IXXRA......The Home Of The Superblackbird

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:27 am**

Chatting to my loooooooong time mechanic and old-days riding pal at the MOT a couple of weeks ago, about life, love and the the meaning of it all (we already know it's 42, but always good to test a theory), when the conversation shifted to how reliable modern bikes are compared to their predecessors. I used to ride with Mark in the days of GS1000E's, Z1-R's, CBX's, XS11's, GPz's and so on and so forth.... Anyway, he's been a mechanic since a boy and the business was opened by his Dad, who still works there and the age of 77 (he gives me the count every time I go there :mrgreen:

) so they know their stuff pretty well. Frankly, if they didn't, my bike wouldn't go there! So anyway...

Despite the reliability of modern bikes (post 92/93) there is one thing that Mark and his Dad seem to agree, causes more damage to bike parts, leading to expense and unreliability, than just about anything else. Anyone care to hazard a guess??

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:00 am**

Inexperienced Hands!

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:03 am**

Chinese eclectrics

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:11 am**

lubrication problems,

ie not changing oil regularly or using incorrect oil??

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 11:20 am**

WD 40

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 3:48 pm**

Ecu going tits up :banghead)

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 3:52 pm**

.

road salt... or little old ladies turning right out of "T" junctions.. lol

regards
aj :thumbsup)

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 5:21 pm**

So far, surprisingly... no to all!

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 pm**

.

ahh... taking it out on the roads and riding it.... worst thing you can do... :thumbsup)

specially in the wet.. lol

regards
aj

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:05 pm**

Not riding right...no empathy for ya steed. Twist and go as fast as fekk, fekk the revs, fekk being at one with ya machine eh?

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:48 pm**

A custard cream in the petrol tank?

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:43 pm**

bluegas wrote:A custard cream in the petrol tank?

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:03 pm**

T.Murphy wrote:
bluegas wrote:A custard cream in the petrol tank?

He's ánother mudlander Tim no accounting for them lol

Rain /water

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:42 pm**

T.Murphy wrote:
bluegas wrote:A custard cream in the petrol tank?

Sound like "A Wank in the tank" :redcard

Posted: **Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:47 pm**

unleaded??

Posted: **Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:31 am**

Pressure washers.

Rip the grease out of bearings, invade just about any electrical installation, damage or destroy the rings in chains and invade parts of the block itself and put water into the fuel. Apparently though, they make a fair bit from repairs caused by pressure washers. The damage can be immediate or cumulative over days weeks or months and sometimes it's just a game o' chance or "I been doing the same thing for years so it can't be that".

Hadn't thought much about it, because I don't even use soapy water to wash mine, but must admit, I always whince when I call in for petrol and a biker is giving the back of the clocks/fairing or under the rear wheelarch (under the seat as some of us call it) and fookin good blast out with the garages 3000psi leviathan. You can fair hear them thinking... "Yeeeah, that'll get the salt and shite out". The thought of water blasting through the gaps in the frame and ripping happily into the battery compartment/relays/fuse boxes/reg rec/wiring loom and connectors, or pounding into the wee rubber seal that's designed to protect the genny coils/pick-ups and wires from water drips etc... well, you gotta chuckle a bit I suppose. It's so obvious, I never gave it a secong thought and for the record, I didn't get the answer whilst talking to them about it either lol

Posted: **Wed Mar 19, 2014 9:23 pm**

Only time i use one is on the path, drive and occasionally on low pressure setting for under the car wheel arches and sills,but NEVER EVER on me bike( dont need to as a fair weather rider anyrode :ride)

)

Posted: **Wed Mar 19, 2014 10:47 pm**

Has always amazed me at peeps who use jet-washers on their P&Js.

How the fook can anyone think that high pressure jets of water cannot do any damage to their Birds I do not know.

Thick as bacon pigs. duh

Posted: **Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:39 pm**

T.Murphy wrote:Has always amazed me at peeps who use jet-washers on their P&Js.

How the fook can anyone think that high pressure jets of water cannot do any damage to their Birds I do not know.

Thick as bacon pigs.

elllow... bacon pig hear... lol