The friendly "dumb" bike questions thread

[Steve Bass]

A500leroy said:

RizzoTheRat said:

What bike? Worth hunting for an owners forum as you may well find ones from other models fit fine. Eg Yamaha use the same bluespot calipers on a lot of different bikes, and the master cylinders will often fit different bikes.

xj600, so its not like its rare.

Can it not be refurb'd??

Strip down, soda blasted and painted/lacquered etc?

Given the age of the bike, you might be finding comparable units as old and rough as yours.

[RizzoTheRat]

A500leroy said:

RizzoTheRat said:

What bike? Worth hunting for an owners forum as you may well find ones from other models fit fine. Eg Yamaha use the same bluespot calipers on a lot of different bikes, and the master cylinders will often fit different bikes.

xj600, so its not like its rare.

I can sell you a whole XJ600 if you want a backup

As above, it might be tricky finding one for an older bike. The alloy they use tends to go a bit scabby but can be cleaned up pretty well.

There's a Diversion owners group on Facebook, might be worth asking if anyone has fitted one from a different bike.

[Steve Bass]

RizzoTheRat said:

The alloy they use tends to go a bit scabby but can be cleaned up pretty well.

Very easy to make a home made soda blaster for about 10 quid that will bring up something the size of a mater cylinder/lever assembly like a charm. Just needs a small compressor to drive it.

[A500leroy]

Steve Bass said:

RizzoTheRat said:

The alloy they use tends to go a bit scabby but can be cleaned up pretty well.

Very easy to make a home made soda blaster for about 10 quid that will bring up something the size of a mater cylinder/lever assembly like a charm. Just needs a small compressor to drive it.

So id be safe enough refurbishing the internals and just replacing the lid?

[Steve Bass]

A500leroy said:

Steve Bass said:

RizzoTheRat said:

The alloy they use tends to go a bit scabby but can be cleaned up pretty well.

Very easy to make a home made soda blaster for about 10 quid that will bring up something the size of a mater cylinder/lever assembly like a charm. Just needs a small compressor to drive it.

So id be safe enough refurbishing the internals and just replacing the lid?

100%.

Get a new piston/seal kit and you're set. Just make sure that the bore isn't worn. You'll know before you strip the assembly as the brake not be solid or consistent. If the bore is gone, you're in for a replacement .
If it's all good however, it's easy to tidy up the metal pieces and if the cap is a generic type, simply replace with something newer and to your liking.

[A500leroy]

Steve Bass said:

A500leroy said:

Steve Bass said:

RizzoTheRat said:

The alloy they use tends to go a bit scabby but can be cleaned up pretty well.

Very easy to make a home made soda blaster for about 10 quid that will bring up something the size of a mater cylinder/lever assembly like a charm. Just needs a small compressor to drive it.

So id be safe enough refurbishing the internals and just replacing the lid?

100%.

Get a new piston/seal kit and you're set. Just make sure that the bore isn't worn. You'll know before you strip the assembly as the brake not be solid or consistent. If the bore is gone, you're in for a replacement .
If it's all good however, it's easy to tidy up the metal pieces and if the cap is a generic type, simply replace with something newer and to your liking.

Cheers lads! I dont think theirs much wrong with it performance wise it just looks tatty and appears to have some kind of black gunk sealing the lid on as well as the screw.

[Steve Bass]

A500leroy said:

Cheers lads! I dont think theirs much wrong with it performance wise it just looks tatty and appears to have some kind of black gunk sealing the lid on as well as the screw.

Post some pics if you want, we can give you the collective advice

[A500leroy]

Steve Bass said:

A500leroy said:

Cheers lads! I dont think theirs much wrong with it performance wise it just looks tatty and appears to have some kind of black gunk sealing the lid on as well as the screw.

Post some pics if you want, we can give you the collective advice

yh will do when i can get to my garage! cheers

[Krise]

First dumb question from me...3 weeks into my biking life

How often do I need to oil my chain, and what with ? Any recommended products ? Something that won’t flick all over my bright orange wheels.

Also do I need to clean my chain before hand ?

I was told about regular brake cleaning, again if anyone could elaborate on this, intervals and products.

Thanks in advance

Krise

[A500leroy]

Krise said:

First dumb question from me...3 weeks into my biking life

How often do I need to oil my chain, and what with ? Any recommended products ? Something that won’t flick all over my bright orange wheels.

Also do I need to clean my chain before hand ?

I was told about regular brake cleaning, again if anyone could elaborate on this, intervals and products.

Thanks in advance

Krise

Chain clean with parrafi and a rag to dry it off, chain lube depends on the rider, some just use old engine oil, some prefer something like wurth chain lube, every 600-1000miles seems about right.

[Krikkit]

I've switched to using heavy weight gearbox oil now, I think it's 80w90, cost about a tenner for a litre that'll last years. Applied with an old toothbrush quite sparingly. I clean it with a rag and some aerosol chain cleaner that I bought, but once it's run out I'll look at something different.

I know it's probably obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together, but don't clean the chain with the thing in gear and running...

[bogie]

Krise said:

First dumb question from me...3 weeks into my biking life

How often do I need to oil my chain, and what with ? Any recommended products ? Something that won’t flick all over my bright orange wheels.

Also do I need to clean my chain before hand ?

I was told about regular brake cleaning, again if anyone could elaborate on this, intervals and products.

Thanks in advance

Krise

Chain lube depends on riding conditions and mileage. I do 3k dry miles a year on one of my bikes it probably gets done once by me and once by the dealer at service time.

If you are riding through dusty, dirty and wet conditions then perhaps more often.

Most people find their preferred chain lube based on trial and error, I cant even remember the brand, bought it 5 years ago .

Brakes - I let the dealer do it at service time, once a year they inspect pads and clean up, nothing more than that, change fluid every 2 years. See what it says in your service manual for the bike.

[Pothole]

Krise said:

First dumb question from me...3 weeks into my biking life

How often do I need to oil my chain, and what with ? Any recommended products ? Something that won’t flick all over my bright orange wheels.

Also do I need to clean my chain before hand ?

I was told about regular brake cleaning, again if anyone could elaborate on this, intervals and products.

Thanks in advance

Krise

When I rode through the winter I poured a watering can of hot water (filled from the hot tap, to dissolve road salt etc. better than cold) over both front and the rear calipers EVERY TIME I CAME HOME. a 5 minute faff, sure, but saved me having to rebuild calipers like the previous winter...

[joema]

I usually oil my chain once or twice a week. About every couple of hundred miles. probably doesnt need it but it's no effort. You can usually tell when it needs a lube as it starts to look dry.

I periodically clean the chain but tbh i just put more lube on old lube. It's a bit filthy.
I use a cleaner called elbow grease and water that gets rid of most of the gunk. Brake cleaner works too.

I use a tin of muc off for lube. It doesn't seem to fling off too much compared to others. Some of the cheaper ones are bad for that.

Never cleaned the brakes other than when the bike is washed.

Agree on the above when commuting in the winter. Also ACF50 the bike and then spray some gt85 type spray over the exhaust header as each time i use the bike it burns off every ride and then the header corrodes.

Hopefully wfh means less of that and my bike can stay a bit neater...

[anonymous-user]

Pothole said:

When I rode through the winter I poured a watering can of hot water (filled from the hot tap, to dissolve road salt etc. better than cold) over both front and the rear calipers EVERY TIME I CAME HOME. a 5 minute faff, sure, but saved me having to rebuild calipers like the previous winter...

I was told many years ago never to do this. Afaik hot water aides corrosion from salt and is not a good idea. Cold water is a much better option. Maybe that’s wrong but what I do?

[Pothole]

soofsayer said:

Pothole said:

When I rode through the winter I poured a watering can of hot water (filled from the hot tap, to dissolve road salt etc. better than cold) over both front and the rear calipers EVERY TIME I CAME HOME. a 5 minute faff, sure, but saved me having to rebuild calipers like the previous winter...

I was told many years ago never to do this. Afaik hot water aides corrosion from salt and is not a good idea. Cold water is a much better option. Maybe that’s wrong but what I do?

How can it "aid corrosion" when the salt is washed off? Doesn't seem at all logical. I can only go on my limited sample size "research". I didn't ride a control bike on which I only used cold water, though.

[Speed addicted]

Pothole said:

soofsayer said:

Pothole said:

When I rode through the winter I poured a watering can of hot water (filled from the hot tap, to dissolve road salt etc. better than cold) over both front and the rear calipers EVERY TIME I CAME HOME. a 5 minute faff, sure, but saved me having to rebuild calipers like the previous winter...

I was told many years ago never to do this. Afaik hot water aides corrosion from salt and is not a good idea. Cold water is a much better option. Maybe that’s wrong but what I do?

How can it "aid corrosion" when the salt is washed off? Doesn't seem at all logical. I can only go on my limited sample size "research". I didn't ride a control bike on which I only used cold water, though.

I feel the need to wade in here with partial information, I’m an inspection engineer in the oil industry and spend far too much time looking at rust. As you can imagine salt damage is an issue on oil rigs.

So, the main issue with salt is that it traps moisture while increasing the electrical conductivity of the area. So your metals can get to corroding away quite cheerfully, more so when you have things like stainless or carbon bolts going through alloy parts so you get nice little corrosion cells going.

Hot or cold water? Well the main concern would be shifting the salt and getting it dry to stop the corrosion, so hot water is best as it’ll get rid of more salt for the same amount of water. If you’re comparing a kettle to a hose then the hose will probably do a better job.

Corrosion works better with a bit of warmth but the brief time it’s warmed for won’t make a difference, unlike sticking it in a warm garage while it’s wet and covered in salt.

[rexwexford.]

will be trying my first winter commuting so generally preparing in advance whilst its still 'nice' out there.

i have handgaurds but my bike doesnt have heated grips so i have some questions..

- how much difference do heated grips make ?
- are they effective still if wearing big winter gloves?
- is it worth looking at heated gloves instead? i feel like these seem easier than faffing around putting the grips and i like the ones currently on my bike.


ta

[Krikkit]

rexwexford. said:

- how much difference do heated grips make ?
- are they effective still if wearing big winter gloves?
- is it worth looking at heated gloves instead? i feel like these seem easier than faffing around putting the grips and i like the ones currently on my bike.

From when I looked at this same issue:

Yes they make a difference, even when wearing winter gloves. For me I wanted not to have anything obvious (being a naked which is quite clutter-free), so I went for battery heated RST gloves. They're bloody lovely, as they heat the back of your hand/fingers (rather than heated grips which won't obviously) and don't need any bike changes.

If it's just a daily commuter then handguards and grips is probably the easiest as they won't need charging and faffing. And be cheaper.

[A500leroy]

rexwexford. said:

will be trying my first winter commuting so generally preparing in advance whilst its still 'nice' out there.

i have handgaurds but my bike doesnt have heated grips so i have some questions..

- how much difference do heated grips make ?
- are they effective still if wearing big winter gloves?
- is it worth looking at heated gloves instead? i feel like these seem easier than faffing around putting the grips and i like the ones currently on my bike.


ta

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/219379

plus if you change bikes you aint got the faff of changing handgrips, Also get 5l of acf 50 for the bike..