wanted - moto giro bike

On the subject of high visibility for trailers ...

On my bike trailer, I made up a cable that plugs into the trailer's tail and brake light wiring. It has insulated crocodile clips on the other end. When I load up a road bike that has lights, I connect the crocodile clips onto the bike's tail and brake light wiring (usually not difficult to find access points to those circuits). Tape the cable down so it doesn't come loose, and the bike's tail and brake lights then operate as you drive the vehicle. I usually only use it for long trips, especially when night driving is involved. The bike's tail lights are at eye level for following drivers so why not use them? It's a similar idea to the high-level brake light fitted to 99% of cars.

I suppose you could go totally OTT and connect up the bike's indicators too.

If you're not keen in delving into the bike's wiring, or if you're transporting a race bike (or bikes) without lights, you could make up a separate tail/brake light combo to hang off the back of the bike. Very much like the light boards that some boat trailers use to attach to the rear of the boat.
 
I am lucky to check the trailer lights still work. Every couple of years its lights get referbed pisses me off fixing non-working trailer lights from being parked in the weather, at least I had it hot dip galled after the mods for tie-downs and jerry can holders and all the welding happened. I was amazed at how much weight that added, it went from one-handed easily pushed to needing a ginny wheel to move about. My Dad's ungalled trailer dissolved very quickly in a similar position. A trailer place local to me would load a semi up and gal them 10 at a time for $400, bet it's way more expensive these days.
 
Vince said:
I am lucky to check the trailer lights still work. Every couple of years its lights get referbed pisses me off fixing non-working trailer lights from being parked in the weather, at least I had it hot dip galled after the mods for tie-downs and jerry can holders and all the welding happened. I was amazed at how much weight that added, it went from one-handed easily pushed to needing a ginny wheel to move about. My Dad's ungalled trailer dissolved very quickly in a similar position. A trailer place local to me would load a semi up and gal them 10 at a time for $400, bet it's way more expensive these days.
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A lot come from China already galvanised. Fucken things probably rust faster than painted ones.
 
Hi Marty

first, congrats on your recent succesful long distance ride. Followed with great interest and considerable envy!

with the not included spare tire I bought with matching mag wheel, the 12 LED marker lights I added to the perimeter of the frame red across the rear, orange down both sides, white in front), and the 6 e-track mounting points I added by through drilling the frame tubes, I am in around the $4,000 mark. Given that I did over $3,000 damage to the H2 a couple of months ago when it tipped over off my former trailer, took me with it and landed on me, and put me in physio for nearly 3 months, seems reasonable to me. I got $1,500 when I sold my former trailer that I had bought new in 2002 and used for 20 years, helped defray the costs of the new one.

the torsion bar suspension of the new Marlon trailer lets the deck height be quite low, well below the center line of the wheels. Have not towed it yet with any bikes on it, heading out to Nakusp British Columbia first thing Friday morning for the Moto Giro, towing the hopefully 7 horsepower 1957 Gilera 150 and the 228 rear wheel horsepower 2018 supercharged Kawasaki H2 SX SE. Talk about extreme opposite ends of the motorcycling spectrum :eek: :cool:

remaining issues with the Gilera. Frustratingly hard to start from cold, even with modern Mikuni VM 18 carb, I have gone up several sizes on the pilot jet and fiddling with idle mixture. The so called enrichener seems pretty much useless. Once warmed up it starts on first or second kick. Also still fiddling with spark plug selection. Brand new"high friction" drum brake shoe linings, couldn't source anyone to "arc" the relined shoes to the drums, bloody hell I hate drum brakes, keep adjusting the tiny little brakes front and rear as the cable and linkages stretch and brake shoes hopefully start to bed in, but I am also keeping dragging my feet and downshifting furiously as viable braking options......:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

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Don't quote me but I have seen blokes lean old bikes over to the side so they flood a bit and then cold-start them, worth a try on such a light bike.
 
It looks like the same system as Dellorto. Could you drill out the choke jet a bit to get more fuel in there? The richer choke will only affect it when the plunger is lifted off it's seat. It sounds like the idle jet is ok and you don't want to stuff that up to compensate for poor cold starting. A bit late in the pic now for you though unless you have access to number drills. With the air filter off does it start ok cold if you choke this inlet with your hand and kick it a few times first to drag more fuel in?
 
Vince said:
Don't quote me but I have seen blokes lean old bikes over to the side so they flood a bit and then cold-start them, worth a try on such a light bike.
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Only works with side mounted float bowls. Mikuni is bound to be centric, absolutely nothing to be gained by leaning over, unless this dis-lodges the float valve to allow some flooding. Highly unlikely though.

piet
 
Tippie said:
does it start ok cold if you choke this inlet with your hand and kick it a few times first to drag more fuel in?
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One hand in the throttle, one hand trying to feather the air intake orifice, one foot on the ground while kicking it over with the other foot. So it's a bit of a balancing act. Easier said than done.

One thing I've been meaning to do for ages is buy a cheap 9" angle grinder and use it to drive a set of starter rollers.
 
Get fuel in it by turning engine over on the decompressor if there is one to get some fuel on top of the piston then 1 earnest kick. The importance of being earnest.
I hope the ride goes well. Not much testing beforehand.

Paul
 
The reason why I said dont quote me re leaning the bike over is I had a vague memory of seeing that done, I don't remember who or what bike even, obviously Piet has way more tech knowledge on this stuff. Going out on a limb again, I have also heard of doing 3 or 4 priming kicks with the ignition turned off and then for old XT500 days a good long sweep of a kick for maximum engine spin. I guess you just have to find its sweet spot or add Ether in a can. I brought a MAGIC BUTTON START dirtbike for a reason. They wait for a crowd or you being completely STUFFED to go into non-start mod. Too old for that shit these days. Roller starter for sure. I helped a WLA Harley race bike owner with a push start a while ago, resulting in my face planting on Bitumen. My last attempt.
 
Paul Marx said:
Get fuel in it by turning engine over on the decompressor if there is one to get some fuel on top of the piston then 1 earnest kick. The importance of being earnest.
I hope the ride goes well. Not much testing beforehand.

Paul
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Hi Paul

yes, a real shortage of fettling or even break in. Not ideal, in fact pretty plain stupid. Maybe 2 kms on the completely bike, if that. The road portion of the Giro is 300 kms on Saturday, then the "racing' for the full day on Sunday on a 10 km uphill mountain course. Hopefully by Sunday the brakes will have started to bed in, they are pretty useless at the moment.... The need to pull the motor and split the cases two more times after initially getting the bike running set the break in/fettling process back to pretty much nothing. I have rigged up a tail pack for the Gilera seat filled with enough tools and spare parts I could rebuild anything on the bike at the side of the road if necessary. If nothing else, i am shooting for style points. My only other choice is to not participate this year and enter a properly prepared and fettled bike for next year, but I am charging ahead and will deal with problems as best I can if/as they arise.

Weather forecast for the Giro weekend is extraordinary for September. Expecting 30 degrees Celsius or more all weekend, going to be tough on an old underpowered air cooled motor trying to haul me up a mountain at "speed".. Tough on the riders as well, my AlpineStars Tech Air 5 air bag vest does not allow much cooling airflow and I will be wearing the full Ricondi kangaroo race suit as well. I may just faint from the heat.....

thinking on the cold starting issue and Vince's comment above, I may just throw a spray can of ether (starting fluid) in my tool pack, will try it at home tonight after work and see if it might be useful. The thought of kicking and kicking and kicking in 30 Celsius in a full race suit with an air bag vest on is making me weak in the knees already.
 
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