but I can't actually find it! The Haynes manual says it's "on the back of the engine", but the accompanying picture is useless and I can't identify any of the components in it to figure out where the switch is supposed to be Can anyone suggest a solution or, at least, tell me where the neutral switch actually is (preferably with a useful picture!) so I can eliminate that? If the problem is none of the above, I may have to try removing the starter motor and checking that out...
38
« on: 30 June 2020, 09:12:36 pm »
I want to create a watertight case made from clear acrylic (about 2 foot long by 2" wide by 4" high), but I'm after some advice on how to seal it. Yes, I can buy acrylic glue,but it's ludicrously expensive (about £20 for a small container) and that would cost twice as much as the materials Given the size of it, using some form of caulk or sealant wouldn't really be feasible because it would be very difficult to get it into the interior. So can anyone recommend an alternative that would work?
40
« on: 21 June 2020, 08:57:34 pm »
(I've posted this on the Facebook forum too) I was trying to balance my throttle bodies today on my FZ6-SA 2006. I hooked all the gauges to cylinger 1 to calibrate them and worked out the differences in readings. no problems. But when I came to actually trying to balance them, I did have a problem. Here's the set up... I'd checked the idle speed, tweaked the adjusters on the adapters so the needles on the gauges were just not jittering, blipped the throttle a couple of times then let them settle, but no matter what I tried and how much I altered the throttle screws, for some reason I simply could not get much movement on the gauges and certainly not enough to get the readings even nearly the same I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Anyone got any helpful suggestions?
41
« on: 02 June 2020, 11:47:00 am »
If anyone's interested, there's a good deal from a supplier on eBay at the moment, six cans of brake cleaner for less than £15 I bought some and it seems to do the job well https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302119150386
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« on: 20 May 2020, 06:04:16 pm »
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« on: 18 May 2020, 10:31:21 pm »
Yes, this is a thread about politics, but how your politics compare to others, rather than actual issues. Hopefully it won't degenerate into the sort of slanging match that other threads have, but I hold out little hope... Anyway, if you don't like politics, please ignore this thread and don't post messages in here saying "Oh gods, another foccing political thread, because you'll just make it worse (I know, you're already reaching for that reply button to do exactly that...!) Anyway... * * * * * As many people are now aware, politics is more than just the old, crude, Left/ Right divide, for instance the Political Compass test includes Authoritarian/ Libertarian axes too. So here is a link to a test that includes Economic, Diplomatic, Civil and Societal scales for a much more nuanced view of how someone's politics pan out. For each question you pick an option on a 5 point scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. If you're not sure about something, just leave it in the middle. And, yes, it's 70 questions, but it really doesn't take that long and, as I said, you can skip an answer by not moving the slider from the middle. You can post your results here if you have the courage or you can just say "too boring/ can't be bothered/ I don't want to tell" if you prefer. https://www.idrlabs.com/8-values-political/test.php
45
« on: 17 May 2020, 10:12:55 pm »
I wanted to remove my swingarm, but the largest socket I have is 24mm.
I tried to measure it and seemed to get a size of 26mm, so I bought one, but that is just too small!
So can someone tell me if it's 27mm or 28mm before I go out and buy another socket that's the wrong size...
46
« on: 17 May 2020, 10:10:36 pm »
I think I've seen people post about using the Spark Plug tool that comes with the FZ6 tool kit to remove the front axle nut.
But I tried mine today and it was *just* a fraction too large to fit.
Could I use the Dremel to grind it down or would I be better getting the proper tool?
47
« on: 17 May 2020, 09:58:56 pm »
I know (from reading lots of posts on various forums about this) that I'm by far not the only person who has had problems removing the sleeve at the bottom of the rear shock on an FZ6 Fazer. Well I've *finally* managed to shift the bloody thing! So, if anyone else wants to remove their rear shock, here's how I did it. First of all I tried Plusgas (pentrating oil), heat (blow torch) and mole grips, but that wasn't working. Then I tried using a Dremel (rotary tool) to grind a slot in the right hand end so I could use a hammer and screwdriver to tap it out from the left side of the bike, but that didn't work either. (NB the above methods have worked for other people, that's why I tried them first) So eventually I used the Dremel to grind two flat surfaces on the sleeve and heated the right hand bracket with the blow torch for about five minutes, then clamped the mole grips in place and tapped them with a rubber mallet until I heard that lovely sharp "click" as it suddenly shifted! By the way, it's a good idea to mark a horizontal line on the end of the sleeve with a Sharpie or similar so you can check that it *is* actually moving and you're not just rounding off the flats! It took some time and lots of wiggling, but eventually it started to slide out, so it's a good idea to try to grind the flat surfaces so they slope up towards the free end of the sleeve, that way the mole grips won't just slide off the end when you try to wiggle it free. Also the sleeve doesn't go through or into the left bracket, it just butts up against it, so heating the left bracket doesn't do anything and trying to use a "puller" like the Haynes manual suggests won't do any good either! Anyway, that's how I got it to shift. Fortunately the replacment shock (from YSS) doesn't use the same stupid design, so I'm not going to have this problem again! (y) Hope this helps someone else
48
« on: 26 April 2020, 10:50:28 pm »
So, planning on doing some work on my bike, I'm looking through the list of instructions in Haynes. Ok, do that? No problems. Unscrew this? Simple. Move that out the way? Easy. Remove the rear shock? Piece of ca... Hang on? What?! You could have mentioned that at the start, instead of casually chucking it in at about stage 8 of the process...!!
49
« on: 08 April 2020, 06:43:39 pm »
(I've posted this in a few places on Facebook as well, so sorry if some people see this more than once.) Ok, I've been recommending that people *don't* use Harpic to clean their downpipes because it is not good for stainless steel. (See https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=30 for example) But, since I've got an old FZ6 engine in my shed (replaced after the big end failed) and it's got rusty pipes, I've decided I'm going to put my money where my mouth is and see what actually happens. So the idea is to clean Pipe 1 with Autosol, Pipe 2 with Harpic and leave it on. Pipe 3 with Harpic and wash it off with distilled water and possibly leave Pipe 4 as it is. Then I'll spray them all with a salt water solution (to represent riding on roads in the winter) and leave them for a while to see what happens. ADDENDUM: To clarify, based on a couple of comments I've received, the idea is to see if they are *more likely* to corrode after the Harpic treatment than with eg Autosol. Does anyone have any (helpful!) comments on my scientific method? Anything else/ better I could try on Pipe 4 instead of leaving it as a control? Useful suggestions would be welcomed.
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