Advice: Technical Q & A

SOAPBOX
In another life, in a galaxy far, far away, I taught a bit of high school. One of my students was Tony Davis, who went on in his father’s footsteps (Pedr Davis) to become a motoring writer and publisher. Jeremy Clarkson has made millions of quids out of popularising comic car writing, but Tony was doing it before him and doing it better.

A recent column of his in the ‘Drive’ section of Fairfax Press suggested the car industry should get its brochure writers to write recall notices. He pointed out that recall notices have their own language.

“The Ferrari 458 recently had problems with ‘thermal incidents’. Anyone who speaks fluent recall will know a thermal incident can involve large flames and a charred wreck at the end. Ferrari recalled the cars for ‘possible non-conformity in the assembly of the wheelhouse and its respective heat shield.’

“Owners, each who have paid more than half a million for their 458, must have been reassured to learn it was a ‘non-conformity’ rather than, say, a mistake, stuff-up or quality lapse.”

Bike recalls are no different. The plot is to get the bikes in, fix the problem and not alarm potential buyers. Some of these recalls are harder to write than others. Here’s what Kawasaki said in its American media release about the delayed introduction of its ZX-10R:

“The company is proactively addressing a remedy which reflects Kawasaki’s commitment to excellence and its relationships with its highly valued customers and dealer network.”

The fix? A full refund for existing customers or a new engine. Some days in the office can be harder than others…

READING PLUGS
I recently bought a 1952 Matchless G80 and in the course of trying to sort out some rough running, the question of carburetion came up. The problem turned out to be a leaking head gasket, but that’s another story.

The question remains, though: in the era of lead-free fuel, how does one read a spark plug now that lead no longer provides the black/tan/grey/white deposits? What should a correct burn state look like using unleaded fuel? Is it necessary to use some other means to determine the correct carburetion?
Trevor Jones, sbrunner@bigpond.net.au

I’ve been thinking of purchasing a ‘project’ and was trying to include insurance in my costings. It seems the usual motorcycle insurers don’t want to know about unregistered bikes -- and home insurers don’t want to know about bikes full stop.

Shannons included stuff like personal liability in its pricey quote, but it’s not as if the bike is going to put itself back together and run over the neighbour’s kid. Fair suck of the sauce bottle, as Kev used to say.

What do collectors or those of you with a shed full of bikes do about insuring them?
Luke Ferlazzo,  luke.ferlazzo@cmv.com.au

STICKING GEARS
Back in 2008 you wrote a review of the Sachs Express 150. I bought one in November ’09. By that stage they still hadn’t improved the quality of the tyres or the rear brake. I also have a problem occasionally with the gearbox locking in neutral when changing from first to second. I have to push the lever down before I can change up again.

The local agent told me some of these bikes are just like that and replacing gearbox parts doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.

I asked the agent to fix the problem under warranty and was told that they couldn’t diagnose any issues – the gearbox worked normally when they rode the bike. The dealer spoke to the distributor which told them that if they pulled the gearbox apart and couldn’t find any problems, they wouldn’t cover the labour and parts involved as a warranty claim.

My local dealer is reluctant to proceed unless I agree to pay for any costs incurred. What do you think?
George Pohlmann, thegeorgepohlmann@bigpond.com

Getting back to the Laro, do you think it’ll be the same sort of set-up as the Kinlon? Any information would be great. Oh, and don’t forget the Derbi picture you said you’d send (in 2005!).
Nick Scordilis,  Lenah Valley, Tas

ON THE RANGE
I have a few issues with my trusty 1999 Honda VTR1000F. It’s done 64,000km and is in good nick with the compulsory Staintune upswept pipes, K&N filter, plus adjusted carbs.

I’m about 178cm tall and in my mid-40s. This information is relevant because, while I love the bike, it makes me feel cramped after 100km – and sometimes even less. Can I fit aftermarket handlebars that raise and pull back a bit to reduce body fatigue? Are there aftermarket foot controls available to lower the leg position and aid circulation?

Vibration through the ’bars at the moment isn’t over the top, but my hand goes to sleep after 50km or so. It’s fine if you’re single, but not so good for me. Would new ’bars fix the problem or would it carry over?

Now for the tank range. It’s a thirsty bugger sometimes – well, all the time, really. I have altered the bike to have it registered in Queensland as a solo-seat at cheaper rates.

Would it be possible to fabricate a copy of the whole plastic rear end from aluminium and use it as an additional fuel tank? Maybe it would hold as much as the existing tank (about 16 litres) and be connected by a fuel hose to the original tank. I don’t think handling would be too affected as, mostly, it would be empty – I’d just use it on longer trips.

I bought the bike for $4800 after it had been sitting in a shed for a year covered in god-knows-what. I took it home without riding it, stripped it, painted it and serviced it under the carport and it started first go. It’s a Honda – reliable.
Mark Trewartha, Hiawatha@dodo.com.au

I want a road bike and a trail bike. Road-wise, I’m thinking of a Ducati 400SS. I love Ducatis, although the horror stories concerning the prices of parts and services have scared me in the past. Is the 400 a good choice for the odd Sunday ride on some twisty stuff? Do any other options spring to mind? I’d like a twin, if possible.

For the trail bike, I’m thinking a Husky 430 Auto. My only concern is that it might be a little hard to start and, from memory, they’re a left-foot kick, which might pose a problem due to my injury. Any major problems or issues with these old girls? I prefer the older bikes to the newer ones – I’d rather have a steel tank XT500 to a WR450.

I currently own a Honda XR400. Would I be better off doing the upside-down fork conversion from a CR500 and do a big-bore, cam and carb on the engine?
Julian Mazur,  julianmazur@bigpond.com