The Joy of Two-Stroke

(Cartoon by Ian Douglas)

Carabineros of Chile

Trike

I've often seen this trike about, but never parked up before.

It has caught my attention because the rider never wears a helmet, regardless of the weather. Now, just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean that you should do it.

I've ridden without a helmet on occasion, and it's very noisy. Add to that, riding in the rain, even in an open face helmet, can feel like your skin is being sand-blasted.

This guy rides in sunglasses and a beanie hat when it's dry, and just puts the hood of his jacket up when it rains.

Anyway, I spotted it parked up outside the supermarket over the weekend and wandered over to have a better look.

It's very well done, based on a Yamaha XJR 1300 with the rear end professionally adapted. Much better than some of the lash-ups I’ve seen.

Also adapted is the clutch with both levers on the right-hand side, so I’m guessing that there’s a strength issue with his left arm. A friend of mine years ago had a similar adaptation made for his outfit.

I've never ridden a trike before so I'm curious to know how they handle differently from either a solo or an outfit. Maybe one day I'll find out.

The Ace

Ace Cafe, London (early 60s)

(Via: Twitter)

Winter Is Coming

A wee reminder that you don't have to leave your bike in the shed over the winter months.

 

Never mind, it will soon be summer. Right?
 

Sporting Times

Hard to believe that my Sport was last on the road nine years ago, 2007 if the tax disc is to be believed. I did drag it out and service it a couple of years ago as part of a half-hearted plan to sell it (see here), but it got pushed to the back of the shed afterwards and forgotten about again.

However, I really need to make my mind up whether I'm keeping it or not. It's just going to waste just sitting there. The main problem I had with it was its riding position. While no more extreme than a lot of sports bikes, and a lot less so than many, it still played merry hell with my lower back on those occasions it got any prolonged use.

The current plan is to service it, get it roadworthy and ready for its MOT inspection, with a view to putting some miles on it over the summer before making a decision about its future.

To that end, at the weekend I rolled it out of the shed and into the daylight. I removed all of the fairing panels prior to getting cleaned up and polished. Unfortunately, a couple of the tags through which bolts are fastened have snapped off. I've ordered up some JB Weld and we'll see if they can be fixed.

As for the rest, it needs a good clean, some rusty parts re-painted, and some of the fasteners replaced. The engine and casings have gone a bit 'furry', so those will need attention. The tyres, battery and a couple of the indicators will need replaced too.

I've ordered up replacements, and also a new chain and sprockets while I was at it. Otherwise it's in pretty remarkable shape for a neglected 23 year-old machine.