Fixes and more fixes
Well after the disaster of the MOT test I had lots to deal with. Most of it was minor, but some required thought and planning. The key issues are as follows:
1. The Rear shock linkage is terrible and needs doing correctly
2. The shock itself is old and knackered
3. The front mudguard is not one for this bike and isn’t secured correctly.
4. The rear light is playing up.
5. The brake torque arm is attached by a bolt not giving it movement
6. Footrest are insecure.
Just a few jobs then. I’ve got to work on these in turn.
1. The shock linkage was replaced at some point with sheet metal instead of the correct dogbones. I’ve got a second hand shock linkage from eBay which will need fitting. You can see the issue below. I didn’t catch it as I didn’t look under the bike right there. It’s passed mot’s before which is worrying!
2. The shock is very old now and finding a better alternative was the best plan. I’ve search around to find a suitable second hand alternative, without decent success. So I bit the bullet and ordered a new shock. Its a YSS one and was well priced. They are making it for me now. Once it’s arrived I can fit it and the dogbones.
3. The mudguard was easy. It can pass the mot without one. So I removed it. I’ve ordered a replacement from Skidmarx. That will arrive in a couple of weeks. In the meantime it looks much cooler without the mudguard!
4. The rear light was an odd one, I swore it was working, but I was wrong. It’s not lighting up properly. I tried loads of things, but I worked out in the end that the light had broken. Very annoying. I thought about getting a replacement, but my faith in that lasting wasn’t good. So I looked for alternatives. In the end I found a combined indicators/brake/rear light system that is in a tiny cnc strip.
The seller was in Australia and it arrived in less than a week! I was amazed. I started testing it to make sure it worked.
As this light sticks to the number plate I also needed a number plate light. I found a tiny cnc number plate light on ebay and had to have it.
With both of these changes I had to remake the number plate bracket. I’ve spent the last couple of days knocking this up, It needs the light mounting to the number plate, but it’s close to being done.
5. The bolt was a right bodge job and needed me to source the proper torque bushing. I managed to find a new one which was good. I need to fit it tomorrow.
6. The footrests were using too small a bolt as the eyes of my cnc footpegs were smaller than the originals. I drilled out the the holes and fixed a larger bolt in place. You can also see the new oil cap I found going cheap on ebay.
Rain rain stay away
Well the weather forecast was not good so I decided to take matters in to my own hands.
It was a great idea as it allowed me to work on the wiring in the dry all day.
I spent several hours rewiring the loom and putting new connectors on. It was a real pain to do, but quite rewarding.
There is still more sleeving to do, but I ran out of my loom harness tape. So it will need to be finished when the new order arrives.
I did get a chance to wire it all in and test things like the new speedo.
I also tested the new headlamp, but discovered a problem. The side light ring was working, but not the main or dipped beam arggggh!!! I was hoping what I had done already would have fixed that, but no.
I started attacking the loom with a multimeter to try trace the issue back to it’s source. I ended up back at the fuse box and this seemed to be where the issue was. However the fuse was fine which confused me. It took me a moment to work out that the issue was actually the connectors being old and rusty.
So I decided to replace the fuse box and see if that solved the issues.
That would be a big fat yes!
I was so relieved as I’ve been trying to sort that issue out for some time. I even considered getting someone else to look at it, but I was determined that I could find out the issue.
So there is not much more I need to do before getting it MOT’d and back on the road:
1. Finish the loom wiring
2. Setup the speedo and finish the wiring of that.
3. Get the tank back on and filled with fuel.
4. Get her started!
With some good weather and orders arriving swiftly I hope to get that done in the next week or two.
Wiring , headlamp and indicators
I’ve started work on the cable spaghetti, it’s not pleasant work, but who said it would be all fun!.
First job of the week so far was to sleeve the two indicators so that the cables would be less obvious. I also did the same to the new headlamp.
Next up I fitted them back on the bike. I was originally going to reuse the bolts from before, but in the end I decided to get some new ones so that I could use an allen key instead of a socket wrench. It makes fitting the indicators much easier. I also moved them to the bottom bolt so that the cable runs underneath and is more hidden.
Next I stripped back the loom so that I could see what is going on and if I can make any improvements.
There were a few iffy connections which I am working through. If I get good weather this weekend I will try to finish the wiring loom changes.
Headlight is on
Well I managed to get some more progress as the weather held off for 30mins. What I managed to get done was test mounting the headlight to make sure the brackets would work and they do!
First up some comparison shots of the old and new headlight. You can see just how much smaller the new one is.
I fitted the bracket off the bike first, to test it would work
Then I got it fitted to the bike. I love it! The pictures came out blurry unfortunately. I will have to take some better ones when I’m next out there.
Indicators Back on
Well the first hurdle is over. I’ve found a new mounting point for the indicators. I actually prefer them here instead of attached to the headlamp brackets. All I did was remove one of the fork bolts and make a bracket for the indicators on each side, using the bolt to attach them directly to the fork. I will need to dress the wiring and make that as hidden for each indicator next.
1: Remove the existing headlight and all wiring
2. Mock up some little brackets
3. Brackets done and in place
4. Fit the indicators and see how it looks.
I also held the new headlamp in place to see how it looks on the bike.
The weather has now turned, so I’m not sure if I can get anything else done this weekend. I’d like to see to some of the wiring spaghetti if I can.
Headlight woes
Currently here is the problem. As it stands now there is all this mess of cabling in the current shell. Which is 7.5inches in diameter. As you can see it’s a total mess. I’ve cleaned up the speedo cabling, which was the worst of the looms, but there is still more that needs to be attacked.
The new headlight has a ring of LED’s around the outside just inside the shell casing. You can make them out in this picture here:
The whole thing is designed as a sealed unit that is not used to hide the cabling. So I think moving the cables back towards the tank area is the best plan of attack.
If the weathers not tipping it down, I will try to find some places to hide the wiring mess. I’m thinking maybe somewhere underneath the tank would be the best place. As it is hidden from view, but is close to where the existing wiring is. Maybe even in some kind of box to keep the connectors out of the worst of the weather.
Headlamp headaches
Well the headlight has turned up this morning and it looks great.
There is one thing that I wasn’t expecting. That is this headlamp has no space for the tons of wiring in the current one! Arggggh! Add to that the mounting system I’m currently using will not work as this uses smaller bolts and has no way for the indicator wires to go.
So I will have to think whether this can work, or do I have to modify it too heavily. I think I can work out moving the current wiring to somewhere else. The issue is where and how then do I mount the headlamp and indicators.
Wiring Hell
So, it’s been quite some time since I have updated this thread. I have made some progress on the bike. However not as much as I’ve hoped for. It’s still not on the road, but closer than ever!
The major issue has been some wiring gremlins. Some caused by me and some caused by some shoddy work in the past. I got a couple of wires wrong when hooking up the new controls, which I fixed quite quickly. However there was a very bad short which caused smoke to appear from near the speedo and fry the main fuse. After much poking around with the multimeter I realised that the speedo wiring was to blame. I found a really awful mess of cables hidden under some tape. Really really shoddy work, some of which was touching the frame of the headlamp and causing a short. So instead of waiting to fit the new speedo I’ve ripped out the old dials and wiring and started doing it now, as the wiring would have taken ages to fix properly.
Next up I needed to create a bracket to mount the new speedo in place.
Here it is as it sits now, it needs painting and preparing, but I’m very happy with it.
The other major job ticked off the list is the seat. With the superb skills of my wife the seat is now fully in place. It was a pig to fit, but I’m really happy with how it looks.
Seat being fitted
The seat is in place.
Got to make sure to start the little un on bikes as young as possible!
The next week or two is time for me to do some other wiring jobs. I need to wire up the new speedo and get that working. I also need to replace the current fuse box as it’s in terrible shape.
I’ve picked up this blade style fuse box to replace it with
That and the other wiring I’ve done will fix the headlamp issues I’ve been having. I’ve managed to fit a relay that fixes my led indicators which was one more job done.
Slow Progress
Well, I’ve not had a chance to do very much on the bike, as we’ve had a more important addition to the family
He’s taken a bit of focus away from the bike for some reason 😀
What I have been doing is fighting the mirrors wiring. The mirrors are supposed to be attached inside the bars, but they just don’t work very well. They come loose all the time. I tried various mirrors, but in the end realised the best method was to attach them around the bars and shift everything else inward. This leaves a hole in the bar end which I picked up some Hope Bar Doctors from the cycle shop. They were a nightmare to fit due to the bars, but I have one side in okish.
The other side will wait until I fit the new throttle.
Next up I’ve been wanting to fit a replacement clutch cable as the original one was far too long and frankly dangerous. After reading a tip on here that the z1 was a good fit, I swapped them over. Getting the sprocket cover off was a little bit tricky, but I got it done in the end.
I’ve been wiring up the rear lights and indicators which I think I’m on the third different way of doing it now. I was going to use waterproof connectors, but these just end up looking messy. So I’m just going to solder and sheath them all instead.
Next target is to get the wiring done and tested, then to try to find a time with my wife and the baby so that I can finish my seat cover.
More seat action and painting.
Well, I’ve had an interesting couple of weeks, but I’ve made more progress on the bike. Not nearly as much as I hoped for but at least it’s moving forwards.
The indicators I ordered to go with the headlight brackets have arrived and I think they are going to look ace.
I’ve been making up a bracket for the rear lights and indicators along with the number plate. I’ve also after ordering four sets of indicators found some that didn’t look cheap and nasty. They are cnd’d and look good. I need to sort the wiring out for them though.
After this I have continued work on the seat. First order of business was to paint the seat base. It will be mostly be hidden from view, but I wanted to make it black like the other parts.
I then glued the seat foam into position using spray on contact adhesive. I used tape to hold the foam in place whilst it dried. I was worried that the glue wouldn’t work to well but it was great.
I then took an angle grinder with sanding disc to shape the foam. I thought this would be a nightmare, but it wasn’t too bad. I have quite chuffed with the results.
The other item I’ve been working on is getting a replacement set of gauges. As I would like to clean up the front a lot more. I was looking at Motogadget ones, but they are a little bit too expensive. Also the ones I liked didn’t have both a rev and speedometer. So in the end I went for a Koso DB-01R which ticked most of the boxes for me. Of being small, but having all the features.
It came with a mount to attached to the handlebars, but on my bars it isn’t going to work as you can probably tell from these pictures. Where the cable needs to go is right where the brackets are. So I will have to create some kind of mount so that I can attach it. I will wait until I remove the original gauges to decide where best to mount it.
Another job that I have completed is the battery bracket. It is now painted black and has a rubber base to keep the battery
