Dave B
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Post by Dave B on May 26, 2020 9:30:41 GMT 1
I've killed three genuine Dremels over the past five years, but my orange Black and Decker one is still going strong after two years. I'm more surprised to be writing that then you are to be reading it.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on May 15, 2020 10:57:35 GMT 1
The current bunch of "Custom" bike builders,with their brown seats no mudguards, and a huge gap between the back wheel and the engine, should be made to study the excellent engineering and beautifully harmonious lines of that before they are allowed anywhere near a bike workshop. A road bike with true race style and functionality. That's not a cafe racer, it's a five-star restaurant racer!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Feb 11, 2020 10:53:14 GMT 1
I used to work at Carnaby in Bridlington. The company importing those Ural bikes that re-named them as Neval was just a couple of roundabouts up the road. So we would see them being tested in what was left of the race circuit, and they were pretty impressive for a 1950 BMW twin. The firm switched to importing a little Lada jeep thing later, and the transmission gears were louder than the motor. I don't know if anyone ever bought one, but if they did, they are probably still running, and still howling like a banshee in FWD!
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Jan 29, 2020 10:28:08 GMT 1
I had a T500 ex racer with a twin leading shoe front brake. Once warmed up it was OK, but there were two problems, cold and at low speed, it was dangerously snatchy, and it was totally useless when you were going backwards, or holding the bike for a hill start. Since I lived at the top of a very steep hill at the time, I was glad to change to a disk.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jan 27, 2020 11:10:50 GMT 1
I made a compartment inside the seat hump (it's a FZR seat with the pillion bit filled in). It holds a bottle of oil with exactly enough oil for 10 litres of petrol, and the lid is held by Dzus clips. I use 32:1, because if necessary you can do the maths for any amount by halving. So if you need to add 8 litres, half of 8 is four (=2:1). Half of four is 2 (=4:1), Half of 2 is 1(=8:1), half of 1 is 0.5(=16:1), half of 0.5 is 0.125=(32:1).
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Jan 18, 2020 11:36:10 GMT 1
I spent years of my life doing assessments on performers, so I can give a full critique if you like. To keep it short though, I like the tone and the dynamic range. Singing unaccompanied, the tempo is a bit random in places, but I'd expect that. It's not at all bad. With a bit of coaching and production, she'd do well in the studio, especially on one of the big rock ballads.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jan 17, 2020 10:45:32 GMT 1
A friend of mine was competing in the Manx Scooter Week in the early 70's. He was asuccessful rider in scooter events, but after the first day, he wrecked the cylinder. We had a spare sent over from Liverpool, but it was bog standard. After a lot of begging and wheedling, we got access to a car workshop at Quarter Bridge. I had a couple of grinding points, and one of those huge electric drills with a handle on the end. I did what I could in the way of porting, though it was quite strenuous, working with the drill resting on my shoulder. The drill must have weighed about 14kg! After putting the bike together, (A Lambretta GT200) Nick did the 200 mile event, and came back and said,"I can recommend your porting. It's never gone so well!". If you are wondering, I did know quite a lot about two strokes even then- though I did not know half as much as I thought I did! www.amazon.com/Two-Stroke-Motorcycle-Engine-Maintenance-Repair/dp/1785001205
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jan 14, 2020 16:33:52 GMT 1
Hi, If you are in Charleston, you might come across my old friend John Glimmerveen. He's doing vintage trials on a TY175 now but he knows his way around the twins, because he was a race mechanic in the TZ era. He is on facebook under the name of Classic Motorcycles- and he's a judo black belt and Sensei too. Cheers and welcome, Dave
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jan 8, 2020 10:49:04 GMT 1
Seriously, you need to decide whether this is a bike for you to ride, or whether you are trying to build an 'authentic' restored investment. You would certainly not be the only person on this forum to be happily zapping around the roads on a 250 frame with a completely different engine. Incidentally, I have owned and ridden a bike with no frame number or VIN at all. It was built from a brand new and unstamped frame. I know because I did it myself. The lack of an engine number is usually a danger sign, but that might be possible too, if a genuine set of cases were bought as spares. There is only one reason for engine numbers to be ground off- crime! It's either the mark of a stolen bike, or an attempt to pass off a rebuild as a 'matching numbers' bike. My advice would be to stop worrying right now. The bike was built long before the rules about SORN etc. came in. Right now it's a box of bits, so does not need any paperwork of officialdom. When it's a bike, then you need to find a way to get it on the road. From experience, it will be about two years before you need to think about that. In the meantime, you have a 350 motor, that would go very nicely in a number of more interesting frames from Aprilia, Spondon, etc. You also have a genuine 250 frame, there are plenty of 250 engines in the world. Two stroke singles from motocross bikes are really good fun! You definitely don't need to cut it up or scrap it.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Dec 17, 2019 10:47:45 GMT 1
I looked at that, then underneath was a "similar" item. It was a Yamaha R3 frame for about £750. Now that would make a very nice hybrid!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Dec 13, 2019 10:54:21 GMT 1
If the hand held does not show the RPM, then the chances are that the servo controller is not receiving the signal from the pulse coil either. On the other hand, the engine runs, so the pulse coil must be working. If the servo controller does not know the RPM, then it will not open the valve. That connection from the generator to the Zeel is the one you need to concentrate on.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Nov 9, 2019 10:28:04 GMT 1
I can't find any way to waterproof a relatively new sectional concrete garage that lasts more that a couple of years. It's a case of " I wouldn't have started from here if I'd known the problem". My next door neighbour chipped the pebbledashing on the outside off the lowest six inches of the concrete sections, and sealed it to the ground with Flashing Tape. It worked for about two years.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Oct 25, 2019 10:48:35 GMT 1
Somebody gave me some DOT 5 brake fluid once. I think that is aircraft spec, but it worked fine in my race bikes, and does not absorb water like DOT4, apparrently.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Oct 17, 2019 11:57:59 GMT 1
I'd boast about this all day. It was a nice day yesterday so I took the YPVS special out for a run. It needs a few miles more running in after its rebuild. I was keeping the revs down, 5-7000 and pottering along the little roads at the top of the ridge between Cheshire and Staffs, but I thought it deserved a bit of a sniff at the main jets, so went down onto the A34. Taking it easy, passing cars, reached a maximum of 108mph in fourth before changing up. If I were a teenager, I'd leave it at that. But I'm not. So it's only fair to mention that I'd accidentally reset the speedo to count one pulse per turn of the wheel. I has two magnets, so the speedo was reading exactly double! Even at leghal speeds it's absolute delight to ride. drive.google.com/file/d/1EFhr0Vc0Zg8kg8Y5SSWmwaXU2aL5a1tJ/view?usp=sharing
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Sept 25, 2019 11:18:01 GMT 1
I'm apalled at some of the attitudes that I've seen on the internet on Greta Thunberg. As a young person, she has far more invested in the future of the planet than those in power. As she says, she acts the way she does because she has read and understood the science. I suspect that her detractors have not. There is a climate emergency, and it is a threat to us all, and especially to our children and grandchildren. But fixing it, saving the planet and the lives of us all living on it, will mean less money for the rich, fewer profits for shareholders. They don't like what she says, and they don't like that millions of children agree with her, they begin to feel threatened, so it comes down to personal attacks, denigration and mockery. Why jump on that bandwagon? There's nothing in it for you or your descendents exept the gradual worsening of everyones' lives.
And Yes, I do ride a two stroke sometimes, but there are not enough of them in the world to make any significant difference to anything. It's governments and the multi-national businesses that can make a difference, but they won't do it until they are forced to do so. Make fun of Greta and her followers, and you make it easier for them to go on wrecking the world, knowing that people let them get away with it. I expect some flaming on here. A 'smart' internet post is far esier than facing up to the facts. Think about your grandchildren.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Aug 19, 2019 9:26:53 GMT 1
I say "Fine". Lying in the intensive care ward after a heart attack, I still said "fine". What else could I say? I wasn't dead and that's fine by me!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Aug 6, 2019 10:39:09 GMT 1
Some generic synth/acoustic guitar thing. it's the hold music played while i'm waiting for 'the next advisor'. there's also a recoded message apologising for the delay. Sorry about the Caps. I'm typing one handed!
The on hold music for the next insurance company was "Turn Turn Turn" by the Byrds;- but that wasn't the reason they got the sale. It was the hundred quid less for the price!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jul 30, 2019 9:14:33 GMT 1
I saw an American spec YPVS in a shop in Macclesfield that had labels saying that there were catalysts in the exhaust. I'm fairly sure that that is not likely to work well in a two stroke.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on May 8, 2019 10:06:25 GMT 1
I bought a double socket blade fuse holder on Ebay. The bsttery feed to the M Unit and everything else uses a 20A fuse, but there is a separate feed on a 5A fuse to feed things that need to be constantly "on", like the clock in the dasboard unit. It fits where the old fuse block was, but is only a quarter of the size. The other thing is that now the bike uses the cheap and easy to get blade fuses that the local car bits shop sells, instead of the expensive glass ones.
Cheers Dave
PS. the little rubber bung, drilled 7.5mm to fit over the 8mm bolt head, and cut away at the bottom to clear the wire works fine, with a little bit of silicon to keep it in place.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on May 2, 2019 9:53:58 GMT 1
I have taken a completely radical approach to wiring my YPVS hybrid, using a Motogadget M Unit (basic).
The M Unit requires a high current wire direct from battery positive to a terminal on top of the unit. This terminal is just a screw that holds a ring terminal, and it lies no more than a couple of centimetres from the fixing screw, which is obviously at earth voltage, since it goes to the frame of the bike.
There is no insulation on the positive terminal, no little plastic cap or anything, and it is live even with the ignition turned off. While I was riding the bike a couple of weeks ago, a screened cable that I use to connect the gear indicator slipped out of its safe place at the side of the air cleaner box (hit a pothole!), and bridged the gap between the positive and the fixing terminal, putting a full short across the battery for a few seconds.
The engine kept running, and I got home, but when I went to the bike the next day, the bike was completely dead. The M Unit was fried, would not reset, so I had to buy another. With the new one fitted, one of my LED running lights was dead, and whenever the bike revved up, the horn would blow. After a lot of messing about, checking circuits and connections, I discovered that:- 1. The battery had boiled almost dry. 2. The horn blowing was a safety feature of the M Unit warning that the input voltage had gone over 18V. So the temporary short had fried the regulator/rectifier too.
For the lack of one more tie-wrap, that was a very expensive pot hole!
My M Unit now has a nice cover over the positive terminal, made out of a little rubber bung from one of those room perfume refill bottles.
If you are using an M Unit, please be aware of this. Anything drifing about under the tank or seat could do the same.
Cheers Dave
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Apr 13, 2019 9:08:36 GMT 1
When I'm not at home, I put a couple of G cramps on the upper slide rails as well as the bolts at the bottom. You can only open the door from the inside then of course. I'm not saying how I secure the side door though!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Feb 3, 2019 11:29:03 GMT 1
I'm moved to tears by the desperate sadness of your situation, and also by the love between the two of you. Stay strong, never hesitate to ask for help and support, and Carpe Diem.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jan 26, 2019 10:31:18 GMT 1
You could get a designer to do a British equivalent. the colours are the same, but you'd have the Union flag instead of the Stars, and a Lion's head instead of the Eagle. Fun and British too!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Jan 13, 2019 10:49:07 GMT 1
I used one (not the bluetooth sort) to wire my Hybrid. It is infinitely simpler to use an m Unit to create a complete harness from scratch than to waste hours modifying a standard harness to work with different controls, ignition switch, lights, Zeeltronic ECU, speedo...... The programming is one of those things that get a lot easier if you read the manual carefully, rather than pressing buttons and hoping things will work. The othe upside is the reduction in extra modules like flasher units, immobiliser, distribution fuse board etc. that you have to find a place for. I really recommend the M Unit, even if the name does sound like Prince's band, or Zappa's Daughter!
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Dec 26, 2018 11:07:39 GMT 1
Went into the garage to get a slipstone to sharpen the carving knife before attacking the Turkey, and just paused to have another quick attempt to bleed the back brake on the Yellow YPVS. It's still rubbish! Happy New Year everyone!
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Dec 11, 2018 11:05:28 GMT 1
Click on the link in my last post "Villiers History". There is a photo there of the Mark VIIIC. A bike is more likely than a mower at that date, Bare.
Kickstarters on early motor mowers are not unusual however.
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Dave B
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Post by Dave B on Dec 10, 2018 10:47:10 GMT 1
At first sight of your tiny picture, I am having doubts about it being a Villiers. But it looks as if I'm wrong! I've never seen one with the head and barrel cast in one piece. If you have one of those, it is a very early one. A bity more research though, and your motor, with what looks like a forward facing carb, and sunburst finning on the head, might just be a Mark VIII C from around 1924. Hope this helps. Cheers Dave
Villiers History.
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Oct 30, 2018 10:20:09 GMT 1
I would just buy some 14mm (across flats) nuts and drill and tap them M10 x 1.5. But that's because I have an M10x1.5 tap. Cheers Dave
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on Aug 9, 2018 9:20:55 GMT 1
I bought a spares or repairs one off Ebay for not very much, and when it arrived, it turned out to be a pneumatic one. I put it together, made a new "piston ring" for it (150mm bore!) and it's great. The great thing about a pneumatic one, is that you can ride up and down on it if you have to move heavy things on and off a high shelf. It runs off the compressor.
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Dave B
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Posts: 240
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Post by Dave B on May 29, 2018 9:24:05 GMT 1
Radio 6 music. Right now they are playing R.E.M.
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