Plan B !

[shaunthe2nd]

Looks great Dusty, some good creative stuff, sometimes doing a budget build makes you think outside the box!

I've a box of old clock wiring looms, mostly not LC but provides a good source of donor connectors if you need any, I may have.

[dusty350]

Very kind Shaun regards the wiring connectors. I know Alex was looking for wiring for the idiot lights, and I found a sub loom the other day whilst looking for something else. I will dig it out again and have a better look.
And yes, you are correct about being creative. In an ideal world I would do a nice bracket in CAD and get my engineering guys to bend it, but it's money I dont need to spend, so for about a quid, this solution for the rear light works just fine, and more importantly, rescues a rear tray that might otherwise be deemed unusable

Dusty

[dusty350]

Not much to report lately, but I did win an airbox on ebay recently;

20240127_204140 by dusty miller, on Flickr

Basically in good condition but missing an intact snorkel, filter support bars, 2 x box to carb rubbers and the 2 airbox seals, so still a good few quid to throw at it ! Still, half the price of most of them listed. Also "won" 2 footrests;

20240127_204202 by dusty miller, on Flickr

Cosmetically challenged but solid and straight, and came with 2 replacement rubbers which are better than the ones fitted. I know we always say it but spares prices are just getting ridiculous now. Think this will be my last Lc build as it's just too expensive to do
On a positive note, I'm trying a new powdercoaters for my Lc wheels. Found them on Facebook, local to me, and I popped in last week with a wheel to see what they could do. I have the standard 250 wheels off the Swiss bike which are in really nice condition and for this build I would like to keep the ally rims and spoke edges. They said they can do it so we will see. Going with a satin red. They popped the tyre off for me whilst I was there, foc, as they have the machine, and can refit and balance afterwards. Nice couple of fellas, been trading for a year and seem really keen to do a good job - mainly bike stuff and they are both bikers so know the score with bike parts.

[donkeychomp]

That's good to hear mate. Where are they as I need some tyres changing.

Alex

[dusty350]

Think they do tyres as part of the powdercoating package - they aren't a general tyre place. They offer a service where they will come to you and remove the wheels and leave the bike on paddock stands, remove bearings and tyres, then blast and coat, then reassemble and come and refit. Or you can just take bare wheels in, or with tyres fitted - whatever you want, and the level of service is priced accordingly. I'm more than happy with Jamie but I thought I would give these guys a go. Jamie is suffering with a recurring shoulder problem and he is struggling at the mo, so this is another "Plan B"!
They are on Platts Eyot, an Island in the Thames in Lower Sunbury, near the road to Hampton Court

[donkeychomp]

I know it. Wonder if Sunbury Tyres still do bikes? I'll give 'em a tinkle.

Alex

[mouse]

Jan 29, 2024 22:40:27 GMT 1 donkeychomp said:

I know it. Wonder if Sunbury Tyres still do bikes? I'll give 'em a tinkle.

Alex

Alex, for tyre changes you could try 'Steve Jordan motorcycles' or 'Guildford tyres' or maybe 'MD Mototrcycles' (not Mr Dunlop!) if they are still going.

Mouse

[donkeychomp]

Thanks mate. Are any of these local?

Alex

[dusty350]

I'll probably going to Guildford tyres in a couple of weeks time Alex, once the Lc wheels are done
Not that local,(Chilworth) but very good (only do bike tyres)

[mouse]

Jan 30, 2024 22:35:49 GMT 1 donkeychomp said:

Thanks mate. Are any of these local?

Alex

Yes, Steve Jordan's is in Leatherhead and MD in Walton. As Dusty said Guildford tyres in Chilworth.

Mouse

[donkeychomp]

MD...are they the Ducati (ahem) specialists?

Alex

[mouse]

Jan 31, 2024 22:25:24 GMT 1 donkeychomp said:

MD...are they the Ducati (ahem) specialists?

Alex

The very same!

Mouse

[markrd250lc]

Ive always used Stewarts for tyre changing, he was down the back of Kempton park but he was moving to Hampton, Ive know him years and great for banter and general insults etc , proper old school, let me know if you want his number.

Mark

[donkeychomp]

Cheers Mark. I do know MD...bunch of stuck up gits. However after a chat with Mouse today if all I want is a tyre changed then I'll use them. They are 4 minutes from me.

Alex

[donkeychomp]

Bit of a thread hijack, sorry Dusty!

Alex

[dusty350]

No worries mate.
I found MD in Walton really good when I had the 900SS.

[donkeychomp]

Yes mate...but you arrived on a Ducati. Turned up on a Mito and they actually laughed at me.

Alex

[dusty350]

So I dropped the 250 Lc wheels off to the new Powdercoaters on Wednesday morning;

20240131_085010 by dusty miller, on Flickr

20240131_085004 by dusty miller, on Flickr

They had already removed the front tyre for me and removed and disposed of the old rear. I had gone over the alloy rims and spoke edges a bit, but didn't want too shiny. The acid bath and blasting process would dull it anyway. Got a call today to say they were ready, and picked them up this afternoon.
With each new project, I try and do something a bit different to what I've done before, and this time the idea was to go with alloy rims ( I often go fully powdercoated) and a bright wheel colour (but not white this time !) I decided on a bright red, satin finish. There is a lot of gloss black on this bike, so the only "colour" will be the wheels and bodywork. I'm toying with the idea of a Jap market paint scheme so I think red wheels will "lift" the look quite a bit.
Ovi is a one man band, putting in a lot of hours trying to get his business going, and was keen to get them just as I wanted them, which he has certainly achieved

20240204_184133 by dusty miller, on Flickr

www.facebook.com/reel/1281675656568764/?s=single_unit&__cft__[0]=AZXESxSOjakJtbxMx8Xy4C_CLceOaWUaMjSFpOTZ1vIWWzkZoXrw3FT2bWiWqspe1T7NFIx7lQfxYe-63Ae7B9Ty5fo5F6fCV3C1bg1Ns7i1n0uarqVfNtMRZ9t0yMnSrXlN05DPDUupTdec3W7AMCC72-Z8q8vt2VbdBh59K9odCVW5Nwse1YGwnLYWL3YV-4s&__tn__=H-R

Not sure if you can see the vid ?
Will get new bearings this week and hopefully order tyres too. Will be good to get it on it's wheels

Dusty

[mouse]

They look great Dusty!

Nice that there is another option for powdercoat etc.

Mouse

[donkeychomp]

Really well done.

Alex

[oldbritguy]

Really nice job on the wheels Dusty. Should look really good on the JDM colour scheme.
Yet again I don’t think you could turn out anything but a top job anyhows. At least this project is ticking over slowly unlike my own which has ground to a complete halt (winter really buggers Al fresco spannering)
John

[pylwagl]

Thats a good looking set of wheels! Useful vid too - I'd often wondered how a powder coat finish is combined with polished rims. It didnt occur to me that you could just wipe the powder off before baking. Dohh

[dusty350]

Tyres fitted yesterday - Roadrider 2's

20240209_070804 by dusty miller, on Flickr

New bearings and seals too. There is a new pair of drilled discs on their way, plus I bought 6 locking tabs for the front bolts Seems a lot of money for what they are but...
12 Stainless bolts from a local supplier, and I will polish them up a bit before fitting. The brake plate for the rear is off the Swiss bike and in nice condition, but I'm gonna remove the paint and polish it to add some va va voom to the rear end as it's a bit black with the swingarm and frame

[markrd250lc]

The wheels look fantastic, did you polish the rims and they masked them up before power coating?
Mark

[dusty350]

Hi Mark
The rims weren't too bad to start with but I went over them with a foam abrasive block, fine grade, to get them better. I knew the acid bath and blasting process would have an effect on the bare alloy so no point in going too mad on them. Ovi, the owner, had previously done a pair of Pv wheels - it's when I saw them posted on Facebook that I heard about this firm, and he had coated the rims in a chrome powdercoat and the main part of the wheel in red. I'm still not convinced by the chrome powder finish, and wanted to stay with alloy. Ovi uses a really small hoover type tool to remove the powder from the rims before baking. On the spoke edges he carefully cleaned the powder off with his finger ! The only masking was the brake drum and the centres of the front wheel. Once baked, he then went over the spoke edges and the rims with a scotchbright pad. I have gone over them with some solvol, but not gone mad, as highly polished alloy is a nightmare to maintain on bikes, imo.
He's not far from you, in Lower Sunbury/Hampton border.
My usual contact, Jamie, wasn't keen on doing it as he couldn't guarantee how they would turn out, so finding a firm locally that would do it was a right result.

The discs arrived from Germany today, so I fitted those. I ground the lettering off the stainless bolts and polished them up a bit, and also spent time getting the black finish off the brake plate and polishing it up. Need to do a bit more finishing on it but pleased I went with a polished finish, looks wise;

20240209_172725 by dusty miller, on Flickr

20240209_173258 by dusty miller, on Flickr

[markrd250lc]

Thanks Dusty, are they on the island?

[donkeychomp]

Yes.

Alex

[shandyboy]

Very nice Dusty

Alan

[JonW]

Very nice Dusty!

Haha re him removing the powder with a finger. I remember a guy wanting to do his Mazda calipers with white MAZDA lettering and the bodies blue at my mates place. I loosely told him what to do and let him get on with it. After he did them white he spent ages masking up the letters... I was doing some master cyl tops at the same time and showed him how I clean off the YAMAHA raised letters with a finger, he looked gutted lol

[sidney81]

Hi dusty , the wheels look fantastic 😎