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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 10:55:43 GMT 1
A group of loosely associated old men like me, most of whom I've never met, are planning (well have talked about in the pub & started a Face Ache page) to do the Lands end to John O'groats trip next year. Two rules apply: 1) Maximum 125cc 2) Motorcycle must be Cruiser or Custom type. Optional rule for the brave/foolish: Country of origin: China 2nd set of optional rules: pi$$ pot helmets, tassels, leather chaps etc.etc. Yamaha SR125. Already turning out to be a bit of a pussy magnet.
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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 12:58:38 GMT 1
Observations so far after my first two 300mm rides. Front brake is 98% ineffective. Rear light lens, handlebar grips and riders footpeg rubbers are exactly the same as 250/350 LC. It rumbles and clatters a bit but I don't know what they are supposed to sound like. Sometimes it farts and just stops. My Mrs. says like its owner. She's still in a bit of a mood. Apparently I have enough motorbikes already......I still don't know what she's talking about.
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Post by geoffb on May 29, 2022 13:24:30 GMT 1
Love the challenge, hate the bike š¤£
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Post by 29davyt on May 29, 2022 13:35:31 GMT 1
Donāt go into that Lands End car park, charged me Ā£7 last week for the car ! Mind you thatās probably more than you paid for that bike , lol š
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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 20:08:28 GMT 1
Love the challenge, hate the bike š¤£ It is quite disgusting but growing on me....like a wart.
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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 20:09:21 GMT 1
Donāt go into that Lands End car park, charged me Ā£7 last week for the car ! Mind you thatās probably more than you paid for that bike , lol š Cost me slightly more than an LC main stand.
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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 20:15:55 GMT 1
Oh and the front caliper looks like a 31K YPVS one. First job I think. Strip the caliper and have a look to see what's going on. Even with a top speed of around 60 I could do with some kind of front brake.
Just discovered yesterday that there's no trip meter. That's a bit inconvenient. A two gallon tank and no trip. Gonna have to do some maths.
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Post by evochris on May 29, 2022 20:26:34 GMT 1
Thatās the lawn mower the pussies like, the tabby was just about to shat on the seat I reckon
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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 21:13:04 GMT 1
Thatās the lawn mower the pussies like, the tabby was just about to shat on the seat I reckon Good point. Honda four stroke single V Yamaha four stroke single. I reckon the Honda has the power advantage. Said to the Mrs. I'll sort it out, get it MOT'd and we'll go to Withernsea bike night and park it near the Harley's.
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Post by donkeychomp on May 29, 2022 21:22:24 GMT 1
Do you all live near Lands End? Otherwise it's going to be an epic trip just getting to the starting point!
Great choice of ride though.
Alex
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Post by steve63 on May 29, 2022 22:48:01 GMT 1
Do you all live near Lands End? Otherwise it's going to be an epic trip just getting to the starting point! Great choice of ride though. Alex I live in East Yorkshire but I think most of the others are over in West Yorkshire. Wherever you live you do it twice really. It's around 500 to Lands End, a 1000 mile trip and the 500 home. I did joke with the Mrs about following along in a van. Ā£50 to pick up each broken bike. Make a fortune. A guy in the group rode to Lands End about 35 years ago and then home. He finished the trip by going to John O'groats a couple of years ago. Possibly the longest it's took anyone to do the trip. Told my sister about it and she's planning to do it on push bike when she retires in a year or so. She's done a few of the long distant rides like Trans Pennine Trail and Coast to Coast but that's the Daddy of em all!
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Post by donkeychomp on May 29, 2022 22:56:11 GMT 1
Fantastic! I wish you all the best and secretly (well, not really a secret NOW) I'd love to join you all. I'd opt for a Yamaha RS100 as I had one in my spotty youth and I could probably coax that into doing 2000 odd miles.
Alex
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Post by steve63 on May 30, 2022 9:32:19 GMT 1
Fantastic! I wish you all the best and secretly (well, not really a secret NOW) I'd love to join you all. I'd opt for a Yamaha RS100 as I had one in my spotty youth and I could probably coax that into doing 2000 odd miles. Alex Do it! The rules are very loose. Just put some tassels on the bar ends š I think it's a The 'More the Merrier' type group so all's welcome š I was offered a Honda Varadaro 125 for Ā£200, was tempted but needed de-crusting. There was a Gagiva 125 two stroke thing also but I thought small tank, stroker mmm, maybe not.
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Post by evochris on May 30, 2022 12:47:08 GMT 1
Yes do this, the Harley boy will be distraught!!. I Took the YPVS to a Triumph owners club show yesterday (Sunday) and parked in between the early bikes, it looked well out of place, to be fair everyone enjoyed the RD though.
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Post by steve63 on May 30, 2022 17:44:43 GMT 1
Yes do this, the Harley boy will be distraught!!. I Took the YPVS to a Triumph owners club show yesterday (Sunday) and parked in between the early bikes, it looked well out of place, to be fair everyone enjoyed the RD though. There's room for everyone, even Harley riders š I've had a few small bikes and they've all been fun. C70's, A100, KMX125. Great fun. Momentumism we called it, the art of never slowing down unless you really have to. That was fine on an A100 for 8.5 miles from work but not so sure about 2000.
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Post by steve h on May 30, 2022 21:54:17 GMT 1
Quit yer whinging.... the brakes on it are 2% more efficient that Norton Commando "brakes"
Let me know if you pass through the Northwest, I can hurl eggs at you if you like.
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Post by steve63 on May 30, 2022 23:06:44 GMT 1
Quit yer whinging.... the brakes on it are 2% more efficient that Norton Commando "brakes" Let me know if you pass through the Northwest, I can hurl eggs at you if you like. I wasted a bit of time today looking at the route but only got as far as looking at the first leg to Cornwall. 'It's a long way' was the conclusion. I reckon to average 40/45 at best would be realistic. That's ten hours in the saddle minimum just to get to the start. I think working out a detailed route and sticking to it will be a good idea.
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Post by JonW on May 31, 2022 5:55:54 GMT 1
great trip... less sure about the bike. I was all 'oh yeah!' then read the rules and was less keen. Ive done long 50cc trips back when its all i could legally ride so know your pain. A 125 should do around 70 flat out tho, so that is not so bad.
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Post by steve63 on May 31, 2022 6:36:28 GMT 1
great trip... less sure about the bike. I was all 'oh yeah!' then read the rules and was less keen. Ive done long 50cc trips back when its all i could legally ride so know your pain. A 125 should do around 70 flat out tho, so that is not so bad. An old guy I used to work with back in my apprenticeship used to ride to Wales to see relatives once or twice a year on his Honda 90. The other guys just said it was because he was too tight to pay for a train ticket or the extra petrol his car would use. I think you are over estimating the power of this machine. The MCN review of the SR125 gives it two stars for the engine. Basically rice pudding skin would win the tug-of-war and that's with a healthy engine. One reviewer said he once saw 70 on the Speedo š ONCE! Seen 150cc big bore kits for them. Can't see it making a great deal of difference š
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Post by billbott on May 31, 2022 7:22:54 GMT 1
We did the North Coast 500 on Honda 90ās in 2017 ā near enough 1500 miles from Bolton and back. What we hadnāt considered is that because you arenāt hanging on to the bike during braking and acceleration, just bouncing along in a comfy seat, its not as tiring as a big bike. Its one of the best trips weāve ever done (thereās a thread on here somewhere) We would love to do LEJoG but just donāt have enough holidays from work (or the FPO) This years plan is to ride the GPz900ās down to Spain ā we debated the C90ās but simply donāt have enough time but once we retireā¦ Its amazing how far you can get at an easy 45mph
Iām sure youāll have a great time, it sounds like a proper laugh. Wish I could go with you.
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Post by steve63 on May 31, 2022 12:08:07 GMT 1
We did the North Coast 500 on Honda 90ās in 2017 ā near enough 1500 miles from Bolton and back. What we hadnāt considered is that because you arenāt hanging on to the bike during braking and acceleration, just bouncing along in a comfy seat, its not as tiring as a big bike. Its one of the best trips weāve ever done (thereās a thread on here somewhere) We would love to do LEJoG but just donāt have enough holidays from work (or the FPO) This years plan is to ride the GPz900ās down to Spain ā we debated the C90ās but simply donāt have enough time but once we retireā¦ Its amazing how far you can get at an easy 45mph Iām sure youāll have a great time, it sounds like a proper laugh. Wish I could go with you. Well done for that š My fag packet calcs are done using 45 as an average which might be optimistic. Planning fuel stops might be a challenge. Not as bad as a Honda 90, 1.5 gallons?
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Post by billbott on May 31, 2022 12:25:02 GMT 1
We did the North Coast 500 on Honda 90ās in 2017 ā near enough 1500 miles from Bolton and back. What we hadnāt considered is that because you arenāt hanging on to the bike during braking and acceleration, just bouncing along in a comfy seat, its not as tiring as a big bike. Its one of the best trips weāve ever done (thereās a thread on here somewhere) We would love to do LEJoG but just donāt have enough holidays from work (or the FPO) This years plan is to ride the GPz900ās down to Spain ā we debated the C90ās but simply donāt have enough time but once we retireā¦ Its amazing how far you can get at an easy 45mph Iām sure youāll have a great time, it sounds like a proper laugh. Wish I could go with you. Well done for that š My fag packet calcs are done using 45 as an average which might be optimistic. Planning fuel stops might be a challenge. Not as bad as a Honda 90, 1.5 gallons? 1.5 gallons - i wish - 3.5 litres! 70 odd miles and after that you're pushing :-)
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Post by steve63 on May 31, 2022 12:59:30 GMT 1
Well done for that š My fag packet calcs are done using 45 as an average which might be optimistic. Planning fuel stops might be a challenge. Not as bad as a Honda 90, 1.5 gallons? 1.5 gallons - i wish - 3.5 litres! 70 odd miles and after that you're pushing :-) My A100 did about 65mpg and had a one gallon tank and a bit in reserve. It had a 'second' reserve if it ran dry. You push it up a curb then lay it on it's left side toward the tap. A couple of egg cups full would be in hiding over on the right side of the tank so you if you could persuade them into the carb it would be enough to get you to the nearest garage. I did it many times. I used to do 15 miles each way on a C70. About 10 of it on a dual carriageway 100% flat out. With a head wind it would drop to 30/35 so I'd drop it down to 2nd, rev it to death and back to top. Then repeat. Back wind was 50. Was fun carving past the cars that flew by me on the dual carriageway once we got back in the town. I think taking a petrol can might be wise. My neighbour did a Scotland ride on a single, maybe a Husky and that only had a 90 mile tank range. He was telling me he took a can on that trip but never needed to use it.
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Post by steve63 on May 31, 2022 22:38:11 GMT 1
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Post by steve63 on Jun 2, 2022 8:38:01 GMT 1
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Post by tipfinchy on Jun 2, 2022 10:46:20 GMT 1
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Post by steve63 on Jun 2, 2022 22:48:54 GMT 1
Two stars overall and one star for the engine? Mmm, harsh but probably fair š. That review says it has a fuel warning light. It must be well hidden š The Suzuki GN125 is probably a better bike overall. I think they have a four valve head and luxury items like a rev counter and a trip meter. Even a gear indicator š. This one fitted the bill, it was very local and cheap!
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Post by steve63 on Jun 6, 2022 6:36:09 GMT 1
Scraping out the caliper seal grooves with a piece of shaped welding wire. Always reminds me of being at the dentist. Remember when you could go to a dentist?
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Post by stusco on Jun 6, 2022 11:59:15 GMT 1
You can get a wire wheel from a dremmel in those grooves
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Post by steve63 on Jun 6, 2022 12:58:34 GMT 1
You can get a wire wheel from a dremmel in those grooves I was just saying to someone that's what I need. I have a Dremmel and I think it has some polishing wheels but It needs to be something a bit more substantial, maybe brass. I'll have a look but there are some absolute rubbish out there that fall apart within seconds. I have lots of stainless welding wire in 1.5mm and 1mm. I squash it bend it and twist it into all kinds of shapes for lots of jobs. In my opinion one of the most useful things in the garage. I'm sure all the aluminium oxide is gone. The temptation is to use the bead blaster. I'm almost certain it would do no harm as I doubt it takes any aluminium off at all but I've not succumbed to the temptation yet.
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