AllanB

I have seen a few videos where they use a hot air gun to restore the colour.

There are many others to look at, practice on somewhere that doesn't show too much. Going to trying it on my campervan when I get back to Portugal. 

Things must be a lot different outside Khon Kaen, everyone I have met can't do it on top... meaning, they only know how to <deleted> up.

I wouldn't dream of letting anyone loose any engine of mine any more, well the internals anyway. That is what worries me about the current state of my CRF, if it does have to be stripped, it may be an ongoing saga of returns.

They had a Rally for sale at my local dealer (I missed it), he said they guy was selling to return to Europe, I found that to be a big Porky.

2 hours ago, chrissables said:

The Honda Winner is a great bike, no issues to be expected at all, 10,000 + km last trip. Possibly you are thinking of the Honda Win? Which has many Chinese copies floating around.

Hire bikes in countries like NV have not much to do with the bikes qualities, more the way they are ridden and maintained. The attitude of the hire company is that if you can make it out of walking distance, their job is done. So the model of bike doesn't have lot to do with it.

The Honda we had was a low mileage bike, 25,000km, but there was some evidence to show that it had it's first oil change during our tenure. 

We met a couple of groups of people and more that half had suffered breakdowns, we had two ourselves, both tyre problems, and both luckily within a few metres of a repair shop. We gave the bike two oil changes as half way through our trip the bike started to sound rough. We certainly returned the bike in far better condition than we hired it.

Be lucky!

Built it it's own little house. Turquoise walls outside, white walls inside, with contrasting red steel-work.

Pin up pictures of other bikes to make it feel at home, some naked, others scantily clad. 

Plus we all need a vice. 

15 hours ago, chrissables said:

They should be able to put panniers on for you if you want them.

 

Have you a route planned yet? Mai Chau is stunning , south from there take a south east route through the mountains Pu Luong to Canh Nang, before looping back.

It may not be as good as your CBR though. Saw a lot of really crappy tourist bikes when we were there and in the hills/mountains north of Da Nang we found out why. These lads were absolutely flogging their hire bikes, engines screaming blue murder. We were riding south and they passed us, we rode on then saw them again coming the other way, still at 10,000rpm, all sorts of 'orrible metallic sounds coming from most of the bikes.

We hired ours in Da Nang, an ordinary commuter bike, but even that needed work. 

Maybe you will be lucky, but check it out before riding off.

To date VN has been our most enjoyable bike trip, hotels were a mixed bag, but people nice, Hanoi was REALLY busy. You will need your 3 eyes, just like a cat does.

One thing they do practice 2 old French traffic rules.

1. Priority given to traffic coming from the right.

2. Might is right.

That means they drive straight out and you are bottom of the food chain.

Most people buy in HCM and sell in Hanoi, so doing it the other way round you should find it easier to sell in HCM city...even make a profit.

However, you will have the sun in your eyes all the way..going south.

A lot of these long trip bikes, bought or rented are ragged, every one we met had encountered problems, some serious. We rented a short trip hire bike, VN Honda Wave in DaNang, did some repairs (£10) and the bike was fine.

We went in December (I think) and it was cold, but not unbearably, nippy at night, but had wife with me, so take a hot water bottle...Or go out on the pull......

And remember the golden rule when out of the big cities, get food when you can. We used to buy an extra roll at breakfast time, or went hungry until tea time.

Yes, never thought of that, a wooden table, with screw on legs would work. I could reemploy half of the timber as a bike ramp for my truck.

The other one I made was too short and the timber was appropriated as shuttering during the shed build.

The hoist would need to work from a single rope, so would still need a table, hard getting a spanner on a swinging/revolving bike. 

2 hours ago, OmegaRacer said:

Found this in another thread.

Trade agreement regarding motorcycles. 

 

Reading the notes at the start (see extract below), my interpretation is the agreement started Nov 2007 so

2nd year starts April 1 2008 49.09%

3rd year starts April 1 2009 43.64%

4th year starts April 1 2010 38.18%

5th year starts April 1 2011 32.73%

6th year starts April 1 2012 27.27%

7th year starts April 1 2013 21.82%

8th year starts April 1 2014 16.38%

9th year starts April 1 2015 10.91%

10th year starts April 1 2016 5.45%

11th year starts April 1 2017 0%

Those are very interesting figures, I don't see that reflected in prices here.

This shed of mine is not that big so a big table would be a problem for me too.

I currently have too chairs one with sawn off legs, trouble is I have trouble getting up after 20 minutes. It is not necessarily a disabled workshop, but a half way house.

I can't see my arthritis getting much better, hopefully not much worse, so this will give me an opportunity to keep tinkering for some years.

The Shadow is a 35 year old Jap bike, so the tinkering will be ongoing and when the faults are all sorted I plan on doing some frame mods, which will be easier with A/C.

Another one for the Stallion market. 

Building a new small workshop, so I can spend another 3-4 years tinkering with my old bike, but in air-conditioned comfort. I was thinking about using a hoist and simple table for the bike, to save building a complicated lifting table. I can put a double (ladder type) ridge bar in the roof to handle 200kg load and can make up a simple pulley, or even a cheapo block and tackle.

Just wondered if anyone had seen this done before, a bike hoist and did it work, any problems? Also what is the best height for a bike table?

I have quite a bit of experience in lifting equipment, so safety won't be an issue, we have been making equipment for lifting horses and cows since '85. 

On 19/11/2017 at 12:29 PM, OmegaRacer said:

Looks very nice and perfectly priced to take away customers from Stallions.

I think you have it right there, they have seen the huge popularity of the Stallion in a market that still hates Chinese stuff. With a big 4 badge on it it should sell really well.

The "Bonnie" look has always been good, for me the frame is still too small...I am guessing...shame.

175 single seems a good size for Thailand and that flat seat is the best for a longish ride 2up.. 

2 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Probably running lean to save the planet?

Unquestionably...I think this low "sod all" level is new for 2017...Maybe that is why earlier bikes run so well....as I have heard many times on youtube.

A question about fuel injection. When first starting the engine, is the mixture altered regardless of the ambient temperature? Indeed is temperature actually monitored by the ECU?

The reason I ask is that the CRF runs really nicely from cold for the first 10 minutes or so and then begins to deteriorate. After a quick thrash (90kph) around the ring-road, the engine is at it's worst (roughest).

So I am starting to think this is a mixture problem.

My Lifan never requires any choke, expected in LOS, and runs well.

Actually I am glad I bought the L instead of the Rally, the higher Rally was just about my limit in terms of seat height. The seat cushion I made has added around an inch, bringing it close to the Rally. However, the extra seat height on the Rally is achieved with suspension, mine is down to the seat thickness, so the distance between footrests and seat is increased, giving a slightly straighter leg, which I prefer.

At my age not sure how I would have managed on a Rally with an extra 1" seat pad to get over. 

Hope I can stay supple in the coming years, it is a stretch. 

7 hours ago, CLW said:

It looks nice but where is the purpose? Is it made in India? I guess you could get 3 new Honda PCX for that. 400cc in Bangkok traffic mostly useless. Just my thoughts...

I agree, but their always seems to be people around who will pay (anything) for that badge.

Bit of an update. Been riding it around town and circled the Khon Kaen ring road at 80/90kph 2 up, yes the bike seems to be improving slowly, but I am still only at 590km. Some of the improvement is possibly down to me changing my riding style, a few more revs, I plan on getting some real kms on the bike with a trip somewhere, which has been held up due to family commitments.

The CRF certainly has some go, I accidentally did a wheelie yesterday, avoiding a blind kid at a junction and the gearbox is pretty slick too.

My new seat mod seems to get the comfort levels up for both of us, only a trip will tell whether the design works on a long run, but further mods are really easy and can even be done at the roadside. If I really screw it up I can just buy another 80baht piece of foam, seems to stay in place well too.

This was my inspiration and would get one if they had them here, but until then my 80 baht jobbie will suffice....

So I am a little more optimistic about living with the bike (don't want to tempt fate) and may eventually go for some form of engine tweek, but the very first thing to do, before any trip is get some handlebar grips. I have big hands and the current skinny grips will, I am sure lead to cramp, not an expensive mod, just have to find some here in KK. 

Next, I am sure I will find I need bar risers too, there are plenty around here but I want to come up and back as much as possible. Steph had some good ones but haven't seen them here. If not, maybe the UK next year? That said I sit a little further forward 2 up, so well see how it goes.

Need to get out on the Lifan as it hasn't been used for a while, the problem is the gear pattern, just getting used to the "1down/5up" and getting back to an "all down" is going to screw up my learning curve. "Old dog new tricks."

1 hour ago, AllanB said:

That's okay, if you guys think you can put a 8mm bolt in a 7.9mm hole, or even a 8mm drilled hole that;s fine and that requiring a hammer, or wiggling the drill around to make the hole big enough is "nitpicking", OK.

 

I insulted no one, but maybe this "nitpicking" upsets your hero worship, that's fine too, go for it.

 

It seemed to me to be good sense to use metric drills for metric bolts, as they do in most other parts of the world, that's all folks. 

To late to edit, I would like to retract the "hero worship" comment, it was uncalled for, late night, early morning... and this <deleted> CRF is really getting to me.

Dragged myself into this, over a simple comment about drills. 

and if anyone was insulted I apologise.

...and yes, my avatar was chosen for it's suitability, at least I like to think so.

Just made up this seat pad using an 80baht piece of foam and a stretchy seat cover I had. Seems pretty comfortable for the two of us and gives the pillion a little more room. I think the back needs a bit of tidying, will work on that.

It is made from that chopped up sponge rubber, so is pretty grippy and held in place by the cover's own velcro. under the seat and luggage rack.

It isn't waterproof, but it can be removed and wrung out if needs be.

Any improvements, I will be glad to hear.

That's okay, if you guys think you can put a 8mm bolt in a 7.9mm hole, or even a 8mm drilled hole that;s fine and that requiring a hammer, or wiggling the drill around to make the hole big enough is "nitpicking", OK.

I insulted no one, but maybe this "nitpicking" upsets your hero worship, that's fine too, go for it.

It seemed to me to be good sense to use metric drills for metric bolts, as they do in most other parts of the world, that's all folks. 

Come on lads, this guy is crazy and a bully, needs locking up....pure and simple. Used to have the birch in my country for cowards like this, a bit of their own medicine, before jail. Brand him a child abuser, he won't last long in jail.

9 hours ago, ktm jeff said:

Ive used JB Weld to repair a Vauxhall petrol cylinder head , that was being eaten away between two cylinders due to a blown head gasket. Filled the void , sanded level , done. It lasted the customer a few years and was sold like this. I wont admit to the repair i made to a brake caliper piston , however. Off road Jeep , i still have.

......and that is what these products are designed for, as a convenient fix when you are stuck, but the OP has ordered new parts, so the job can be done properly. 

No need to bodge it up and screw up the possibility of future servicing.

I holed my radiator in North Africa, fixed it with tank repair putty, with no practical alternative.

OP. Did you order a new key when you ordered the two parts?

This is really not that complicated, they sell only metric fittings, they should sell metric drills to match.

No calculations needed, for snug fit items like rivets and the like, use 3mm, 4mm, 5mm etc, then clearance for bolts use +.0.5mm, like 6.5mm, 8.5mm, etc. Just like they do in most of the world... and leave specialist shops to stock imperial for HD owners.

That way they would appear on the shelves in the correct order.

The standard sets sold everywhere I have been, 1-10mm in 0.5mm increments.   

7 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Read my lips; a 3/8" bolt (one thou bigger than 9.5mm) will fit in a 10mm hole.

You've been on Google - very good.

If you are being pedantic, 7.9mm = 0.3110".

5/16" = 0.3125"

8mm = 0.3150"

I guarantee you drill a 5/16" hole with a hand held drill or even a pillar drill, you'll get an 8mm bolt in the hole.

Milling machine with a collet chuck a different matter.

Oh, whilst you've been on Google and got all pedantic, 9.5mm is a thou under 3/8" at 0.374".

I don't need Google 'cos I've just checked my Zeus book.

Next....

You also need to get out more and find better suppliers. Plenty of tool shops in Udon city sell every size drill bit you want in metric and imperial.

 

Not interested in reading your lips, you said and I quote "And an 8mm bolt fits in a 5/16" hole... And a 3/8" bolt fits in a 10mm hole."

1. So how do you get an M8 bolt in a 7.938mm hole, a 50 tonne press tool perhaps?

2. They don't sell 3/8" bolts or 10mm drills, so why does that matter.

There may be shops that sell metric drills, but the DIY shops around here sell imperial drills and metric bolts.

PS. 3/8" = 9.525 even worse and if you knew anything about very basic engineering you would know that you don't put an M8 bolt in and 8mm hole, you need a small amount of clearance. Certainly not an interference fit as you are suggesting.

43 minutes ago, Avrock said:

Ya sure I understand that but I don’t mind putting in some money gradually over a certain period of time for mods..About the exhaust I think the Diablo twin is decent enough for 5k..it’s made in Thailand or should I say finished in Thailand by a company called K-speed..suspension I can tolerate to a certain degree but the back seat is really not suitable for a passenger..a sissy bar & a customized seat we’re looking at another 5k & the gear indicator 1k..so its 11k in total to start with initially..now remember there’s no registration fee & they’re giving me 1 year first class insurance plus 5k in coupons for mods..


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The biggest mistake I have made over the years was to not test ride when I had the chance. They "threw" a test ride at me in the UK on a new CRF Rally and I shyly said no thanks, wish I had tried one. Other bikes too, just being polite...so if you get the chance, perhaps see something secondhand, give it a go. I find rarely are bikes exactly as they seem, some surprise, others disappoint, too late when you have shelled out your hard earned.