Motorbike shakedown testing

 To get ready for this tour I have been going on a few rides in the last weeks in order to find any major issues with the bike that crop up on the tour.

I decided to make my first trip to Mersea island to visit the lifeboat station at West Mersea. Arguably a slightly too strenuous trip for a shakedown ride at about 110 miles for a round trip. Having only done small rides around the local countryside and only replacing small parts such as the decrepit original leather seat that was on the bike. 

One part that was causing trouble on my small test rides was that the clutch plates would slip when kickstarted. This was 'solved' by tightening the clutch spring which did somewhat decrease the clutch slip.

The bike performed admirably all the way to Mersea with no issues and one stop to fill up on fuel. This route also had the benefit of taking in the lovely (and flat) East Anglian countryside on the way.

A view of the estuary from West Mersea

However when I decided to head off the clutch slip had returned when trying to kickstart the engine and it was not possible to bump start the bike either, my previous backup for if the bike was being stubborn to start. After lots of running up and down the car park and fruitless kickstarting, adjusting the clutch spring till it was as tight as it would go, I finally managed to get the bike to start with the help of a push from a willing local. I then set off in the direction of home hoping to get back before the sun set, and without stopping the engine. 

Unfortunately I noticed the clutch was slipping along the flat and eventually a slightly too long hill finally burnt out what little grip was left in the clutch and I was left stranded on the side of the road.

A slightly pitiful phone call home later a van was on its way to pick me up from just outside Braintree.

Some pictures of the very burnt out original cork clutch. Slightly amazing it was still working.

Once I got back home and disassembled the clutch I sent it off to be relined with a modern friction material which has so far had no issues and will hopefully stand up with my abuses over the next 7000 or so miles. 

When I was putting the clutch back together I also decided to consult the manual for the bike which showed there was another way to adjust the clutch by winding out a bolt on the other side of the gearbox. This is likely what wanted to be adjusted originally to reduce clutch slip as the new clutch slipped when first installed (unfortunately no picture as of this moment). With this adjustment made the clutch worked beautifully with plenty of adjustment in lefty in the clutch spring and no slip. this probably could've been avoided in the first place but the new clutch material does give some piece of mind for the long trip ahead so was probably a good change to make.  

Another issue that has reared its head is the new saddle I put on the bike had a penchant for losing its supporting springs as they corroded through and fell off due to the sudden vigorous return to daily use.

The very sad hook of one failed spring

The rusty guts of the failing 'Terry' saddle

Seeking a solution to this issue I headed off to my local spring supplier (I'm sure you all know where yours is!) and luckily they had a selection of springs that were a suitable fix and were ready the next day.

The resprung saddle. 

With the new springs in the saddle should hopefully last the trip. I have also kept the old springs that survived in case of any issues along the way. The saddle also appears to be slightly more comfortable now and with the addition of my planned sheepskin, hopefully I wont get too sore an arse!

I also changed the old tyres that were on the wheels for fresh rubber but if you want an in depth description of changing beaded edge tyres you're much better watching the videos on the subject on the longstone tyres website.