Presumably, wearing gas mask...
S
Presumably, wearing gas mask...
S
I didn't 'think' of it. Just standard practice for making cables once.
Yeah, I remember trying various measures. The condition of the cable (usually bad) played a part. The clutch cable on my Kawasaki 250 is massive by comparison, and of course the hydraulic brake system is virtually maintenance free.
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "spamlet" saying something like:
Absolutely no need for springs to be that strong. Usually the mark of a bad design, inferior materials or a numpty owner.
Interesting point, but apparently not unless you over heat.
My fiend The Cursing Chemist is no stranger to the oily workshop, but has an absolute horror of Easyflo flux. Second only to my dislike of glass etching. Spurred to investigate further, it seems that the hazard really isn't a problem for silver soldering, but can be if you substitute it as a welding flux.
Old bikes are like that. a LOT of clutch pressure needed.
In the lab I used to work, everything to do with fluoride came with skull and crossed bones on. Even the, relatively mild, fluorosilicic acid came in plastic dropper bottles, kept in fume cupboards, handled with thick rubber gloves, and carefully washed after each use. Your friend is dead right. Better to bead blast or use a vibrating etcher than use HF for glass etching.
S
We printed up some special labels, where the crossed bones were wobbly and had holes in them...
I've driven plenty bikes in my time and never one with a clutch as heavy as described. Even a Vincent Rapide.
Oh - Mr Spamlet needs to learn when a clutch is in or out...
Oh, that's easy: on my 900SS it's in (always assuming you mean the clutch rather than the lever) when the cable just broke again - and if I'm lucky, the engine stalled at the same time!
Sounds like your Vinnie was, uncharacteristically, a bit low on torque, or maybe you removed the sidecar?
The queue (usually huge) for spares at Pride and Sharks and most other spares places we all had a love/hate relationship with, was generally packed with people looking for upgrades, or yet more plates, for their clutches and springs. Hey I even found an old MC News under the carpet, that's probably still got all the ads for the upgrades in them: if you really were into bikes you must have read hundreds of them, and spent many an evening discussing their various merits with you fellow bikers down the local. (Plus the ability to buy piston rings individually and grind them to fit: blissful days: all those little specialist shops and workshops: all gone: v sad). Fraid it was only when Honda got in on the game that the era of the clutch that would outlive the bike began: my CD175 went twice round the clock before I reluctantly sold it on, and the clutch was the one thing I never had to touch - it rarely ever seemed to need any oil either (Still broke plenty of cables though! Even the throttle ones!)
S
Now that you mention it, there could have been some design issues with those old British bikes ...
Yes: they were designed to be maintained by the average bloke, by the side of the road, using, a simple tool kit under the seat, and any handy brick for a hammer. They also cost about £1 per cc and were next to nothing to insure. They were cheap transport for anyone, but now they are rich kids toys which they throw away once they've fallen off; because they cost as much or more to repair than they did to buy.
All very sad if you ask me.
Son 30/04/2010, spamlet supposed :
Perhaps, but the modern ones don't pee oil from every seam and you set off with every expectation of getting there without stopping for repairs.
Where's the fun in that? May as well get on the bus. B-)
And you can't leave them anywhere without them getting nicked. They have rapidly changed from a convenience to a libility. And the old ones don't leak with modern gasket materials. Actually, a lot of the oil used to come out of the crank case breather tube, but nowadays these are generally routed back through the air filter.
S
They were designed to need to be maintained by the average bloke, by the side of the road. Just kidding! I understand what you're saying. There's a lot to be said for simplicity. The modern machines are amazingly - scarily - powerful. I'm actually quite content with my 1986 Kawasaki 250, on which I've done a few repairs myself. This bike is amply fast enough for my reflexes.
There are still parts of the world where the old utility element is still paramount. Elsewhere your Kawa might be seen with a whole family of four on the seat plus a baby on the handlebars - however, even the good old Royal Enfield is starting to acquire fripperies like electric starters and fuel injection: still looks like a proper bike though:
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.