Scooter listed on eBay again! (£100 cheaper!)

 Scooter listed again: listing

Triumph T100 Bonneville wheel upgrade

One of the problems with the Triumph Bonneville T100s is the poor quality of some of the ancillary components. It's fairly clear that the bikes were built down to a price, and some parts are a disappointment to find on a bike of their price.

First are the wheels, these have very cheap chromed steel rims that flake and rust fairly quickly. Mine were a bit rusty when I bought my bike, and despite cleaning and treating with corrosion protection, they were getting worse. So I decided to have a set of wheels rebuilt with alloy rims.

Rather than have the bike off the road while the wheels were rebuilt, I managed to get a second hand pair on Ebay. Triumph changed the design of the hubs in about 2010, the front having different disc mounting holes, and the rear using straight spokes rather than hooked ones. The ones I bought were the later post-2010 ones, but they are interchangeable with the pair my 2003 bike has.

I arranged to have hubs powder coated silver and the wheels rebuilt with alloy rims and stainless spokes by Re-spoke & Be-spoke Wheel Building. .

I bought new EBC discs, rear standard and front floating, and some stainless bolts to fit them.

Front disc,  rear disc.

The wheel building took a lot longer than planned, but the quality of work is extremely high. I had the new wheels fitted with a pair of Avon RoadRider Mk 2s, and new tubes and rim tapes. I've used Avon RoadRiders on previous bikes and they are a good mix of grip and tyre life, and suit my style of riding.

Once fitted they look a lot better then the old, rusty rims. Took the opportunity to fit new Brembo brake pads. I've used lots of different brands of brake pads over the years, and have found Brembo to be the best for feel, wear and build quality. (Personal view).

In addition to the floating disc, you'll see that my bike has been fitted with a 3 piston caliper. More about that modification in a future post.

Took the bike for a ride to bed in the new pads and scuff the tyres. New tyres always make a bike feel better due to being 'rounder' than the flattened ones you replace, and the bike felt very stable and 'grounded' on the road. 

 

Scooter still for sale

 My scooter didn't sell on eBay so has been relisted at a lower price.   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184415663752

Honda Forza now on eBay

 My Honda Forza is now listed on eBay.

Link to listing here.

Honda Forza 300 for sale

 For sale: my Honda Forza 300 scooter. I've owned this for 2 years and it has only been used for commuting, so now I'm retired it's no longer needed. 2013 model with c34500 miles, ABS, linked brakes, Honda HISS immobiliser, Datatag, huge luggage carrying capacity (easily takes 2 full face helmets under the saddle, plus two pockets in fairing. LHS one is lockable, has a 12V socket for phone charging, etc, and is so big I can put my arm into it up to my elbow, so ideal for carrying baguettes).

Well maintained (by me), high Givi screen plus lower Honda screen, new rear tyre and pads. MOTed on Saturday. Easily cruises at 70 mph (have seen 85 on my private racetrack), 65-75 mpg motorway use, 75-85 mpg around town.

Lots of fun and very easy to ride. Big, comfortable, and good weather protection. This is one single you could tour on! Will be going on Ebay soon, so don't delay! £2000.

***Please bear in mind that I stay about 15 miles west of Glasgow. Can arrange a courier company to deliver it. Also, I know all the scams - so no PayPal, no 'my agent will collect it', no members of the Nigerian royal family, etc. Not interested in any swaps.***

Hello, I'm back!

Sorry for not posting for quite a while. Nothing really happened, I just had other things going on and the blog kind of dropped off the list.

My main piece of news is that I'm now retired. I had intended retiring in the middle of this year, but when the Covid-19 lockdown started in March, a number of people were paid off at my work. I wasn't very happy with the way it was done, so offered to go there and then, and that was me retired!

Obviously, lockdown has greatly restricted our abilities to do anything or go anywhere, but I've not been idle and have done quite a lot of work on my bikes. I'll post about each one separately, but I've still got my Triumph Bonneville T100.

My Honda 300 Forza scooter.

And my 1972 Honda CL350 'project'.

Hopefully as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, we will be able to go out more, so I should have more things to write about.

Only major thing on the horizon is The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride. This year, as group events are still restricted, it will be done in a 'solo' basis. Not quite sure what that will entail, but I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, my fundraising page is here, please donate if you can.

More later!