September 2018
This wasn’t the article I intended to write, but one night last week I was awoken at 3.00am by the sound of footsteps on our gravel drive. I was slightly disorientated at first, having just rapidly gone from asleep to wide awake, but quickly realised that it was still the early hours of the morning, and there really shouldn’t be anyone out there.
Poking my head out of the (handily already open) window, I can see in the moonlight, three youths standing on the drive, near the garage. I enquired politely if I could be of assistance to them, but rather rudely, they turned and ran away.
After rousing the rest of the household (including the dog who had slept through the incident - he’s young, I’ll forgive him this once) we trouped outside to see exactly what had been going on. Thankfully it seemed that they hadn’t had time to break into anything before I heard them. Our Ford pick-up is always parked in front of the garage door and we could see that they’d wiped the condensation off the outside of the truck window, to see inside, but hadn’t made any attempt to break in. With no damage to be seen and no one in sight, we went back to bed, although none of us slept very well.
In the light of the morning, we could confirm that the little tea leafs hadn’t taken anything. In fact, quite the reverse, in their haste to depart, they’d left some stuff behind. I’d always joked that if anyone broke in, they’d find so little of any real value, that they’d feel sorry for us and leave something behind instead. It seemed that this might have come true.
To cut the story short, the items left behind have been returned to their rightful owners (our next door neighbours) and the Police have been, taken notes and had a look around. Although, thankfully, this time, they got away with very little of value, it has left all of us feeling a little sick. The ending could have been much different, and I’d never seen our neighbour (a usually confident, bullish bloke) look so shaken - he hadn’t heard them at all and they’d been through his garage and cars.
It seems that they were just opportunist thieves, looking for easy pickings, unsecured cars / sheds etc., which makes me feel a little better, since it wasn’t a targeted attack to try and steal my bikes. Still it never hurts to review security arrangements, so check yours and don’t get lazy when it comes to checking that you have locked everything away. Don’t make it easy for them!
Poking my head out of the (handily already open) window, I can see in the moonlight, three youths standing on the drive, near the garage. I enquired politely if I could be of assistance to them, but rather rudely, they turned and ran away.
After rousing the rest of the household (including the dog who had slept through the incident - he’s young, I’ll forgive him this once) we trouped outside to see exactly what had been going on. Thankfully it seemed that they hadn’t had time to break into anything before I heard them. Our Ford pick-up is always parked in front of the garage door and we could see that they’d wiped the condensation off the outside of the truck window, to see inside, but hadn’t made any attempt to break in. With no damage to be seen and no one in sight, we went back to bed, although none of us slept very well.
In the light of the morning, we could confirm that the little tea leafs hadn’t taken anything. In fact, quite the reverse, in their haste to depart, they’d left some stuff behind. I’d always joked that if anyone broke in, they’d find so little of any real value, that they’d feel sorry for us and leave something behind instead. It seemed that this might have come true.
To cut the story short, the items left behind have been returned to their rightful owners (our next door neighbours) and the Police have been, taken notes and had a look around. Although, thankfully, this time, they got away with very little of value, it has left all of us feeling a little sick. The ending could have been much different, and I’d never seen our neighbour (a usually confident, bullish bloke) look so shaken - he hadn’t heard them at all and they’d been through his garage and cars.
It seems that they were just opportunist thieves, looking for easy pickings, unsecured cars / sheds etc., which makes me feel a little better, since it wasn’t a targeted attack to try and steal my bikes. Still it never hurts to review security arrangements, so check yours and don’t get lazy when it comes to checking that you have locked everything away. Don’t make it easy for them!
Most bikes make use of multi-way plugs similar to those shown below. Sometimes, if you’re modifying a wiring loom or need to repair a broken connection, you may need to remove and replace one of the connectors - ideally without ruining the whole plug!
Although the connectors are often wiggly in the plug, you can’t just pull the connector out of the back of the plug, or push it out of the front. Each connector has a tab on one side (see picture, below). To remove the connector, you need to temporarily flatten the tab, then it can be pulled out of the back of the plug.
Often, the hardest part is finding something of the right size to perform this function. Very small (jeweller’s) screwdrivers may help, but I’ve also had good success with tiny cable ties. The tool of your choice is pushed in from the front of the plug (see picture, below). Once the tab is flattened enough with the tool in place, you should then be able to pull the connector out of the back of the plug. If you’re still struggling, try pushing the connector forward a little in the plug first. This makes sure that the tab isn’t jamming against its retaining lug, something that often makes it difficult to squeeze the tab flat enough to remove the connector.
No matter how much you try to avoid it, at some point, you’re probably going to have to do a little bit of wiring on your project bike. Whether they are simple bullet connectors, or connectors to fit into multi-way plugs, most connectors on a motorcycle are crimped. There are two things that you can do to give yourself the best chance of making good connections; use the correct tools and use suitable connectors. Using pliers or mole grips to crimp connectors, in an attempt to save money, will ultimately, end up a false economy. Do this, and there’s a good chance that sometime in the future you will experience endless frustration trying to fault find electrical problems caused by poor connections. Also avoid those red, blue and yellow pre-insulated crimp connectors (pictured below). I know they are readily available, but there are much better alternatives for motorcycle use and, nowadays, many specialist suppliers who are able to supply them economically.
If you look at the picture above, you’ll see at the top right, one of the connectors with the insulation removed. There is only one small part that actually crimps to the cable. Compare this to non-insulated style shown below.
Here you can see that there are two parts that need crimping. The front part crimps to the copper part of the cable, the second to the insulation. When fully crimped, it should look something like the picture below.
This gives a much more secure connection. Bullet connectors like this are also usually supplied with covers that insulate the connection and help keep moisture and dirt at bay (see below).
With the MSVA test for my latest project fast approaching (along with the associated stress and anxiety. I mean, I get stressed about taking a bike for an MOT test. What am I going to be like for the MSVA test?) thoughts turned to other ways to satisfy the bike building urge, without the worry and monetary cost of getting it tested, registered, taxed and insured.
It’s no fun building a bike just to look at. Well it isn’t for me. I build a bike to ride, not one to look pretty. So what alternative do we have? Well, one that occurred to me (because I also dabble in trials riding) was the potential to build a trials bike. Most people dismiss trials because there’s no speed element, but the combination of fine machine control and balance, to try and overcome the terrain in front of you, can become quite addictive.
It also has several advantages if you want to build and ride your own bike;
1) Most club trials are entirely off-road. No registration, tax or mot required. You’re also unlikely to have to undergo any kind of scrutineering. (Although you should build a bike which is safe to use).
2) The lack of speed means that if any part of your machine fails, you’re unlikely to seriously injure yourself.
3) If you’re just entering for fun on the beginner / novice route, the fact that you don’t have the latest, highest specification bike won’t really affect your result. The satisfaction of building and riding your own machine far outweighs any lack of performance.
4) Most clubs won’t care what type of bike you ride. You will only experience problems if you want to build a bike to enter championships, such as pre ‘65, twinshock classes etc. Then you would have to stick to the relevant rules and regulations. Ride with the modern bikes and no one will really care. (Unless you start beating them!)
So, there’s one alternative for you. It may not be quite the same as building a bike to break land speed records, but it’s a lot cheaper and unless you’re really unlucky, you’re not likely to end up in hospital should it all go t*ts up!
We very often don’t look outside our own immediate motorcycle bubble, but there are many other motorcycling opportunities available. One that’s often overlooked is motorcycle trials. Unlike the huge obstacles that you may have seen bikes riding over at World Championship level, most club trials have routes suitable for everybody, and you can go along and watch for free. (There is usually no fee to spectate at any UK trial until you get to British Championship level.) You’ll also find that most people there will be only too happy to talk about bikes, and as there will probably be some kind of catering van in attendance, you can get fed and watered too. So if you’re looking for something to do one weekend, why not give one a look? Most UK trials are run either under the ACU or AMCA banner. Check their websites for events happening near you.
