Is motorcycling allowed?

[IceCreamMan]

12 minutes ago, sawystertrance said:

My claim to fame is that I painted the fence on the North Circular outside the Ace Cafe some years back. 

oh wow, i have often remarked on what a great job that was. 

In the summer on Friday nights which is bike night there are so many people there bikes park all over the pavements everywhere and even up on the pedestrian bridge. Great times with a pint and always loads of people to chat to. 

I love the Ace cafe..yeah its a gimmick and a marketing thing, with high prices but i feel at peace there. Not so busy on a saturday afternoon  so nice to escape the world and just chill. They always have lil get togethers there an this past satuday was the Aston Martin club. Nice to check out old cabbies and just relax. We dont relax enough anymore. My inlaws (now passed ) used to go to the Ace fom Luton in the late 50's and early 60's on the old mans BSA then Triumph. 

Crap ride there and back though, its the M25 for me and then the M40. 

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by IceCreamMan

[IceCreamMan]

Bought another Gamma. It’s def a winter project as it came in a box. 
 

so have 4 now. Sexy scooters. 

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by IceCreamMan

[Hairy]

So a bit of a venting session here.

Following getting my bike I have had a few issues, of which most could easily be resolved I think.

1. There were electrical errors that came up on the dash, and bike did not want to start at one point. Pinned it down to the battery connections that were loose following the bike shop fitting the light on the license plate at time of purchase. He was to arrange a meetup with his "Harley Tech" to put the bike on the computer to check ... still waiting, as it is always some or other issue.
2. The oil levels were stupidly low when I checked them shortly after purchase ... you know, just out of curiosity as it was said all was good on the bike. Topped it up and the level has not dropped since over the last 3000km.
3. License plate light stopped working. Took it back to get sorted. Elec. Mech. guy fiddles and struggles to find the fault. I get him to make a dummy light and test the system. We find that they had routed the cable to the light over the subframe and UNDER the seat pan causing the cable to wear through at the bottom. He starts routing the cable back the same way till I remind him about the last time this happened and also noted that they cut the cable too short last time and this also caused a pinch at the point where the cable enter the back of the LED light.
4. I keep hearing a rattling from the front brake lever. Turns out that the circlip meant to keep the pivot/pin in place is missing and you can pop the pin out and remove the lever with your finger .... WTF. Some ductape over the top of the pin keeps it in place till when the bike shop can finally sort this out.
5. 19th of June I sent him pics of where the seams on the leather gloves were coming un done on the finger. I bought the gloves in the beginning of June. I have sent messages, emails, etc but never get any feedback from him till I go to the store to ask him. Then he says he is still waiting on the distributors as they do not have stock. There were a few other glove options I could swap out to, but they are half the price of what I paid, and these gloves fit me well, so I will wait. Just tried calling him now after my WhatsApps are not read and he does not answer the call again.
6. I intermittently have the cruise control light come one ... and I do not have cruise control. He said he is still waiting for his HD tech feedback.
7. There is a crease to the bottom of the speedo bezel. I was always amazed at how easily water would get in there after a wash and you went over the dial with only a wet cloth, no hosing. Turns out that you can actually pull the glass down and then be left with a gap between the glass and bezel. There are traces of clear silicone that also pop up. My gut feeling is that the previous owner broke the glass in a fall and did a DIY replacement of sorts on the glass. I will get back to my suspicion of a fall.
8. The weekend before I did my K53 test, the guy doing my training goes over my bike with me (a) the belt guard is missing, you can see where part of the bolt remains in the frame and where it was cut off (b) the brake light does not go off when using the front brake...we fiddle a bit, but the damned thing does not return to the fully "open" position to release the brake light sensor. I think the brake light is a newer issue, but the belt guard was from the sale and I do not know how they got it through Road Worthy like this. 
9. BRAKE LIGHT: Go straight through to the shop to sort the issues out so my bike is safe and roadworthy for the Monday K53 test. They take forever to sort out the brake and I am told that they do not even have to road test it as it is working now ... even after I ask why it is so sharp / short on throw. Leaving there and not more than 3km away the front brakes lock up. Fortunately at slow speed at traffic lights. Guy comes through to see what is going on, looks like the spring in the lever has collapsed. Back to the shop with another long wait for them to sort it out.
10. BELT GUARD: He looks amazed at it not being there and I then show him the rusty bolt where it was cut off ... ok, he can't get one now for me to be able to do the test on the Monday, but will sort it out for me on Monday. The test was on the 26th of last month and I can not get any feedback from the bike shop. With them not being able to sort out the guard before the test, it meant I had to rent a bike for the test at R400.00
11. LICENSE PLATE: When I bought the bike I asked for the smallest legal plate ... they fitted one that would also not pass muster at the K53. So I bought one for R200.00 to use on the day of the test. So with the guard I am down R600.00 that I should not have had to spend to start with.

My suspicion that the bike took a bit of a drag or fall.

1. The mirrors look a little second hand RE the condition of the glass. The bolts used to fit the mirrors to the lever body do not match each other in design. This you do not readily see as they are at the underside of the levers.
2. There is a nice bit of alum scraped away to the underside of the primary case.
3. I suspect the grips were replaced by the previous owner and not a dealership as when washing the bike last I noticed that the collar on the accelerator grip was fitted the wrong way round. Thought being the old grips were damaged.
4. Left rear indicator housing scratched
5. Left front indicator cover was scratched .... the awesome Craig from Big Bike Centre (Tracmac premises in P/Island) looked at this and found a replacement in his box of spares, swapped it out and only charged a handshake.
6. Bit of a scrape to the left side of the rear rim and belt drive cover
7. I think that the clutch lever was replaced. The left front indicator housing that bolts to the clutch lever body does not sit flush and properly into the rebate that is meant to receive it.
8. The bike was re-sprayed.
9. My speedo comment from above (No. 07)
10. Primary cover is not stock. Just a flat black cover.
11. The hooter "horn" was cut off at the mount. This is visible when you look under the tank and you can see the rust where it was cut. This is also on the left side of the bike. The hooter is currently just the hooter without the horn, fitted to the front of the bike on the frame.
12. Rubber boot on that goes over the clutch cable adjuster is torn and the torn part has been turned to face the engine so that you do not see it. This is also on the left hand side.

I am sure there is more, but I need to cut this essay short now.

[sawystertrance]

Hell Hairy I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like the guys you bought it from are real rogues. Have you talked to a manger there about your concerns?. If you intend taking it further I think it would depend on your purchase documents and whether or not you bought it voetstoots. Best advice I can think of is to stay on their case to get fixed or replaced what they have undertaken to do and then move to another shop. Don't spend another cent there.

[sawystertrance]

Ice cream, I did that pant job when I was going through a bad patch. It ended up being a disaster because it was in Winter and I covered my bloody Timberland boots in sea green coloured paint. Said boots cost more than I got paid for the week's work. Grrrr. 

Edited October 18, 2021 by sawystertrance
Spelling

[mazambaan]

Jissus Hairy this is irritating BUT in some ways that is why we buy new bikes (the last one I bought was a Husky 430WR in the early 80's).

Also sometimes better to buy privately where the owner is honest or has not tried too many bodges. I am always wary after an external service and try and do a nut and bolt, brakes, coolant, tyre pressures, wheel bearings, chain tension, lights etc check as well as before any ride.  If you are happy you got a good deal, the irritations are why that is and much of it best sorted by yourself or someone you trust. Can be frustrating and expensive I know.  Easier on a dirt bike where a few scratches etc are par for the course.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

14 hours ago, sawystertrance said:

Hell Hairy I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like the guys you bought it from are real rogues. Have you talked to a manger there about your concerns?. If you intend taking it further I think it would depend on your purchase documents and whether or not you bought it voetstoots. Best advice I can think of is to stay on their case to get fixed or replaced what they have undertaken to do and then move to another shop. Don't spend another cent there.

Agreed, if you do not come right with them I would look for a different shop going forward regardless. I mean some of the rookie errors is shocking really.

I do recall saying that I believed the bike was in a prang, something about impact from the front wheel/mudgaurd against the radiator if memory serves. Not the best at using the search function though......
 

[Hairy]

14 hours ago, sawystertrance said:

Hell Hairy I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like the guys you bought it from are real rogues. Have you talked to a manger there about your concerns?. If you intend taking it further I think it would depend on your purchase documents and whether or not you bought it voetstoots. Best advice I can think of is to stay on their case to get fixed or replaced what they have undertaken to do and then move to another shop. Don't spend another cent there.

I have only been dealing with the shop owner ... will stay on his case as I believe him to be a good guy, just not good at following through and dealing with admin.

But my patience is wearing thin.

No voetstoots comments anywhere and I repeatedly asked the question of "should I know anything because I do not know what to look for" 

[Hairy]

36 minutes ago, mazambaan said:

Jissus Hairy this is irritating BUT in some ways that is why we buy new bikes (the last one I bought was a Husky 430WR in the early 80's).

Also sometimes better to buy privately where the owner is honest or has not tried too many bodges. I am always wary after an external service and try and do a nut and bolt, brakes, coolant, tyre pressures, wheel bearings, chain tension, lights etc check as well as before any ride.  If you are happy you got a good deal, the irritations are why that is and much of it best sorted by yourself or someone you trust. Can be frustrating and expensive I know.  Easier on a dirt bike where a few scratches etc are par for the course.

When I was getting to the point of being able to purchase, the wife and I had a heated "discussion" and she insisted I buy from a dealer so that I have recourse .... my point was basically that not all dealers add value in that sense.

You live and learn. The price I paid was good, but after what I am seeing not a great price at all.

This is my first bike from the old 125cc I had at school, so it was a way to also test the water for me as to whether it would be something that I use or not.

Going forward I would buy used again, and would only buy from dealers that I trust through discussion I have had as of late and from others advice. But I am also taking the same stand as with my bicycles where I will do the work myself going forwards, and only resort to a dealer if it is something specialised or something I broke trying to fix

[Hairy]

38 minutes ago, Steven Knoetze (sk27) said:

Agreed, if you do not come right with them I would look for a different shop going forward regardless. I mean some of the rookie errors is shocking really.

I do recall saying that I believed the bike was in a prang, something about impact from the front wheel/mudgaurd against the radiator if memory serves. Not the best at using the search function though......
 

Yip this was noted.

I tracked the previous owner down and he said he had fitted the hooter low down on the front and first and under hard braking the fender hit the hooter.

Through a little cyber sleuthing I have found the workshop where the bike has been before and the paint shop that did the work .... to satisfy my curiosity I am going to pop in and have a chat with them to see what the real history is.

I do really love riding this bike though

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, Hairy said:

I have only been dealing with the shop owner ... will stay on his case as I believe him to be a good guy, just not good at following through and dealing with admin.

But my patience is wearing thin.

No voetstoots comments anywhere and I repeatedly asked the question of "should I know anything because I do not know what to look for" 

There are a number of sides to this.

The original owner - He should have declared any accident damage to the bike shop on selling the bike to them. Maybe he did and they ignored him.

The bike shop - they are the "pros" here, they should have picked up any accident damage even if the seller did not disclose. They should also have documentation to the effect of the seller disclosing any accident damage or not, this is their recourse with the seller.

The buyer (you) - you did not buy a new bike, there will be wear and tare and scratches etc., but like you stated, you asked and were not informed, so either the bike shop did not know or they were hiding it

The law - CPA is "supposed" to be there for this kind of thing. But give the bike shop reasonable time to sort out the issues first before heading down what is probably going to be a waste of time.

[Hairy]

1 minute ago, ouzo said:

There are a number of sides to this.

The original owner - He should have declared any accident damage to the bike shop on selling the bike to them. Maybe he did and they ignored him.

The bike shop - they are the "pros" here, they should have picked up any accident damage even if the seller did not disclose. They should also have documentation to the effect of the seller disclosing any accident damage or not, this is their recourse with the seller.

The buyer (you) - you did not buy a new bike, there will be wear and tare and scratches etc., but like you stated, you asked and were not informed, so either the bike shop did not know or they were hiding it

The law - CPA is "supposed" to be there for this kind of thing. But give the bike shop reasonable time to sort out the issues first before heading down what is probably going to be a waste of time.

 Not sure I would pursue this route, but I will make a nuisance of myself shortly if I do not get matters resolved.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Most bikes fall, its always how hard and then how well was it repaired.
One good thing is that Harley isn't referred to as "pig iron" for nothing. They are solid. A lot of what you are mentioning sounds like ***-handed mechanic work, perhaps a previous owner who thought the knew what he was doing but didn't.
Like removing the belt cover for that authentic OCC look, but then stripped the bolt so ended up cutting it off, for example.

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

4 minutes ago, ouzo said:

There are a number of sides to this.

The original owner - He should have declared any accident damage to the bike shop on selling the bike to them. Maybe he did and they ignored him.

The bike shop - they are the "pros" here, they should have picked up any accident damage even if the seller did not disclose. They should also have documentation to the effect of the seller disclosing any accident damage or not, this is their recourse with the seller.

The buyer (you) - you did not buy a new bike, there will be wear and tare and scratches etc., but like you stated, you asked and were not informed, so either the bike shop did not know or they were hiding it

The law - CPA is "supposed" to be there for this kind of thing. But give the bike shop reasonable time to sort out the issues first before heading down what is probably going to be a waste of time.

Most of these dealers turn over their stock so quickly I don't see how they can go over it thoroughly.
I was looking at bikes on WeBuyCars, they have a Dekra report but it is so generic and cut and paste, it is actually pretty useless!!!

 

[Hairy]

I do want to add RE the gloves.

Given that my trust of the bike shop is wavering, I did a quick google search to see if I could find the agents for Arlen Ness gloves in SA. What I did find was that "Fire It Up" had them on their site.

So I called them and spoke to their accessories manager, who I clearly told that I am wasting his time, but have they had stock issues. Bit of a chat RE the history of why I was asking and sent him a PDF of the email correspondence with the dealer's information and name blacked out.

I did not know that their accessories side is "Bike Kings". The guy (Oliver) has been exceptional in trying to find out more RE stock and followed up yesterday again saying he has not forgotten about me, but is still waiting for feedback from the agents. 

Keen to hear what the stock status is as the tear in the gloves is getting worse.

[The Ouzo]

1 minute ago, Steven Knoetze (sk27) said:

Most of these dealers turn over their stock so quickly I don't see how they can go over it thoroughly.
I was looking at bikes on WeBuyCars, they have a Dekra report but it is so generic and cut and paste, it is actually pretty useless!!!

 

WeBuyCars operate very different to a normal dealer, they are very much a "voetstoots" kind of operation and dodge the comebacks by providing a Dekra report.

A normal dealer trading in or buying in a bike/car will want to make sure they are not getting a problem vehicle, so if they are doing their jobs properly will go over the vehicle very carefully. They really dont want to have to deal with these kind of comebacks.