The friendly "dumb" bike questions thread

[CousinDupree]

Not unless they are hooked. Steel sprockets tend to last well.

[cbmotorsport]

knitware said:

I have a question about swapping rubber brake lines to stainless steel braided lines. As a rule, and given that the rear brake is rarely used, do you just swap over the front? If so, what if the brakes are linked? Any recommendations for fitting, DIY or take it to a garage? Thank you!

I can't speak about linked brakes, but I've only ever bothered to replace the fronts. All my bikes have had pretty crap rear brakes, and I only ever drag them when slow speed manoeuvring.

Braided lines are supposed to give you better feel, a firmer lever and less fade due to old rubber ones bulging. If you can feel all that through your rear pedal then kudos to you. I crtainly wouldn't bother if the hoses are in good nick, and the fluid is nice and new.

Bleeding brakes, especially when changing fluid completely can be a total ball ache, and can often end with a lever you're not totally happy with. If you're not an experienced mechanic and if you've got the money, get a pro to do it.

What bike is it?

[pessimal]

has anyone watched the recent Bennetts bike video showing how the police do escort duty?

could someone explain to me why one of the outriders constantly has his fingers over the brake when when pulling away from a dead stop

thanks

[gazzarose]

Is imagine it's his habit rather than anything more technical. I predominantly ride an offroad bike and I'm always covering both brakes as well as the clutch which I had to make a conscious effort not to do it when I did my test as the instructor told me some examiners don't like it along with 2 finger breaking.

[Lukas239]

Any good recommendations for a nice mid-layer that can be worn casually and still fit under a normal jacket?

Find pulling base layers on and off tiring at either end of a journey to and from work.

I know FXR do a waterproof mid layer hoody but wondered if anything else existed. Cheers.

[Danm1les]

Does anyone have any advice on removing the slipery cleaning prodcut the dealer has used on the seat of my new bike? Went out yesterdya and it was so slippy it was unreal.

I iamgine it was alsomost a silicone spray can prodcut that was put everywhere. It makes it shiny but not safe at the same time!

Thanks,

Dan

[boyse7en]

Lukas239 said:

Any good recommendations for a nice mid-layer that can be worn casually and still fit under a normal jacket?

Find pulling base layers on and off tiring at either end of a journey to and from work.

I know FXR do a waterproof mid layer hoody but wondered if anything else existed. Cheers.

I wear a softshell jacket from Mountain Warehouse over a long sleeve T-shirt (if it's really brassic I wear a thin fleet layer too)
Cheap, waterproof, windproof, looks OK off the bike and is thin enough to fit under my jacket.

[Krikkit]

Danm1les said:

Does anyone have any advice on removing the slipery cleaning prodcut the dealer has used on the seat of my new bike? Went out yesterdya and it was so slippy it was unreal.

I iamgine it was alsomost a silicone spray can prodcut that was put everywhere. It makes it shiny but not safe at the same time!

Thanks,

Dan

I suppose it depends what it's made of, but I'd try a quick wipe down with something alcohol-based. If it's a leather seat then you could use something pretty strong, then treat with something like Gliptone afterwards.

[tvrolet]

Danm1les said:

Does anyone have any advice on removing the slipery cleaning prodcut the dealer has used on the seat of my new bike? Went out yesterdya and it was so slippy it was unreal.

I iamgine it was alsomost a silicone spray can prodcut that was put everywhere. It makes it shiny but not safe at the same time!

Thanks,

Dan

Check on hidden area first, but clutch and brake cleaner spray takes about anything off any surface. Just check it's OK on whatever the seat surface is.

Either that or rub it with surf wax



...and for the landbound out there, yes, that really is a surf wax brand

[bongtom]

-17 inside. Ooof!

Speaking of batteries: the weather here (SE Asia) kills batteries (and pretty much anything else) especially if they are not used/charged up often.

I have a small solar panel on the dash of my car and it trickle charges the battery, as I only use it once a month, and being an old car plus humidity the battery dies. (Don’t suppose that’s much help in winter in the UK or N America though!)

[horsemeatscandal]

horsemeatscandal said:

Which is less likely to dissolve when being used everyday in a coastal location, stored outside (although covered and out of the worst of it); Triumph or Yamaha?

Might not make any odds but when I bought a Suzuki I was told with absolute certainty that it would be an orange puddle within a matter of weeks. Had it for nearly a year as per conditions above and it’s fine.

For what it’s worth, just gonna go back to this one and say my question was partly answered in the real world today. Next to my ‘16 SV650 was a ‘16 MT-07 and a ‘16 Street Triple. The MT was absolutely minging, rusting in places I didn’t know could rust. Proper bad nick. The Triple on the other hand was dirty, so probably regularly used, but didn’t see a spot on rust on it. Obviously cleaning and storage arrangements must be considered, but still... disappointing as I fancy a Yamaha and that’s slightly off-putting.

[Deranged Granny]

I'm a massive proponent of not washing bikes. Get it dirty (without salt) once, and then leave it. Non-salty grime is the best barrier to corrosion.

This probably applies to personal hygiene too

[Rubin215]

Deranged Granny said:

I'm a massive proponent of not washing bikes. Get it dirty (without salt) once, and then leave it. Non-salty grime is the best barrier to corrosion.

This probably applies to personal hygiene too

If you're not bothered how it looks in everyday use then cover it with clear car underbody spray wax.

When you finally decide to sell it clean the wax off with paraffin and marvel at how nice it still looks underneath.

[horsemeatscandal]

Deranged Granny said:

I'm a massive proponent of not washing bikes. Get it dirty (without salt) once, and then leave it. Non-salty grime is the best barrier to corrosion.

This probably applies to personal hygiene too

Must admit, that’s my technique with the car.

I’ll wash the bike maybe twice a month, give it a rinse after any salty rides and that seems to be doing the trick for the bike in general, however this winter completely ruined the chain.

[knitware]

cbmotorsport said:

I can't speak about linked brakes, but I've only ever bothered to replace the fronts. All my bikes have had pretty crap rear brakes, and I only ever drag them when slow speed manoeuvring.

Braided lines are supposed to give you better feel, a firmer lever and less fade due to old rubber ones bulging. If you can feel all that through your rear pedal then kudos to you. I crtainly wouldn't bother if the hoses are in good nick, and the fluid is nice and new.

Bleeding brakes, especially when changing fluid completely can be a total ball ache, and can often end with a lever you're not totally happy with. If you're not an experienced mechanic and if you've got the money, get a pro to do it.

What bike is it?

Hi, your advice matches what was said to me, if the rubber hoses ar in good condition and has ABS don't bother with braded lines, the faff is ridiculous and the benefits minimal.

[cbmotorsport]

knitware said:

cbmotorsport said:

I can't speak about linked brakes, but I've only ever bothered to replace the fronts. All my bikes have had pretty crap rear brakes, and I only ever drag them when slow speed manoeuvring.

Braided lines are supposed to give you better feel, a firmer lever and less fade due to old rubber ones bulging. If you can feel all that through your rear pedal then kudos to you. I crtainly wouldn't bother if the hoses are in good nick, and the fluid is nice and new.

Bleeding brakes, especially when changing fluid completely can be a total ball ache, and can often end with a lever you're not totally happy with. If you're not an experienced mechanic and if you've got the money, get a pro to do it.

What bike is it?

Hi, your advice matches what was said to me, if the rubber hoses ar in good condition and has ABS don't bother with braded lines, the faff is ridiculous and the benefits minimal.

If it aint broke don't fix it. Worth doing on old bikes, or track bikes where you're really going to put them through the mill, but if your brakes are good and confidence inspiring, there's really no point.

[MikeyB99]

Where's the best place to search for/buy a used bike (under 5 years old)? MCN? Autotrader? Anywhere else?

I've just started looking for my first bike and loking for used, under 5 years old and hopuflly under £5K - just wondering where most bikes will be advertised to give myself the best chance?

If I was looking for a car, I'd just go to Autotrader and know that that was my best source - is it the same for bikes? I've also been looking at MCN - is there anywhere else?

[Krikkit]

Autotrader and eBay are the ones I've been using - I tried MCN, but their website is crap, and everything I found on there was replicated on the other two anyway...

[cbmotorsport]

+1 for Autotrader.

If you want a specific bike, have a look at the manufacturer's used list that most have on their website.

Ebay - Don't discount it. I've bought some very nice bikes from ebay, from some very nice people - study the adverts and pictures, they tell you so much about the seller. Meet in person, inspect and buy.

[MikeyB99]

Thanks both Glad to know I was already on the right lines.

And agreed on MCN, I'm not the biggest fan of their website either.