audio-talk

Mike H wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:32 pm Luv the story Dave.


@ Thomas I also had a Meriden 705 Bonnie, 1978, basically OK but I then went & traded it in for a special limited edition version, which was a "Friday afternoon bike"


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Mine was a 1978 too... last of the 'splayed heads', the tighter emissions the next year caused a head redesign and concentric mk II's which I think your special had (T140D?!) I don't think they were the same after that....then again I think they made them at least about 10 years too long in any case....

Now that Nimbus otoh does look interesting.....!

Yes & yes - Mk II carbs & Rita electronic ignition, designated T140E - and yes wasn't the same - more difficult to keep in tune, carbs kept coming loose as the the inlet rubbers were cooked hard by the head heat & cracked. Exhausts rusted while you watched. Brake discs chrome plated FFS. Kept trying to "improve things" but which just made it into a money pit.


What is a "S90" ?


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Mike H wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:08 pm What is a "S90" ?

Tah dah -> http://www.steves-workshop.co.uk/vehicl ... uction.htm

Thanks Dave... just a tiddler but I'm enjoying myself...!

steve s wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2018 4:18 pm Thanks Dave... just a tiddler but I'm enjoying myself...!

pre65 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2018 6:33 am Baggo, do I spy a Mikuni carb on the VH ?

Yes Philip, it's a VM32 round slide Mikuni. I avoid anything Amal if I can. The head has been ported and flowed and sports a Goldie inlet valve and exhaust. Plus 80 Omega piston and lots of other examples of what used to be known as "demon tweaks". It's a great bike (and a very under-rated model as I'm sure you know) and the handling on Roadriders is as good as anything this side of a Featherbed. I manage to do about 1300 miles a year on Continental holidays and have done the Picos 5000 Curves rally with it, so it's quite tractable as well as being quick for its type - have managed 100mph between the Creg and Gob ny Geay which, admittedly, is slightly downhill but hey, we have a combined age of nearly 140 so we need all the help we can get!

All old farts have "senior moments" and I get more than my fair share but my condition is worse because I also have "adolescent moments" in which I imagine I'm back at the Ace again and heading up to Watford and the Busy Bee or down to Johnson's near Brands Hatch, both scenes of my yoof when the world was a very different and much more pleasant place. I love the Ariel but it is just not quite up this lunatic behaviour so occasionally I wake up the neighbours with the machine below. I'm really getting too old for this sort of nonsense.

I'm not that genned up on Nortons.

Obviously a "cammy" engine, but Manx or International ?

pre65 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2018 10:56 pm I'm not that genned up on Nortons.

Obviously a "cammy" engine, but Manx or International ?

Model 30M - Manx.

This is my current ride......



Lawmaster police issue (modified)

Dave the bass wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:14 pm

Mike H wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:08 pm What is a "S90" ?

Tah dah -> http://www.steves-workshop.co.uk/vehicl ... uction.htm

Ta, so IS a Honda.

re Amal, I am reminded of a quirk that came up in a mag review for some new British bike or other, can't remember what exactly; along the lines of if it's made in Britain why are they Bings & not Amals?

Be-cause, (imagine talking patiently to small child) Amal don't make carbs anymore, now they're agents for Bing.


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Dave the bass wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:53 pm............

Thus ended my like of motorcycling. "I'm sticking to 4 wheels from now on....".

Yeah right!

Yeah right indeed.

I didn't get another bike for about a year after my smash up in Portugal. I started to get the urge for another bike after I got a workshop position repairing TV's, CCD Video cameras and VCR's in Camberwell/Brixton, accepting that position meant giving up a 'works' van though so I needed a good little commuter bike.

Hello Handsome....




OK, it looked a bit better than that when I first bought it 2nd hand for the princely some of £650 but in a way it was the 1st bike I REALLY got to know inside out (mainly because it needed nothing doing to it for so long and just rode it for years and years) and by then it had got so rusty that I couldn't loosen fasteners and had to drill out gunged-up case screws to get to the clutch to replaced plates, or that time the exhaust system needed replacing when I then discovered all the threads on the 2 mounting studs on the head were actually rusted off and the studs snapped causing the exhaust to fall off. Or the time the rear end felt 'funny', ah... that'll be the broken parts of the swing arm bushes falling out onto the road then causing ~5mm of 'play in the rear swing arm . It was abused I have to say but very reliable. It was a Yamaha RXS100, A bike which I wasn't about to go touring Europe on no matter what! I did 62,000 miles on it in the end before it was just so knackered and rusty from daily all-weather trips up to London and back.

It might have been a bit poo in some ways but it did get me back into motorcycling. Yey!

S90 update.
Had a productive week apart from a few trips to the local Honda dealer buying new case screws and gasket paper.
The engine is now all back together and looks the part. Got the timing chain on with the cams in the right place the 1st time.. then an hour checking I'd done it right..
A lot of the week was spent cleaning / polishing/ painting the cases and ensuring everything was right before each part went back in, all the gears work, the clutch is now smooth, oil pump and oil ways cleaned, new rings fitted, valve lapped, made a few new gaskets as the set I had was not correct and got the broken clutch cable bracket alloy welded back on.
.. fingers crossed it will run..
Got new cables ready but the new clutch cable is wrong, I will take it apart and modify it so it fits. With these bike there are at least 2 versions of most parts..
There are enough jobs to be done to fill next few days, then i hope to get it running.. time will tell...

Got any piccies Steves? We like piccies.

I tried to reduce the pics I had the other day on my new laptop, but did not manage to do it Dave, the menu that should have been wasn't ?
I'll sort something...

That's a wonderfully ratty bike, Dave, looks like it's spent some time in a pond!

I guess it never got nicked then?!