God, I hate this pile of shite

[ChristoT]

Not after sympathy, just venting. It's mad that I have to persuade my parents NOT to spend a fortune when there's a free option that will be resolved sooner!

[ChristoT]

No.

[midden]

Not after sympathy, just venting. It's mad that I have to persuade my parents NOT to spend a fortune when there's a free option that will be resolved sooner!

Just put ya bike on the road, if ya parents don't like it, tough. If they stop funding you, tough, doubt they will though.   Even if they do stop funding it won't be life threatening  you're in UK.

Failing this stop venting, be grateful and put up with their wishes.   

[Andy FZS]

I know it's not what you want to hear....but I can understand their fear of you getting back on two wheels.

[rustyrider]

Lets get this right.  Your parents are funding you through uni so you end up paying them back rather than paying the Government back a student loan for the next 30 years of your life.  They've bought you a car and paid for your insurance as they think you will kill yourself on a bike (and they are probably right), you claim to have no money but you've been spending money on bits to make a dogs dinner out of what could have been restored into a mint Fazer and, despite being convinced you can bodge together lots of bits from other bikes into something that will work and look good, you claim to not have the skills to change a bloody head gasket?  You can get a Haynes manual from your local library so that won't cost you a penny.  Stop moaning, sit down with the manual, look at the pictures and read the words and then get out there and sort it.

[ChristoT]

I know it's not what you want to hear....but I can understand their fear of you getting back on two wheels.

Don't get me wrong, I can see where they are coming from. I just think they're over doing it.

Rusty, there is so much wrong with you post, I'm going to have to break it down:

Lets get this right.  Your parents are funding you through uni so you end up paying them back rather than paying the Government back a student loan for the next 30 years of your life.

Indeed. And I am very grateful for it.

They've bought you a car and paid for your insurance as they think you will kill yourself on a bike (and they are probably right),

They lent me the money to buy the car, with full expectation of repayment and a string of conditions long as your arm. I'm not so sure about the killing myself bit, and intend to take safety courses. You have never ridden with me, so cannot comment on my abilities.

you claim to have no money but you've been spending money on bits to make a dogs dinner out of what could have been restored into a mint Fazer

Currently, I have just under £200 of spending money per month that isn't tied up in fue, rent or food. All other expenses come from that: clothes, spare parts for the car, beer if I go down the pub. Part of the reason Project Fazer is taking so long is because I have to budget every expense very, very carefully, getting the best deals I can off ebay etc.

and, despite being convinced you can bodge together lots of bits from other bikes into something that will work and look good, you claim to not have the skills to change a bloody head gasket?

Not when I need said vehicle to commute, and when I have no proper tools! Give me a workshop, a manual, and plenty of time, and I could probably muddle my way through it. I have none of those here. All the serious engineering on the bike (swingarm and eexhausts) is planned to be done by a professional fabricator.

You can get a Haynes manual from your local library so that won't cost you a penny. Stop moaning, sit down with the manual, look at the pictures and read the words and then get out there and sort it.

See above. Also, as I said earlier in the thread, the engine is just one of the car's problems. Whatever happens, it's getting sold for spares or scrap: I haven't got the time, money or enthusiasm to pour into it to get it back up to good condition.

My frustration at the moment stems from the fact that I have an alternative, I have a plan B that has been thought out, which requires minimal investment and work - and it's been vetoed off the table, with no other sensible solution on offer. THAT'S why I'm frustrated.

[Dead Eye]

I have to agree with most of what's been said. You need to come to terms with the fact that you have no money. That means taking the cheapest and/or most cost effective route

Now, if we assume for the moment that you must absolutely have transport, then you are going to need it fast. That basically throws your project Fazer out the window as it will take too long and cost too much in all of time, parts, tax and insurance.

You don't learn by not doing. I've learnt everything I know by being a cheap bastard because I never had money when I was younger and therefore couldn't afford to buy things new or pay for garages to do the work. So I did it myself, sometimes I had help with particularly large tasks, but for most part its been just me, a manual and the internet. You have done enough work on your Fazer to be competent enough to work on the 106. You may not like the damn thing, but the fact of the matter is that its your only real lifeline.

Neither a head gasket or CV Joint requires any super expensive specialist tools and the parts are quite cheap for small French cars. Hell, the entire new driveshaft just to replace the ABS ring on my car cost only £65 fitted and its in a whole different league to your box on wheels.

The only other feasible option in my opinion is what noggy suggested, which is to buy another cheap second hand car just to drive until it dies. The most expensive car I've purchased, ever, was £500. Granted it wasn't the most sensible option as it was 24 years old and rather expensive to insure, BUT that is beside the point.

Failing these two options, you refuse to take the help from your parents and decide to get project Fazer back on the road. What exactly is the harm in them cutting you off? I'm sorry but in my opinion once you're over 18 you should learn to fend for yourself and how to make sensible financial decisions. University is a generally a stage of life where you have very very little money and I'm pretty sure you are investing a lot more than most other students in to running a vehicle.


-----

You've just posted so I'll comment on one or two things additionally;

Currently, I have just under £200 of spending money per month that isn't tied up in fue, rent or food. All other expenses come from that: clothes, spare parts for the car, beer if I go down the pub. Part of the reason Project Fazer is taking so long is because I have to budget every expense very, very carefully, getting the best deals I can off ebay etc.

If you don't have money for food, you certainly don't have money for beer. If you have £200 of spending money per month, then you have more than I do as I frequently spend more than I earn which has become a slight issue with Credit Cards, which I have thankfully gotten under control.

Not when I need said vehicle to commute, and when I have no proper tools! Give me a workshop, a manual, and plenty of time, and I could probably muddle my way through it. I have none of those here. All the serious engineering on the bike (swingarm and eexhausts) is planned to be done by a professional fabricator.

This goes back to my point above; if you want to have the swingarm and exhaust done professionally it is going to cost a very large amount of money and time to complete this project. In the meantime you will have no form of transport - this seems completely illogical.


-----

Edit: Figured I should add that I mean no offence, it's just tough love.

[rustyrider]

Not sure what was so wrong about my post and as Dead Eye says, you learn by doing.  A 106 diesel head gasket is £13.99 with free delivery from eBay, about the only specialist tool you might need is a torque wrench and you don't need a garage.  You've been to my place and seen the garage.  Do you seriously think I can get my Range Rover in there to rebuild the top end of the V8 engine?  No, because if I get the Range Rover in there I can't get out of it as the garage isn't wide enough so I work on the driveway, no different to you doing it outside.  At this time of year you've got about 15 hours of daylight each day (and the temperature isn't below freezing either), so you get up early on a Saturday morning and work on it until it gets dark.  If you haven't finished it by then, you get up early on Sunday morning and carry on.  The book time is about 5 hours so if you can't get it done in 30 you shouldn't really be attempting anything involving a socket set.

No I haven't ridden with you but your record speaks for itself.  I don't know if your coming together with a Merc was in any way your fault or not but you admitted you dropped the ZX on a sliproad purely because you were travelling too fast for the conditions of both the road and the bike.

You claim it's a rant but you are beginning to sound like a spoilt brat would is having a paddy because he isn't getting his own way. Life's like that, you aren't going to get your own way all the time, shit happens.  Live with it and learn from it.  You never know, get the car sorted and what you learn from doing it yourself may even mean that there will be less on the project bike that you need to farm out to others.

[ChristoT]

Liam, I am suggesting getting the Fazer back on the road as stock, as I can have it roadworthy within a matter of days for minimal investment. This is the most practical solution. And the one that is getting nixed!! The Project part of Project Fazer has to be shelved for now in exchange for immediate, reliable transport.

The £200 is after rent, food and fuel (just about on all three) - AND THAT'S IT. Anything else I spend money on comes from that pot. If I had credit cards, that's where the repayments would come from. The beer comment was just an example - I can't even remember the last time I went down the pub!

The 106 needs a new head gasket, either a new head, or having the head skimmed. It needs a new water pump, replacement from shocks, new rear wheel bearing (quoted by a garage as over £100 - and it's a press fit into the hub, so I can't do it). Coming up: sorting out the electric system - although that's time, nor money, and replacing the CV joint. All this to be done on the street parking outside my landlord's house when I need daily transport to commute to work. Yeah right.

The head gasket alone will need the engine bay stripping (if not an engine out job) to get at, because there's so little space in there. Then I have to get a head that's been joined to a block off 14 years off. Good luck with that!

I am in a dificult situation in that to the Brits, I live in France, and the French think I live in England. I am in residential limbo, if you will. Applying for a student loan with all that crap going on? Nightmare!

[ChristoT]

Not sure what was so wrong about my post and as Dead Eye says, you learn by doing.  A 106 diesel head gasket is £13.99 with free delivery from eBay, about the only specialist tool you might need is a torque wrench and you don't need a garage.  You've been to my place and seen the garage.  Do you seriously think I can get my Range Rover in there to rebuild the top end of the V8 engine?  No, because if I get the Range Rover in there I can't get out of it as the garage isn't wide enough so I work on the driveway, no different to you doing it outside.  At this time of year you've got about 15 hours of daylight each day (and the temperature isn't below freezing either), so you get up early on a Saturday morning and work on it until it gets dark.  If you haven't finished it by then, you get up early on Sunday morning and carry on.  The book time is about 5 hours so if you can't get it done in 30 you shouldn't really be attempting anything involving a socket set.

No I haven't ridden with you but your record speaks for itself.  I don't know if your coming together with a Merc was in any way your fault or not but you admitted you dropped the ZX on a sliproad purely because you were travelling too fast for the conditions of both the road and the bike.

You claim it's a rant but you are beginning to sound like a spoilt brat would is having a paddy because he isn't getting his own way. Life's like that, you aren't going to get your own way all the time, shit happens.  Live with it and learn from it.  You never know, get the car sorted and what you learn from doing it yourself may even mean that there will be less on the project bike that you need to farm out to others.

Rich: you are speaking to someone who once nearly dropped a ratchet screwdriver bit down a Fazer's engine intake. And was about to dismantle the head when he found it lurning under the starter motor. I would put myself in the "questionable" catergory when it comes to my own handiwork.

At the moment, there's no guarantee the car will even last through tomorrow's drive to work, let alone waiting for a gasket! I'd love to know where you found the gasket for £14 though, when I did a quick search on my phone, I could only find ones priced at £45!! Although, to be fair, I wasn't looking very hard. You also have the advantage of another vehicle to use if (for any reason) you can't complete the job. If I can't, I'm up a gum tree.

I cannot deny having done stupid stuff on bikes. I am committed to improving my riding though, and have said for ages now that the minute I'm back on a bike, I'm doing a Bikesafe course.

It is a frustrated rant. My parents are saying they're going to spend a ridiculous amount of money they don't really have to solve the problem in a completely irrational way. They are fixating over the fact that it's a bike, I'm only interested in the fact that it's transport, it's there, and requires very little to get me mobile again. How does trying to solve the problem logically in a way that requires the least input in terms of money and time make me a "spoiled brat"?

[JoeRock]

Not sure what was so wrong about my post and as Dead Eye says, you learn by doing.  A 106 diesel head gasket is £13.99 with free delivery from eBay, about the only specialist tool you might need is a torque wrench and you don't need a garage.  You've been to my place and seen the garage.  Do you seriously think I can get my Range Rover in there to rebuild the top end of the V8 engine?  No, because if I get the Range Rover in there I can't get out of it as the garage isn't wide enough so I work on the driveway, no different to you doing it outside.  At this time of year you've got about 15 hours of daylight each day (and the temperature isn't below freezing either), so you get up early on a Saturday morning and work on it until it gets dark.  If you haven't finished it by then, you get up early on Sunday morning and carry on.  The book time is about 5 hours so if you can't get it done in 30 you shouldn't really be attempting anything involving a socket set.

No I haven't ridden with you but your record speaks for itself.  I don't know if your coming together with a Merc was in any way your fault or not but you admitted you dropped the ZX on a sliproad purely because you were travelling too fast for the conditions of both the road and the bike.

You claim it's a rant but you are beginning to sound like a spoilt brat would is having a paddy because he isn't getting his own way. Life's like that, you aren't going to get your own way all the time, shit happens.  Live with it and learn from it.  You never know, get the car sorted and what you learn from doing it yourself may even mean that there will be less on the project bike that you need to farm out to others.

Rich: you are speaking to someone who once nearly dropped a ratchet screwdriver bit down a Fazer's engine intake. And was about to dismantle the head when he found it lurning under the starter motor. I would put myself in the "questionable" catergory when it comes to my own handiwork.

At the moment, there's no guarantee the car will even last through tomorrow's drive to work, let alone waiting for a gasket! I'd love to know where you found the gasket for £14 though, when I did a quick search on my phone, I could only find ones priced at £45!! Although, to be fair, I wasn't looking very hard. You also have the advantage of another vehicle to use if (for any reason) you can't complete the job. If I can't, I'm up a gum tree.

I cannot deny having done stupid stuff on bikes. I am committed to improving my riding though, and have said for ages now that the minute I'm back on a bike, I'm doing a Bikesafe course.

It is a frustrated rant. My parents are saying they're going to spend a ridiculous amount of money they don't really have to solve the problem in a completely irrational way. They are fixating over the fact that it's a bike, I'm only interested in the fact that it's transport, it's there, and requires very little to get me mobile again. How does trying to solve the problem logically in a way that requires the least input in terms of money and time make me a "spoiled brat"?

Christo, how about suggesting to them that you fix the bike up yourself (using money from the car or whatever). Then if they still really don't feel safe with you on a bike (my Ma certainly never will like me having a bike, but she still wouldn't stop me as she knows how much I love it), perhaps suggest that they pay for some "safety enhancements" - new gear, or maybe even just the bike safe course? That way, you'll have transport for now (for the love of god don't crash it or blow it up) and your parents might sleep a bit easier knowing you've had some enhanced training?

[noggythenog]

Christo....lets just take a step back here & recognise that you are by far the minority on this site.........ie young..............biking is such a luxury & most bikers have bikes because they have overcome the type of problems you now face.......ie they are old, older or geriatric ........how they work computers ill never know but it seems that when you are concerned they make a special effort


If you put this rant up on a student forum then no doubt you'd lots of support and "aw naw man cant believe that happened" type stuff......."lets get wasted & shit on the bonnet".......sadly foccers know best though coz they've all focced up just as much.




Im neither old or young now...im 32 so i'm not old enough to forget i used to be a bit of a wee dickhead to my folks sometimes...but who hasn't & hey ive been out on my own steam since 19 & always paid my way since & i never forget the help i got in those early years......& i don't think you'll forget either...as you say conditions were imposed but in reality we all read that as conditions they wont really enforce so long as you tow the line a bit.......i think you've just got to tow that line really....all money comes with conditions & nothing in this life is for free.




Have a beer, look at your options & crack on...you owe nothing to us, or bikes....if getting to work means getting a degree which means getting a job which means getting a bike then all you need to do is get to work...your car is fucked lets face it....i wouldnt be pissing about with head gaskets either...hoof it in the scrappys and get another one because tomorrows another day you dont have transport.

[ChristoT]

Christo, how about suggesting to them that you fix the bike up yourself (using money from the car or whatever). Then if they still really don't feel safe with you on a bike (my Ma certainly never will like me having a bike, but she still wouldn't stop me as she knows how much I love it), perhaps suggest that they pay for some "safety enhancements" - new gear, or maybe even just the bike safe course? That way, you'll have transport for now (for the love of god don't crash it or blow it up) and your parents might sleep a bit easier knowing you've had some enhanced training?

Joe, that is EXACTLY what I am suggesting to them!! And I have already said I will be self-enrolling on Bikesafe! In terms of gear, I almost alwys rid in full gear - my minimum is jacket, lid, gloves. So far, my gear policy has left me uninjured, so I see no reason to change it.

And it is this proposal they are nixing.

[His Dudeness]

You need to decide yourself what's best and go with that. Debating it back and forward on here isn't going to help. What do you think you should do?

[rustyrider]

I'd love to know where you found the gasket for £14 though, when I did a quick search on my phone, I could only find ones priced at £45!! Although, to be fair, I wasn't looking very hard.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/eugeot-106-1360cc-Diesel-93-On-Head-Gasket-EHG-730B-/261466696178 you probably weren't looking too hard because you don't want to know how cheap the job is going to be.

It is a frustrated rant. My parents are saying they're going to spend a ridiculous amount of money they don't really have to solve the problem in a completely irrational way. They are fixating over the fact that it's a bike, I'm only interested in the fact that it's transport, it's there, and requires very little to get me mobile again. How does trying to solve the problem logically in a way that requires the least input in terms of money and time make me a "spoiled brat"?

I didn't say it makes you a spoilt brat, I said your ranting is making you sound like one.  Face facts, your parents have seen that you, in your own words, have done stupid stuff on bikes.  One thing no parent wants to do is to bury their own child so they are offering to spend money that they may not have in the hope that you will outlive them.  You're not interested in the fact that it's transport, you want to get back on a bike and see this as an excuse to force the issue.  As a parent, I can tell you, the more you push, the more they will push back.

Not sure why you think you need a water pump, a CV joint isn't desperate, they'll clatter along for ages so the only thing that is urgent is getting it running.  I've shown you where you can get a head gasket, I've told you that you can get a Haynes manual from your local library and, if you want, I can lend you a torque wrench.  Christ, you're only down the road, I'd offer to give you a hand but the one thing I am desperately short of at the moment is time.  Now get on with it.

[Dead Eye]

If your parents refuse the Fazer and you aren't willing to undermine their decision, which is fair enough, then I would seriously considering just replacing the 106 with something cheap. There are plenty of £500~ cars (or cheaper) available that will likely cost no more on insurance which you can just swap around. With scrapping the 106 you will likely reduce this cost and still be able to have transport and continue work on the Fazer.

Of all your options, it's probably the one I'd opt for if I were in your position. Hell, I sold my 106 in working order for £200 - all it potentially needed was a new CV Joint which I let the guy know

The Fazer may be your goal, but I don't think now is the right time. You may be able to afford to return it to stock and get it road worthy, but what about tax and insurance? You couldn't afford to insure the 600 before, that's why you ended up with the ZX4, so what's changed now? If anything it seems you have less money...



Hell, here is a Nissan Micra for £300 in your area... its not glamorous, its not masculine, BUT it will do the job you want it to for very little cost. Insurance should be cheap as well because no one your age wants one :P

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/nissan-micra/1069590748

[noggythenog]

Deadeye.......was there any Suzuki Wagon-R's in the same are????




Christo has expressed by means of non denial that it is a car that he really desires & i am desperate to see someone not of the afterlife driving one.


Plus they are fanny magnets according to Suzuki

[JoeRock]

Christo, how about suggesting to them that you fix the bike up yourself (using money from the car or whatever). Then if they still really don't feel safe with you on a bike (my Ma certainly never will like me having a bike, but she still wouldn't stop me as she knows how much I love it), perhaps suggest that they pay for some "safety enhancements" - new gear, or maybe even just the bike safe course? That way, you'll have transport for now (for the love of god don't crash it or blow it up) and your parents might sleep a bit easier knowing you've had some enhanced training?

Joe, that is EXACTLY what I am suggesting to them!! And I have already said I will be self-enrolling on Bikesafe! In terms of gear, I almost alwys rid in full gear - my minimum is jacket, lid, gloves. So far, my gear policy has left me uninjured, so I see no reason to change it.

And it is this proposal they are nixing.

To be honest then mate, not knowing your parents and whether you might be able to persuade them to come around, I'd probably do as Deadeye suggests and buy a very cheap car. Nothing to stop you from getting your Fazer back on the road at the same time and not telling your parents for a bit if you really want a bike?

[Dead Eye]

Deadeye.......was there any Suzuki Wagon-R's in the same are????

Christo has expressed by means of non denial that it is a car that he really desires & i am desperate to see someone not of the afterlife driving one.

Plus they are fanny magnets according to Suzuki

I think they might be slightly above his price range...

There a was a Mk3 Golf... but it needs a new cambelt... and I'm not sure that's a task I'd put in front of Christo...

[ChristoT]

Rich, I won't lie by saying I don't want to get back on the bikes. However, that is far from being the driving factor here (no pun intended). Fact is, I need transport, and I'll take what I've got. I have a nearly complete Fazer 600 in the back garden that's just had an engine rebuild. If it was a 125, or a car, I'd be pushing for that instead. I'm pushing it because I have it. That's it.


The head gasket has gone because the water pump has failed. Even after the 30 minute commute home, the coolant is barely above ambient temperature. The suspicion is failed water pump, leading to overheating, causing head gasket failure. As I said earlier in the thread. 


I mentioned the CV joint en passant because it's another thing on the "to do" list. It will fail eventually, and I'll have to be ready for it when it does.




Micras cost even more than the Peugeot in insurance, would you believe it, Liam? It was £300 more for the 1.1, never mind the 1.3!! Also, I'm 6ft 3 with long legs - hell, the Peugeot's uncomfortable enough! I couldn't own an old style Corsa, the driver's seat doesn't go back far enough for me!


Insurance has fallen dramatically now I'm no longer 33bhp restricted. On a stock Fazer, it's now £265 3rd party as opposed to £900! 


Economically, everything points at the Fazer. The only stumbling block is the parents. And while I am sorely tempted to just push ahead with common sense, there's no mileage in needlessly provoking them either.

[ChristoT]

I was seriously considering Wagon Rs when i bought the Peugeot, Liam. Even went to see a couple. Insurance was on a par with the 106. And after all, transport is transport. The only issue is finding it, and insuring it. It's not as if it's sitting in my back yard! Oh wait... 

[Dead Eye]

Well, you're going to need some form of alternate transport if you ever want to do any work on your "project"

I still think an alternate car is the best option for the future, but fixing the 106 is still on the cards in my book - better the devil you know, as it goes

[midden]

Lets get this right.  Your parents are funding you through uni so you end up paying them back rather than paying the Government back a student loan for the next 30 years of your life.  They've bought you a car and paid for your insurance as they think you will kill yourself on a bike (and they are probably right), you claim to have no money but you've been spending money on bits to make a dogs dinner out of what could have been restored into a mint Fazer and, despite being convinced you can bodge together lots of bits from other bikes into something that will work and look good, you claim to not have the skills to change a bloody head gasket?  You can get a Haynes manual from your local library so that won't cost you a penny.  Stop moaning, sit down with the manual, look at the pictures and read the words and then get out there and sort it.
[/quote


You missed out 'training to be an Engineer'

[midden]

new rear wheel bearing (quoted by a garage as over £100 - and it's a press fit into the hub, so I can't do it).
Mark2 cavalier is has a single press fit front bearing I replace both at different times: The first I removed the hub and took it to a backstreet garage who used the the proper press (I think it was hydraulic) to push out the outer case and to pull off the inner from part.  New bearing fitted for £10


The second one I took to vauxhall garage who used a hammer and metal block (cylindrical) to remove outer case and fit new bearing and a air chisel to smash the inner part away.  cost a tenner again.
So you can do most of the work yourself  






 and replacing the CV joint. All this to be done on the street parking outside my landlord's house when I need daily transport to commute to work. Yeah right.
Easily done from the kerb

The head gasket alone will need the engine bay stripping (if not an engine out job) to get at, because there's so little space in there.
Compared to a Renault 5 with  inline engine that has gear box at the front, it'll be a doddle


 Then I have to get a head that's been joined to a block off 14 years off. Good luck with that!
The gasket failure has started that job for you

I'm pretty sure the list of jobs can be prioritised over the coming months  but it does sound like buying another banger with mot and tax could be a good option. You just miss out on the experience  

[ChristoT]

Tell ya what, Mids, I'll see you an "experience" for £300. I'll even give you water bottles to top up the coolant on the drive home. Can't say fairer than that!!