Clean motorcycle down pipes

One of the most difficult parts of a motorcycle to keep in respectable condition are the exhaust down pipes. They go through extreme punishment. Heated and cooled, have all manner of debris thrown at them and are difficult to get to. I had heard about toilet cleaner being the answer but was very dubious about it. Especially on a nine year old machine.
However I came across a YouTube video which convinced me to give it a go.
I applied the Harpic and left it for five minutes. Most of the stains and rubbish came off. I washed it off well but some stains remained. I gave it a second application and this time after drying I used chrome cleaner. The photos speak for themselves.

Training Day

Despite passing my test in 1980 I have never had any formal motorcycle training. I cannot remember where I bought my first moped or where I first rode it. 

These were the days you could ride a 50cc just on L plates and also this was only a few years after the helmet law came in. The same regulations allowed you to ride anything up to 250cc without passing a test. Despite only having a 200cc I choose to take my test September 1980.

Having passed my car test in 1981 I ditched bikes. Until 2008 when my car was used in a robbery attempted and written off. I took the opportunity and purchased a Chinese 125.

I had this for a few years until someone wiped me out at a junction and I moved on to a 500cc.

And then on to my current bike.

All this through no training. This is why I signed up for the training day with 1st Class Training in Cardiff. The idea is to cut the number of deaths in Wales by offering free training. The day starts with some classroom work, Looking at the correct way to approach hazards and talking about what can go wrong, such as overtaking at junctions. Much of this I have learned through common sense, taking to other bikers and of course the last few years what I have read on the internet. After this it was out on the road in pairs with an instructor. Using radio he talked us through various situations. I quickly found my confidence growing, even given the terrible weather conditions. We stopped for coffee and a chat before setting off again on all types of roads. The day was very useful and I learned a lot and has hopefully put me on the next step to taking my advanced.

Flashing again

Despite my best effects I have been able to get the indicators to flash and had fitted a link to at least get static lights when turning. Have now found a work around and fitted a very cheap 2 pin flasher unit in the switch to light circuit. Hopefully when the weather and time allow will get the original unit back in.

No flashing

Just coming to the end of a weeks holiday which unfortunately the weather rather put a dampener on. Anyway took the, clean bike, out on Thursday, fortunately not far as I discovered the indicators were not working. Got home using hand signals which is interesting when turning right. When I got home I had a look and checked the manual. Carried out the suggested tests and everything points to a faulty relay. I have ordered one from Ebay and hopefully get things sorted when it arrives. Fortunately can use the car or the bus this week to get to work and only have for days until I have another six off.

Chain and sprockets

Finally got round to getting the chain and sprockets  replaced on the bike today. It had developed a couple of tight spots and also was getting to the end of it's adjustment range.  Had done 16000 miles and a couple of years with little mileage, so pretty good going. I was.also a little concerned about some play in the rear wheel. This, as I suspected was the wheel bearing. This has also been replaced. So, now have a bike ready for the road, just in need of a really good clean.

Stuck in gear

Set off to church this morning on the bike. Got halfway down the road and realised it would not change above second gear. All sorts of thing crossed my mind as I stopped at the garage. I had a look and assumed it was ice as it seemed to have eased. I continued on to Church and it seemed to be fine. On the way back it started out OK but it became stuck in forth. I went the long way home to avoid any sharp turns and made it home. After a good look its seems as if the gear lever had become stuck due to either dirt of corrosion. Good application of oil and things seemed to be OK. Took on a short ride out with plenty of gear changes just to confirm it. Will have to keep an eye on this.

Bike service

Picked the bike up week last Friday. The bike wouldn't start so the dealer replace the plugs and it started. Not really sure if it could have been that but two weeks on and running like a dream. Even the fuel consumption has improved up to 60 mpg. I also had the oil and filter done at the same time so for the first time in a long time I have a vehicle with a fully up to date service. Time, of course will tell if the fault comes back but the signs and very positive.

Bike service

Having done some major jobs on the CBF600 I am trusting a spark plug change and oil change to my local dealer. The reason behind this is spark plugs are located deep in the head and require various pipes to be moved to get at them. Also there is a risk of cross threading, so money well spent. As the dealer changes the oil at the same time, it's one labour charge and a lot less hassle. I am also hoping they will sort out the slight problem of rough running at low throttle.

Intermittent Problem

For those on Facebook will have seen the ultra reliable Honda has let me down twice in the couple of weeks. I finally got round to having a look. It would not start but turned over fine. I replaced the battery as it only would crank for about 10 seconds before dying. After removing all the panels I had a poke around and it would fire then die. I set about taking all the connectors relating to ignition, apart and trying to start it, I managed to isolate  it down to one. I put everything back making sure all the connectors were firmly back on their mounts. I have test ridden it but have to say I am very cautious of using it in anger. I have to say I would have rather found a broken wire to confirm that was were the problem was.

Brake pad change

Finally got round to looking at the CBF600 brake pads. Turns out that changing these is a very straightforward  job. Unlike some bikes the CBF has a 8mm screw in pad pin. This means that all is needed is to unbolt it and remove the old pads. The pad wear was surprisingly even over the front and rear and in fact they were not as low as I had expected. However given that winter is coming and I had the new pads I decided to replace them now. As I had removed some brake fluid to accommodate the new pads I bled them as well. Quick test ride showed things to be OK, will do a longer ride out when the showers have eased. Next job is an oil change at 16000 miles.

Enjoying the ride.

When I bought the CBF I never thought I would enjoy it so much. It has always been my dream to own and ride a bike like this and I do sometimes feel a little smug when I see someone looking at it. It passed the MOT with no problems and I am very pleased with myself in fixing the fork seals. I was planning to replace the brake pads, but on checking they are no where near the limit so will wait until latter in the summer and do the oil at the same time. I also managed to find a luggage rack and top box at a reasonable price and I have to say this has transformed my use and enjoyment of the bike. Also got a new pair of boots which again has made riding a little more comfortable.

Fork seals replaced.

Finally got round to changing the fork seal on the CBF. A job I was not looking forward to, so spent a far amount of time planing for it and that seems to have paid off. The job is fairly straightforward. I removed all the fairing which made access easier and also prepared for the coolant change. Once the forks were off it was the case of separating the fork to gain access to the seal. The fluid that came out was a dark contaminated mess! One problem I had not planned for was the water pipe I had planned to use as a seal driver was not 2inch but 40mm, so didn't fit. I had to resort to using the old seal and hammer to drive the new seal in. I did use some tape to protect the fork tube. Once the new fluid was in and the fork reassembled it was just the case of refitting. At this stage I changed the coolant which seemed ok when drained another straightforward job, just took a while the bleed the system. I also had to change both tyres to Pirelli as the rear had a puncture and the front was a little low. Anyway road test has shown the bike handling a lot better and the forks seem to be retaining their fluid.

Brake fluid change

Good weather on Friday, so decided to change the brake fluid on the CBF. Turned out easier than I thought. Used the bleed nipple to pump out the old fluid until the reservoir was empty than filled up with new. Then bled the brakes to ensure new brake fluid was through the system. Now have nice brakes. Was going to change the fork seals, which I thought I had fixed but are still leaking. These will have to wait for another long weekend. I also decided to leave the coolant until I did the forks as it will mean only having to remove the fairing once.

Leaking forks.

Been using the bike a lot over the last few weeks, and performing well with fuel consumption around 60 mpg. It also has been starting, something my GS had issues with. Anyway waiting at lights yesterday looked down the forks and saw the dreaded sight of fluid. On my return home a more detailed look showed it had been leaking for some time but fortunately , even though it had run down towards the brake caliper it had not mad it on to the disc. I did panic a little and assumed it was going to be a visit to a dealer for replacement seals. However, after a look around it seemed the problem was common and could be solved simply by cleaning the seals to remove any dirt that would prevent a solid seal being maintained. This made sense given the amount of salt that has been put on the roads recently. I came across a thing called Seal Mate. This deemed to work and there are many videos showing how it works. I didn't want to wait so made one up from an old milk container. It was then a simple case of removing the dust seals, I then found it seemed a previous owner had had problems and just put a piece of cloth under the seal. I did worry a little but pressed on and cleaned round the seal. After pumping the forks a few time to resit the seals the tubes are now dry. Hopefully they will stay that way for a while.

Warm hands at last.

After many years of riding I finally bought a set of heated grips for the bike. day off today so got round to fitting them. Easier than I thought, the good old washing up liquid was the key to removing the old ones. Wiring was all straight forward. The only problem I had was that a bought a piggy bag fuse holder which seemed an excellent idea. The problem I had not thought of was the clearance in side the fuse box. A plan B was needed and finally used scotch connectors in the headlight feed. First impressions are very good, using the bike next week so hopefully no more painful fingers.

New Bike

Much to my surprise the Insurance paid up and didn't leave me out of pocket. I still had the CBF500 which I have enjoyed using very much, in fact, so much so I have bought a CBF600SA-8 which I saw when I was picking up parts for the GS. I picked it up yesterday and although I have only ridden a few miles it seems very nice. Did need a bit of a clean which I have nearly finished so it is looking good. Hopefully it will provide years of service and fun both on the commute and ride outs.