father and son

My scoot's winter mod.

2015-01-31T04:16:00.000+09:00

I decided to install a windshield on my scooter for winter. It was a bit of work since I did not have the proper mount adapter for the mirror and the windshield. My solution is simple, I measured and grounded the metal on top of the screw thread and just added or extended the screw thread on the mirrors. Then added an extra nut at the bottom so that the windshield bracket will be in a higher position and not touch the upper cowl. I have been using my windshield for two months now and have no problems with it.

The windshield really helped blocking the wind. Riding in the cold winter got a lot more tolerable.
I also added handle mitts, no more freezing hands for me. I also have a pair of heated handle grips for my scoot but I wont be installing it because the mitts does it's job well.

I also made an apron to block the wind from freezing my legs. The wind goes through the space between the handle cowl and the front cowl and it gets nasty cold on my legs and on my groin area after several minutes of riding. Buying a scooter apron is cheap but I have rolls of fake leather for making or repairing motorcycle seats so I decided to just make one for myself. These past few years I have been trying to learn how to sew so making my homemade scooter apron is a plus for me.

The lower pockets on the lower side of the apron is for putting stuffs or weights to prevent the apron from flipping upwards during higher speed.

My son and his friends told me that my winter mods made my scooter a granny scoot and they wouldn't borrow it. One time we went riding and they were all freezing on their bikes but they still said that my scoot is ugly and wouldn't touch it, HAHAHA!

Here are some photos:

Why ride scooters?

2015-01-31T03:30:00.000+09:00

This may sound harsh but before I thought that scooters were lame or gay. I always prefer riding something with a manual clutch but as I got older, I slowly found myself riding scooters more. Manual clutch bikes are fun but scooters are convenient and economical. I was in the bike business before so I have rode and owned different bikes but I didn't ride scooters until my son told me that he wanted to ride. He was 4 years old and tried my Honda ATC200 (3 wheeler) which was too big and powerful for him. My next step was to convert one for him using an old Honda Tact 50cc scooter.

I stripped all the plastics then welded a bicycle seat and bolted a piece of plywood for the foot rest. I inserted a 5 Yen coin (coin with a hole in the middle) between the muffler and the engine to reduce the engine power. Then painted it silver (without looking, lol!).

This was my el-cheapo solution and it worked, lol! He rode it off road and even bragged about his new ugly toy to my friends. My friends named his ugly scoot "The Terminator" :)

Here are some of our old scooters.

Whenever my wife and son went with me to the mountains, I always try to bring scooters or an ATV for them.

A few years back, I found myself using my wife's scooter more. Often there were times that I just left my clutch bikes sleeping for months and just rode my wife's 50cc scooter. Then I read an article about scooters going long distances and being loaded with crazy amount of stuffs like tables, cabinets, chickens, etc. Naturally this made me try to ride longer distances and haul crazy stuffs like the photos that I saw on the internet. Here are some of the crazy stuffs that I tried moving with my bikes but I never had the chance to haul live chickens or pigs...

I really like hauling stuffs on my bikes but scooters are more convenient and does the job well. I even tried pulling my old tool box to the scrappers just to prove to myself that it is possible. I tried riding the scoot but my homemade trailer was too unstable and I ended up walking my scoot-trailer 3 kilometers to the scrappers. It worked but I will never try it again, HAHA! The heavy car stereos in a box too is a challenge but it was a lot easier than my stupid scoot-trailer. I'll use a car next time, lol! Nothing beats the scooter for daily chores. Parking is easy and goes trough congested roads without problems. Compared to normal bikes, the bucket under the scooter seat is unbeatable. Scooters are lighter in weight but have extra space for luggage. Another plus that I saw in scooters that scooters are more safer to ride in light snow compared to heavier street bikes. I rode my scooter a few days ago on light snow and had no problems. My problem only started when I rode it on thick snow but after wrapping rope around the tires, I got through and had lots of fun. But the best thing that I like with scooters is fuel economy. My son rode my scooter for 350 kms for only 850 Yen of fuel.

About scooter size, I find the 50cc scooter good for city use especially in heavy traffic. I had a maxi-scoot (Honda Forza) but it was too big for running daily chores. I find that mid-size scooter is best for me. It is small enough to go through heavy traffic, can haul more stuffs than my 50cc, more comfortable riding longer distances (more comfortable compared to my Honda Magna and CB400) and can still find parking space for it. I had problems finding a parking space for the maxi scoot several times when I went shopping. The maxi scoot beats the mid size scoot when riding in tandem but it is still comfortable because my Honda Spacy has a decent seat size for the passenger but can get a bit tight if my tandem rider is big which I never had the experience. Plus I rarely have the chance to have a tandem rider. The only problem that I notice with my 100cc scoot is that it lacks the extra power especially when climbing steep mountain roads. It is slower than most newer mid size scoot and it is ugly, but I'm not complaining :)

The rear carrier is very versatile. On the left photo, I used two identical shopping basket. I tie-wrapped the first basket on the rear rack and the second basket went on top. This is really good for shopping. I only have to load the stuffs I bought on the second basket and just pull it off with the groceries then in to my house. Just snip the plastic tie wraps when the basket is not needed.

On the right, I used a milk box. Good for loading heavier stuffs. Here I loaded it with the tools that I sold (drill bits, lathe machine bits, etc. about 20 kgs.)

There are times that I still ride clutch bikes but it is really getting rare and I rarely miss it. I just got tired of playing with the clutch and riding like a lunatic. My next target or wish is to try hauling a pig on my scooter but I guess that the cops wont allow it. I think I'm really getting old, lol!

Honda Spacy 100cc repair.

2014-09-26T05:04:00.001+09:00

This is the Spacy 100 when I first saw it at my friend's bike shop. I had a hard time choosing between the Honda Spacy 100 or the the Yamaha Axis 100. I like the Axis 100 more than the Spacy because I like 2 strokes more but gave it a thought and decided on the Spacy. I looked at the pros and cons and the Spacy won. First I wanted a maxi scooter like a Yamaha Majesty (will still get one in the future...) but I need something more maneuverable in tight spaces, lightweight that I can easily load on the truck, comfortable for me and my passenger, silent, fuel efficient and is something not flashy and wont get stolen. The Axis is good but since it's a 2 stroke and my main aim is to save some fuel money and I want to go stealth during my midnight convenience store run, the Spacy won.

The Spacy needed some repair, some parts and lots of TLC. I first started by changing the engine oil, gearbox oil and brake fluid. The monkey mechanic who last did the oil filter damaged the oil filter bolt and I had to hammer in a 5/8 box socket just to remove it. It was originally a 17mm but now it's a 5/8.

The repair is straightforward, hammered the 5/8 box socket (socket with 6 sides for a perfect fit), filed it to shape and is now working properly. The part is cheap but since it's OK now, I won't be changing it.

The handlebar and the levers were bent to and this is how I did my monkey repair...

I should have used a pipe to straighten the handlebar but it's lost somewhere. My combination box spanner/wrench did the trick but I had to run a file to flatten the scratches it made.

Both brake levers were bent and was successful straightening the front brake lever but broke the left brake lever while I hammered it. I should have hammered the left lever more slowly but I got too exited... After straightening both brake levers, I decided to cut them both down so if the scooter fell on it's side again, they wont break. Applying the brakes takes more effort with my shortened version but since I only use one or two fingers (I'm a Trials rider and old habits are hard to lose...), they are OK.

I also removed the magnets on the ignition key cylinder shutter since I didn't want to spend 3,000 Yen for the magnetic key and just flick it with my fingers when I stick the key inside the cylinder.

I also replaced the V-belt, slider pieces, slide rollers and the clutch. Nothing fancy here and just straight forward repair. For filling oil in the gearbox, I used a brake syringe because the tip is small enough for the hole and just pumped the oil in.

The both front flasher lenses were popping out because the plastic that holds the lenses snapped. First I tried soldering the plastic but they just broke again so I just bolted a nut on the area where the plastic broke and it worked and has a tight fit. The front meter cowl's plastic retainers was broken too and it caused it to shake on bumps so I just drilled a hole and just put plastic grommets on both sides.

I changed the spark plug, changed some busted lights, change the broken rear flasher lens, played with the carburetor, did some paint spray and did some monkey repairs all over and now my scoot is running sweet.

I took my son for a 70 kms. scooter ride and we took turns riding the Spacy. My son's Yamaha Vino 50 is no match for the Spacy's 100cc engine but the Spacy is not a fast runner anyway. My son wanted to ride the Spacy all the way because it was faster, a lot comfortable and silent but he ended up riding his Vino most of the way since it's too bouncy for me. On another day, my son borrowed the Spacy and went touring with his friends. His friends rode 400cc street bikes but they took turns riding the Spacy when they got tired. They all said that it is a couch on wheels and I should attach a drink holder on it, lol!

The Spacy wont be beating speed records since it likes staying at 60 to 70 kph. Reaching over 80 kph takes time and going uphill is like riding a 50cc scooter but it does it's job. The only thing I don't like about it is that I can't put a basket on the front. Yes I can if I really want to but I have to make a bracket for the basket, plus the basket would surely block the headlight. Aside from that, the scoot is good, it has a large floorboard for the groceries, a rear rack and I can still fit in some stuffs inside the seat. The best thing about it is it doesn't gobble up fuel compared to my other bike. It goes around 30 to 33 kp/l compared to my other bike which only does 6 to 10 kp/l. Another thing I like about it is that my wife rode with me on the Spacy. It has been around 20 years ago since she last rode with me. I tried asking her to back-ride with me on more fancier bikes like a Vulcan, Magna, Steed, XJR, CB, RS, dirbikes, etc. but with no luck. She said that those bikes are not comfortable and are noisy and prefers the Spacy anyday. She also rode bikes when we were younger but she likes scooters more. I guess the wife always wins and Spacy is a keeper, hahaha!

2014-09-25T15:54:00.001+09:00

For my biker buddies
I went to the beach (alone as always. I'm not a pervert OK! lol).
Duct tapped my Xperia phone on the left mirror on my vibrator-like shopping bike and went for a slow ride
Sound is very noisy because of the wind. Video is fuzzy because of the vibration (bike fitted with "Trials for competition use only tires... very sticky), bike is wiggly because of heavy unbalanced luggage plus front tire likes floating off the ground :)

WARNING!!! You'll probably enjoy watching this if you like riding on the twisties but will probably make you dizzy. Probably some beer goggles can help stabilize your vision :)

PS: Did some road racing for dough during my younger years but still can't shake the urge to tickle the throttle, 40 kph max :) even when I'm 20-plus years older... Met a group of bigger sports bikes but they they were too kind to let me go ahead on the twisties but smoked me on the straights, hahaha!
I love two stroke!!!

2014-07-09T04:58:00.000+09:00

I finished restoring and repairing my Monkey bike.
It was dead when I first got it but brought it back to life again.
I wrenched the engine, repaired the tires and stripped everything and painted and polished it. Now it looks sweet again :)

It's a Honda Monkey, 1971. 81cc piston and with long stroke crank shaft making it around 100cc something... 4 speed rotational clutch. Different suspension fork, etc. It looks OEM at first glance but it does have some extra horses underneath :)

It was "YUCK!!!" when I first got it but with a little TLC, it now looks really nice.
It is no secret that stripping a bike down and painting it will make it look good but that is only half of the secret. The biggest secret here is that I removed the rust and polished every part that is chrome plated. The easiest way to do this is by using a bronze circular brush that I attached to my portable drill. Another is by using very fine steel wool used for cleaning pots and frying pans. Then I used metal polish. I use this technique for everything that is chrome plated. From bicycles to motorcycles to cars and it does make wonders.

Note: WD40 and other brands of deep penetrating oil will help to remove the rust faster if you apply it first on the rusty area before polishing it with very fine kitchen steel wool. Sometimes I use coarser steel wool if the part is heavily rusted but this may scratch the part so my advice is to try it gently on smaller areas first before going all out.

iPhone 4 Home Button DIY Quick Fix.

2013-09-01T21:26:00.000+09:00

This quick fix might not be appropriate for this blog but since I use my iPhone's map a lot, I will share my DIY fix here in hope that fellow bikers could benefit from this somehow...

This is my iPhone 4 and it has been with me for more than two years. My two year Softbank contract is finished and could upgrade to an iPhone 5 but since it is still working I will stick with it until a newer version comes up :) Anyway, the problem was an unresponsive home button which really got me annoyed especially when I'm on a bike and looking at the map. I've tried many DIY fix that I got from the web including the complete restore, opening an apple app and rebooting, etc. I also tried using the AssistiveTouch but I find it annoying. There are two fix that worked, one is the rubbing alcohol method and the pushing the USB charger/cable towards the screen but these only worked for a few hours for me and it was quite annoying when the home button becomes unresponsive again.

My DIY fix is a no brainer and the photos tells it all. I have been using it for a few days and all seems good and my home button feels like new. Since the home button becomes responsive when I use the USB charger/cable fix, all I had to do is to stick some layers of electrical tape on the USB connector socket and close the back panel. What this does is that the back panel pushes the USB connector towards the screen but permanently. Now I don't have to pry my USB cable to make the home button responsive again. It is like adding a spacer or washer on a bolt when we are doing some dodgy bike repairs, lol! This worked for me and I hope this could also work for you. Just remember to use only a fair amount of electrical tape thickness or you might end up breaking the USB connector or the back panel :) Another thing is that I didn't have the small torx driver for the back panel screws and just used a small flat driver used for eyeglasses.

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My iPhone's Sleep/Wake Button also became unresponsive several months ago but also used a similar fix and it is still working now and without problems :)

I have been reading and hearing lots of similar complains with iPhone from the web and from our friends. My wife's iPhone 4S speaker jack died 2 days after when she just got it and WIFI died several moths ago, my son's iPhone 4 is become unresponsive, friends iPhone suffering from similar problems... I just couldn't understand why the newer iPhone seems more weaker than the old iPhones. I gave my old iPhone 3G to my buddy and it is still working... Now I'm thinking about shifting to Android but the problem with Android is that they are expensive compared to iPhone, when I can get a new iPhone for basically free.

Using a small truck as a workbench

2012-10-01T01:32:00.002+09:00

My back gets weaker as I get older and using my small truck as a work table makes life easier for me. Here I was doing an engine swap on this 250 Honda scooter. There is not much to say because the photos shows it all. Bike tie-down straps and two folding car jacks helped me secure and lift the bike.

If you don't have a bike lift but have a small truck or a sturdy table, you can use them though it may not look very professional it'll save you for back pains.

Improvised A-frame, lol!

2012-09-20T02:06:00.000+09:00

There are times that we may need to pull an engine out but lack resources or tools. I've removed engines from big bikes several times using an aluminum ladder. There were times that friends gave me a bikes that were stored at the back of their garage or warehouses where moving the bikes was impossible because of all the crap around the bikes and all I needed was the engine (same here with the jet ski). Here I've used several bike ratchet straps to lift the engine and pieces of wood to pry it out :)

Using an aluminum ladder as an A-frame is a bit of a balancing act but it does the job well as long as you know your ladder's weight capacity, plus it will be best or a lot safer if you have someone to spot/hold/guide you when you are removing or installing the engine especially if you are working on unstable grounds. The ladder may topple and fall once you've raised the engine because the legs of the ladder might sink or dig in the ground causing the ladder to fall. Make sure that you have secured your ladder on something solid like strapping the ladder on a wall, a car, a strong fence, etc. before raising the engine. Many people have done this and it works.

Just be careful, work slow and use common sense. Stay clear of the engine while it is lifted and if your engine is falling, don't be a super hero trying to catch it because you can't.

Tubless Tire Air Leak

2012-09-16T16:04:00.001+09:00

Have you ever experienced getting a flat tire (tubeless) and couldn't find anything wrong with it. No cracks, no nails, rim looks good, have dipped the whole tire in water but can't see no air leaks but is gets flat over night or after a few days.

Based on my experiences with using old 2nd hand crappy tires (cars and bikes) that the tires are often OK but the air valve's body crack due to age (rubber) causing air to leak. Sometimes the crack is very small that we couldn't see it even when we dip the tire in water. The easiest way to know if you have a failing air valve body is to spray some liquid around the base of the air valve's body, twist it around and look for air bubbles. Just be ready with your spare/emergency tire (for cars) because twisting the air valve's body might fully break-up the crack and you might be pushing your car or bike home if you don't have a spare or if you are kilometers away from a repair shop.

I always keep new spare air valves (around 25 pieces/ pack) and I do use them all, lol! Just recently I have used 2 on my truck, 2 for a big bike, 2 for my wife's car and 2 for this scooter. This is why I keep spares :)

How to change the air valve is not for beginners. You have to know how to remove the tire from the rim to get to the air valve. You'll need levers, bead breaker, air compressor, etc. and working with tires can be dangerous for newbies so I strongly suggest that if you are a newbie and have detected that you have a leaking tire air valve is to get proper help from a pro. If you can do the replacement/repairs yourself, I suggest that you keep a few spares in your tool box.

Biker's Eyeglass Cheap Repair

2012-09-08T04:47:00.000+09:00

My eyeglasses are my best friends. I couldn't go out without them plus I always have to bring a spare because there are countless times I forgot where I removed them and have stepped on two of my eyeglasses while searching for them. Another biggest problem is that my MX helmet is so tight that I have broken one the arms of my eyeglasses twice while trying to pry it inside my helmet. I tried contact lenses but they were not for me...

This is one of my spare eyeglasses and have only gotten the right lens replaced about a week before I broke the arms while trying to pry it trough my MX helmet. I always buy the cheapest eyeglasses that I can find because "I'm cheap"and knowing that they'll soon get damaged from riding motorbikes, using it for work (welding, metal grinding, etc.), or by accidentally stepping on them. Before doing my funky repair, I went to an eyeglass shop to get this repaired but they were charging 10,000. Yen for the repair but I only paid for this cheap eyeglasses for 6,000 Yen so I couldn't justify getting it repaired. The cute saleslady was trying to get me to buy a new replacement and just dump my old old spare eyeglasses which was only a few months old. Being a DIY guy, I'd rather get this repaired than to get a new one but I couldn't justify spending 10,000 Yen just for repairs when I can get a new one for 6,000 Yen. If I don't know how to do repairs then probably I would have just bought a new pair... I went home and did my funky repairs and up to now my spare eyeglasses are still working perfectly. The repaired area is very strong that it will never break on the same spot. I have "forced it without mercy" inside my MX helmet many times and it's still OK :)

If you are a "four eyed biker" and often have problems breaking the arms of your eyeglasses, you can try this technique. You will need an electrical cord. Strip the electrical cord and just get a strand of wire. You will need a paperclip and a wire cutter. Cut the paperclip to an appropriate length. Assemble the broken arms of your eyeglasses and position the paperclip, then tie the copper strand around the broken area. Then solder the broken area. Let it cool down. Use a proper file (nail file will do fine too) to smooth the area. Assemble you eyeglasses and you are done.

PS: Do you know that you can also use your trusty solder to repair some radiators... :)

Loose Two Stroke Oil Tank Cap

2012-09-06T00:49:00.003+09:00

A few months ago I crashed my dirtbike on the trails while I was lazily enjoying the view. My bike's oil cap flew several meters away. I was riding on a small stream and the rocks gave me a hard time finding the oil cap. Most of my two stroke oil was dumped on the dirt but was enough for me to ride it back for a re-fill. I knew that my bike has a lose oil cap but was too lazy to get a replacement. I was lucky to have brought a pocket tissue paper with me and used it's plastic wrapper for the cap. Months have passed and I am still using plastic wrapper and it never failed me. I know that I should get a new replacement but since the plastic wrapper works perfectly, I think that I'll just keep it as is... hahaha!
This is a no-brainer fix for lose two stroke oil tank caps. The photos says it all...

My Off-Roading Tools

2011-12-12T02:49:00.046+09:00

I hate bringing tools when I ride off-road (Trials or off-road). Tools are heavy and since I always have my truck loaded with real tools (hand tools, bearing pullers, drill, bike stand, air compressor, etc.) I often ride without my toolpack before but I have learned my lesson from my experiences and can't leave without them now...

I believe that complicated bike repairs should be done on my truck or at my garage but there are times that to get my bike on the truck, I have to do some minor repairs or I'll be pushing... Pushing a bike on a cemented road is hard but imagine pushing a bike when you are mountains away where you have to cross river beds, logs, steep slopes and cliffs... This happened to me several times where I have to walk back to my truck just to get some tools and there was a time that I had to tie my bike and drag it up a cliff using a hand winch and this was not fun.

Since my riding sucks... most damages my bike had were minimal. Brake or clutch lever bends from falling, front fork gets twisted and misaligned from crashing or hitting a boulder, a small tree branch got stuck on my rear sprocket... but these are the major ones. Often times the problem are very simple like the bike only needed was a spark plug change or my rear fender flew off when I crashed and all it needed was a few plastic tie-wraps.

Getting a flat tire doesn't really bother me. Riding a dirtbike with a flat tire is a lot better than pushing so I make it sure that my dirtbike's engine will always run. It doesn't bother me if I had to ride at turtle speed as long as I get home but for road bikes it is different. Doing minor repairs on road bikes like spark plug replacement, light bulb replacement, lever adjustments, etc. are easy and safe to do even on the side of a road. Doing tire emergency tire puncture repairs on a road bike is near impossible without using propers tools unless you are prepared to lie it down on the asphalt and get it scratched. Whenever I get a busted tire on a road bike, my first option is to leave it and get my truck. My second option is to find a garage or a gasoline stand and get the repairs done by someone else. Though I can't do full repairs on my road bike, I still bring basic tools because it makes me feel a bit safer even though they are only good for minor repairs.

Kawasaki Estrella 250 Lever Repair, etc...

2010-12-31T07:07:00.000+09:00

This bike was a goner when it first came to me. The engine wont start and had several missing and damaged parts. Most of the parts are good and all it needed was a bit of work and some TLC.

I think that this is one of the most easiest bikes to do a frame swap. No special skills and special tools needed. I also did a frame swap on the ZZR on the background (have done 20+ ZZR frame swaps...) but I'd rather do Estrellas than ZZRs any day :)

Because I am too cheap to to buy a lever, I heated it and slowly bashed it using a plastic hammer to make it straight again. I learned this technique riding Trials bikes because my levers often get bent when I fall off a boulder or hit a tree. The problem with non-racing bikes are that the materials used are crap compared to "for competition use only", and hammering the lever on a normal bike can cause it to break. The technique here is to use heat and slowly bash it with a plastic hammer. Unlike Trials race levers that you can bash them without using heat and they still wont break.

Here is the photo of the lever after bashing it several times. I still could straighten it a bit more but I didn't want it to break it so best for me to stop here. The funny thing is after straightening the lever, I found two new levers in my desk that I forgot about. I didn't use the new ones and still have them somewhere...

The sad thing about working on gravel is searching for parts that accidentally fell down. Here I lost three steering head bearing and had to steal the bearings from my other Estrella just to get this done.

The tail pipe was covered with rust and I'm too cheap to buy a new one so I just painted it with heat resistant paint and it looked sexy again.

My son stole the headlight from my dead Honda Steed to replace it's damaged headlight and also overhauled the carburetor himself because he was very eager to test the bike that afternoon, and waiting for me to overhaul the carb will take ages... He got the engine to run, then he bled the brakes, changed the engine oil and took it for a spin. Notice how happy he is with his work :)

retro Suzuki Colleda rear pipe repair

2010-11-26T03:19:00.001+09:00

There are mainly two types of two stroke mufflers found on motorbikes, one type is welded shut and cannot be cleaned easily without cutting open the muffler with a disc grinder or by using a cutting torch. cleaning this type of two stroke muffler can also be done by tossing it in a furnace or by blow torching to melt the oil sludge inside the pipe.

Another type of two stoke muffler is the like a cartridge and can be opened for cleaning. Most racer or for competition two stroke motorbikes have cartridge type mufflers and can be easily cleaned and the muffler wool easily replaced. These photos below shows a retro Suzuki Colleda 50cc two stroke motorbike that have a clogged tail muffler. It was so clogged-up with oil sludge that the engine wouldn't start. Before I disassembled the muffler, first I inserted a long screw driver inside the tail pipe to free some crap and to make way for a small hole so that the engine could breath. After doing this, the engine fired up but there was lots of white smoke coming out from the muffler which is good for eliminating mosquitos but never good for the rider nor the pedestrians. Engine lacks power because it cannot breath but after cleaning the tail pipe, I was able to easily pop a wheelie. So easy that I enjoyed doing it too much that I dented the rear fender (lol). To make things short, there was lots of power after cleaning the muffler. I will not say much about how I did the repairs, just look at the photos and see how straight forward the repair is... The tools I used for cleaning are very basic hand tools like a socket for removing the tail pipe from the muffler, screw driver, wire brush, parts cleaner and a piece of rag. Some tail pipes needs a drill, a rivet tool and some muffler wool but it was not needed on this project. The electric drill and the other tools on the photos was for another project that I was also doing at that time...

seat shoe shine

2010-11-01T02:36:00.002+09:00

The back seat has been polished with shoe wax. Notice and compare the front and back seat.

My bike's seat turned pale and white from the sun and rain. I've tried many ways to get some shine back and based on my experience, the best and easiest way to do this is to shine it with shoe wax/polish. I know this sounds crazy but I have tried more stupid stuffs like leather wax spray and WD-40 but the shine is only very temporary and it is like sitting on a slide. Using shoe wax holds the longest shine but this too is very slippery and can be very dangerous and only a looney (like me) will prefer to sit on a slippery seat. I don't advice shining your bike's seat like a shoe but if you are putting your bike for display or in a museum, your seat will look very nice.

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UPDATE: I changed the seat because I really hated those tiny holes which make my bike less sexy (see pic.) Also gave it a good shoe shine :)

temporary quick oil leak fix

2010-10-27T15:59:00.001+09:00

This is a Suzuki Djebel 250 that a good riding buddy gave me. My friend rides like a looney and couldn't control himself riding on boulders pretending that this off-roader is a Trials bike. He rode over a boulder and hit the engine hard and cracked the engine. I was looking for a donor engine but I wanted to take it for a spin before the repairs. The oil leak was bad but it didn't stop me from riding it.

To stop the oil from leaking, first I drained the engine oil, drained the fuel, flipped the bike on it's back, cleaned the engine with a wire brush and parts cleaner spray and applied liquid engine gasket and waited for a week. After a week I rode the bike off-road and had a good time.

This is just a quick fix and I recommend to do proper repairs. For crazy off-road riders, I suggest you to bring a tube of engine gasket sealant in your tool pouch. Based on my experience, twice I did this quick fix up in the mountain creek when my riding buddy crashed his Trials bike on a boulder cracking his bike's clutch case cover. Pushing the bike was not an option because we were about 7 kilometers away from our vans and there were no roads because we were on top of a creek. We still have to cover lots of grounds, ride very steep climbs and jump lots of boulders and that will be impossible without the engine working. I flipped the bike on it's side and got some leaves to clean the dripping oil from the clutch case cover, applied engine gasket sealer and waited for about an hour, started the bike and my friend rode his bike back to safety. The next week my friend came to ride again but still didn't replace the clutch cover. It took him about 3 months to replace his clutch cover and kept riding his patched-up bike. He always told us that "if it ain't leaking, I ain't fixing"... crazy guy, hahaha!

ZZR headlight repair

2010-10-23T06:02:00.001+09:00

This repair is very simple and straight forward. The bike crashed and one of the headlight bracket broke. I was able to salvage the main piece of the broken bracket but a piece of the puzzle was missing. To rebuild the missing piece my tool for the job was a normal soldering iron. Before I glued the broken piece I inserted two small metal rods for strength and support inside the bracket and melt plastic that I got from my pile of parts rubbish using my soldering iron. I filed and sand papered the excess plastic and touched painted the repaired area and it's good as new :)

water damaged engines

2010-10-22T04:51:00.003+09:00

The green van is a swimmer and the blue van is a smacker. I combined both cars to make one. Notice the parts scattered all over the ground...

The first thing to do if your engine was submerged in water is to:

First you want to remove the water inside the piston cylinder and you can do this by removing the spark plugs (all) and suck the water by using a small hose and by attaching it to a sucker then force the remaining water out by blowing in air using an air gun. If you dont have the gadget, I have used normal drinking straw to suck out the water and believe me that you must do it after eating lunch or else... yucks! I did that when my dirtbike went for a swim. I also did this to a water damaged car that I bought years ago...

When you got the water off the piston cylinders. Hand crank the the engine (DO NOT USE THE STARTER AND DO NOT INSTALL THE SPARK PLUGS). If you start the engine without checking if the cylinder has water inside, you'll fck up the engine. This is called "WATER HAMMER". You might bend the connecting rod on the pistons, etc.

You can spray deep penetrating oil in the spark plug holes and slowly try to hand crank the engine and try to get the piston loose from the cylinder. If you cannot hand crank the engine because the pistons are stuck, you have to open up the engine. If the engine can be hand cranked, check the plug holes again for water. Be sure that all the parts are dry.

Most Japanese and German made electronic parts will work once they dry up. You may need to dismantle. clean and lubricare these parts to get the rust off especially for electric motors (power window motor, door lock motor, automatic seat, sun roof motor, etc.)

Change the engine oil, and gearbox oil or ATF (automatic transmission fluid). Check the fuel line for water. Check and clean carburetor or EFI and air filter. Check the distributor cap for water, install plugs, check the battery... START!

You may need to do several oil changing especially for ATF. Change the differential oil also.

It is also good to check the condition of the wiring connectors. If there is soil, mud, and water inside, you must clean it with water and spray it with deep penetrating oil (WD-40 or CRC). If rust is present, you may need to scratch the connectors.

These are the basics for repairing water damaged engines.

car jacks for lifting bikes

2010-10-16T03:30:00.003+09:00

Unless you are a pro mechanic or a racer, I don't really think that you need to buy expensive motorcycle lifts especially if you are only doing small repairs or Sunday maintenance on your bikes. I had several hundreds of bikes but I never bought a proper bike lift. I do have a portable bike lift for off-road bikes but it can't be used on road bikes. I sometime use car jacks to lift bikes but I personally prefer hanging bikes on a chain block, makes lifting easier and safer. You can always get car jacks cheap or for free at scrap yards near you. Just work slowly and best if you have somebody to hold your bike for you while you do your repairs.

I don't have anybody to hold bikes for me so I use bike tie-downs. Bike tie-downs are very handy and can be used in many ways. Try to keep at least two bike tie-downs in your garage because you never know when you will be needing one.

fork oil replacement and overhaul tips

2010-10-15T12:24:00.004+09:00

It is best to dismantle the forks if you are planning to do a fork oil change on your bike. There are forks with drain plugs found at the bottom and some people will just drain the oil over night and measure the amount of oil that came out and add the same amount of new fork oil to the fork. Some people will not even dismantle the forks from their bikes when they do this kind of oil change.

Normal and inverted forks are basically the same. To do a full and proper fork oil change is to: dismantle the forks but it will help if you loosen up the uppermost bolts that holds the fork from the top bridge and loosen up the the big nut found at the end of the inner tube. There are some inverted forks that have holders and you have to clamp it on a vise to open the nut at the end. The nut found at the end of the inner tube is where you pour in the oil. Remember that there are some forks fitted with adjusters found on the center. Most are dial types and some even have the air pump valve. You must first know what type of forks your bike has. Most forks have the spring and the damper found in one unit and there are times that a small valve is fitted between the end cap (nut found at the end of the inner tube) and the damping rod inside the fork. There is a double nut that locks the damping rod from the end cap and be VERY careful not to loose the small valve found in between the two. 2nd pull out the spring and dump the oil. Pump the inner tube until all the oil comes out. Take off the dust seal, oil seal spring lock, oil seal and pull the inner tube out from the outer tube. You have to pull it out several times until the two has been disconnected. Loosen the the big bolt found at the end of the endpipe so that you can pull out the damping unit. Pump the damping until there is no oil left. Some damping must be pumped many times to get all the oil out. Clean all the parts. Replace all the damping unit's rubber. Assemble the fork and put in new oil seal. Clamp the fork and level it 90 deg. Fully extend the inner tube and pour in the fork fluid. Connect the damping rod to the end cap. FINISH!
*****
EASY way to do a full oil change: Do everything that I wrote but do not dismantle the dust cap, oil seal and the inner tube from the outer tube. Just dump the oil out from the tube. Invert the tube and retract the inner tube to full. hold the damping rod and pump it until all the oil has come out. There are some models that will take you several minutes of pumping to get all the oil out from the damping unit. (my bike take at least 10 mins until I can get all the oil out from the damping unit) TAKE YOUR TIME. You will know that all the oil has been dumpted out by standing the fork upright and releasing the damping rod and if it falls straight to the bottom, then all the oil has been dumpted and if not... just keep on pumping again. Put new fork fluid, close the end cap... FINISH!

REMEMBER: You must know the proper fork fluid and the proper amount of oil for your fork. Always measure the amount of oil from a graduated mess cylinder. Always pour in the oil with the inner tube in extended position. Always pump the damping rod to let oil inside the damping unit and get the air out. Put oil or silicone grease on the oring at the end cap before installation. You can also use a measuring stick if you dont have a graduated cylinder or you have not fully dumpted all the old oil inside the damping unit.

USEFUL HOME MADE MEASURING TOOL FOR FORK OIL MEASUREMENT. You need syringe but you dont need the needle, a small hose that fits the end of the syringe, a measuring stick or a pre measured rod (anything will do just put a marking) this will be your scale. Pour the oil inside the tube and suck the excess oil out using the syringe.

*** Techies wont like this... I use specified fork fluid but if I ran out of stock, I use Toyota Dextron 2 ATF (automatic transmission fluid) but I find it too hard but works well for some bikes. I change my fork fluid every 3 months and sometimes I ran out of stock (oil) so I use ATF (I have cans of ATF at stock everytime...) Many MX, trials, and some road racers also use ATF. It's up to you... Many trials use no.5 or no.10 fork fluid but I prefer a more softer oil. The best is to follow what your manual says and you will never be wrong.

how to check swing arm's linkage (easy way)

2010-10-11T02:23:00.003+09:00

Street bikes do not usually have problems with the swing arm's linkage but dirt bikes/ off roaders, duals, enduro, and especially MX and trials racers are prone to have problems with the linkage. Dirt is the no.1 enemy and it will enter the seals and damage the linkage bearings. A direct hit on the linkage (rocks, logs, etc can cause much damage to the bearings and the arms also. Street legal bikes have better seals than racer models because it is a must to regularly service/repair full racer models and everybody knows that... Using pressurized steam jets to wash the linkage is really not a very good idea because water will cause the linkage bearings to rust. Driving in deep water is also not a very good thing to do if you will not dismantle and do a full grease up on the linkage bearings. That is the reason why I do not like riding in deep waters.

How to check: Lift up the rear tire (use a jack and best if the rear tire is removed), hold the swingarm and move it upwards, downwards, and sideways. It should not shake. If you have doubts, dismantle the shock absorber/spring and test the swing arm again. A small bit of shake is OK and it wont kill you but if the shaking is too much, you must replace the bearings.

*** to replace the swingarms linkage bearings (needle bearings), remove the linkage, pry the oil/dust deals, push the bearing out by using a press OR you can use a stationary vise and use wood. Look for a socket that has the nearest size to the needle bearings and pump it out by compressing the vise (just be imaginative and this will work). Fit new bearings and seals.

*** so you don't have the parts... remove the linkage, BUT do not pry the seals. Check for damages. If there is too much rust check if the needle bearings will move and if not, dip the linkange in a pan of kerosene and go for lunch... Now check the needle bearings again and try to move the needles GRADUALLY and ONE AT A TIME. WD40, CRC or any deep penetrating oil will help. Be very careful not to damage the seals. If the bearing is now moving and you've got most of the rust, dirt, oil, crap out from the bearing, dry it and put grease (the more the merrier). Assemble the parts together and check/shake the swingarm again. There will be a bit of shake but who can complain... change the bearings if you have the parts at hand but this will do for now.

*** Some swingarms will not shake and may look OK because there is just to much rust build-up in the linkage and the movement will be hard. Some bikers will only change the shocks/springs but will not check the swingarm's condition, naturally the performance of the "new" aftermarket spring/shock will not be used 100% because of the rusty linkage bearings that fcks up the swingarm's movement. It is like wearing brand new shoes but without washing the feet...

cheap two stroke muffler (rear end) overhaul

2010-10-11T01:51:00.002+09:00

If you have an end pipe that can be dismantled and opened (MX racers, trials racers, and some aftermarket performance pipes for 2 strokers) you can salvage or use asbestos insulators but best to stay away with asbestos. Some use fiberglass sheets also. I change my end end pipe's glass wool 3 times/year and the price of glass wool is not really cheap, I have used the real stuff (muffler's glass wool), fiber glass sheets (used for repairing fiberglass bumpers, spoilers, bike's fairings, etc.) but since I scrap lots of cars... I also use these materials... If you look under a car's bonnet, you may find an insulator neatly fitted on it or behind the car's engine w/c is called firewall insulator. I use these materials also. Some house walls especially ceilings have similar insulators also that you may salvage for your bike's muffs.

Always make sure that the material that you'll be using is fire proof. HOW TO CHECK simple... get a small peice and light it. If the material burns it is no good.

As warned... ASBESTOS is bad for your health!
next time: how to clean the center pipe.

how to change fork oil seals the cheap way

2010-10-09T03:57:00.002+09:00

To do a proper fork oil seal change you must have special gadgets like clamps, oil seal strikers, etc.

Since I have been changing lots of fork oil seals for my "for sale bikes" and especially with my trials and off-road bikes, maybe this will be of help to you.

Remember that there are many different kinds of forks but we will only talk about the fork with fork fluid and not the forks with only springs and rubber dampers. Inverted or not, forks are basically all the same. The basic parts are the outer tube, inner tube, oil seal holder (detachable or in one peice with the outer tube. dust seal, oil seal, oil seal retainer spring, fork bolt (located on the end of the inner tube where you put in fork fluid) and lots more but we wont talk about those things here. Most forks have the spring and the damper unit in one unit but my bike has one fork for spring and another for damping but they are basically the same.

So you don't have the tools... it will really help if you have a vise but use rag, aluminium plates, or soft wood if you are planning to clamp the outer fork. Try to avoid clamping the inner tube but if you have to, use soft wood and cut it to form a "V" shape and if you can put soft rubber bike tire tube or flexi styro will be ok. Always remember not to scratch the inner tube.

Check the inner tube for damages. It must be smooth but if the inner tube has scratches, get the scrathces off with fine sand paper and always do strokes accross and not along the inner tube. Keep the fork upright and pry the dust seal. Take off the oil seal retainer spring. You must have a long thin but very strong and very sharp ice pick like tool, aim at the outer side of the oil seal and punch it in by using a hammer BUT BE VERY CAREFUL not to scratch the inner tube with your sharp tool or your hammer or the inner tube is fcked. GENTLY and slowly screw a tapered metal screw to the small hole that you have made. Now GENTLY pull the oil seal off using a needle nose plier. Get your new oil seal and apply silicone grease on the oil seal lips (the more the better because you can always wipe the excess oil after. Apply a thin layer of fork oil or silicone grease on the outer side of the oil seal also. Slide the new oil seal in and try to push it in the oil seal seat with your fingers but make it seat straight until it wont go in anymore. Get the old oil seal and hammer the old oil seal over the new oil seal GENTLY to force the new oil seal to seat inside the the holder. Use the metal screw to pull out the old oil seal and put the oil seal retainer spring back to lock the oil seal to it's position. Clean the dust seal and if you want you can apply a thin coating of fork fluid or silicone grease to the inner lips of the dust cover.

If you have a detachable oil seal holder, you can use a hose clamp to clamp the holder in place because it will fall if you hammer in the oil seal. Check fork fluid level, install the fork, remove bike from bike lift or bike jack and let it stand on it's suspension, loosen and retighten the end nut to get the excess air off the fork and you are ready to roll.

small tips on engine cooling system

2010-10-09T03:36:00.004+09:00

You can use a normal water hose if your radiator hose blows up. Your bike/car will take you home but please get a new hose asap.

If you have a stucked thermostat, you might engounter engine over heating. Remove the thermostat and add water. Pump the lower hose to get unwanted air out of the water line. It will get you home again but please get a new thermostat asap.

If your temp meter is not functioning check meter then check thermo sensor, check wiring especially the connectors for looseness or carbon and dirt build up. If there is too much carbon on the connector use an icepick or anything thin and scrape the carbon out and spray CRC/WD-40.

Some over heating is caused by faulty rad fans.

For 4 strokers. If your engine oil turns white, there is water in the oil. Head gasket might be the trouble. And if your gear box oil turns white, check the water pump/impeller. The water and oil seals are damaged.

funky tools

2010-10-07T01:17:00.002+09:00

These are some tools that I made or crafted/bent/ground... nothing fancy but they did the job well.
from the top: is for popping lock doors, extra hard crank pulley holder, Honda Integra engine pulley holder, chain pulley holder, bent spanners, scrapers and mini knives, tubeless tire puncture repair needle, lock picks, extended screw driver, hose remover, etc. I still have more and will try to add photos if I can still find where I tossed them :)

portable vise

my homemade pulley holder in action

my homemade hose remover tool in action

I couldn't have done removing pulleys without my homemade tools. Now all I a had to do was to assemble all these parts to be home in time to cook my vegetable for dinner :)