Motorbike and scooter owners.

[figbat]

Fabulous ride this afternoon, out to Bibury via single track lanes and back to Oxford via Letchlade and Farringdon.

Great homemade sausage roll at the Hub

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The Lechlade to Faringdon road is great, if brief.

 

[Cavalol]

Can any bikers advise please? I'm after a 125 scooter for work. Very few good examples are nearby. There's one in town, a Lexmoto, 3 years old and £700. But the rear brake is sticking on and overheating. I've budgeted at worst for new rear caliper (£36) and pads. Possibly new disc as well in case it's warped. Is that a safe bet, or should I also consider master/slave cylinder? Hopefully just pins need a clean and re-grease but I've never had this issue before, I've only ever completely rebuilt calipers on larger bikes.

Alternative is a Honda Delight that's 10 years old and 50 miles away.

The Honda Delight every time. Better built, more reliable, parts easy to get and will still have a value when you come to sell it. Don't get me wrong, you'll probably find parts for the LexMoto, (and some Japanese manufacturers have plants in China, i think) but they're still pretty cr*p compared to a Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha

 

[Electric_Andy]

The Honda Delight every time. Better built, more reliable, parts easy to get and will still have a value when you come to sell it. Don't get me wrong, you'll probably find parts for the LexMoto, (and some Japanese manufacturers have plants in China, i think) but they're still pretty cr*p compared to a Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha

Yes good point. I guess not much point spending 400 less on the Chinese cheapo if it's going to cost me more than that down the line

 

[teeonethousand]

Yes good point. I guess not much point spending 400 less on the Chinese cheapo if it's going to cost me more than that down the line

I have a Honda ADV350 and it has been faultless.. and I suspect it will be for many years to come. You meet the nicest people on Honda's 😂

 

[Cavalol]

Yes good point. I guess not much point spending 400 less on the Chinese cheapo if it's going to cost me more than that down the line

Not all Chinese bikes are awful, but they are a long way off the Japenese still.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Not all Chinese bikes are awful, but they are a long way off the Japenese still.

Yes, although it does depend on where the Honda has been made. I see loads of CBF 125s on the road that are 90% rust. I had one myself years ago, it was fine but I kept it bathed in ACF50 in a garage with a dehumidifer

 

[Cavalol]

Absolutely, and some of the Yamaha 125 motorbikes seem to rust quickly. Just to confuse the issue, at least one Peugeot scooter and at least one Honda (both no longer in production) were rebadged Chinese ones.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Absolutely, and some of the Yamaha 125 motorbikes seem to rust quickly. Just to confuse the issue, at least one Peugeot scooter and at least one Honda (both no longer in production) were rebadged Chinese ones.

Well if nothing else, I think the Jap parts will be more robust. I had a Chinese trail bike some 12 years ago, which my Dad had bought as a farm bike but it was road registered. He gave it to me when he retired from farming. I used it on the road but it was awful. Plastics started to drop off. The battery cover was plastic and even had plastic screws holding it in. Anything metal was made of tin foil, but those were the early days and they have improved a bit since then

 

[Gunk]

Put another 100 miles on the KTM today (1300 miles now in three weeks!) I just love this bike!

 

[Electric_Andy]

I doubt anyone on here has tried this, so i will share.

I bought an Oxford disc lock a few years back for my stepson (who never uses it). I have bought myself a Yamaha 115 Delight to get to work and back. I used the Oxford disc lock and found that the pin was a bit big to go through the hole in the disc, but I pushed it in and it locked.

Went to unlock it this morning and because it's such a tight fit, it wouldn't pull the pin back. No room whatsoever to get anything in there and I had to get to work, so I got out my angle grinder. It took me 20 minutes, and nearly a whole grinding disc to get through it. I was very impressed (but annoyed that I'd actually forced it on there in the first place!).

There were no sparks, so it must be some sort of metal mixed with something that can resist an angle grinder very well. I would buy another one to replace it but I'll have to get a different style to fit through my tiny scooter brake disc

 

[FrothNinja]

I doubt anyone on here has tried this, so i will share.

I bought an Oxford disc lock a few years back for my stepson (who never uses it). I have bought myself a Yamaha 115 Delight to get to work and back. I used the Oxford disc lock and found that the pin was a bit big to go through the hole in the disc, but I pushed it in and it locked.

Went to unlock it this morning and because it's such a tight fit, it wouldn't pull the pin back. No room whatsoever to get anything in there and I had to get to work, so I got out my angle grinder. It took me 20 minutes, and nearly a whole grinding disc to get through it. I was very impressed (but annoyed that I'd actually forced it on there in the first place!).

There were no sparks, so it must be some sort of metal mixed with something that can resist an angle grinder very well. I would buy another one to replace it but I'll have to get a different style to fit through my tiny scooter brake disc

Must have improved the metal in the last 18 years. I forgot I put one on (failed to use the reminder lanyard - idiot) then a few hours later set off after the MAG meet without removing it but with a handful of power. It whacked into the stanchion and the outer half shot off like a bullet after momentarily locking up the front end.
Was rather glad it did break - the alternative would have been more expensive and I could have dropped the bike.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Must have improved the metal in the last 18 years. I forgot I put one on (failed to use the reminder lanyard - idiot) then a few hours later set off after the MAG meet without removing it but with a handful of power. It whacked into the stanchion and the outer half shot off like a bullet after momentarily locking up the front end.
Was rather glad it did break - the alternative would have been more expensive and I could have dropped the bike.

I've done that before but at low speed/power. It was with a cheapy disc lock and it remained intact. This was an Oxford one but still only £17 so I was very impressed. I've now got a Kryptonite one with a smaller pin, so hopefully that one is at least as good

 

[FrothNinja]

I've done that before but at low speed/power. It was with a cheapy disc lock and it remained intact. This was an Oxford one but still only £17 so I was very impressed. I've now got a Kryptonite one with a smaller pin, so hopefully that one is at least as good

The one I busted was more tha £17 20sh years ago. At least some biking kit has got cheaper - the clothes / boots haven't....

 

[Gunk]

A gaggle of KTM’s this morning

 

[figbat]

KTM have been saved (for now) by Bajaj Auto (who were 49% stakeholders anyway). Mattighofen is apparently safe as part of the deal (the ‘M’ in KTM).