Is motorcycling allowed?

[mazambaan]

8 hours ago, Hairy said:

 

Hi All

So you all know I just picked my "new to me" 2003 KTM 950 Adventure S up on Saturday from Guy No.1. The person I bought it from, did not have the bike for long, and the previous owner Guy No. 2 did the service himself from the looks of things on the 2nd December 2023, with the ODO on 69531km.

I got the bike on just under 69864km and have now at 70300km, so a total of 761km since the "service" and 436km since I have had her. So she has not been ridden much.

I have noticed a patch of oil under the bike which bothered me, but I recall when I checked the oil (hot bike) the level was on the top limit mark and when checking this against the user manual it tells me at hot the oil should me mid point in the dipstick with the bike level or on the center stand. My assumption is that the motor is spitting out the excess oil, and the Guy No. 2 did the EPS and whatever delete, so the excess oil is just spitting out and down vs going back into the engine?

This got me digging deeper into the slips with the service sheet he has, and I noticed that he used Castrol Edge (Synthetic) 5w40. How much of a stuff up is it that he used a 5w, and then also not the higher grades of fancy name oils on the bike? Should I be flushing out this and replacing with new, and can I do damage to the bike with this oil vs a synthetic 10w50 that the user manual calls for?

Oil selection is a rabbit hole of note. I would go with the manual and use Motorex, Motul or whatever as I don't ride much so its affordable. I fill the amount specified in the manual, only use sight glass/dipstick for checks. Many, many use commercial motor oils BUT change frequently so I would say damage is unlikely.

I would try get to the bottom of where the oil is coming from; airbox (from being overfull etc) or a leak. My experience - these bikes have something that needs attending to if they leak oil.

Wildogs and Advrider be your friend although there are 1000's of posts to sift through.

[Hairy]

4 hours ago, mazambaan said:

Oil selection is a rabbit hole of note. I would go with the manual and use Motorex, Motul or whatever as I don't ride much so its affordable. I fill the amount specified in the manual, only use sight glass/dipstick for checks. Many, many use commercial motor oils BUT change frequently so I would say damage is unlikely.

I would try get to the bottom of where the oil is coming from; airbox (from being overfull etc) or a leak. My experience - these bikes have something that needs attending to if they leak oil.

Wildogs and Advrider be your friend although there are 1000's of posts to sift through.

digging deeper it may the be coming from the gear selector switch.

doing a bit of a degreasing exercise between work so that it will be easier to identify.

base and head gaskets do not look to be showing any signs of sweating or leaks...oils is around the hydraulic clutch and gear shifter area.

[Eddy Gordo]

If your bike calls for synthetic oi, then that is what you should use. Check the recommended spec as well. Many brands will sell the correct weight, but then the spec is not

[Hairy]

5 hours ago, Eddy Gordo said:

If your bike calls for synthetic oi, then that is what you should use. Check the recommended spec as well. Many brands will sell the correct weight, but then the spec is not

Got hold of an engineering friend who dabbled a good bit with oils. It is ok to ride with, but will drain the bike soon any way and replace with new good compatible oil.

[i24]

On 6/13/2024 at 11:05 PM, Hairy said:

 I noticed that he used Castrol Edge (Synthetic) 5w40. How much of a stuff up is it that he used a 5w, and then also not the higher grades of fancy name oils on the bike? Should I be flushing out this and replacing with new, and can I do damage to the bike with this oil vs a synthetic 10w50 that the user manual calls for?

One thing to beware of is using a modern car synthetic oil in a bike with a wet plate clutch. These oils have low friction additives which can upset a wet plate clutch.

[mazambaan]

On 6/14/2024 at 12:18 PM, Hairy said:

digging deeper it may the be coming from the gear selector switch.

doing a bit of a degreasing exercise between work so that it will be easier to identify.

base and head gaskets do not look to be showing any signs of sweating or leaks...oils is around the hydraulic clutch and gear shifter area.

Thinking about it another spot on KTM's that can leal oil is the countershaft seal behind the front sprocket, particularly if the chain is too tight. On many / some KTM's the chain can look slack so follow the tensioning procedure in the manual.

[IceCreamMan]

Next week Saturday I leave with 3 mates for a week in the highlands and do the NC500. Have done it before but rushed it a bit so this time I want to chill. Been looking at the BMW panniers for my GSA but they go for around 850 quid. Even on eBay they are few and far between and go for large coin. 
 

was reading Ride magazine and they had an article on best buys. One of the items was Oxford soft panniers. Bingo moment. Looked into it. Oxford P50s are 199 retail. I thought that’s a lot of cash for something I am not 100 percent sure would work due to high exhaust and pannier racks. Looked on eBay. 35 quid including postage. Boom. Also bought a top bag for 27 quid. 
 

and can use this system on all my bikes. Does not look brilliant but will get the job done and some. 
spot the orange cable ties. Proper Pooratech. 

[Chad Minnaar]

We made the most of the long weekend and did a quick adventure trip.

Saturday… Jhb to Underberg, KZN. We threw in a bit of offroad on the way down and it was a very long day sunrise to sunset. Potholes, cows/donkeys crossing & the sun’s azimuth was straight into the eyes at sunset so vis was dangerously shite (helmet sun visor can only do so much)!

Sunday… up Sani Pass past all the hikers (who choose the same lines 😊) then chased time to get through Lesotho before the border post closed. Afriski was super busy & lunch took longer than anticipated so it ended up being a very long & cold day in the mountains. We saw snow but luckily there was no ice on the roads of Lesotho. Amazing adventure! Spent last night in Fouriesburg & glad to be home in one piece!

Edited June 17, 2024 by Chad Minnaar

[Hairy]

2 hours ago, IceCreamMan said:

Next week Saturday I leave with 3 mates for a week in the highlands and do the NC500. Have done it before but rushed it a bit so this time I want to chill. Been looking at the BMW panniers for my GSA but they go for around 850 quid. Even on eBay they are few and far between and go for large coin. 
 

was reading Ride magazine and they had an article on best buys. One of the items was Oxford soft panniers. Bingo moment. Looked into it. Oxford P50s are 199 retail. I thought that’s a lot of cash for something I am not 100 percent sure would work due to high exhaust and pannier racks. Looked on eBay. 35 quid including postage. Boom. Also bought a top bag for 27 quid. 
 

and can use this system on all my bikes. Does not look brilliant but will get the job done and some. 
spot the orange cable ties. Proper Pooratech. 

very unprofessional not cutting the excess cable tie off....that stuff will poke a hole eventually in the material .. or you.

[IceCreamMan]

26 minutes ago, Hairy said:

very unprofessional not cutting the excess cable tie off....that stuff will poke a hole eventually in the material .. or you.

That’s exactly what I did after foto. Then the ground literally fell away in awe of the GSA. 
 

no panel damage, a few scars. Life’s like that. 

[Chad Minnaar]

[Hairy]

15 hours ago, IceCreamMan said:

That’s exactly what I did after foto. Then the ground literally fell away in awe of the GSA. 
 

no panel damage, a few scars. Life’s like that. 

Shows you, those GSA's are too heavy

Would love to know what insurance would say if they received a pic like that.

[IceCreamMan]

1 hour ago, Hairy said:

Shows you, those GSA's are too heavy

Would love to know what insurance would say if they received a pic like that.

They are heavy. Heaviest bike I have ever owned I think. But on the move you don’t feel it at all. Feels very nimble. 
 

bike has a few scars. My excess is 500. This ones on me. 😢

just one of those things. To amend an old adage, 2 types of bikers, those that have dropped their bikes and those that are still going to drop their bikes. 😂😂

 

[Hairy]

 

[RocknRolla]

The past long weekend was great. 

The wife and my middle son went to ride bikes at Hennops. We have a small issue that my middle son is riding my bicycle, and I only have one bicycle so it's either him or me riding. The tradition is to visit Ale house after the trek out to Hennops, for a Beer and Pizza.

With me not riding bicycle, I was free to hop on my moto for a bit of a daytrip. The plan was that I would meet up at Ale House after the bicycle ride.

I headed out west towards Pinehaven and eventaully the N14. This is the closest dirt road of any distance, and route options from my house, so it's been my go-to lately.

The road was recently graded, which made for some snaky riding, with the occasional ninja-rock waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting front wheel.

I had no route in mind, so I ended up following the dirt road for as long as I can. It crosses various tar roads, I have explored lefts and rights on this road before, and this time, I wanted to basically see where it ends up.

The Graded section eventually stopped, and I had to negotiate some wash-outs and careful line choices.

By this time, I was travelling south more than I was travelling west. I needed to head north at one stage,and then east again to make my way back to the meet-up point.

I stopped to consult Google maps to get a bit of a bird-s eye view of where I was in the world.

After the above photo, the road made a right-turn and I was heading in the correct Direction.

The fields looking like typical winter highveld landscapes.

At a familiar t-junction, I take another right, and I am now heading towards rustenburg. The road is looking familiar, the previous time I rode it in the opposite direction.

Heading towards Rustenburg, the landscape becomes less Flat Highveld-like and more hilly, with some bosveld and trees becoming more pertinent. It's mostly wattle and bluegum.

As I was cruising along I spotted something in the bushes. A moerse Koedoe to my right amongst the grazing cattle, I tried to stop as quickly as possible without too much of a racket. Dismounted and walked back to the opening in the trees/bushes but the Koedoe was long gone. I guess that's why these creatures become so big, and are as elusive as they are.

The road down to the tar towards rustenburg is very entertaining, small ups and downs with some corners between the hills.

I hit tar road and head east. 

Not long after, I see the Mogallywood Brewery sign, and head that way on the Dirt road. Before the entrance, I give the wife a quick call to see where they are on the route. They still have a bit of riding to do, so I stop in for a beer. Roeks and his Wife Lauren welcomes me like an old friend, and I enjoy a refreshing Draught.

As my second beer arrives, I get a call from the wife, they are done riding (shortcuts taken) and are on their wat to Alehouse.

I settle my bill and head out to join them. I thought I was closer than I was to Alehouse (time moves differently on a bike) 

I make my way there with a higher pace than normal. 

When I arrive my pizza is waiting, with a freshly poured Blonde.

The family time was great, and we all head back home.

Just shy of 300km, with some nice memories.

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2024 by RocknRolla
Spelling and photo's removed

[Spokey]

Prepping the Baby Honda for a show at Sedgefield this Sunday. Big brother 750 will be there too.

Edited June 20, 2024 by Spokey
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