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Post by JonW on Feb 11, 2021 23:45:29 GMT 1
I was reminded the other day about the fact that in a sea of tassels and gaudy foam grips I managed to add a totally useless but to mind then (and maybe a bit still?!) cool gadget... A lighting spark plug cap.
These light up when the spark fires, they provide a cool glow all over the engine while probably reducing the spark massively... the price of 'cool'. lol
Of course they were brittle rubbish and failed quickly, but in a time before cars had neon lighting their under sides my blue caps were Tron brought to life!
Did anyone else have these? or fit anything worse?
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Post by itsnick350 on Feb 12, 2021 0:46:35 GMT 1
Not strictly an accessory but I still flinch at the sight of the metallic green βGordoβ helmet that appears in pictures of my DT175
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Post by tipfinchy on Feb 12, 2021 8:24:11 GMT 1
Now I didn't fit the red foam grips on my LC back in the early eighties, they was on it when I bought it My embarrassment would be that I didn't change themπ€« Mart
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Post by stusco on Feb 12, 2021 8:52:09 GMT 1
I have something like that for checking for a spark π
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Post by dusty350 on Feb 12, 2021 9:12:23 GMT 1
Bloody hell, where do I start !! Yes, I had those spark plugs too ! Didn't stay on for long though. Virtually all my major c**k ups were inflicted on my poor old 400/430e. Z1300 Marzocchi shocks ? Or the car polish tin that was repurposed as as a loom housing after I fitted twin headlights (back in the day when no one made twin headlights !!) Dad always wondered where his polish disappeared too ! 20191226_113304 by dusty miller, on Flickr There were many more ! Dusty
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Feb 12, 2021 9:45:25 GMT 1
Oh no, the soggy in the wet red foam grips π
Guilty as charged
Steve
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Post by julianboolean on Feb 12, 2021 9:52:37 GMT 1
I had several sets of foam grips on my 250LC, I don't think I had any red ones. I also had a fibreglass single seat converter from M & P that was pretty grim
A Harris exhaust on a GSX750ET that knocked 10mph off the top speed, and then in the mid 90s the same thing happened with a Yoshimura slip-on fitted to a YZF750, the only way to get it to go as well as the standard exhaust was to take all the baffles out.
I'm sure there's more
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Feb 12, 2021 10:04:20 GMT 1
Oh had the slip on disaster a couple of times
Fitted a Micron to my zx9r and lost so much bottom and midrange π
Then fitted a Nikkon can with a 60mm bore to a fireblade. Didn't notice any power difference but rode it like a fanny as I couldn't stand the ear splitting noise βΉ
Both got binned
Steve
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Post by headcoats on Feb 12, 2021 10:08:27 GMT 1
Painted the front master cylinder of my old LC in Hammerite red !
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Post by 29davyt on Feb 12, 2021 10:09:57 GMT 1
Soggy Red foam grips on my 350, had them fitted with drop bars so were doubly awful to ride with ( and look at ) lol.. my second fizzy came with an annoying βBleeperβ fitted into the indicator wiring circuit, took me ages to find it and rip it out, lads used to nick them from the public phone box hand sets , must of been the speaker part from the ear piece .
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Post by veg on Feb 12, 2021 10:20:49 GMT 1
ARD seat and tank thing on an Lc was already fitted, mead speed fairing, any Alfa 4:1 I ever had, my unitrack gpz 750 made to look like 750 turbo, any belly pan, and loads of baja grips.
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Post by veg on Feb 12, 2021 10:22:02 GMT 1
Oh and thinking micron ace bars were a good thing on my present Lc 50 yrs old and a bad back donβt quite fit.
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Post by reedpete on Feb 12, 2021 11:12:14 GMT 1
Well, related....mid teens I was inseparable from a pair of cowboy boots with Cuban heels.....(bad enough already)....but the thing was I couldnβt ride a bike in them. So I just cut the heels off....toes stuck up like alibaba ......I was so proud ...πππ
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Post by johnlam on Feb 12, 2021 11:14:43 GMT 1
Baja foam grips in blue also painting tyre lettering. John
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Post by dougw on Feb 12, 2021 11:17:20 GMT 1
Oh no, the soggy in the wet red foam grips π Guilty as charged Steve Me too.
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Post by beardy on Feb 12, 2021 12:11:44 GMT 1
When I was 17 I had a part time job in a car accessories shop and noticed you could get chrome tube to put on the end of car silencers. Bling basically. I bought 3 for the all speeds on my kh250 for that fat silencer look. I lost 2 on the way home π€·ββοΈ
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Post by JonW on Feb 12, 2021 12:42:22 GMT 1
Superb!
I also had the white tyre pen out most weekends and... yes I also fitted a bleeper to one bike when i couldnt work out the wiring for the dash light so bypassed it, then didnt know i was still indicating so added the bleeper... {head in hands} I knew it was wrong back then and still did it lol
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Post by tony2stroke on Feb 12, 2021 12:44:55 GMT 1
I am not saying, and I will deny it all
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Post by midlifecrisisrd on Feb 12, 2021 12:58:31 GMT 1
Superb! I also had the white tyre pen out most weekends and... yes I also fitted a bleeper to one bike when i couldnt work out the wiring for the dash light so bypassed it, then didnt know i was still indicating so added the bleeper... {head in hands} I knew it was wrong back then and still did it lol Hey, don't laugh When I did the 3hm1 the Indies didn't work. It was a 2 pin relay so I bought one off eBay Thought I'd won the lottery when they accidentally sent me a box of 10 π Plugged it in and tried them. Nearly sh4t myself when the beeper sounded. Yep they have sounders in them and feckin loud. Got one in the leftovers build. The 2 pin works but obvs no self cancel I have cut the beeper wire though π Steve
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Post by JonW on Feb 12, 2021 13:03:07 GMT 1
Superb! I also had the white tyre pen out most weekends and... yes I also fitted a bleeper to one bike when i couldnt work out the wiring for the dash light so bypassed it, then didnt know i was still indicating so added the bleeper... {head in hands} I knew it was wrong back then and still did it lol Hey, don't laugh When I did the 3hm1 the Indies didn't work. It was a 2 pin relay so I bought one off eBay Thought I'd won the lottery when they accidentally sent me a box of 10 π Plugged it in and tried them. Nearly sh4t myself when the beeper sounded. Yep they have sounders in them and feckin loud. Got one in the leftovers build. The 2 pin works but obvs no self cancel I have cut the beeper wire though π Steve Damn, maybe i should get one... "for that truck reversing sound you absolutely dont need to hear when turning" lol
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Post by jackjabba on Feb 12, 2021 14:06:20 GMT 1
Red Baja foam grips. You could buy Vinyl paint so I painted a spare LC seat RED with it. The guy I got the seat off was telling everyone some fool had bought his seat and was going to paint it. I turned up a couple of weeks later to buy some more bits off him and he told me about the guy with the seat. When we went outside he saw the seat and said wow where did you get the seat. "From you cnut, I am the fool that painted it."
Painted the front section of the radiator cover Red.
Worst offence was fitting a pair of rear foglamps to the sides of the number plate. I had to use the bike all year round and had a commute of 24 miles each way. I am sure the fog was worse in those days.
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Post by elsiefan on Feb 12, 2021 14:36:38 GMT 1
Wow, that takes me back and fires up a few synapses I thought were long dead!- Baja foam grips, also had a red pair, but on my white X7, along with 'HAWK' adjustable ace bars and some 'LeSport' spannies, white and red tyre paint (Avon tyres) and small metal number plate. I thought it was the dogs danglies at the time, but I was only 17 and it was 1978!
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Post by Gitram on Feb 12, 2021 14:44:59 GMT 1
you guys all had too much money...
marti
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Post by elsiefan on Feb 12, 2021 14:55:41 GMT 1
I can also remember fitting a king / queen seat to my CX500, which was amazingly comfy, though collected water if left out in the rain. Plus I bought a 'no name' 2:1 exhaust for it at the Earls Court bike show in '81 (I think), which I couldn't get to fit properly, so returned it a couple of days later and there was no problem with a refund as he had sold a few and all were returned due to poor fitment. I also fitted a hazard warning unit and switch to the bars, which worked ok but I don't think I ever needed to use it in anger.
As for my power valve, other than a set of reeds and a steering damper, it remained stock, but I was at Uni at the time and the student grant didn't go too far.
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Post by elsiefan on Feb 12, 2021 14:57:35 GMT 1
you guys all had too much money... marti I didn't have a lot, but what I did have was spent on the bike!
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Post by drc on Feb 12, 2021 16:20:45 GMT 1
I'll probably have to delete my account on the board after posting this, but I had a 1976 aircooled 250 with a set of "General Lee" air horns on it. 5 trumpets all mounted around the rear mudguard.
I just noticed that you can still buy them on Amazon. Hmmmm.....
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Post by Gitram on Feb 12, 2021 16:38:56 GMT 1
I'll probably have to delete my account on the board after posting this, but I had a 1976 aircooled 250 with a set of "General Lee" air horns on it. 5 trumpets all mounted around the rear mudguard. I just noticed that you can still buy them on Amazon. Hmmmm..... there was a chap who had them on his Dream in my village, nothing wrong with that.. although he attracted the attentions of the local bobbies after he had been out drinking and that's when it went wrong... I had a set in my work jeep years ago, still in my garage, might dig them out again.. marti
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Post by jackjabba on Feb 12, 2021 17:23:27 GMT 1
I can also remember fitting a king / queen seat to my CX500, which was amazingly comfy That takes some beating as its only taken the CX 40 years to become cool. Oh the shame of it..
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Post by tony2stroke on Feb 12, 2021 17:30:45 GMT 1
Red Baja foam grips. You could buy Vinyl paint so I painted a spare LC seat RED with it. The guy I got the seat off was telling everyone some fool had bought his seat and was going to paint it. I turned up a couple of weeks later to buy some more bits off him and he told me about the guy with the seat. When we went outside he saw the seat and said wow where did you get the seat. "From you cnut, I am the fool that painted it." Painted the front section of the radiator cover Red. Worst offence was fitting a pair of rear foglamps to the sides of the number plate. I had to use the bike all year round and had a commute of 24 miles each way. I am sure the fog was worse in those days. Now that's funny
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Post by elsiefan on Feb 12, 2021 17:30:53 GMT 1
I can also remember fitting a king / queen seat to my CX500, which was amazingly comfy That takes some beating as its only taken the CX 40 years to become cool. Oh the shame of it.. Has the CX become 'cool'? Maybe the 650 Turbo version. It wasn't called the 'plastic maggot' for nothing π€£ Hanging my head in shame at having had a CX and a KQ seat! I did replace it with a 900SS, then the power valve and then a Stan Stephens stage 1 500LC.
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