Midlands Workshop day

AMCQ46 · Post by **AMCQ46** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 4:51 pm

As pioneered by Tony.mon, I am proposing to host a workshop day from midlands based Storm owners...........I had been drinking when I made the offer, but now its in writing I have to follow through with it, and all I need is enough interest from you lot.

I am based in Solihull, so all the Midlands and any mid Wales owners should be near enough

Carb balancing, stopper mods or manual CCTs, valve clearances, brake bleeding, linkage bearings, R1 regulators, brake servicing, that kind of thing.....Bring your own parts but I have the other tools [ABBA stand, compressor and a set of hammers and angle grinders that only a Farmer could collect].

April / May time depending on my work schedule, again based on Tonys experience, should do a saturday so we still have shops open if we hit problems.

Rules should be similar to what Tony did, I am not volenteering to do your serviceing while you watch and drink tea! but I am offering my tools and my encylopedic [well almost] knowledge to help you take on some of these jobs that you may not feel confident to do yet.

You need to bring your own parts if fitting manaul CCT's but I can give you the bits if you are converting to stoppers. and as Tony stated in his tread, please test that you can get the 2 inspection plugs on the alternator cover undone before you come, they can sieze and then we will have to use brute force and you will need a replacement

Need to hope for good weather, as max 3 bikes can be worked on in my garage [and this is if I move all 4 of mine out of the way, and 1 of them has never seen rain!]

bikerpiker · Post by **bikerpiker** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:45 pm

I don't own a Firestorm now ........come to think of it ,i don't own a motorcycle now

......but well done you guys for holding these workshop days

Post by **Jazzscot** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:51 pm

I travelled to Dundee last year to help a fellow stormer install his manual cct's. So I guess it could be classed as a mini workshop afternoon. Im willing to help anyone within an hour or so travel from fife.

Jazz

geodude · Post by **geodude** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:49 pm

hmm. Solihull is only 20miles from the in laws. I may be able to tie it in with a visit to them..........

AMCQ46 · Post by **AMCQ46** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:13 pm

KneeWobblers wrote:Im up for it, thanks for offering to put up with the general public!!!! I would love to get new springs in the front of mine, I have them ready to go in...but lack the confidence in my rubber mallet I'd like to do a valve clearance check on the rear cylinder as if this ones ok the front will be I assume??? Id also like to watch or actually do my rear linkage whatever that involves with dismantling and lubing. I can make most weekends and many weekdays so whenever its convenient for you. KW .

Now your are adding fork springs and rear linkage to your shopping list.........one of us will be busy

I volenteer to make the tea [and stand around drinking it] :beer:

AMCQ46 · Post by **AMCQ46** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:19 pm

geodude wrote:hmm. Solihull is only 20miles from the in laws. I may be able to tie it in with a visit to them..........

yes I noticed on your blog that you were on the daventry / banbury road, so wondered why you were up my neck of the woods.

Give me a bell next time and I will hook up and show you a few other roads round there

PS the daventry road is better fun when it is dry, but you have to treat the tight bends with respect..........not cause they are tight, but because there are little lanes joining hidden from veiw and I came across a wrecked MV last summer where he had not planned on a car pulling out of the side road and although there was no report of it being a fatality, it looked pretty messy.

cliveyandrews · Post by **cliveyandrews** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 7:57 am

Me and Pauline might come up too - even if it's just to gain knowledge, socialise and drink tea!

Keep us posted of dates!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

tony.mon · Post by **tony.mon** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:53 pm

KneeWobblers wrote:: I'd like to do a valve clearance check on the rear cylinder as if this ones ok the front will be I assume???

Not a safe assumption; they don't all wear together or at the same rate.
It's rare to find more than one or two out unless you're rebuilding a head after CCT failure or have reground the valves, but no pattern as to which ones need doing first.

So you'll have to check both cyl's, Im afraid.

Lastly, it's not worth just checking, as almost all the work is stripping it down to get to check them. You will need to have a selection of shims to hand, sizes 1.8, 1.85, 1.9, 1.95 and 2.00 will probably be enough, two of each will be a reasonable starting set.
If any need doing and you don't have enough, do the front cyl then order the extra ones for the rear one, as that's much easier to get at.

To get to the front cyl, I would suggest that you pull off the carbs, but leave them attached. Then take off the black plastic sheild underneath, and you can see the fornt cam box and head.
Much easier than trying to get in via the gap over the front ex pipe, behind the oil radiator, because any dirt you disturb will drop straight into the head.

benny hedges · Post by **benny hedges** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:59 pm

tony.mon wrote:
Lastly, it's not worth just checking, .

agree.
unless you have a box of shims to hand or are prepared to lay the bike up for a few days in bits, dont bother.
and also.. why mess with them anyway?
for best performance you want them loose.
take your bike to any performance tuner and it will come back rattling like a bag of crouton.
the engine will lose a lot of potential when it is hot with perfectly factory set valve clearances. they are set to make the bike sound nice & quiet, not for optimum running.

leave them alone. it's a myth that they need messing with, a ploy to wring Â£300 out of you.

only time you should need to check them is if youve fitted different cams or valves.

AMCQ46 · Post by **AMCQ46** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 10:48 pm

If we are going to do valve clearances we may have to get a collection of shims just in case, as you have a good bit of work to do to get to the front head as Tony & Benny have pointed out.

Benny, we may be asking for a sale or return on your collection, but lets see if that is on the job list

Post by **sirch345** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:33 am

benny hedges wrote: and also.. why mess with them anyway?
for best performance you want them loose.

Just to add my 2p worth

When I checked the valve clearance on my Firestorm at the recommended service interval (16,000mls) I found one clearance was too tight, so was worth checking IMHO.

Remember valve clearances tighten up as the miles pile on, not the other way around.

Chris.

tony.mon · Post by **tony.mon** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:38 pm

There are a couple of shim sellers on EBlag:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/9-valve-shims-9-5 ... 483wt_1394

Nine shims for Â£20 odd, you select the sizes.

And wouldn't worry bout the bike being cold, by the time you've got your gear off and had a coffee, then stripped it, it'll be cold enough.

benny hedges · Post by **benny hedges** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:44 pm

tony.mon wrote:There are a couple of shim sellers on EBlag:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/9-valve-shims-9-5 ... 483wt_1394

Nine shims for Â£20 odd, you select the sizes.

And wouldn't worry bout the bike being cold, by the time you've got your gear off and had a coffee, then stripped it, it'll be cold enough.

99% they will be 185, 190 & 195 you need... i'll have another look what ive got but i know i have no 185 left.

steveb · Post by **steveb** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:49 am

I'd be keen to my valve clearances too, I looked at it on the service schedule then shut the book - hoped it'd go away!!
AMCQ, very good of you to offer this guidance, I'm only Gloucester, from Redditch originally, (mum still lives there) so your not far away from me!
Any idea of the date?

Cheers Steve

steveb · Post by **steveb** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 3:12 am

KneeWobblers wrote:
steveb wrote:I'd be keen to my valve clearances too, I looked at it on the service schedule then shut the book - hoped it'd go away!!
AMCQ, very good of you to offer this guidance, I'm only Gloucester, from Redditch originally, (mum still lives there) so your not far away from me!
Any idea of the date?

Cheers Steve
Im in Gloucestershire too, ride up with you, do you know Rob from GlosBikers?

Sounds like a plan! No I can't say I do know him. Do you get out to the Wed night bikernites meet?

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