Landmarks Challenge 2013

Set by "Mr Combo" earlier this year here

01 Blue - "Blue spot" calipers on my FJ

02 Chrome - Honda CBF250 exhaust

03 Red - Kappa top case

04 Green - green trees & green power?

05 Black & White - CBF at Loch Ard

06 Yellow - Field of Oilseed Rape

07 Nature - Rannoch Moor

08 Water - Flooding near Aberfolyle

09 Energy - Earlstoun Power Station

10 Technology - Grangemouth Refinery

11 Information - All you want to know about Royal Enfields

12 Something that makes you smile - Dull, Perthshire

13 - 12 O'Clock on the CBF's instruments

14 Old - New Hudson 220cc two stroke from the early 1920s (I think)

15 New - Ossa trials bike at Six Day Trial, Fort William

16 Narrow - Star Hotel, Moffat

17 Tall - CBF at the Glasgow Tower

18 Hidden - My Honda CB250RS c1985 - it didn't get me to work that day

19 Looking down - My bikes from my bedroom window

20 Shadow - Self-portrait on the road

Gizmo - Part #2

(Read "Dumping the Gizmo" here first or this wouldn't make much sense)

Plugging the pipe from the inlet made the CBF run better, but not perfectly. There was still a slight stutter on occasions.

My plan was to dump the air injection control valve and install pipes from the breathers on the cam cover & gearbox. This, as it turns out, would have been a bad idea. I bought some 12mm fuel pipe to use as breathers but while on eBay I bought an air injection control valve for £13 (Honda price - £104) This could be fitted if the breather idea didn't work.

When the parts came I decided to put things back as they were with the replacement valve. The bike ran fine. Out of interest I checked how much air came from the control valve to the air box. I was surprised to find suction. The valve injects air from the air filter into the engine. Air is in turn pumped out of the engine from the gearbox breather. Installing a breather from the cam cover would have meant that dirty air would be sucked into the engine. The line to the inlet is a vacuum switch that closes the valve at high vacuum (ie when the throttle is closed)

Since the bike was running ok I'll keep this set up. The result is that I didn't spend much money and the bike is running well. This is good since it's likely to be my sole mode of transport until next spring. I don't really know how the valve works or why it's there or what went wrong with the old one but if all's well who cares?

Air circulates likes this

Featured Bike Update - Motus MST

When I started this blog two years ago I featured the Motus. To recap it was a prototype high performance sport tourer built in Birmingham, Alabama. It has a 1650cc V4 engine inspired by the classic American muscle car. The production models were shown at Moto GP at Laguna Seca in July with the bikes being available about now.

The power/weight figures are impressive - 160 bhp and 185 bhp for the special R model and a kerb weight of 500lb. This is superbike power with middleweight bike, eh, weight. For comparison a Yamaha FJR1300 is 140 bhp &  630lb. Prices are $31,000 (MST) & $37,000 (MST R) High but understandable for a small volume manufacturer.

There does not seem to have been any road tests so far but it will be interesting to see what testers say about the bikes.   

Autumn Run

As the year rolls on I'm taking every opportunity for a ride while the weather is fine. It's worth checking the forecast. It was cloudy in Glasgow but a sparkling autumn day in the near highlands. The FJ doesn't have a tax disc so the CBF hit the road today.

The war memorial at Inveraray

Minard on Loch Fyne

The CBF at the south end of Loch Awe. The council have surface dressed the road leaving lots of loose gravel - thanks, guys.

 

New Blog - "Buildings by Bike"

I've decided to start another blog called "Buildings by Bike" (link on the right) I've started this because with autumn here I'll be venturing less far by bike. The blog will features buildings in the local area. I hesitate to call it about architecture but will feature buildings I like or find significant. There are a lot of interesting buildings locally and the blog will feature a lot that were build in the Victorian period when Glasgow and surrounding towns were developing. The areas industrial buildings will also feature.

There are a few posts on the blog to get started so, if this sort of thing interests you, please pay a visit to see where I've been.

Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, Paisley