Goliath has come to play

[MIXR]

Oh, this would be it.



Picked up the rebuilt drive today. $415 for the job, whiich I thought was reasonable given the cost of the basic parts. I asked if they had bent-up any of the bits, and they said 'Nope - That's how they came out'. Some of the balls were obviously in the metal filings I removed when I drained the oil as they were asked to collect all the bits for me.

I'm getting a nice collection of Beemer bits that look like this! Maybe I should decorate my Christmas tree with them.



Anyway, I'll see how long the second-hand one lasts, and then have it done as well. Not 'if', but 'when'.

[Clancy]

Originally Posted by MIXR

Oh, this would be it.



Picked up the rebuilt drive today. $415 for the job, whiich I thought was reasonable given the cost of the basic parts. I asked if they had bent-up any of the bits, and they said 'Nope - That's how they came out'. Some of the balls were obviously in the metal filings I removed when I drained the oil as they were asked to collect all the bits for me.

I'm getting a nice collection of Beemer bits that look like this! Maybe I should decorate my Christmas tree with them.



Anyway, I'll see how long the second-hand one lasts, and then have it done as well. Not 'if', but 'when'.

Oops. Looks familiar

[TspeED3]

Mick,

Good to see you have got the sidecar problems sorted and you have been getting it out and about (now only have to deal with the BM problems...)

I'm still keen to catch up some time, I'd be happy to do an oufit swap if you are interested.

[MIXR]

Originally Posted by TspeED3

Mick, I'm still keen to catch up some time, I'd be happy to do an oufit swap if you are interested.

So long as I can keep Kipper, I'd be happy to do a swap!

It's getting there Ed. I feel that it's pretty good now, but it probably needs another rider to try it and say it's ok, or 'Crap - This is terrible!'. If the latter, then you should have ridden it when it came from SRK! It is very different from your low-slung speedster, and probably far trickier to handle, so we'll have to find somewhere 'suitable' to have a gentle play before hitting the open road. I know mine will catch me out if I'm not on the ball. Maybe that's the nature of the beast, or maybe it's a function of further adjustment required, or just the design compromises.

Maybe after Nambucca?

Cheers, Mick.

[MIXR]

Not something you see that often here!


I had Andrew2 over for a vist last night. He had his rear shock re-worked by my local suspension guy (Laurie at Suspension Smith in Fyshwick) on Friday, and we spent the evening playing in the shed. Andrew did gear oil changes on the box and diff, and then we tackled some toe adjustments on his outfit. It was an interesting exercise, and far more complicated for access on his 4-strut rig than my 5-strut. Anyway, it all seems to have done something good as the ride home today (dodging rain) was flagged as an improvement in road manners, both for the rear shock and the steering.

We did do a swap to see what the differences were. Mine is almost stock, but with a light chair, while his has a trail reducer and car-wheel rear, plus a monster chair! For me, his felt almost the same as mine, but lighter all-over. As Andrew said, like having power steering! Both rigs have their compromises on the road, but I did like the lack of steering effort on his with the trail reducer. I also asked Kipper to steal his back wheel, but he forgot.

It was great to catch up with a fellow GSA Outfit rider. We had a top night discussing bikes, chairs, and ADVRiders (what else would you do?), and had an even better run back north to Bundanoon for coffee before we split up for home. The opportunity to sample another rig based on the same bike was invaluable, so thank you Andrew2! It's given me a much better idea on where I want to go with my alterations, if I stay with it.

I've adjusted the lean again (another turn) as I think the bike was sitting too neutral on the road while following it on Andrew's rig. Measurements in the shed are one thing, watching it on the road is something else entirely, as is getting to 'feel' how it behaves on various road cambers and surfaces.

The bonus today was that I did 330 kms and the diff oil was clean and the mag plug clean when I did the drain on getting home. My second-hand drive was looking decidedly dodgy after last weekend when I dropped the rear drive oil as it was very dark, full of silver, and looked almost aerated. That plus a big slug of silver paste on the mag plug made me fear the worst, even though my old diff is in the shed fully re-built and ready to go. Anyway, it appears as though the GL5 I used was simply doing a big cleanup of the old stuff that was trapped in the housing. I've switched to a good Valvoline Hypoid GLF and it came out as clean as it went in, and nothing on the plug, so I guess the machine is right for my 2,000 ride next weekend. Wish me luck!

And ............................... The two rigs did attract a LOT of attention on the road! Very unusual to see two of these together here in Aus.

[pops]

Brings a tear to my eyes Mick.GSA Sidecar porn

Pooncarie this year ? How many gsa sidecars can we get there?


I have gone over to two wheel drive Mick , I do have a spare rear car wheel adaptor for the gsa
If you want to try it out . PM me .
I think you could get a rim made for it over there .Only has to be a 15x5 car rim with 65mm back space .It works with standard bmw exhaust .And standard bmw wheel studs .

My Rear Wilbers shock has blown the preload again 3rd time .I might have to look into going the same way as you and Andrew for our next rear shock..


Cheers Ian

[MIXR]

Maybe Pooncarie if it ties in with my plans for a West FarRide. I'm waiting for my mate Rob (at Geraldton WA) to sort his job out and lock a ride in with me. I'm flexible and can work around any dates, but setting up for WA is the priority. Long haul with the outfit.

Laurie (Suspension Smith) did Andrew2's shock a bit different to mine and put a very large pre-load spacer at the top rather than at the bottom. Maybe 20mm? Not sure. He also mentioned that the shock probably (in his opinion) wasn't set with correct valving. Anyway, Andrew is running at a much lower preload that he was and has ample scope to set it stiffer if needed. He's even backed it off a click (or two?) from what Laurie set up. Turns out Andrew has the same spring as me. 18 (17.9) kg. Considereing the size of the rig and weight effects, I thought his rig was great on the road. Much firmer than mine, but needed as my chair is half the size and weight.

Ian - I'll PM you on the rear wheel stuff. Cheers, Mick.

[Andrew2]

G'day Mick,
it was great to catch up with you and Kipper.Thanks for your hospitality over the weekend.How was your ride home from Bundanoon.I stayed dry all the way home and as soon as I put the bike in the garage it bucketed down.
I'm happy to hear your diff oil came out clean as well.Have a safe trip next weekend.

Cheers
Andrew

[Andrew2]

Originally Posted by MIXR

Maybe Pooncarie if it ties in with my plans for a West FarRide. I'm waiting for my mate Rob (at Geraldton WA) to sort his job out and lock a ride in with me. I'm flexible and can work around any dates, but setting up for WA is the priority. Long haul with the outfit.

Laurie (Suspension Smith) did Andrew2's shock a bit different to mine and put a very large pre-load spacer at the top rather than at the bottom. Maybe 20mm? Not sure. He also mentioned that the shock probably (in his opinion) wasn't set with correct valving. Anyway, Andrew is running at a much lower preload that he was and has ample scope to set it stiffer if needed. He's even backed it off a click (or two?) from what Laurie set up. Turns out Andrew has the same spring as me. 18 (17.9) kg. Considereing the size of the rig and weight effects, I thought his rig was great on the road. Much firmer than mine, but needed as my chair is half the size and weight.

Ian - I'll PM you on the rear wheel stuff. Cheers, Mick.

Yep,23mm all up including the preload spacer that was already in there from the last bloke who worked on my shock.

[MIXR]

Anytime Andrew. Dogs and Kids welcome.

I missed most of the storms, but hit one doozy. Short and sharp, and dried off after, but I noted two things that are good for next weekend. One was that Kipper didn't pick up as much water as I thought. Most blows over or around now, but I need another skirt on the left side of the tub. The other was that big, deep puddles hit at speed can be a problem. Not for the bike, but if the bike is in shallow water and the chair hits a deep one, it doesn't aquaplane, but just drags everything left! My chair doesn't have the mass to carry it through, so it tries to stop! Just something else to watch on my lighter rig.

Can you send me the brand and size details on your pusher tyre? I may (will) take up POP'S offer when I return from Nambucca. I did look, but didn't write it down.

Cheers, and thanks for the great company. Glad you're happy with the suspension outcome. Make sure you chat with Ian. I know I'm happy with Laurie's work, so if you are as well, then maybe it will solve Ian's issues.

Cheers, Mick.

[3legs]

Jeez Mick, I hope you locked up any daughters you have and the fridge. You were game letting Andrew into your house

3legs

[MIXR]

Originally Posted by 3legs

Jeez Mick, I hope you locked up any daughters you have and the fridge. You were game letting Andrew into your house

3legs

Daughters long-gone and he drinks stuff I don't have, so he brought his own. Thanks for the warning for next time! Your name came up a few times though. Got you worried now?

Cheers, Mick.

[3legs]

Mick. Knowing Andrew he must have told you what a nice fellow I'am and didn't say a bad thing about me.......NOT.

Hi Andrew Just kidding.

3legs

[Andrew2]

Originally Posted by 3legs

Mick. Knowing Andrew he must have told you what a nice fellow I'am and didn't say a bad thing about me.......NOT.

Hi Andrew Just kidding.

3legs

Your not a bad bloke Alex......for a South Australian

[3legs]

Could be worse. I could be a Victorian

3legs