Is motorcycling allowed?

[Hairy]

52 minutes ago, IceCreamMan said:

You doing a lot of miles and a Harley is a high maintenance mistress. ( to be fair motorcycles are not cheap alternatives to cars from a maintenance perspective unless wee commuter type bikes) 

harley is a big lumbering twin with high forces in the motor. 

but they have a unique ownership experience. And the gals love em. 
 

maybe time to move on and look at adventure bikes. Think you will enjoy the ownership experience. 

When I was looking for a bike, everyone said a HD will go on for ever and was meant to be a no trouble bike. Still recon my Fat Bob was a bit of a lemon, or at least neglected by the previous owners.

[Hairy]

650 in lower mileage option

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-motorcycles-scooters/mosselbaai/bmw-f650gs-dakar/10012210432871013143267409

[WaynejG]

No service history but the bike is clean. My son in law works there.

https://autoaddicts.co.za/car/2007-bmw-650-gs-we-do-not-offer-finance/

[Hairy]

Or I can fly to JHB and ride back a Roadking  

https://www.autotrader.co.za/bike-for-sale/harley-davidson/touring-road-king-classic/26789898?vf=14&db=1&s360=0&so=1&pl=1&pq=0&pr=5&po=1

[Hairy]

A little bit of research tells me that on the 96CI motors when your compensator fails (A known issue, and what I just recently replaced) the starter clutch very often fails after this.

So with the upgraded compensator, and new starter clutch I have addressed any issues on this motor that would be seen as a future issue ...... what I am saying here is we may just have a longer time together then the Fat Bob and I.

Older 96CI motors had spring loaded cam chain tensioners that also failed, fortunately I knew about this before buying the bike, and the 08 models already came out with the hydraulic tensioners.

FYI, the reason for the compensators failing pre 2014 models, when they upgraded them all to the Screaming Eagle compensators, was that the older 88CI compensators were carried into the new more powerful 96CI and could not cope with the additional power output.

[Andymann]

On 7/21/2023 at 3:29 PM, IceCreamMan said:

Great looking machine that Andy, congrats. 
 

I had a 2009 tenere660 which I bought from the first shipment that hit ZA and which took forever to get to ZA. Loved that machine. Took me everywhere. 
 

Been looking at some green leaning bikes here. Can register full on enduro bikes here so long they have a tail light so looking at that but possibly a smaller cc xt could do the trick and be a whole lot cheaper. 

I remember we got a lot of abuse from the dealers about the 660Z Tenere's and their unavailability.  Problem was they were all built in France at the MBK factory and we could not get our hands on one.  They eventually sent us a single unit to show at AMID and then let us loose to test it but I think the first batch only arrived 6 or so months after that.

[Andymann]

I did a bit of work on mine this weekend before taking it for a quick ride - I'm actually quite impressed.  It's got nice torque but I can see why the guy didn't want it anymore - he was trying to keep up with modern BM's and KTMs that his mates have, and this old lump isn't going to get much over 120 - for what I'm going to use it for though, it will be perfect!

[IceCreamMan]

1 hour ago, Andymann said:

I remember we got a lot of abuse from the dealers about the 660Z Tenere's and their unavailability.  Problem was they were all built in France at the MBK factory and we could not get our hands on one.  They eventually sent us a single unit to show at AMID and then let us loose to test it but I think the first batch only arrived 6 or so months after that.

Exactly, there was a very long delay between launch in Europe and ZA. Think it was around 18 months but can’t remember exactly. I so wanted it and managed to get one from the first batch which if I remember correctly was a batch of 30 to ZA. 
 

great awesome motorcycle, barring a few boring moments on the long stretches in the Karoo it was/is the perfect adventure bike I reckon. 

[Andymann]

I might have told this before somewhere on this thread but I tested our demo 660Z out on the Boschkop road and went through a dip and broke the rear number plate bracket and rear mudguard off.  We needed the bike for press pics so my dad and I welded up a quick steel brace and riveted it in place - unless you knew where to look it was a perfect repair.

We mentioned this weak point to the Japanese who were very offended that we broke their bike and dared to suggest there was a design fault - they were also less than impressed with our repair.

Except when the second batch of bikes arrived in SA they all had a nice steel brace behind the number plate mount that looked a hell of a lot like the design my Dad and I came up with a year before.....

[Hairy]

18 hours ago, Hairy said:

A little bit of research tells me that on the 96CI motors when your compensator fails (A known issue, and what I just recently replaced) the starter clutch very often fails after this.

So with the upgraded compensator, and new starter clutch I have addressed any issues on this motor that would be seen as a future issue ...... what I am saying here is we may just have a longer time together then the Fat Bob and I.

Older 96CI motors had spring loaded cam chain tensioners that also failed, fortunately I knew about this before buying the bike, and the 08 models already came out with the hydraulic tensioners.

FYI, the reason for the compensators failing pre 2014 models, when they upgraded them all to the Screaming Eagle compensators, was that the older 88CI compensators were carried into the new more powerful 96CI and could not cope with the additional power output.

Seems it was just the start switch that was wonky, so a lot less of an issue thank fully ... and cheaper to fix.
Will be picking my girl up over lunch time or late this afternoon again ... can't wait.

[Hairy]

[Andymann]

And today's most random part ordered for a motorcycle goes to.......

I don't classify myself as a Anorak or a Rivet counter but I like to think that when anyone buys one of the bikes I have rebuilt they notice the small attention to detail.  Like tiny side cover rubbers that stop the side cover from vibrating against the frame and cracking....

 

[IceCreamMan]

I have the same tendency, it’s sometimes painful being a perfectionist but I avoid a lot of stress by doing things right.  ( drives my wife mad and drives me mad sometimes too)

[Stretched@Birth]

On 7/22/2023 at 7:47 PM, sawystertrance said:

And here's why I came here in the first place. An unusual sighting this afternoon up Chappies.

Apparently it’s stuck, on a sandbank… 🤷🏻‍♂️

Edit: Apparently not, according to press releases, she was lying at anchor, charging batteries.

Edited July 26, 2023 by Stretched@Birth

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, Stretched@Birth said:

Apparently it’s stuck, on a sandbank… 🤷🏻‍♂️

Edit: Apparently not, according to press releases, she was lying at anchor, charging batteries.

I also read another report that said a crew member that had passed away wanted their ashes scattered there, and that is why it was there.

[sawystertrance]

I think they were looking for the waterfront and ended up in the wrong bay.