Three of us out yesterday at Squires and Seaways, Fridaythorpe.

And yes there is a limited colour availability :lol

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Just to let you guys know I have arranged a 20% discount for all FOC-U forum members on all Scottoiler products.

We can deal with them direct by calling 0141 955 1100 quoting FOC-U. These can be ordered individually so no group or bulk orders required.

Cheers

BBB

Admin....maybe make this a sticky

I've done a bit of foreign travelling by bike but it always ends up costing me a fortune in petrol, had a bit of a 'revelation' last year in India by buying a 220cc bike and touring with that.
400kms between fill ups was a pleasant surprise and kept the cost of journey down to a minimum but now I've taken a 'bite' of the cheapo apple I'm wondering if I can go cheaper?

The rough idea is to get to Africa by the cheapest means possible so I've been looking at mopeds, more specific, a Honda C90  :rollin
I know its been done before and I'm not trying to break new ground here, just looking for other potential candidates rather than a Cub?

It MUST be -
1. Reliable.
2. Economical.
3. Easy to work on.
4. Be able to carry a whole pile of stuff.
5. Be reasonably comfortable.
6. Easy to pick back up.

Does anybody have any other moped suggestions that fulfil the criteria?

This is my reference  :b

Am going to Europe first week in July , and am wondering if anyone has found reasonable cover at a reasonable rate !

10 day trip, up to 10 yr old bike, single person  with no medical issues.

Have always bought from a tour company eg mci before, so am looking about for any alternatives .

cheers

Ok so, fitted some R1 forks yesterday and I must say the results are superb!  Kind of as expected it feels like a different bike and with the BMW S100RR shock it now feels a lot like an overgrown pit bike while still having the all day comfort Fazer riding position


This is just a post with some pics rather than any kind of "how to", I did at one point contemplate doing that but decided against it because a) This is probably not a usual path to fit them, b) As we were rebuilding the forks and oil was on paws etc it was too much hassle to keep wiping hands and operating a camera/phone, c) its been done many times before - this is nothing new...  It does however feature a couple of different things so I will put that in here.


Basically this is a poor mans way to fit them* This was my shopping list


4XV R1 forks (£100 off eBay).  These have polished bottoms which I will be putting back to a satin finish...  Seller mentioned one might be leaking so.
Pyramid fork seals £9.95
R1 mudguard.  New ABS replica from china, £26 delivered.  This is awesome!  And cheaper than the "slight damage" second hand ones on eBay. No Brainer.
R6 2CO yokes £25 off eBay (see below for info)
0.95 fork springs £10 eBay - (These are std Triumph Daytona 675 springs that are .95 linear ones like you pay £85 +P&P from K-Tech for...)


* When I say poor man I actually mean someone not spending a whole lot of cash on an Cat C bike I only got to use over winter - but like it more than any other I have owned... And with access to a full race workshop+staff (ie my old man and brother)




Before:


Here it is, in all its tatty glory.  Ex Cat C means nothing is colour matched hence the unintentional two tone   mechanically its sound and now sports a BMW S1000RR shock, ally radiator using the same cores as a Pace rad and more!







On Plinth: Awaiting the mods - Note the hydraulic press in the background (blue) which has the obligatory Hollywood style cracked pressure guage (obscured by the bikes left mirror...)







This was moved off the plinth to make way!  Yes its small - No I wouldn't want to commute on it.. Yes its trick, Ohlins, Marchecini wheels, alloy tank etc  No I can't have the preload adjuster or spare 6" rear dymag !!









Yokes


I saw a set of R6 yokes on eBay off a 2CO R6 that were ending in about 4 mins.  A quick google session revealed a bunch of guys claiming to have slipped R1 forks into their R6's.  So I bought them, to be fair they were cheap at £25.  Turns out that R6 forks are not the same diam as the R1 at the bottom yoke.  I couldn't use em so not sure what those forum guys were on about, however the YZF above has its std yokes doing nothing and amazingly have the same offsets as an R6 so I could use the bottom yoke off that - gratis - just needed a 1mm sleeve, easy!  The YZF top yoke is odd as it holds the forks higher than the stem bolt which meant that I would have lost a further 12 mm or so if I used that.


Instead of making some ally inserts or just welding around the holes we put plates on the underside and welded it up to strengthen the holes for the risers.  Here they are just welded, I didn't take any pics once bored out and finished.





Stem: Bit of a deviation from the traditional R1 fork fitting route: Having seen that people make a spacer to lift the top yoke enabling the nut to clamp it down to the headstock I decided I wanted to machine more threads onto the stem and chop the top off.  This means it doesn't need a spacer and the yoke is 12mm lower - this means I can get 12mm of rideheight back which is great.  I didn't make longer risers as the slightly lower handlebars feels really good and more comfortable than the near bolt upright std riding position.



Forks


As mentioned the seller commented that these might have an oil leak so we put new seals in.  The seals, Pyramid Parts let us down a bit.  I have used them in my crf450 and fireblade with good results but these didn't really fit right, the outside edge was very loose so we put some instant gasket on as a bit of a dodge, if they leak I will have to put some better ones in.  Here are the forks after dismantling and measuring for the spacers.





Spacers


The std R1 springs are 255mm (even though K-Tech specify 250mm) but the Triumph ones I got are 235 so we made an ally spacer to correct it.







No front, looking needy, you can clearly see the effort I take with cleaning over winter...





The ignition barrel fit easy enough with some 4mm spacers, the steering lock could operate (but mine requires a 10 min jiggle session to get it off so I don't use it) etc.  The risers on the std fazer are mounted in bushes with rubber gaskets, I just bolted mine up straight, metal to metal.  I did expect a bit of buzz but in fact they are perfect, no vibes and no bar weights in my Renthals.


As I intend to make a carbon fibre mudguard using this as a plug I wrapped it in vinyl to protect it a bit and to see how it looked, looks pretty good really. The carbon one I make will have a fender extender built in rather than a bolt on.


Finished!  Couldn't be happier with it!  Its like getting a new bike, again!







The King of Bling wrapped mudguard  







Things to complete: Need two bolts for the mudguard rear mounting points.  Some sort of silencer/pipe - the damaged std one looks messy and is too quiet.  Paint - or I am actually thinking of vinyl wrapping it in a Lawson FZ 750 race replica, maybe with a matt finish.

A pair of Givi E21N monokey panniers, 21ltr size, clean and in good cond, no breakages, and everything in working order, 4 keys £40+p&p
Cheers Davie

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YES! 


I really am that old now, or will be in just 4 months.


I went on the GOV.UK website today and, by being a little "conservative" on my declared savings, found I may be able to claim an enhanced pension on retirement.


Now of course my question is.....................


Should I be Mr. Honest Joe Muggins and tell HMRC exactly how much I have worked hard for and saved all my life?


or




Should I be Mr. Average and "forget" some of my assets to claim Pension Credits?????






The dilemma is that if I do, can they catch me  :rolleyes [size=78%]........................[/size][/size] if I don't, will I regret it????[size=78%] :'(




BTW.  If you work for HMRC disregard this post as my account has obviously been hacked.

Thinking of changing my bike, so thought I'd see if there is any interest on here first:


Very clean. Unmarked paintwork.  Engine has only 1 or 2 very minor paint bubblings.  Working and regularly serviced EXUP valve!

23k miles
2 owners from new
Years MOT
Years tax
Almost new tyres (maybe 6 months old?)
New battery fitted approximately 4 months ago.
FSH - most recent oil and filter change done by myself, again, about a month ago.


Extras include:


Beowulf stainless radiatior cover (radiator cover and side covers)
Beowulf end can
Carbon hugger
Pyramid belly pan
Carbon front fender extender
MRA Vario screen
R&G Heated grips
Crash bars
Hawk Alarm

I'm based in Surrey.

Hi folks. Has anyone on here moved over to an FZ8 from an FZS600 ?

If so, was it worth it ?

I'm toying with the idea of this being a potential contender when the time/money/mrs allows.

I'm basically after the practicality and comfort of the FZS with a little bit more umphh, smoothness and distance capabilities and find the FZS a little tiresome on longer runs like 200 miles or more.

Am I barking up the wrong tree or is it a viable alternative ?

Regards in advance 

Hey new to the group. Just had my first few days out on the bike after finally getting round to passing my test in November. Unexpectedly got myself a mint 2003 fzs600 having never considered one before. Was planning on a cheap bandit as a first bike but didn't like the feel of it when I tried it. Think I made the right choice...I'm hooked! Planning on a few days away this summer with the camping gear and as many trips out as I can fit in in between. What are the fazers like for short tours? I'm a bit green to road riding having only really bombed my crossers round in the woods in the past.

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