Garage Night TV Forums Forum: Garage Night TV Forum

Garage Night TV Forums Forum: Garage Night TV Forum - Recent Topics http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/forum/garage-night-tv-forum Find out how to fix your bike en-US Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:21:36 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.1 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/search.php louis on "Motorbike adventure anyone?" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/motorbike-adventure-anyone#post-145 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:57:20 +0000 louis 145@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ Hello if you are all looking for the one stop shop to find the perfect motorbike tour then you really need to check out this website <a href="http://www.globalbiketours.com"><a href="http://globalbiketours.com" rel="nofollow">http://globalbiketours.com</a> </a>it has over 1600 tours and over 300 tour opperators around the world. i used it in june to go for a motorbike tour through india it was out of this world! . im planning on a african on next year for 4 month now. i used the site to upload photos of my trip and to as a communication point with other bikers going on near where i was. Waz on "Ep 1: Bikes, Blokes and Beer" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-1-bikes-blokes-and-beer#post-144 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:36:17 +0000 Waz 144@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32omSkA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us"><div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" />Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</div></a> A new show featuring four motorcycle adventurers who get their hands dirty fixing their bikes. If you liked Long Way Down, you’ll learn something on Garage Night - watch these Britain-based world tourers work on every aspect of their machines and let their stories inspire your own two-wheeled travels. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep1-bikes-blokes-beer/">Ep 1: Bikes, Blokes and Beer</a> Waz on "Ep 3: Sand, heat and nipples" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-3-sand-heat-and-nipples#post-143 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:33:32 +0000 Waz 143@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B3204m0A%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> In this episode, we dismantle a front wheel, removing the brake discs, spokes and nipples - and Trent brings out the blowtorch to free up some sticky bolts. Pete builds a sandblasting cabinet, mostly out of junk, and continues work on his KTM 950, while Rich is getting close to his BMW being back on the road. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div>There was no way Pete was letting me put the new twin-disc front wheel on my bike without at least giving the shabby hub a paint job. That means stripping the hub, which means breaking down the wheel, which means removing the spokes and nipples, which means replacing any that are in poor shape or simply don’t survive disassembly … you can see how this job snowballed. The first stage is to remove the brake discs. You do this with the wheel still fully assembled - because you probably couldn’t get the spokes out with the discs still on, and even if you could, it’s easier to remove the discs while you’ve still got the rim to hang on to. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-3-sand-heat-and-nipples/">Ep 3: Sand, heat and nipples</a> Waz on "Ep 10: Replacing rear wheel bearings" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-10-replacing-rear-wheel-bearings#post-74 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:26:58 +0000 Waz 74@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B33poCcA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> Garage Night TV has turned 10! Well, it’s our 10th episode, anyway. In this instalment, Pete replaces the rear wheel bearings on his Honda Africa Twin 750 - and gets a nasty shock when he finds what some previous mechanic has done in this department. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Sealed bearings. Great! They come from the factory with lots of lovely grease inside, and their own integral seals to make sure the grease stays in, and the muck stays out. Right? WRONG! For me, the biggest revelation of this episode came when Trent popped open one of Pete’s new bearings and showed that inside was little more than a token smear of factory lubricant. So if you really care about those bearings lasting, it’s a good idea to check them - how to go about this is one of the numerous tips you’ll get by watching the video. If there’s a lack of grease, you might consider adding some yourself. It’s not recommended to pack them solid, though, due to the possibility of overheating or hydraulic lock. There’s a bit of debate on this, but about 1/3 full of grease is one recommended figure. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-10-replacing-rear-wheel-bearings/">Ep 10: Replacing rear wheel bearings</a> Waz on "DIY soda blasting: build your own rig on the cheap!" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/diy-soda-blasting-build-your-own-rig-cheap#post-103 Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:23:18 +0000 Waz 103@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32B0%2B0WAA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="768" height="462" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>We love a “hack” here at Garage Night, as demonstrated by our project to put <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-12-ktm-forks-on-a-bmw-part-2/">KTM forks on Richard’s BMW F650</a>. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> So when Trent found out about a way of using baking soda gun to clean up bike parts we were dead keen to give it a go. All you need is an air compressor with a duster gun, some plastic line, insulation or gaffer tape and a supply of bicarbonate of soda. And you can see the results in this episode of Garage Night TV. Soda blasting is a great alternative to sand or shot blasting, because the blasting medium doesn’t damage the underlying metal. It uses the explosive force of the tiny soda particles as they shatter on impact to knock the dirt, grease, paint etc off the surface. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/diy-soda-blasting-build-your-own-rig-cheap/">DIY soda blasting: build your own rig on the cheap!</a> Waz on "Ep 14, Dremel on a lathe: Rear suspension overhaul part 1" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-14-dremel-on-a-lathe-rear-suspension-overhaul-part-1#post-79 Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:34:52 +0000 Waz 79@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32BxJMFAA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="768" height="462" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>The winter months are a great time to catch up on bike maintenance, so I have finally removed the rear suspension from my Cagiva Elefant 750. I bought the bike secondhand a few years ago and was prepared for the worst when I finally got round to this task. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> And the worst I did find. Bone-dry bearings in the linkage had deeply scored the hardened steel bush/spacer/shaft that runs through them. And being from Cagiva, this part is nowadays ‘unobtainium’ - you can’t buy it anywhere. Spin one up on a lathe, then? Well, once the part is made the steel needs to be hardened - not something that’s really feasible in a home workshop, at least not if you want the part to last. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-14-dremel-on-a-lathe-rear-suspension-overhaul-part-1/">Ep 14, Dremel on a lathe: Rear suspension overhaul part 1</a> Waz on "Ep 5: Replacing steering head bearings" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-5-replacing-steering-head-bearings#post-51 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:38:15 +0000 Waz 51@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B33CrEEA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="270" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> It’s a key area of wear and tear on a bike, and especially a big trailie - so replacing the steering head bearings is one of the essential jobs you’ll have to come to grips with on a long trip, or just as a long-term owner. Pete’s KTM 950 came back from South America with knackered steering head bearings, and in this episode we show how to remove the worn-out ones, pack the new ones with grease and install them. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div>Most automotive and motorcycle bearings are in constant, full rotation during their life, so they wear evenly as they turn. But steering head bearings move very little when you’re riding - generally rotating just a few degrees side to side. This makes them particularly prone to uneven wear, especially if they are not kept properly adjusted. Think about it - you’re doing big miles, mostly in a straight line, over rough roads. Shock is transferred from the wheel, through the fork legs, via the triple clamps/yokes to the steering head bearings. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-5-replacing-steering-head-bearings/">Ep 5: Replacing steering head bearings</a> Waz on "Ep 8: Chain and sprockets part 2" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-8-chain-and-sprockets-part-2#post-44 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:59:35 +0000 Waz 44@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B33TqxQA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="270" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> Missed part 1 of Chain and Sprockets? <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/?p=14">Click here</a> With the old chain taken off and consigned to the trash, Trent and Pete remove and examine the old sprockets, install the new ones and rivet the fresh chain in place on Pete’s KTM 950 Adventure. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Along the way, Trent discusses correct chain tension, the different ways a front sprocket may be attached to the countershaft, and why you should NEVER use a worn sprocket with a new chain - at least not if you want the chain to last. Pete talks about how changing the sprocket ratio - in his case, the number of teeth on the front sprocket - has improved his bike’s driveability. There’s an interesting aside, too, on the possible negative consequences of going for a smaller front sprocket. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-8-chain-and-sprockets-part-2/">Ep 8: Chain and sprockets part 2</a> Waz on "Replacing swingarm bearings: rear suspension overhaul part 2" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/replacing-swingarm-bearings-rear-suspension-overhaul-part-2#post-97 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:09:38 +0000 Waz 97@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32B0NBLAA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="768" height="462" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>It’s warming up in these parts and I’m getting closer to putting the swingarm back on my bike. Since Trent made me a linkage bushing in the last episode, I’ve been gathering new bearings and seals, getting the swingarm powdercoated and even fabricating my own chain slider out of a special hard-wearing plastic. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Some bikes use simple bronze bushings in their various rear suspension linkages and pivots, but many use needle roller bearings. That’s certainly the case with my bike, which mixes caged needle rollers with “full complement” bearings. Watch the video for all the details, but essentially the full complement bearing is the more compact of the two, capable of carrying higher loads for its size but prone to its fiddly little rollers falling out when handled because there’s no cage around them. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/replacing-swingarm-bearings/">Replacing swingarm bearings: rear suspension overhaul part 2</a> Waz on "Ep 7: Changing a chain and sprockets" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-7-changing-a-chain-and-sprockets#post-120 Tue, 25 May 2010 21:21:20 +0000 Waz 120@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B33K9nEA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="270" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> Trent and Pete are back from <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/?p=13" title="Episode 6: Mountain Madness">Mountain Madness 2008</a>, and Pete’s KTM 950 Adventure is in need of a new chain and sprockets. It has actually spat out a couple of rollers - not something I have seen before, but an obvious sign of serious wear and tear. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div>You can really blow some money in this department by not keeping tabs on things. A chain that is lubricated and correctly adjusted will run smoothly with minimum wear. A dry chain that is too loose or too tight will not only wear prematurely itself, but move around on the sprockets and chew out the teeth. The sprockets will respond by putting further stress on the chain, since the teeth and the links no longer mesh properly, and you are into a vicious cycle that ends with you shelling out cash much sooner than you should have - or, worse, stranded by the side of the track. Carrying a spare set, are we? <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-7-changing-a-chain-and-sprockets/">Ep 7: Changing a chain and sprockets</a> Waz on "Ep 9: New spokes on an old wheel" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-9-new-spokes-on-an-old-wheel#post-22 Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:30:18 +0000 Waz 22@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B33btQQA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="270" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> Watch Waz and Trent dismantle the wheel in <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/?p=10">Ep 3: Sand, heat and nipples</a> and <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/?p=11">Episode 4: Wires, shocks and smoke</a>. A spoke wheel is a thing of beauty. Here at Garage Night, you can’t tell us otherwise. Cast wheels might be acceptable if you ride a road toad, but if you’ve got spokes, you’ve got class. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Just think, each thin metal spine is fragile on its own, but strong enough when laced together with a bunch of buddies to bear several times the weight of your bike when you’re full on the brakes, or keep your wheel from crumpling when you smash through a wash-out. And no matter how you try, for elegance of both form and function a cast or billet wheel can’t come close. An old, neglected spoke wheel is NOT a thing of beauty, though - as I found when I bought a complete secondhand USD fork front end for my bike and discovered the seller had been less than honest about its condition. The Garage Night guys were never going to let me put it together in that state. So the wheel had to come apart. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-9-new-spokes-on-an-old-wheel/">Ep 9: New spokes on an old wheel</a> Waz on "Ep 12: KTM forks on a BMW part 2" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-12-ktm-forks-on-a-bmw-part-2#post-26 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:00:41 +0000 Waz 26@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32BkYJ1AA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> Missed part 1 of our KTM fork conversion? <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-11-ktm-forks-on-a-bmw/">Click here</a> This is it. After two years of theorising, trial and error, parts fabrication and emptied beercans, we’re ready to bolt the new forks on to Richard’s Beemer. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Last episode we discussed exactly what components we were using and the modifications being made to fit them up. This time round we’re actually installing the yokes, steering lock and stops, forks, wheel and brakes – everything that’s needed to get Richard’s “number one” bike back on its wheels. Pete and Rich show off some custom bits that we made - a neat adapter plate set-up for the steering lock and a tidy steering stop that bolts up nicely. As we post this episode, Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness (the HUMM) is less than a week away, so Richard’s suspension will be getting a full workout as “Team Garage Night” (Waz, Richard and Garage Night apprentice Etienne) go up against about 150 other competitors, including last year’s second placegetters <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/mountain-madness/">the Mushman Candidates</a> - Pete, Trent and James. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-12-ktm-forks-on-a-bmw-part-2/">Ep 12: KTM forks on a BMW part 2</a> Waz on "Can’t wait to get spannering again - and maybe do some riding too!" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/can8217t-wait-to-get-spannering-again-%e2%80%93-and-maybe-riding-too#post-90 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:09:32 +0000 Waz 90@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ I’m not quite sure what it is, but my nerves are jangling. Maybe it’s the sunnier, longer and marginally warmer days we’re having in these parts as a nasty winter slackens its grip at last. But more likely it’s my inner biker emerging from a gloomy winter of hibernation. Through the cold months I’ve actually been questioning my biker side - staring forlornly at my partly dismantled Cagiva with lots of cruddy bits that need attention, inwardly lamenting my lack of proper workshop facilities at home, juggling working on the bike with family life, and even asking myself whether the bike thing is worth my time any more. <div id="attachment_280" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/wp-content/uploads/bike.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-280" title="Waz's Dawes King Pin folding bicycle from the 1970s" src="http://www.garagenight.tv/wp-content/uploads/bike-300x225.jpg" alt="Waz's Dawes King Pin folding bicycle from the 1970s" width="300" height="225" /></a>Waz's way of getting through the winter - a vintage Dawes King Pin bicycle from the 1970s. Lesson learned: 1200 grit wet and dry paper soaked in WD40 is great for removing that fine speckly rust from old chrome</div> I ploughed my way through the winter on my folding bicycle, a veteran Dawes King Pin from the 1970s that someone on Freecycle gave me. I’ve been riding it partway to work and back each day, and actually I’m hooked on cycling now. I even got to put some of <a title="Building a spoked motorcycle wheel" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-9-new-spokes-on-an-old-wheel/">Trent’s know-how on wheelbuilding</a> into action by replacing five spokes and truing up the rear wheel. All this pedalling must be doing me some good too, because despite my age carving a deep furrow through the upper 30s I just bought a pair of the same size Levi’s as three years ago. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/cant-wait-to-get-spannering-again-and-maybe-riding-too/">Can’t wait to get spannering again - and maybe do some riding too!</a> Waz on "Ep 2: Beads and bearings" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-2-beads-and-bearings#post-99 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:53:13 +0000 Waz 99@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32v0T8A%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> In this episode: Pete dismantles the rear end of his KTM 950, which he <a title="Pete's South America blog" href="http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tstories/baird/">rode through a salt lake in South America</a>; while Trent sets to work cleaning and greasing an all-too-neglected part of any bike: the swingarm bearings. Trent ‘breaks the bead’ on Waz’s front tyre and removes the tyre and tube, giving advice along the way on how to find and fix a puncture at the roadside. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Swingarm bearings come in two main varieties: plain or needle roller. A plain bearing is essentially a tube of metal, sometimes bronze, that is pressed into the suspension parts involved. Running inside these bearings are the various shafts or bushes that are the pivot points of the suspension. Needle roller bearings are far superior - they consist of a tubular metal casing that houses thin cylindrical rollers. In this episode Trent gives a great demonstration of how to pack them with fresh, clean grease, and the best kind of grease to use. These bearings are often ‘caged’ to keep the needle rollers in place. That’s how Pete’s KTM and Richard’s BMW are set up, but unfortunately in my Cagiva Elefant the rollers are loose, and held in place only by the shafts and bushes running through them. When dismantling the suspension, the little buggers are prone to falling out everywhere. When removing, lubricating and reinstalling they must be meticulously counted out and counted back in. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/episode-2-beads-and-bearings/">Ep 2: Beads and bearings</a> Waz on "Breaking the bead that won’t" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/breaking-the-bead-that-won8217t#post-98 Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:53:05 +0000 Waz 98@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <div id="attachment_299" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/wp-content/uploads/tyre1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-299 " title="Breaking the bead: Pirelli tyre with wheel cut off" src="http://www.garagenight.tv/wp-content/uploads/tyre1-300x225.jpg" alt="Breaking the bead: Pirelli tyre with wheel cut off" width="300" height="225" /></a>If the bead won't break and you don't need the tyre, there's always the Stanley knife option ... </div> Changing a motorcycle tyre usually would not involve a Stanley knife, but this was something of an extreme case. I got hold of a spare back wheel for my Cagiva - all it needed was a wipe clean and some sprocket bolts. And some fresh rubber. I have changed the tyres on my bike several times in the past year and was actually looking forward to putting my skills to the test once again. The more you practice, the quicker you’ll be on the side of the road in less than ideal conditions. Well. First, Richard and I used his tried the conventional method using the centrestand of his F650. Then we tried the sidestand. Neither worked, and now the sidestand is bent (Richard charitably noted that there was already something wrong with it and he needed a new one anyway). So I stuck the wheel in the vice and deployed the <a title="Breaking the bead on a motorcycle tyre video" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/episode-2-beads-and-bearings/">home workshop method demostrated by Trent and me in this episode</a>. The bead broke nicely on one side, but on the other it stayed stuck. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/breaking-the-bead-that-wont/">Breaking the bead that won’t</a> Waz on "Ep 11: KTM forks on a BMW F650" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-11-ktm-forks-on-a-bmw-f650#post-27 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:00:46 +0000 Waz 27@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32BgLVIAA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> We’re back with our much-anticipated special project: fitting a set of KTM inverted or USD forks to Richard’s BMW F650 Dakar. Now that we’ve got Richard’s “number two bike” back on the road, it’s time to get cracking on “number one” - the F650 Dakar that he rode to Singapore in 2003. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> While no.2 (also an F650 Dakar) is Richard’s daily hack, no.1 is the sentimental favourite because of its history. A while back Richard decided to turn it into something special and has been progressively getting things overhauled, powdercoated, polished and blinged up with stainless steel bolts. But the big-ticket item is a set of KTM inverted or upside-down (USD) forks - the factory-fitted variety made by WP Suspension. Whenever we’ve mentioned this on ADVRider or other forums there’s been a big response - so this episode, where we explain the conversion, should prove popular. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-11-ktm-forks-on-a-bmw/">Ep 11: KTM forks on a BMW F650</a> Waz on "What Team Garage Night did next: Autumn Wander 2009" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/what-team-garage-night-did-next-autumn-wander-2009#post-68 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:31:06 +0000 Waz 68@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <div id="attachment_267" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 510px"><a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/wp-content/uploads/nick-and-pete.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-267" title="nick-and-pete" src="http://www.garagenight.tv/wp-content/uploads/nick-and-pete.jpg" alt="Nick and Pete from Team Garage Night on Exercise Autumn Wander" width="500" height="375" /></a>Nick and Pete from Team Garage Night on Exercise Autumn Wander</div> Here at Garage Night we’re between episodes at the moment. We nearly filmed one on bleeding Etienne’s DRZ brakes, but we started the night by helping BMW Noel with fitting a rear shock. He’s <a href="http://destination-agulhas.blogspot.com/">off riding Africa from top to bottom</a> so the job had to be done. The shockie job ran late, so we put the camera aside in the interests of getting both bikes finished and out the garage door. We will get round to a brake bleeding episode. In the meantime, we’ve competed in <a href="http://www.geamcc.com/id4.html">Exercise Autumn Wander 2009</a> run by <a href="http://www.geamcc.com/index.html">army blokes in the Salisbury Plain area</a>. Here’s a <a title="Autumn Wander video" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqjB1DJO6Qs" target="_blank">video giving a decent overview</a> by one of the other teams. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/what-team-garage-night-did-next-autumn-wander-2009/">What Team Garage Night did next: Autumn Wander 2009</a> Waz on "Ep 13: Mountain Madness 2009" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-13-mountain-madness-2009#post-34 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:36:21 +0000 Waz 34@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B32BldobAA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="510" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> We did it! <a href="http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/humm">Mountain Madness 2009</a> is done and dusted, with Garage Night “satellite squad” the Mushman Candidates placing FIRST in the under-650cc class and 2nd outright on points. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div> Trent and Pete again teamed up with KTM rider and navigator extraordinaire James to produce an outstanding result - though scoring second overall for the <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/mountain-madness/">second year running</a> left them even more determined for outright victory next year. Our not-so-hotly-competitive “official” entry Team Garage Night - myself (Waz), Richard and Etienne - placed 8th out of 14 in the over-650cc class. Richard and I hadn’t ridden on dirt for years, and for the three of us it was our first outing as a team. Not making excuses - but it took us a while to find our offroad legs. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/ep-13-mountain-madness-2009/">Ep 13: Mountain Madness 2009</a> Waz on "Monster: Bike of the decade?" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/monster-bike-of-the-decade#post-63 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:51:12 +0000 Waz 63@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <img src="http://www.mcnews.com.au/Wallpaper/Ducati/Monster_696/Wallpaper/1.jpg" align="right" height="212" width="283" /> The previous decade, I mean … Got together with Pete, Trent and Richard last night, and Pete had the latest issue of Motorcycle News featuring Ducati’s reinvention of the Monster, the 696 (you’ve got to check out <a href="http://www.ducati.com/en/bikes/my2008/Monster/M696-08/presentation/index.html" title="Ducati Monster 696 promo">this Ducati promo</a>, it’s a giggle). Riding to work the same morning, I had been thinking of how, for me, the Monster would have to be the bike of the 1990s. I remember when my mate Dave bought his. It was the year 1997, I think. I had a Cagiva Elefant 900 back then, and riding a bike with the 750 Ducati engine was a revelation. The pig-headed, snatchy, lumpy low-end, dry-clutched 900 engine is fun in its way, once you get used to it. Dave’s Monster was fun right from the word go - a willing engine that pulled right off the line and a really flickable frame. My arms were splayed out to grip the bars, and my grin was almost as wide. The all-round nicer engine is the reason I have the 750 version of the Elefant these days. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/monster-bike-of-the-decade/">Monster: Bike of the decade?</a> fridayman on "I'll stop worrying about having the right bike..." http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ill-stop-worrying-about-having-the-right-bike#post-57 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:27:29 +0000 fridayman 57@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <a href="http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307965" rel="nofollow">http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307965</a> pete on "Ep 6: Mountain Madness" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/ep-6-mountain-madness#post-29 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:25:44 +0000 pete 29@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ <embed src="http://blip.tv/play/%2B33HznUA%2Em4v" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="270" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> A special edition of Garage Night as Pete and Trent tackle Mountain Madness 2008 in the Spanish Pyrenees … You can be certain that whenever Austin Vince (of <a title="Terra Circa" href="http://websites.uk-plc.net/Ripping_Yarns/products/Terra_Circa.htm">Terra Circa</a> and <a title="Mondo Enduro" href="http://www.mondoenduro.com/">Mondo Enduro</a> fame) is involved in organising an event, an element of madness will be involved – and more than just in name. <div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 110px"><a class="flickr-image" title="Stick with us" href="http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2888965327_eb4077da6a_t.jpg" alt="Stick with us" width="100" height="69" /></a><a href=http://www.garagenight.tv/stick-with-us>Stick with us! Get the official sticker by supporting Garage Night</a></div>Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness (Humm) is a two-day offroad orienteering event held in the Spanish Pyrenees – a fun, non-competitive but reasonably demanding rally for any type of bike with offroad pretensions. <a href="http://www.garagenight.tv/mountain-madness/">Ep 6: Mountain Madness</a> Noel on "Counting kilometres on an F650 GS" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/counting-kilometres-on-an-f650-gs#post-43 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:49:09 +0000 Noel 43@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ Folks, my DAKAR being a UK spec counts miles, however on my upcoming travels I'll be a few months in the world of kilometres (maps, road signs, etc.) and wondered if any of you have come across a quick and easy way of getting the odometer to rather count kilometres than miles. If possible it would be nice to a) not have to spend too much money, and b) to somehow keep the odometer reading correct i.e. not to start once again at zero. Perhaps all this is too much of an ask....? Noel on "A question regarding oil...?" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/a-question-regarding-oil#post-16 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:15:05 +0000 Noel 16@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ Folks, my BMW F650 GS DAKAR has 24000 miles on the clock, and for the first time I've decided to do the servicing myself - I'm planning on riding down to Cape Town later this year and so am trying to learn a few things about my machine before I leave, and here I have a question regarding oil... It seems that if I’d simply gone to BMW and had the stock dealer service they would have used SAE 10W40 and I'd be none the wiser. However, looking at my BMW maintenance booklet it indicates that SAE 10W40 is only suitable for the temperature range -20 deg C to +20 deg C - temperatures above or below these limits being permitted for brief periods only. As I’ll be riding down to Spain next week for the HUMM, and then all being well riding to Africa some weeks later, I bought some Castrol GTX SAE 15W40 as the limits quoted for this oil are -15 deg C to +30 deg C. All sounds good to me so far aside from the fact that temperatures exceeding +30 deg C are to be expected somewhere along the way in Africa and possibly in Spain too - an SAE 15W50 would be good beyond +30 deg C, but Halfords not unsurprisingly didn't stock that. The nagging doubt which I have in my mind is that my DAKAR has 24000 miles on it and the label on the oil container states that this oil is for 'High Mileage', and then in smaller writing which I hadn't noticed when in the shop 'Superior protection for engines with over 75000 miles'. So am I doing the DAK an awful dis-service using this oil? Should I rather be using the SAE 10W40 (or indeed something else?) for the Spain outing and for the first leg of the trip getting to Africa. I’ll be riding out via Romania/Bulgaria/Turkey, so I guess another oil change will be about due somewhere there where I can hopefully find an SAE 15W50 in time for traveling in hotter climates. fridayman on "Going (proper) racing" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/going-proper-racing#post-21 Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:14:41 +0000 fridayman 21@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ For anyone that has dreamed of going short circuit racing, this should be an enjoyable read - <a href="http://www.superduke.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=100535#100535" rel="nofollow">http://www.superduke.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=100535#100535</a> Trent on "Is Waz a Plonker?" http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/topic/is-waz-a-plonker#post-12 Thu, 28 May 2009 14:48:10 +0000 Trent 12@http://www.garagenight.tv/forum/ Well... is he?