1985 Yamaha FZ750 - The Start Of A Restoration.

Honest, it followed me home...

There are still quite a few bikes that I want to own one day, mainly nineties sports bikes, a few really old bikes, and quite a few other odd ones that might just happen one day. One I've been after for quite a while, especially since seeing a lot of restomods on them, is the FZ750 - the half-faired, original version. To me, that thing is sheer beauty. 

When one popped up at my favourite bike breakers - Motogenn, in Burleigh, Gold Coast - I sent Paulo a text "Put my name on it! I'll take it."

Paulo insisted, "Come and have a look first."

"I'll take it!"

For those who don't know Paulo, he is an absolute gentleman, extremely helpful and who deals in mostly modern motorbikes. I've had several parts from him for the R1, amongst other projects, and his prices are the fairest around. Anyway, I popped over for a look, said yes I'll grab it, and came back with the money a few days later. She's gonna be awesome!

Loading it in the van was easy, Paulo had a decent ramp to get it in. It took two of us to push it in (it has no working brakes) and it just needed a good, confident shove. 

When I got it home, I had no such luxuries. I found a shitty old pallet that was nowhere near long enough and got ready to launch it on my own. Figuring this would end in disaster, I asked a neighbour to help me. She quickly, and quite rightly, declined but said her housemate, Corey, would love to. So, out comes old mate, barefoot and looking somewhat bewildered. I told him to jump in the van and hang onto the handlebars, and I would hold the back as it rolled down the pallet.

This would have been ok, had the pallet not given way under the weight of the back wheel which then left the bike jammed on its exhaust and on the edge of the van. Bugger! It just needed a good pull backwards to free it and, sure enough, with a good tug, we were mobile once more. 

And this is when things got exciting for old Corey. I didn't have much control after getting it moving and the bike shot out at great speed with Corey hanging on for grim death, straddling the front wheel, barefoot and quickstepping on a very steep, rough pallet. All I could think was we are going to drop this bike, but no, Corey hung on well and it stayed upright. He was bloody marvellous to be fair and, legend has it, he even had most of the splinters out of his feet by the morning.

Replacing Brake Seals on Triumph T150V Lockheed Caliper.

She is heavy, and she ain't my brother...

Ye olde Tridents were heavy. There's no way to sugarcoat it, modern bikes are an absolute joy to move around compared to the bikes of the seventies and eighties. I really feel for the older riders having to sell their old 750's and 1000's due to weight, but completely understand why they have to do it.

But it's not just the struggle onto the centre-stand, or moving it out of the garage. You sort of rely, quite heavily (oof is that a pun?), on the brakes to haul all of that extra weight up. And a fixed, two-piston caliper, on a small solid disc, needs to be in pretty good condition to do the job. 

Well this bike is a 1974 model... and it is now 2022, and this is probably its first seal kit. It's done well! Not that it was leaking or anything. The pads weren't binding on the disc either, in fact, everything was pretty good. But the old seals were pulling the pistons back further than they ought to which, to the rider, means much more lever travel before retardation takes place.

Repacking Your Can, Exhaust, Silencer or Muffler.

Shut it! I can't...

Before I start, I love quiet pipes, and wish I had the standard can for the R1. Better for my ears and attracts a lot less attention when you're bouncing off the limiter. The Bandit has quite a nice deep tone with its db killer in, but the R1 was a little more raucous. Time to repack it.

With a little research done, I've been hearing good things about Acousta-fil fibreglass packing. Not cheap, but worth it if it lasts a few years.

Here's the Australian-made Screaming Demon can that was fitted to the bike when I bought it. A little long by modern standards, and takes me back to the Hindle pipes of the nineties. It's good quality, but I want rid of the main badge and will rotate the can so the small maker's badge at the bottom is hidden around the back.

'02 - '03 Yamaha R1 Fuel Light Flashing Eight Times

How to fix...

There are a lot of opinions out there regarding this fault, and some would have you believe it's an engine management issue. But this is down to the fuel sensor circuit only. 

Replacing the Gear Change Spring on Swinging Arm BSA A10

Working on the A10...

Being pressed back into action for the first time in years, you sort of expect a few issues. The only thing that went wrong was the gear change return spring snapping, but did it leave me stranded? Not at all, shoot back home, take off the cover and order a new one. It was there the next day! 

So, without further ado... The outer cover comes off easily with four nuts to remove and three screws. The kickstart and gear change can stay attached at this stage and makes it easier to remove the cover. Also, the outer cover can be removed without affecting the gear indexing so makes this a very easy job.

With cover removed, you can see the offending item sticking out behind the gear change mechanism. The split pin, visible here, can stay in place, just remove the tiny circlip from the outer side of the cover and the whole unit will slide out from this side, revealing the spring.

Classic Brit Bike Road Test Fest!

Biketech7 - Back to the UK for a Roadtest of the Past.

What can I say about the latest road test? It's been a while, but this was pretty unique. To ride old faithful was gift enough after all this time. Sat for the last seven years with oil in its petrol tank (thanks dad), the '54 A10 astonished me. Still a first-kick starter, petrol tap on, a quick tickle and it was running. Effortless, except for the hefty heave on the kickstart, I couldn't have been happier. But to get out on the other two bikes too, outstanding!

Devauden.

Early evening in Tintern.

The next bike to get an airing was the '59 T110, pretty much an original bike, and another easy starter as long as you remembered the retard lever. I was rusty. I forgot. Still, the old Triumph is a true gentleman, or lady, and was perfect once up and running. Certainly more oomph from the Trumpet, and the front brake was a hell of a lot stronger, but annoying play in the head bearings became a pain when upping the pace. More on that later.

'02-'03 Yamaha R1 Idling and Running Problems

 Cutting out and doing my head in...

R1 Streetfighter - What'll She Do Mister?

WOW!

Considering the old tyres, this bike impresses immediately. Admittedly a little bit wary on roundabouts because the tyres are as hard as wood - but as they clean up a little, it starts to inspire a little bit more confidence. (They will get changed for Rosso II's soon, I just wanted to make sure everything else was going to hold together before lashing out on new boots.)

Suspension is nice, sublime, stiff but supple, and doesn't pound you like the Bandit or older bikes. Old, conventional forks don't caress you in the slightest, they can leave you feeling tired and drained after a few hours. Modern (we're talking twenty-year-old modern) forks can deal with the shit underneath, and leave you feeling pretty bloody rested in fairness.

The naked R1's biggest attribute? It's absolutely bloody solid! 

A massive difference when compared to a frame with some flex. And with the ProTaper bars, you're pulled forward enough to be in a slightly racer-like position, which is much more comfortable for me than sitting dead upright. This oozes quality, and you can feel how capable a bike like this is straight away. If it was the faired bike you would expect it, but the handlebars make you think differently.

Now the engine feels harsh at lower RPM (wear/issues?), but as the power winds on, oh so nicely, it smoothes out. In any gear, a quick blast up to the ton is a walk in the park, like any sportsbike should be. I think this is a much better hooligan tool than the fully-faired bike, and I look forward to getting a few lessons.

I've not done enough miles yet...

I'll be back with more soon, but I really like it.  It's quick, and it wheelies much too readily when you give it large. Yeah, this will be a fun bike. It inspires enough confidence to let you know that it will look after you whatever happens on the road, but is going to throw your bollocks in a bush if you start taking the piss. 

On that note, here's a video of it sat still, where it can't do any harm.

Yamaha R1 Streetfighter - Wiring To The Finish!

 Tidying up the wiring...

So far, the most painful part while knocking up the streetfighter has been the wiring or, more importantly, where to hide it. While also making it look tidy and functional. Where the manufacturers have loads of room within a fairing to put everything neatly, we need to move it somewhere else.

Traditionally, the headlamp shell would hold a fair section of wiring, but my LED light is pretty chunky and I'm guessing it's going to run quite hot with the huge heatsink on the back of it - I'll keep an eye on that.

There seems to be a fair bit of room under the airbox (above the engine) so I'm putting what I can in there. I'm also moving two relays under the seat along with the fusebox, purely for ease of access. The fan relay can stay under the airbox. I'll keep the headlamp fairing loom intact with all plugs so it can be put back to standard at a later date.