3 of us had a lovely morning out in the Cotswolds today, mate on his R1250GS, me on the Street Scrambler and the lad on his YBR125.
On balance, as we were mainly on tiny roads with grass and gravel up the middle, I reckon the the YBR was best suited to the conditions.
When we stopped for a cuppa at the Broadway Tower, a few more bikes turned up and I'm definite that the YBR was far more effective on the local roads than the S1000RR and H2SX that arrived, despite being about 190bhp down.
Had a lovely potter around the Cobham, Stoke D’Avernon area on my way to Ryka’s this morning. Got lost a few times but eventually made it there.
Lovely weather, but didn’t get round to taking any photos, other than the Robber Fly who sat on our table and sucked an aphid dry while we chatted. Charming.
I’ve been in N. Wales eating😎
[QUOTE=cinnabull;5519224]Had a good ride out to Barmouth in North Wales on Sunday, 30.08.20, with a couple of mates on their Gixers. Stopped off at Bala, by the lake. I saw a nice R9T there as well, so snapped a couple of shots for Tony as I know hes a fan of these. They have never really appealed to me, although Tonys one looks nice and this one got me thinking a bit as well. Some nice extras on here, the filters looked wicked, along with the Nitron shock. The owner says the shock has transformed the handling massively, so much so he touches down at will, and has had to invest in a flexible number plate for the side to stop it
Stuart , the R9T cafe racer is a funny old beast. If you try one you will Immediately notice the first thing is with the weight of the boxer engine and clip ons means the steering is really heavy. Secondly the cockpit area is really cramped. As a result BMW were discounting these hard about a year ago. A few bike reviews described them as the best looking but most uncomfortable bike this year!
Steve
Last edited by higham5; 31st August 2020 at 20:58.
[QUOTE=higham5;5519328]Haha, well that doesnt surprise me, the owner of that one in Bala was a fair bit taller than me and said I possibly would struggle on it. There seems to be a whole raft of add on custom bits to make them quite individual as well. I think the version I saw in Bala is the ‘racer’ version, sort of a sports bike riding position, which is not what I want despite the aesthetic appeal. However, the normal upright version, pretty much like Tonys may need further investigation. The guy mentioned the weight of the engine, but also said its quite low down as well? Anyway, if I decide to change which at the moment isnt imminent I will investigate them further.Originally Posted by cinnabull
Stuart
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Just a snack then!I’ve been in N. Wales eating😎
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
You had a Muppet for lunch?!? How could you?!?
That was the starter....😈
[QUOTE=cinnabull;5519352]Yes, it’s been a hard sell for the Racer... I’ve not sat on one but it does seem that they’re inherently uncomfortable. Nice looking things but I’d buy a Thruxton over a 9T Racer every day of the week.
You should take a Classic out for a test, Stuart. They have an incredible character.
A new restoration project has landed.
It's an Ossa 125B from 1956.
Should keep me enterrtained for a while.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Great project!
Does it turn over?
[QUOTE=learningtofly;5519471]I tried a Racer and felt as if I was being racked. R1 was more comfortable.
For sure - much more radical than even my HP2s.
But - a pal of mine bought one for around £7,200 with a few hundred miles on it - and finds it comfortable.
He reckons the Germans are really taking to the Racer now, and selling one now could attract German buyers for a good price.
Just clocked up my first 1,000 miles on the Scrambler 1200. Absolutely love it, and certainly no regrets with trading my CB1100.
It does, doesn't feel like a lot of compression but then I'm not familiar with how it should feel.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Good luck with that, looks like a hard restoration. Could be a bit Triggers Broom looking at the rust.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
im like looking at that pic, and im thinking theres no way that can be restored. but i know im wrong. so how does it work? grind all the surface rust away and see whats left? will you expect to see much metal being replaced. maybe start a new thread and post up the progress. everyone loves those restoration threads!
Thanks. I'm heartened by the quality of the steel, as in the thickness of it so hopefully I'll be able to retain most of the major parts.Good luck with that, looks like a hard restoration. Could be a bit Triggers Broom looking at the rust.
I evicted the resident mouse out of the seat when the bike arrived by taking him a couple of hundred yards away to release him. Obviously not far enough, as he arrived back today.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Guy deserves a chance! It is his home after all.Thanks. I'm heartened by the quality of the steel, as in the thickness of it so hopefully I'll be able to retain most of the major parts.
I evicted the resident mouse out of the seat when the bike arrived by taking him a couple of hundred yards away to release him. Obviously not far enough, as he arrived back today.
R
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
A couple of highlights vids from Donington yesterday. My eldest lad Matt & I had a great time on the old Gixxers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea2SpKMn0yo&t=23s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y6y-D4F_2Y
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
If any of those engine case screws are obstinate, rather than butcher things (dead easy) drop the whole donk into a large bucket of diesel/parraffin and leave for a month or so. There's loads more there to be getting on with.
Compression wise, a piston and a rebore will be as cheap as chips, you might even get away with a honing & rings though.
Good luck...fully subscribed here.
Fantic GT to GT185 for me that year. Just couldn’t afford the 250.....
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Ralphy, Some NOS parts here on Ebay.es the Spanish version
https://www.ebay.es/itm/OSSA-125-B-P...8AAOSw4DJYiFE0
When I was rebuilding my Rabeneick, an obscure German moped, I joined owners clubs all over the world and scored some hard to get parts and more importantly advice.
Good luck with the resto and re homing the mouse
Steve
Looks like it was a perfect day for it Andy!
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Looks like a great day was had Andy
You're both correct.Looks like a great day was had Andy
Matt & I are both on track (or rather RAF Odiham's airfield) this coming Saturday and Sunday. No camera's allowed, but they are really good days given it's just a "made up" track using the main runway & the service roads, cones & straw bales.
Big braking zone at the end of the runway - I reckon genuine 165 - 170mph down to 30mph for a hairpin 14 or 15 times every 20 minute session. I'll be cream crackered.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
My new wheels, as of yesterday. Not as loud as the KTM SDR but I think it will be just as entertaining, in a different way...and a lot more comfortable
I went from an SDR to an R1200GS too!My new wheels, as of yesterday. Not as loud as the KTM SDR but I think it will be just as entertaining, in a different way...and a lot more comfortable
Was very good for winter. The boxer bits are like little shin radiators.
Flogged it after 6 months on account of an eye watering tax bill plus an exceptional deal on an NC750X which ticked most of the boxes that the GS ticked (not the engine lol)
Very nice. A Euro 3 Akra can will sort the noise outMy new wheels, as of yesterday. Not as loud as the KTM SDR but I think it will be just as entertaining, in a different way...and a lot more comfortable
Nice! I need to keep an eye out for those as Odiham is only 8 miles from me. Worth doing I take it compared to a proper track?
Shin warmers I can handle- but I am already appreciating the lack of toasted undercarriage that many other bikes inflict, including the KTM (although far from the worst).
I'm quite enjoying not attracting the wrong sort of attention, for now at leastVery nice. A Euro 3 Akra can will sort the noise out
Lovely bike, coincidentally I just bought this....
A pleasure to ride but has nothing like the fun factor of the Streetfighter S or the sheer mental grin factor the ZX10R.
Like watches, one will never cut it but I think about 4 and I'd be happy!
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Airfields are always good for grip and give a little extra assurance. Better check your brakes before or bring an extra set of pads. Have fun and be safe!
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I admire your tenacity Ralphy. If I was to underake that much work in terms of strip down, rust removal, re-finishing and a total mechanical strip and rebuild, I think I would be wanting a little more oomph at the end of the process.A new restoration project has landed.
It's an Ossa 125B from 1956.
Should keep me enterrtained for a while.
R
I wish you luck in your endeavours
Dave
I take your point Dave about oomph and it'll never be my bike for choice of riding A-roads! But trialing and green-laning would be more suitable though as the power/weight ratio (I can physically lift the complete bike up off the ground) will work quite well.
But my primary objective here is just the personal satisfaction in bringing a 64 year-old bike alive and running again.
I might do a photo-thread of the restoration if there seems to be some interest?
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Yes, certainly worth doing for only £70.00.
You do need to be an OMCC Member, but that's only £20 / year.
The website is awful to navigate, but it's here https://www.omcc.co.uk/
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Well, I've just booked my bike in at Lind Motorrad next month for...
1) Fitting some new rubber - Michelin Road 5s to be precise (albeit after weeks a mithering over whether to fit dual purpose tyres or not). Apparently everyone at the dealership uses them and I've never seen a negative review.
2) Adjustment of the rear shock to the recommended setting for my weight. It's always been too harsh a ride and whilst I've tried to make the adjustment I simply can't get the bloody knob to turn.
3) Fitting of the stock spacers/bar risers used on the Scrambler; it'll give me about an inch of rise on the bars, which I'm hoping will make for a more comfortable ride.
Really looking forward to testing how much difference the three changes will make - a fair bit I assume, though.
Done several & yes, generally the grip is pretty good, apart from the over-banding.
I always have a set of pads, plus spare levers & foot pegs etc. in my track day kit.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I'd subscribe. I'd have nothing to contribute but I'd enjoy watching.I might do a photo-thread of the restoration if there seems to be some interest?
R
Hi Tony,
PR5s are very good - I ran them on my GS. However, if you were considering dual purpose tyres - even if used predominantly on tarmac - I can highly recommend the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2. I have now had 6+ sets of them and they offer more feel, better more consistent rate of turning, and plenty of grip in both the wet and dry. I prefer them to the PR5, and actually went back to the PST2 after the PR5 as my tyre of choice for my recent 4k mile trip around Europe. The PR5 is a softer/stickier tyre in comparison, but it (like all Michelins) have a very aggressive and steep sidewall carcass where the tyre tends to fall into a corner more suddenly. It makes for a very agile, but nervous tyre, with huge grip when leant over. The PR5 does not last as long as the PST2. All that being said, the PR5 is still an excellent tyre. Just thought it worth mentioning in case you were partial to trying a dual purpose tyre. Personally, dual purpose or not, I would choose the PST2 over the PR5 every time. I've ridden about 50k miles on PST2s and about 5k on the PR5. The PST2 is very grippy and still allowed me to run 51degrees lean on normal roads on a fully loaded GS.
Thanks Adrien, and they would have done nicely had I gone for dual purpose. However, after weeks of thought I've made that decision and I'm sure the road 5s will be spot on. They're definitely a no-risk option, anyway.
For sure, they are still a great tyre and you will certainly not lack for grip rain or shine! Just thought it was worth mentioning my thoughts on them since you mentioned you were considering dual purpose tyres.
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I won't forget the first time I had Michelin 5's fitted to my bike. They transformed the handling and the grip/performance overall, but on wet, poorly surfaced mountain roads on an 1150GS they were a real eye-opener.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I get the weight thing, but isn't that Ossa a road machine, rather than one with any off-road/gravel/green lane pedigree? The absence of any front down tube would seem to indicate road only.
And I see the satisfaction thing, totally.
I would definitely be interested in that.
I always love resto work, and this one looks fun. It can be hard to decide how far to go. I do a lot of work with and near some quite talented VW guys, and it is always fascinating to see the processes of resto to new (which is skilled enough), and resto to aged (really challenging). The tank on the Ossa for instance looks like really nice patina, with some primer showing through the red etc.
It is some of the look I was going for on my Bonnie
All of the pale sections here are where I have rubbed the green back through to the immensely thick primer (before clear-coat), to get a smidge of the same effect.
There is lots of this kind of thing in the VW world, a lot less in bikes.
Dave
I feel compelled to remind people preload adjustment does not make your shock harder or softer.
It changes the limit where it hits the stops on max load and min load.
If you think the shock is adjusted for a heavier rider you could be hitting stops on rebound as you're lighter than travel allows.
I will be interested to hear the results as the general view is R9T shock is a compromise in terms of cost and performance.
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Im in for the resto as a) is a birth year bike! b) I remember riding my pals Ossa trials bike as a 17 year old yoof and it was so torquey and soft off road a great bike.I take your point Dave about oomph and it'll never be my bike for choice of riding A-roads! But trialing and green-laning would be more suitable though as the power/weight ratio (I can physically lift the complete bike up off the ground) will work quite well.
But my primary objective here is just the personal satisfaction in bringing a 64 year-old bike alive and running again.
I might do a photo-thread of the restoration if there seems to be some interest?
R
Tony, the guy I spoke to recently at Bala on the R9T I posted about tried and tried to get the rear shock to work for him. Eventually he invested in the Nitron, which he says transformed the bike. I dont know if he was referring to the actual handling or how ‘plush’ the ride was.
Stuart
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