Moto Guzzi V9 & Watsonian and other stuff.

Willy  keeping out of the weather with me.

That sounds like some serious rain.  Looks like Willy is wanting to know where the grain and hops are... lol

Willy doesn't do grain.... just hops......

Standard sort of winter storm here.

Maybe a whisker stronger winds than last year.

A couple of plants got sand blasted I think.

200 meters from the beach.

So that was something. 

Power was out for over 12hrs.

And couldn't get straight back on the lathe.

Did a bit today.

Just feeling my way as lathes were never my trade.

But a bit of something different. 

Cut the teeth off the new yesterday.

And cut the old sprocket back yesterday and today. 

Did a slight step cut on the new.

Different diameter one side to the other. 

Meant when it went over the old it was already true...

Well to a point.

Wondering how to fineness it a bit as I weld it.

Here it is. 

There was a sidecar with the old royal Enfield but the guy wanted silly money for the rust.

So not yet.

It seemed good at this point. 

But

And not a good but.

Didn't do the weld right and it pulled out of round a fair bit.

Wouldn't have thought it could.

May need to do again.

A bit frustrating in that there's so much other stuff needs doing........

No idea how I had time to go to work...

Speaking of going to.work Dennis decided to ride a couple of his old historic registered bikes to work.

1st the 39 military spec royal Enfield ( 350 sidevalve  )

Including the dispatch rider specific saddle bags ( again 1939 ).

Then the RD350.

On historic club licence the vehicle is basically only to be used on club runs.

Or for testing and tuning.

The test was how long it took to get to work. 

16 mins on the 39.

13 on the RD.

12 on the goldwing.

Bummed for you on the sprocket.  

Any chance you could overcome the warpage with a heat & press routine? 

Meantime Dennis is having way too much fun.  Someone needs to.let him know it's winter.  He should be miserable and cold... 😉 

(Very cool collection of bikes 🤩 )

I keep stiring him about taking his car when it rains.......

Meow meow meow.

But to be fair he drives buses on a split shift .

So goes to work twice a day with long break in the middle. 

It would drive me nuts.

But it pays better so he does it.

I  mentioned some of the portable bike enclosures that are available. 

So he will check with the powers that be if its allowable.

Then a full rain suit could be left with the bike as well.

(No lockers) 

It doesn't rain that much here and his total  commute is less than an hr a day.

The sprocket pulled out of round rather than just buckled sideways. 

Which caught me out a fair bit.

Should have preempted it but not so this time.

So cut of and replace as it's already heat treated.

Annoying but that's experience gained and Dennis is paying. 

I just wasted a couple of days. 

Posted by: @brstr

↑

I just wasted a couple of days. 

Bruce, I wouldn't say that you wasted a couple days.

Think of the experience gained from finding out how NOT to do it, and what that is worth.

Full value received Miles.

Thank you.

Dennis turned up this morning so I put the sprocket in the lathe and spun it.

A bit awkward trying to accurately measure the run out but he decided to run it 1st and see.

A bit of chain slap won't stop it straight away. 

He needs the wheels fitted so he can start it for the 1st time. 

So press on.

Back in the '70s U.S. bike scene elliptical sprockets were a thing.  

Maybe some knee high sport socks, and a pair of Adidas Stan Smith's are in order... 😉 

Ok now I haven't told the missus yet.

But went out early

 This morning on the 6 fiddy single banger.

I do like the little jigger.

Even I it is made for 5' 6" people with size 6 boots.

That last point I caught onto this morning. 

Well my size 13 was caught anyway 🙃. 

I learned when I went to leave in a carpark in front of witnesses. 

The footpeg does 2 things in a tight carpark turn.

1 gets hung up and digs in. ( bent)

2 doesn't flick back enough to proceed. 

A motorcycle that stops proceeding can only lay down.

And it did.

Wedging my boot under just after that moment when the brain kindly informs you that you in particular are  going down.

No recourse at that point it's a done deal.

So there I lay in the carport with motor atop happily putting away.

Trying to get a hand on what just happened and why???

People bless them came rushing to my aid.

At that I was busy laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

But gathered enough scattered marbles

To say my foot was stuck.

( not even sure if I could have gotten free alone. Think so maybe)

So they lifted it clear enough to extract said limb.

Whereupon I extracted digit enough to help stand the offending machine and turn it off.

Damage in pics. 

Banana bent peg and smashed mirror. 

I had noticed those forward pegs touched easily.

But the minimal hinge ability I'd not realised  

Will see if it can be opened up some.

Had already been thinking a chair would suit this bike.

Thoughts confirmed. 

Embarrassed?.. meh too old for nonsense.

At 70 you have to consider on going skill levels etc.

But pretty sure this was a bike specific fall.

Press on.

And the peg out.

And replace the mirror. 

Somethings are just humourous.  A small tip over where only pride and a few parts are dented fits that perfectly.  Each year at renewal time the insurance company asks if I've taken a motorcycle safety course.  I'm waiting for them to add "geriatric" to that title.  🤣 

Glad you;re still good to go.  Thanks for sharing, and for triggering memories of my own fails.  

Mount that pedal on the wall to hang your riding jacket on. 😉 

Been busy doing seasonal gardening stuff. 

Winter here and the days are already starting to lengthen.

Hey a minute counts....

Cut down and cut up to mulch a tree that was just in the wrong spot.

Got some small fruit trees to relocate. 

And my grape vines are ready to prune. 

Might head out today to see if I can find some simple round mirrors to replace the little rectangular style ones..

The actually foot peg may straighten depending what I find with its rubber removed. 

But to prevent a recurring episode I will be looking into how the pegs can be made to hinge more then the current setup.

Not sure how Suzuki got away with that and for 30 yrs making this model.

As you do,

I spent a fair bit of time analysing the incident ( could scarcely be called an accident  )

The bike came with a slightly lower profile tire than stock. 

A 70 instead of an 80 .

I was already looking at a 90 profile when the need arises.

Very minor changes but in the right direction I think.

Stiffer springs and I may have some longer rear shocks.

Not planning on racing but seriously that peg got bent no more than 2 meters from the start point. 

There are few made in India sidecars for sale locally. 

Unusual.

But need to sell some cars 1st.

@scott-h yes all I wanted to is lay there and laugh.

Trouble there were some ladies in a panic thinking I was hurt.

And when I said my foot was stuck.....

Could have phrased that differently......

Actually it was the size 13 boot that was jambed.

If I had been alone it may have had to stay while I removed my foot. 

It had been so long and was so far out of left field that I was discombobulated for a bit.

Had a good productive day in the garden. 

My poor little electric chainsaw will need a new chain after taking the stump down to almost ground level.

Put a guava tree in I was given..

Can't even think what they are like.

Rain tomorrow so shed and bike repair time.

Ok the peg is straightened and bends up further,  though not as much as I would like.

Took all week to figure a simple solution.  ( read cheap ).

Was actually given  a pair of mirrors though there maybe a favour involved at some point.

Solution was to add a bit of metal one side and notch the other. 

The chrome mounting block it fits in also houses the sidestand.

I think designed not by engineers but by the stylists.

Possibly not a huge amount of saki involved but some.

A fair bit for the engineers as while the mounting block does its job it isn't hugely practical. 

Looks good in a chrome kind of way though.

Ok.took all day making it fit.

And work better.

Lots of grinding, fitting, filing, fitting and repeating. 

It's about 17mm longer which is a slight backward step but necessary and good for the big boots ( size13 )

Hard to see the angles but should he enough to stop another carpark laydown. 

On the left anyway.

Will sort the right latter. 

Famous last word.

Right peg is stock and modded left peg.