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Topics - Orcade-Ian
1
« on: October 06, 2026, 02:28:50 PM »
Very good original (not copies) tank and side panels painted in Ford Metallic black with gold decals. I did these (bare metalled) many years ago and the bike was ridden for about 8 years. I replaced them with Varnish blue ones and just put these away. Tank is rust free and complete with cap (some small pits in chrome) and original tap.
£250 plus post at cost.
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....and fitted to the bike
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Ian
2
« on: August 09, 2026, 11:15:54 AM »
A mate down in Lancashire was at the Much Hoole gathering near Preston and not 1 but 2 350/4's turned up - so Mike P, they do exist in the flesh and not just in photos. Yes, there is a very nice 550/4 K lurking in the background on one pic
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Ian
3
« on: August 01, 2026, 08:25:26 AM »
Christine and I have been motorcycling (and less regularly in the car) in Britain and Europe since the early eighties and in those early days we would use the Hull to Rotterdam route when travelling to Europe, with an 'open date return' ticket. That facility is no longer available but you can pay extra for a flexy ticket and pay again to move the date - assuming someone answers the phone (all of our operators are extremely busy but your call is important to us, please stay on the line!)
We never booked accommodation in advance and didn't have a problem. True, very occasionally we would have to try somewhere else in our chosen village if they were full but that was often arranged by them on our behalf. On more than one occasion we were escorted to the next gasthaus with vacancies.
So what changed? There may be a great number of different aspects - #@%$ and Covid didn't help but my own gut feeling is the widespread use of the Internet and the proliferation of sites like Booking.com, Air B&B and Trivago, who do what, exactly?
A couple of years ago I wanted to stay at a place on one of my motorcycling trips near Bannockburn. I found his site (where I had stayed previously) via Booking.com but still had the chap's mobile number, which I rang. "Oh, I'm pleased you rang direct - I have to 'front load' the cost by 50% if you use the web site!!"
Now, I'm all for people making a living but this seems excessive and I realise that the advertising and web sites have to be paid for but the accommodation providers were making a living for generations in the past, weren't they? Has this change brought about widespread benefits for all? Certainly not for us and judging by the number of establishments in Germany and Austria, as well as many in Britain which are now permanently closed, some of which had been run by 3 generations of the same family, not for them either.
Answers on a German beer-mat
Ian
4
« on: July 14, 2026, 09:13:32 AM »
The weather has not been brilliant here for a while but does seem to be improving and a group of real Orcadians ventured out on Sunday. They stopped at Marwick Bay for a photo shoot, kindly done by a passing tourist, with the Monument to Kitchener high in the background. He, along with well over 700 men were lost on June 5th 1916 when HMS Hampshire struck a mine.
Johnny is the one with the hi-viz. I was on birthday duty with Christine, so had to have coffee and cake in a cafe on a car trip.
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Ian
5
« on: June 28, 2026, 03:46:17 PM »
Hi folks,
I have a charger which connects to my ADV scoot battery via a fused lead, direct to the battery. I would like to connect to this, so that I can have a USB A socket for recharging my heated gloves.
It's a 2 pin connector with female connectors inside. One side is square plastic, the other is square with a rounded end and has a latch. I've tried vehicle wiring products site but couldn't find anything. It's bound to be a standard unit with a name but not known to me.
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Ian
6
« on: May 15, 2026, 03:40:59 PM »
I was looking at my Ashman steel toe-capped motorcycle boots the other day and felt that perhaps they should be replaced. They have been fantastic boots for over 25 years but I couldn't seem to find any suitable replacements. The left boot sole was quite worn - I always stop with left foot down, so that was to be expected.
Whilst idly trawling the web, I came across the 'Boot Repair Company' in Hunslet, Leeds and sent them an email with pics. Immediate reply came - just parcel them up and send them, we'll re-sole them and re-stick that gear-change pad. New Vibram soles, £79 plus post. They quoted upto 4 weeks turn around - they took NINE days from posting in Orkney to receiving back home!
Seems a really good option, as these boots have been really comfortable - even for fairly lengthy walks.
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Ian
7
« on: May 08, 2026, 06:03:05 PM »
The battery on our 5 KVA standby generator has never been brilliant and needed charging every month or so. As a temporary measure I fitted the Motobatt from my 400/4 - a noticeable improvement in speed of starting - it's a Honda GX 270 single engine. Looking for a replacement - I was quoted £110 plus post and vat. A friend showed me an article in a bike mag from a company called 'Biker's Toolbox' who had a Sodium Ion battery on test on a big BMW and were very impressed with its performance. Difficult to believe that it's only a 3AH rating BUT has 300 cold cranking amps as opposed to the original BMW one of 200 CCA.
I ordered one (£51 inc del to Orkney) and it arrived today. I can't believe how little it weighs! Under 1Kg. Fitted to the Genny it flings the thing over faster than the original battery ever did, or the almost new, fully charged Motobatt.
It would easily fit the 350/400 and 550 fours I have and has dual terminals.
I'll see how things go but apparently they do not suffer the problems associated with lead acid batteries - time will tell but worth a gamble to me!
Ian
8
« on: March 02, 2026, 09:30:00 AM »
Spring cleaning again! I have a metal based 'Jumbo' seat for 72/77. I believe they were an option from Honda back in the day. Wider than standard. Scruffy looking, rusty but not rotten base, cover damaged. It's quite heavy so postage won't be cheap. Twenty quid would buy it, plus post.
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Ian
9
« on: January 04, 2026, 01:14:22 PM »
Tried using the search facility without success and unless I dreamt it, someone posted a link to a source of a heavy duty HYVO primary chain (was it for a Kawasaki?). I'm doing my spare 350/4 engine and thought I might try one - not sure why really as a new genuine Honda one will easily see me out!
Ian
10
« on: December 05, 2025, 04:58:48 PM »
I was contacted recently by someone I didn't know, via a friend, who had found a dismembered motorcycle in the loft of a building in Shapinsay (one of the smaller Orkney Isles to the north of Kirkwall). His intention is to try to reassemble it but leave it with the proverbial 'oily rag' finish - something I certainly agree with in this case. It's a 1937 Panther 350 and according to the owners club is one of only a handful known to exist.
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My task is to see if I can reassemble the engine, which has been stripped completely.
He sent some pics of what it looks like and an old tax disc shows 1951 - no pressure then! If it could be made to run, that would be a huge bonus - I see no good reason why it shouldn't.
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Christine and I had a trip out on the ferry last Saturday to view this inanimate pile of scrap but I came back with quite a few parts to de-rust, clean and assess. It actually looks more promising than I first thought. A couple of frame parts are tied together with a Scarths label, which was a well respected engineering company here, sadly no longer with us and many of the skilled folk who worked there have also shuffled off.
Ian
11
« on: September 26, 2025, 01:22:09 PM »
Having just won a bottle of whisky for being the oldest rider at 76 on last week's charity ride, it reminded me of the old chap who had just had his check up at the doctors. 'Can I still have sex at 82' he asked. 'I don't see why not' replied the doctor but knowing the chap was single said 'But why do you ask?' 'Well' said the chap 'It's getting bloody difficult crossing that road to number 67'
Ian
12
« on: September 22, 2025, 10:26:23 AM »
A good friend here in Orkney is wanting to sell a bike from his collection. It's a 1976 Kawasaki KH 400 in original unrestored, unmolested, near perfect condition - as are all of his bikes. It has covered fewer than 7000 miles. He is asking £6500 and delivery could be arranged at cost using our excellent couriers. If you or anyone you know might be interested, if you PM me I'll put you in touch with Leslie for further info.
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Ian
13
« on: September 07, 2025, 08:56:16 AM »
I don't think this fits into the 'humour' category - it's too near the truth!
I was at our Science festival gathering yesterday, where the Vintage Club put on a display of tractors, cars and bikes opposite the Cathedral in Kirkwall. There was a a lady and her son nearby and she asked the lad 'What do you want to do when you grow up?' 'I want to be a motorcyclist when I grow up' was his reply. The lady then said 'I'm afraid you can't do both'
Ian
14
« on: September 05, 2025, 07:48:49 PM »
A strange one!
I got a call from a friend here in Orkney who has got involved with his friend's classic car - it's quite a nice 1937 Standard Flying 10. He bought it from a dealer South and had it shipped up to Aviemore and had a few drives in it around there before driving it home up to Orkney. I think the long climb up Berriedale might have started the problem but as he got about 10 miles from home it really started knocking - he had it recovered and now it's on my friend's two post lift with the sump off.
The sump has stacks of 'shrapnel' pieces in the bottom and on removing the big end caps there are no traces of big end shell, except on rod 4 with this piece stuck to the rod - ALL others have disappeared!
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You can actually break chunks off this shell with your fingers!
There is very minor scoring on the big end journals which are already 30 thou undersize. We removed the centre main bearing cap which has traditional bi-metal shells with steel backing and looks almost as new with no damage to it or the journal.
Has anyone come across this type of shell which appears to be just one material - possibly sintered? Or perhaps there are some cheap shells made from Chinesium?
He has found a set of -30 NOS shells which just MIGHT get it running but a full rebuild will be on cards soon, I fear. If these fragments of soft bearing material have found themselves elsewhere (highly likely) then they may be soft enough not to cause further damage.
Ian
15
« on: May 11, 2025, 06:17:17 PM »
Glad everything seems to be back working - many thanks Steve!
Anyway, I decided to bite the bullet and order a new CDI unit for this CBX250 with no spark - everything checks out ok but the readings for the CDI are nowhere near. CMSNL web site had a 'hurry, only 2 left' message so I pushed the button. A few days later (after taking my money from Paypal) I got an email saying 'out of stock, refund due'. About a week later, the refund arrived but was around £11 less than I had paid. A couple of bullshit email replies later, I'm still about £11 out of pocket (exchange rates, Paypal commissions etc)
I don't think payment should be taken until the item is existent and ready for dispatch, so be very sure when ordering from these people that they ACTUALLY have stock before parting with card or Paypal details. If that had been for a £1000 plus order, you could be at least £50 out of pocket!
By the way - their web-shite still shows 'last one left'. I think if it had been a larger amount, I might have contacted a Solicitor.
Ian
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