So I finally took the plunge… last weekend I picked up my Honda CRF1000D, a victory red Africa Twin. Initial impressions of the bike are very good and the DCT gearbox is exceptionally smooth, it is certianly intuitive and perhaps even better than I thought it might be. So far I have only been off road in the Epynt Ranges but the gravel and forest tracks locally proved how good the G Mode DCT box can be – and with the traction control light flashing away, warning and then controlling the rear wheel slip, I scrubbed in the standard Dunlop Trailmax road tyres. I took some stick from bikers old and new telling me it was not a real bike, but I’ve been riding since the age of 16 and I am now aged 52, so even with my poor maths that’s 36 years on two wheels… I don’t have anything else to prove. I am still keeping a manual bike but quite honestly if the technology is this is good then one might wonder if the clutch lever is going to become redundant – I suspect not, or at least not quite yet.
Category Archives: Running Repairs
Always a pot of gold – Karma
Riding down the coast road near Ytre Svartvik, I was pondering the need for waterproofs… if you ride you know that time. Picture this, it looks like its going to rain so you need to decide if the chance of wetness is greater than the faff required to put on a one piece over-suit designed to keep your textiles from dripping all over the place at the campsite? Trust me putting on wet clothing the following morning is not a pleasant experience but then is neither squeezing yourself into your boil in the bag waterproof over-suit. As I waited, contemplating outpacing the clouds, an Italian scooter rider stopped and with the international language of gesticulation we agreed he needed petrol and with the R1150GSA holding 30 litres I gave him enough to see him on his way, I thought that was my good deed of the day but then I got a puncture…. so much for karma!
The GS is finally home
So my GS is finally home – been a long time coming with a rebuilt gearbox, new clutch plate and third input drive shaft. Its a real shame that this design fault still remains, its a non service item but really would benefit from routine lubrication but with complete gearbox removal and bike strip down required its a difficult and long job to do. At the same time a new clutch hydraulic slave cylinder has been installed, which I know was leaking. The story is that when BMW introduced the hydraulic clutch design they miscalculated and inadvertently moved the clutch disc 8mm further forward towards the engine and off the transmission splines, this results in the splines of the clutch disc falling short of the input drive shaft hence the wear. Apparently Brunos Machine and Repair have a fix so I am on the case now for the new shaft design.
The GSA is Dead – Long live the GSA
Been a topsy turvy month with the gearbox on my 02 R1150 GSA wearing the main bearings and damaging the gearbox case, its in Cardiff Mototrrad still with Phil working his magic and within a few weeks he will have cannibalised three gearboxes into one new refurbished one for me. In the meantime I have a new blank canvas to play with – the Bumble Bee.
More kindness in Sweden
It never ceases to amaze me just how kind and generous people are – having shredded the rear Dunlop after only about 1800 miles and being recovered by Assistancekaren to Huskvarna – the guys in the Alex Autoservice workshop deserve a mention, spending ages on the phone tying to find me a tyre the right size, staying open late and then driving me into town to find me a hotel and then working right through to get me back on the road. So if your stuck in central Sweden and need some help go to Grannavagen 18 and the junction with Tenhultsvagen 54… 