what did you do with your fazer today ?

[robbo]

Shorty clutch levers are working overtime now . Glad you’re getting out and about, racking up some miles .

[Anquetil]

Thanks robbo. The shorty levers have given me a new lease of life.  I'm enjoying riding more than ever !

[notsofast]

Had a fantastic run on Sunday over a great route but decided not to run it in the reverse direction as the clutch cable began to fray at the lever.  I adjusted it to get me home on a less bendy route.  Swapped out the cable today as I actually had a spare.
More problematic was the leak that had developed from the L/H front caliper.  I have had this bike for a couple of years and the chap I bought it from had changed the caliper pistons and seals just before I bought it.  Stripped out the pads and cleaned up the caliper, leaving it overnight connected to it's hose to see which piston was leaking and it was the inboard smaller one.   The first warning sign (other than the leak) was the fact that all four pistons were in the caliper back to front with the blank end bearing on the pad.  One dust deal had been guillotined with most of it inside the caliper.  Another one was folded over.  The leaking piston seal seemed to be far too large and must have been squeezed into its groove before the piston was forced through it.  Ordered up a new seal kit so should have it sorted for next weekend.
Strange thing was the brakes worked really well (far better than my GSXR) and it took a couple of years and a good few thousand miles before the shoddy work showed up.

[notsofast]

Replacement caliper seal kit arrived so swapped out the damaged / incorrect seals in the leaking L/H caliper.  Decided that it was a waste of time bleeding the caliper without checking the R/H caliper.  Whilst it wasn't leaking, it was every bit as poor with pistons the wrong way round, 1x sticking large piston and both the small piston dust seals destroyed.  Managed to cobble something almost perfect with the remaining good seals, reassembled with the pistons correctly oriented, bled the brakes and ordered a further full set for next time......have not looked yet but should probably check the rear caliper......

[fazersharp]

..have not looked yet but should probably check the rear caliper......

AND anything else the moron of a last owner has ever touched   

[robbo]

I had planned to do my annual day trip to Cornwall yesterday, but with heavy showers and lightning forecast for Hampshire and westward, I put that off for another time and headed east instead. Essex and Suffolk were due to be bathed in sunshine all day, and the forecast didn't disappoint. One of my non retired pals missed out on the trip to TTT Motorcycle Village the other month due to work commitments, so Sudbury was our destination.


Other than getting stuck behind horseboxes on a few occasions, the ride up was fairly uneventful and completed in good time. I was quite surprised by the number of bikes lined up outside, but was able to get a table in the cafe area. One slight disappointment was the suspension of their normal menu, so that on Sundays it's a flat 10 quid for an all you can eat buffet breakfast, which made scrambled egg on toast a tad expensive.


Quite a few of the classic bikes had been sold since my last visit, so there must be plenty of money about among the classic bike community. After brunch and a stroll around the bikes on offer, it was time to struggle back into leather jackets, and head south to Finchingfield for a few shandies on the village green. This village is quite a biking mecca in this part of northern Essex, and is certainly worth a visit.


The boring bit from Brentwood to the Dartford Crossing on the M25 was fortunately drama free, and rolled onto the drive as rain clouds threatened, with 187 of our lovely English miles on the trip meter.

[fazersharp]

It don't get much better than that 

[Anquetil]

Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE rear tyre fitted to ' 1000' then off to Lakeside Cafe, Tanygrisiau, via Ruthin, Cerrig, Fron Goch, Llyn Celyn, Llan Ffestiniog. Very quiet roads. 124 miles.

[robbo]

Nice pics. Excellent tyre choice

[Anquetil]

Thanks robbo. The old tyre was a Roadtec 01 . Nail through it last week.

[fazersharp]

I have the Metzler Sportec M7 RR

[robbo]

Done 44000 miles on several sets of Roadtec 01’s and SE’s, never had a moment. Either I’m not trying hard enough, or they’re great tyres. Have won MCN and Ride best tyre several times, but then if you’re given a set of tyres for free you are bound to say that, maybe. They are what I’ll be buying for my next set, for sure.

[Anquetil]

A ride to Bala from Wrexham. Parked at Llyn Tegid for a while, had a chat with some bikers, then round to my friend's house in Bala for a coffee. Back home via Corwen, Ruthin, Llandegla, Bwlchgwyn. About 80 miles. A pleasant ride, humidity is down.

[unfazed]

Was on holidays last week and went for a wander while my wife went swimming. Up the corkscrew hill to Coomanaspic in North Kerry in Ireland and stopped at the top by the sign. A taxi pulled up and 3 American tourists and the driver got out. Driver was explaining about area and one American asks the Taxi driver if  the white animals on the hill were deer and the Taxi Driver trying to keep a straight face while looking at me answers "No love, they're Sheep" 

[Anquetil]

A 150 mile round trip from Wrexham to the Hednesford Motorcycle Club and MZ owners club gathering in Hednesford on the '1000'.

[Grahamm]

The surf forecast for this morning was looking good and, when I checked the webcam I thought "Great, some waves!"

So I jumped on the motorbike, got two yards out of my shed and realised something definitely didn't feel right.

Then I thought "Bugger, a flat tyre..."   

No surfing today

[Grahamm]

Got the tyre fixed (bloody panel pin ) then rode to a car dealer's to do a test drive (see the Whoever Posts Last thread).

After that, it was a nice day, so I had a quick blast up the Morestead Road, then back down the A272 (to check out what they've done with the Average Speed Check cameras), A32, B2150 and then the run through World's End.

Fun

[FazerSimon]

Reached the Arctic Circle!

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20230716 161903

Am on the way to The North Cape / Nordkapp in Norway. Have so far travelled via Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and today have reached Finland and the Arctic Circle, which of course necessitates a visit to the kitch Santa's workshop in Rovaniemi, Finland.

[FazerSimon]

Reached Nordkapp, and was lucky to have perfect conditions of the midnight sun...

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20230718 011259

[Anquetil]

A ride to Colwyn Bay / Rhos on Sea and back from Wrexham.

[Grahamm]

It was my Godson's wedding near Bristol today which involved a 2 hour ride from Portsmouth. and the forecast was for rain...

The first hour was ok, but then, just before I got to Membury services, it started to drizzle, so I stopped off to put on the "waterproof" (hah!) gear. Unfortunately, as I'm sure many of you know well, "waterproof" means "water resistant for a while, then you're going to get wet..." and so it was that my trousers ended up soggy and my boots were soaked through.

I did pootle past another Fazer on the motorway and, just for a chuckle, I decided to give the old FOC-U salute but, alas, with no response.

[robbo]

Scott Ergo Pro are the only truly waterproof waterproofs worth considering. Not cheap, but they definitely work. If your boots aren’t goretex, then some cheap boot covers will do the job. Riding in the rain is a chore, but being wet is really miserable especially if you’ve got a long way to go.

[Grahamm]

Scott Ergo Pro are the only truly waterproof waterproofs worth considering. Not cheap, but they definitely work.

£80 for a pair of overtrousers certainly isn't cheap! The main issue I find is where you get water pooling in between your crotch and the tank. I try to keep lifting up to let it drain away, but it doesn't solve the problem entirely

If your boots aren’t goretex, then some cheap boot covers will do the job.

The boots are by TCX and are billed as "waterproof". As far as I recall they had good reviews, but I've had them a few years now.

I looked at covers in the past, but I wasn't sure how safe they are. I can't flat-foot my bike on both sides at the same time and I'd be worried they might slip.

Also even my Gerbing winter gloves eventually get soaked through...

Riding in the rain is a chore, but being wet is really miserable especially if you’ve got a long way to go.

Believe me, I know. At least it wasn't cold as well, that's *really* not fun...

[robbo]

No the Scott’s aren’t cheap, but trust me they do work. There’s a group of about 10 of us, and every one to a man has them. When we’re away for a week abroad, and the weather turns nasty, you are on the bike all day and every day usually, and being wet would make the trip a total waste of time. I agree on the Gerbings, they do wet out. I use duck wax to try and enhance their waterproof ness on my heated ones, but if you’re in rain long enough they will leak. Rukka Virium(textile) or Rukka Apollo (the leather equivalent), both of which are goretex, are all I’d wear in persistent rain. Again not cheap, but they do what it says on the tin.
I used to use the boot covers before goretex boots came out with success. Can’t remember the make off hand,but I’ll try and find out, might have been made by Held.
As a last resort, pedal bin liners over your socks is a good “get out of jail” option

[Grahamm]

Thing is, I don't do that much riding in wet weather.  I'm not a "fair weather biker", but I'll do what I can to avoid rain if at all possible.

Probably if I was doing a lot of riding and couldn't avoid it, I'd consider spending £80 on a set of over trousers as a worthwhile investment.

I use NikWax Glove Proof which works quite well, but it's difficult to be sure you've got every little bit of the gloves and if you give water the slightest opportunity, it'll get in