Euro tour - only a LITTLE different

[Willy Nilly]

Excellent work.

I thought Austria was a trek on my CBR600.

[Andybow]

Excellent Tom! Good work

[Andy XRV]

Good to finally hear from you and good to see you're well into the bowels of Europe. Weathers poop back here some a few more sunny pictures wouldn't go a miss

[Krikkit]

Brilliant idea OP, looking forward to some more updates.

[MotorsportTom]

Cheers folks!

She has had more than a couple of tanks of fuel now 😂 over 1400 miles since leaving home I think, I yesterday I started my day st nearly 3pm because of a hangover!
Weather is pants here too now, and I think carrying luggage and giving it relative hell for leather up some passes has done the clutch in.

It's now slipping so badly I can barely use 1/8th throttle! Lucky there is a repair shop with good reviews about 8km away.
Just got to hang around in my hammock til 9am when they open!
This was the weather at the top of a pass yesterday, I was told there were lovely views worth the bumpy road on the way up....

Its on the L186 from Waldkirch to Sankt Peter

[speedy_thrills]

MotorsportTom said:

A lot of people will be reading and thinking "it's stupid" "why not take a real bike?" or having read more recent threads "125's are dangerous".

Excellent work on the trip. Always worth bringing a few tools (tape, wire ties, puncture repair kit, hand pump etc.) just to get you out of a tight spot. Also cheap heated grips, you will not regret investing a few pounds.

I started out on a 150cc motorcycle and it was fine, if you held the throttle open you could go about 70mph...80 if you got down on the tank. The only thing was it was too forgiving, when I came to ride bigger bikes I realised there where a lot of skills I still needed to polish. One of the things that the Honda Grom has shown is that people are really interested in motorcycling and it can be good fun even on a learners .

[MotorsportTom]

ATTENTION - desperately in need of help.

So this morning after the clutch slip woes I changed all the steel plates, fricition plates, springs and stuck fresh oil in and the bike was good to go.
Now some 300ish miles later the clutch has started slipping again with almost no warning!

Any ideas duly appreciated as its sunset soon and I have 350km to do tomorrow just to get to Calais... and I need to do that by 1pm.

For reference, bar is adjusted so there is a few mm of free play, engine side HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED at all. Plus I dont see why it would suddenly go out of adjustment but Im all ears

Thanks in advance

[Pothole]

MotorsportTom said:

ATTENTION - desperately in need of help.

So this morning after the clutch slip woes I changed all the steel plates, fricition plates, springs and stuck fresh oil in and the bike was good to go.
Now some 300ish miles later the clutch has started slipping again with almost no warning!

Any ideas duly appreciated as its sunset soon and I have 350km to do tomorrow just to get to Calais... and I need to do that by 1pm.

For reference, bar is adjusted so there is a few mm of free play, engine side HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED at all. Plus I dont see why it would suddenly go out of adjustment but Im all ears

Thanks in advance

MotorsportTom also said:

I won't have to pay for breakdown cover but lets face it, it's very unlikely to breakdown, if it does I am likely to be able to fix it by the road side with tape, hammers and the old favourite, cable ties. Worst case if I can't fix it by the road side I can probably call a taxi to put the bike in to get me to the nearest bike shop, or have a couple of energy drinks and carry it.

Just saying...

[MotorsportTom]

Pothole said:

MotorsportTom said:

ATTENTION - desperately in need of help.

So this morning after the clutch slip woes I changed all the steel plates, fricition plates, springs and stuck fresh oil in and the bike was good to go.
Now some 300ish miles later the clutch has started slipping again with almost no warning!

Any ideas duly appreciated as its sunset soon and I have 350km to do tomorrow just to get to Calais... and I need to do that by 1pm.

For reference, bar is adjusted so there is a few mm of free play, engine side HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED at all. Plus I dont see why it would suddenly go out of adjustment but Im all ears

Thanks in advance

MotorsportTom also said:

I won't have to pay for breakdown cover but lets face it, it's very unlikely to breakdown, if it does I am likely to be able to fix it by the road side with tape, hammers and the old favourite, cable ties. Worst case if I can't fix it by the road side I can probably call a taxi to put the bike in to get me to the nearest bike shop, or have a couple of energy drinks and carry it.

Just saying...

Thanks PH, I quickly realised my bullishness and hyperbole isn't going to help me right now.
I'll have a fiddle in the morning but Im currently thinking worst case is 40km/h to Calais isn't all that bad...

[Pothole]

MotorsportTom said:

Pothole said:

MotorsportTom said:

ATTENTION - desperately in need of help.

So this morning after the clutch slip woes I changed all the steel plates, fricition plates, springs and stuck fresh oil in and the bike was good to go.
Now some 300ish miles later the clutch has started slipping again with almost no warning!

Any ideas duly appreciated as its sunset soon and I have 350km to do tomorrow just to get to Calais... and I need to do that by 1pm.

For reference, bar is adjusted so there is a few mm of free play, engine side HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED at all. Plus I dont see why it would suddenly go out of adjustment but Im all ears

Thanks in advance

MotorsportTom also said:

I won't have to pay for breakdown cover but lets face it, it's very unlikely to breakdown, if it does I am likely to be able to fix it by the road side with tape, hammers and the old favourite, cable ties. Worst case if I can't fix it by the road side I can probably call a taxi to put the bike in to get me to the nearest bike shop, or have a couple of energy drinks and carry it.

Just saying...

Thanks PH, I quickly realised my bullishness and hyperbole isn't going to help me right now.
I'll have a fiddle in the morning but Im currently thinking worst case is 40km/h to Calais isn't all that bad...

Sorry, mate. Nobody can say you idn't have an adventure, though! Nutter.

[bitcrusher]

MotorsportTom said:

ATTENTION - desperately in need of help.

So this morning after the clutch slip woes I changed all the steel plates, fricition plates, springs and stuck fresh oil in and the bike was good to go.
Now some 300ish miles later the clutch has started slipping again with almost no warning!

Any ideas duly appreciated as its sunset soon and I have 350km to do tomorrow just to get to Calais... and I need to do that by 1pm.

For reference, bar is adjusted so there is a few mm of free play, engine side HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED at all. Plus I dont see why it would suddenly go out of adjustment but Im all ears

Thanks in advance

What oil did you put in? I've had clutch slip from oil changes before, wrong grade/too much oil etc

[black-k1]

bitcrusher said:

MotorsportTom said:

ATTENTION - desperately in need of help.

So this morning after the clutch slip woes I changed all the steel plates, fricition plates, springs and stuck fresh oil in and the bike was good to go.
Now some 300ish miles later the clutch has started slipping again with almost no warning!

Any ideas duly appreciated as its sunset soon and I have 350km to do tomorrow just to get to Calais... and I need to do that by 1pm.

For reference, bar is adjusted so there is a few mm of free play, engine side HAS NOT BEEN ADJUSTED at all. Plus I dont see why it would suddenly go out of adjustment but Im all ears

Thanks in advance

What oil did you put in? I've had clutch slip from oil changes before, wrong grade/too much oil etc

I too would suggest oil. Have you put car oil in? I understand the additives can cause such issues with wet clutches.

[MotorsportTom]

Cheers for the replies chaps

Nope 10w30 Honda 4 stroke oil from the dealer that supplied the parts.
I adjusted things on the engine side this morning and it seems to have done the trick!

fk knows why it stopped being in the right place all of a sudden without interference!

[torqueofthedevil]

Looking forward to a full write-up and looking forward to a full write-up and photo soon photos soon - if you made it back!

[MotorsportTom]

Made it home around an hour ago. I left Gauchin-Verloingt (or nearby) around 6:30am UK time.

Bloody long day!

I'll start organising the write up and photos and hopefully have the first post up in the next few days

[black-k1]

Well done, and I hope you had a great trip. Looking forward to the write up and the photos..

[Globs]

Sounds like a great trip, small bikes - like small boats - are more fun.
When the tool is too good for the job it becomes mundane, especially when the whole point is adventure.

The main thing I find on bike tours is the wet, cold and lack of shelter when you're tired (when visions of camper vans start appearing) and none of those is really helped by a bigger bike: although weather protection can be better (but even a 1200GS is still not up to the weather standards of a small scooter).

Looking forward to the pics

[SteelerSE]

Looking forward to reading about the adventure.

[torqueofthedevil]

No write up!?! I did my CBT since last time I posted here! On the same bike as you have! It was great - first time I rode a geared bike. Going to get my Mod 1 & 2 done soon.

[Alicatt1]

I past my test on a CB125 in 1975 as my CD175 was feeling a bit under the weather again.

As I passed first time I have only praise for Honda's little 125s

Have enjoyed reading the tale so far, now eagerly awaiting the write up