Category Archives: Bike

Just spotted this photo I took at the BMU bike night at MCC on MCC’s home page! Visit: http://www.mccyclery.com.au

Re-issue Dia Compe brakes from the states.

Name and shame! The brakes came wrapped up in this freaky double page spread of a local newspaper.

North Georgia Busted!

The new frame (came with BB + headset which I removed to replace with chrome bits).

Dropout detail.

Brake boss detail.

All done.

I managed to find myself a genuine Kuwahara re-issue frame in chrome as I didn’t think the black frame I had was cutting it. The frame came in today. I was meant to get to Top One to work on the car, then fix the alignment but I had to wait around for a live stock delivery (peppermint shrimp for the fish tank) so instead I worked on the car (removed spacers to stop the rubbing) and I got busy working on the Kuwa too.

It’s come up like it was before, except now it’s a genuine Kuwahara frame as opposed to some knock-off cheapy. I’m happy, hands are sore, it’s 4.30PM, where are my shrimp?

FBS.

All NOS (new old stock) parts now on the new (genuine) black frame.

I bought these model/period correct V-bars years ago, just never got around to fitting them until now.

As pictured in this 80’s advertisement.

I also had this model correct NOS Suntour stem from years ago, never used it, such a shame to rip it out of it’s original packaging but I did it, and now I’ve fitted it.

I caved in after a bottle of wine the other night and got into a midnight build (as you do).

I still want to replace the rear brake caliper with a model correct MX1000 one (which Dia-Comp are now re-releasing which is great news). I liked the chrome frame a lot more than the black one, but this is the real deal (where the chrome frame was not a genuine Kuwahara). Ultimately I’d love to track down the same frame, but in chrome. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.

Day 1. Previous owner Paul had already bought an exhaust, stretch kit and lower seat frame.

Stripped plastic panels, frame brace with forward pegs, new exhaust. Painted. New seat frame. Low and flat handlebars, removed blinkers and put them on the sides of the battery box. New seat, fat rear wheel and tyre, painted mid section of frame, new front-end (brakes, wheel and shocks), JDM headlights.

It’s always nice to see before and after pics :)

This morning I dropped in to Racecourse Motors to get the guys there to swap my front tyre for me. They’ve got a really nice and neat scooter shop across the road from the Randwick Racecourse which is pretty close to where I live.

I spotted this strange Zoomer like bike. The seating position with the pegs forward actually wouldn’t be too unlike my Zoomer.

Old wheel left, new right. The guy that greeted me was a champ. He swapped the tyre over in no time and it only cost me $20.

NCY rotor installed. Kinda ugly. A plain cross drilled completely round rotor would have been nicer.

Braided line is pretty long (a LOT nicer than having the crazy long drum brake cable before though) and I’m still not sure I’ve routed it the best way.

Other side. Glossy black wheel suits the rear wheel now and this new alloy wheel with tyre weighs the same as an original steel wheel without tyre.

Super happy with it!

I’ve installed everything. Just need to buy some brake fluid. I’ve had issues with spacing the front wheel. The kit came with everything I needed, except the speedo housing and the wheel doesn’t sit flush against the stopper on the fork (to stop it rotating) as I had to use a spacer on that side to centre the wheel. It’s not rotating at all though, so it works fine, but it’s definitely not designed to work this way.

This all came in the mail today for my Honda Zoomer. New ultra low forks, front disc brake upgrade and new front alloy wheel too. Happy B’day to me :)

Last night on my way out the door to go to Mothers Day dinner I saw a huge stream of email messages in my inbox from the BMU members. I was cc’ed in a little late and couldn’t quite make out what they were talking about except I read the words: Jing, accident, hospital.

I had to duck out so I didn’t have time to make sense of any of it. I grabbed my phone and saw a message from Clifton which explained that Jing was riding his road bike out at the royal national park and had a bad accident. Both his arms were broken, internal bleeding and he was in hospital. I called Shirley, Jing’s fiancee, and she filled me in on everything whilst I was in the back seat of Mum’s car on the way out to the restaurant (I was meant to be driving!).

Today I thought I’d visit Jing at St George hospital. Hospitals are scary haunted places. Getting past the entrance is hard enough for me, getting into a lift even worse. I tracked down Jing’s room, saw a bed with his name on it, but he wasn’t there (freaky!). I then found out he had been moved. After going into another room full of strangers (I went into the wrong room) I was directed into the right room by a nurse but again, Jing wasn’t in there! The nurse said he could be getting an assessment, but it turns out he was in the bathroom.

It was amazing to see Jing up on his feet. Both his arms were in casts and his face was pale and sweaty from the drugs (he’s been loaded up on morphine and other pain killers). He told me how the accident took place, that he wasn’t even doing anything but rolling down a straight bit of road, he was riding one handed, hit a bump and flew into a metal guard rail stomach first. When he got up he realised his arm made an “S” shape, then a pain like he’d never felt before came over him and he soon found himself screaming.

His surgery went for over 6 hours. He has broken both arms, one in 3 places. He has broken some of his pelvis, fractured his hip. He’s got internal bleeding and initially the doctors were afraid he had a hole in his bowel, but whilst I was visiting a young doctor surrounded by his junior minions explained to Jing that the impact was so hard that his lungs ‘popped’ and that created the pocket of air in his back (which they previously thought was an intestinal gas pocket of air). So surreal.

The poor guy has had a lot of time to think everything through, the incident, his future of riding and his doubts about the later. If you know Jing, you’ll know he thinks a LOT (his blog is even called Thoughts…), and with this accident being so fresh its only natural for him to go through mental wars right now.

On my way out I ran into Timmy, who was on his way up to see Jing. He’s got a lot of support and I’m sure with a bit of time and healing he’ll be feeling more alive than ever.