Recent content by ricky66

Hmmm, I agree the majority of modern bikes (mine included) can be very reliable while delivering outstanding performance. Far better than some from my admittedly rapidly dimming memory....... VF750F stretched cam-chains and pitting camshafts Late pre-hinckley bonnevilles - mainly QC issues...

You know these have the nickname 'Triumph Exploder' in the trade. The motors are hand grenades. Get rid of it quick if you still have it and it runs

I've got a Euro 4 Interceptor - it gets pretty warm in Adelaide in summer. Motul 10W50, very smooth change either way. Not slick, but smooth in an unhurried way. I'm fussy with clutch and gear lever positions. My commute is approximately 200 gear change events each way (its mostly motorway)...

Aussie Rangers (made in Thailand) are most popular in the high spec level versions selling about 35 thousand units a year in a country with the population of Florida. The Toyota HiLux (Tacoma in the USA) sells in about the same numbers so 'utes' (short for utility) are bloody popular here. My...

Don't waste your cash on 'motorcycle specific' oils mate. I use Penrite everyday full synthetic 10W-40 (about $6- a litre when on sale from Supacrap) in everything in my signature plus some late model cars my kids drive, mowers, 4 stroke blowers and line trimmers. Absolutely no need to spend...

Half a million kays on one of those horrible 5 speed 1100's? That bloke deserves a medal. Worst gearbox of any boxer I've ridden, awful. I rode dozens of those things and gave two new ones up to get back on my old K11LT. Even the latest water cooled R12RT has a less than stellar gearbox...

If you can find a low mileage 2nd hand 5 speeder I wouldn't hesitate to buy it and save the depreciation hit from new. The 5 speed bogeyman is complete fantasy. I've done some extended miles on the 5 speed with elec cruise. Very nice. If you're a big (ish) bloke, the wind protection is well...

Originally Posted By: Oldwagon Yes, good point I do have it backwards, to drive 4mi. an then cut it off allows more condensation & fuel contaminants to accumulate in the eng. & exhaust system. I didn't like driving 4mi. an shutting down but early AM traffic flow was against me to take a longer...

I've got a few Japanese built bikes, all dead reliable apart from botched work from previous owners except my 2003 Yamaha XJR1300 which I've had since new. I've covered over half a million kilometres on various BMW's. The more complex they get, the more little bits go wrong....they are robust...

Thanks Gentlemen, appreciate your help. I'm on nightshift for the next 8 days so I'll hunt up some oil and change it this week. Might as well do the mower, blower and line trimmer while I'm out in the workshop. Those little 4 stroke Hondas only hold about 80 millilitres of oil. What do you...

Hi Guys, Can anyone educate me on the correct type of oil to use in my single cylinder direct drive hobby air compressor please. I'm under the impression that it should be a straight weight mineral oil. Does 30wt sound about right. I've tried to search but can't find a definitive answer. Its...

Originally Posted By: onemig Not a typo. From what I know, the engine has to be lowered beneath the vehicle enough so as to have access to the water pump. Hmmmm, don't know about this. then again, not expecting to do the water pump until at least 150,000 km (90K miles) It is pretty tight...

Very unusual for one these motors to break. Did it break a ring, hole a piston or did you burn a valve? Seems very odd, Ive owned 3 bikes powered by derivatives of this motor, all ridden hard with high mileage. Never seen a failure like that, even with low maintenance levels, ie extended valve...

Bought ours new, all the bells and whistles. Twice the price you're looking at here in Australia when new. You do get what you pay for, those 4 cylinder Mazdas and subarus feel gutless with no torque or grunt. We got the colour, trim and spec level we wanted, exactly. Cost $$$$$$$ though. My...

Originally Posted By: dailydriver Originally Posted By: ricky66 The cause of the demise of the Australian car manufacturing industry is complex. It is obviously linked to the flood of cheap south east Asian built garbage, grey imports and a lack of any real tariff protection. Protection which is...