Stupid engineering designs
Discussion
You've never worked on a Ducati then or removed the rear wheel on an MV?
My Aprilia is pretty simple to work on but you have to remove the calipers to take out the front wheel, the bolts are supposed to be renewed each time, I wonder if anyone does this?
Similarly with quite a few cars owned by family I often get called in when bulbs need changing, my nieces and nephews all seem to be drawn to French cars whose propensity to blow bulbs is in proportion with their inaccessibility, removing the bumper or wheelarch liner to swap a bulb is madness.
My Aprilia is pretty simple to work on but you have to remove the calipers to take out the front wheel, the bolts are supposed to be renewed each time, I wonder if anyone does this?
Similarly with quite a few cars owned by family I often get called in when bulbs need changing, my nieces and nephews all seem to be drawn to French cars whose propensity to blow bulbs is in proportion with their inaccessibility, removing the bumper or wheelarch liner to swap a bulb is madness.
Centre high beam light on my Aprilia Tuono
Have to take the whole front fairing off to change the bulb and adjusting it ain't much better
Only other one I can think of was way back in 2001 when I had my carb'd sv650s and it would get crap in the front cylinder when it rained heavy or was really cold and it make the bike run on one cylinder
Have to take the whole front fairing off to change the bulb and adjusting it ain't much better
Only other one I can think of was way back in 2001 when I had my carb'd sv650s and it would get crap in the front cylinder when it rained heavy or was really cold and it make the bike run on one cylinder
Esceptico said:
Flip up side stand on Ducati 748 / 916
Pretty sure this was just a cheap way for them to get the bike homologated without having to design a cut out switch if you went to start it in gear. (Could be completely wrong, if they did have said switch, why bother with the sprung sidestand, oh right. They're Italian). 
My harley fxr , the rear spindle is supposed to go in from the right hand side , except this means removing the silencers . Solution , put it in from the left hand side !
My bimota sb6 , oil filler hole is behind the right hand frame spar , no possible way to get to it , oil has to be filled through the engine breather which means removing seat/ tank unit , fuel tank and fairing to remove the oil filter.
My bimota sb6 , oil filler hole is behind the right hand frame spar , no possible way to get to it , oil has to be filled through the engine breather which means removing seat/ tank unit , fuel tank and fairing to remove the oil filter.
Gavia said:
All bikes thatbhave that stupid rear brake design, where the pads sit on a ledge unsecured. Every time you try to put the rear wheel back on the effin pads keep dropping down.
It took me and the father in-law about 40 odd minutes to fit the back wheel on my bike the other week. Between the brakes not lining up and the wheel spacers on either side falling off it was just a nightmare. There must be a knack to it which I'm missing. Dreading having to do it on my own one day. Just madness.Cbull said:
It took me and the father in-law about 40 odd minutes to fit the back wheel on my bike the other week. Between the brakes not lining up and the wheel spacers on either side falling off it was just a nightmare. There must be a knack to it which I'm missing. Dreading having to do it on my own one day. Just madness.
I can manage it on my own in 30 seconds flat or 30 minutes of swearing, sweating and wanting to launch the wheel up the garden.It's pure luck if everything lines up the first time or second or third or fiftieth.
Esceptico said:
Flip up side stand on Ducati 748 / 916
To me it is a design fault that to test the oil level you have to stand the bike up vertical (not easy if low down). Why not make it so that you have to test whilst the bike in on the side stand (on level ground)?
First thing I did with my 600SS was to grind the nipple of the retaining bolt so the stand would stay down, crazy design, no wonder so many Ducati's of that era have been dropped on the left hand side.To me it is a design fault that to test the oil level you have to stand the bike up vertical (not easy if low down). Why not make it so that you have to test whilst the bike in on the side stand (on level ground)?
Kawasaki 550 LTD I had decades ago. When the clutch was pulled in it also pulled the side stand up. There was a cable twixt the two. Twice people sat on the bike, stood it up, pulled levers, wiggled the bars a bit, dropped it back on the stand......that was now not down....
I never saw another bike that had a stand like that.
I never saw another bike that had a stand like that.
King Herald said:
Kawasaki 550 LTD I had decades ago. When the clutch was pulled in it also pulled the side stand up. There was a cable twixt the two. Twice people sat on the bike, stood it up, pulled levers, wiggled the bars a bit, dropped it back on the stand......that was now not down....
I never saw another bike that had a stand like that.
A lot of 80's Kwaks had that.I never saw another bike that had a stand like that.
My "favourite" stupid design is the Tokico caliper fitted to the rear of many Suzukis where the pad pins fit into a blind drilling.
After one unlubricated winter the pins weld in and the only way to change pads is to split the caliper.
Gavia said:
All bikes thatbhave that stupid rear brake design, where the pads sit on a ledge unsecured. Every time you try to put the rear wheel back on the effin pads keep dropping down.
Sliding calipers - cannot believe how many expensive bikes still have this crap design for the rear caliper. My early R1 has a proper opposed piston design but they switched to the cheaper option later in production. Race teams (such as Hutchy's Stock ZX10 at last years TT that did a very quick pit stop) drill and lock wire the pads (not sure where or where to) and chamfer the bottom of the pad with a grinder so it doesn't catch the disc as you push the wheel forward.
moto_traxport said:
Sliding calipers - cannot believe how many expensive bikes still have this crap design for the rear caliper. My early R1 has a proper opposed piston design but they switched to the cheaper option later in production.
Race teams (such as Hutchy's Stock ZX10 at last years TT that did a very quick pit stop) drill and lock wire the pads (not sure where or where to) and chamfer the bottom of the pad with a grinder so it doesn't catch the disc as you push the wheel forward.
It's a proper sRace teams (such as Hutchy's Stock ZX10 at last years TT that did a very quick pit stop) drill and lock wire the pads (not sure where or where to) and chamfer the bottom of the pad with a grinder so it doesn't catch the disc as you push the wheel forward.
t design. What really frustrates me though is that if I'm rushing, then there's no way the pad will stay in place, whereas when I've got all day to change it, then it just slots straight in. Cheap bolts and screws. Nothing worse than having to drill out a snapped bolt because it's either rusted in, de-threaded or the head has no intention of helping you out.
All manufacturers should use higher quality materials to suit throughout the whole bike. Even the 'cheap' brands could rid of their horrid stigma that plagues them. It honestly shouldn't add that much to the price of the bike to a point where they'd charge £100s on top of the otherwise RRP. It really baffles me.
All manufacturers should use higher quality materials to suit throughout the whole bike. Even the 'cheap' brands could rid of their horrid stigma that plagues them. It honestly shouldn't add that much to the price of the bike to a point where they'd charge £100s on top of the otherwise RRP. It really baffles me.
Cbull said:
Gavia said:
All bikes thatbhave that stupid rear brake design, where the pads sit on a ledge unsecured. Every time you try to put the rear wheel back on the effin pads keep dropping down.
It took me and the father in-law about 40 odd minutes to fit the back wheel on my bike the other week. Between the brakes not lining up and the wheel spacers on either side falling off it was just a nightmare. There must be a knack to it which I'm missing. Dreading having to do it on my own one day. Just madness.Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff