[DAVETHOMAS90]

Sounds like good fun Lore, but how was the bike? Always seems to be the first thought when hitting the deck - then you check your bones!  Here's a sticky from a different forum, to help you feel better:  http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/showthread.php?194541-Picture-Gallery-R-I-P-250-Grand-Prix-Bikes&s=49a891f8bfa1f6d2a783cfd3b33073a8  Be careful to not get addicted, or you'll find it difficult to get anything down in the real world!   

[Nibile]

Ahahahah you're right Dave!
Yesterday my girlfriend told me "It's a long time you don't buy anything for the bike!" So I told her that I have more than 1000 euros worth of works already booked...
Anyway...
The bike was basically fine, lots of scratches, the left handlebar slightly bent and left lever broken... (I had to pay for it...).
Unfortunately it was brand fucking new. 
On the riding aspect I found it very difficult. Seemed to be a bit unpredictable and less stable, and had a new filter that made it cough and jump at a certain point of throttle. This made things a bit spicy in a quick right-left because the bike would cough and then suddenly explode forward in no time entering the second turn. I tried to solve this problem by pulling up to fourth gear before the turn and riding it along.
Good good fun!
On a side note, the first session was a monster one: 30 minutes with all categories in. Complete chaos: pit bikes, mini motard, mini bikes, GP0, tuned Vespas and scooters, a girl with a two stroke pit bike, three guys with the GP0 190 were wheeling the whole straight... Mayhem.

[Nibile]

So, being a complete idiot I commissioned works on the bike for a lot of money, to be done in Autumn, as soon as I have everything.
Progressive forks kit (the actual forks stay the same, everything inside gets changed).
Hydraulic clutch (one day - maybe - I'll also put a dry clutch: love the rattling).
Slimmed and customized fuel tank.
New tail frame, slimmer, with adapted seat unit and tail.
Trellis swingarm.

Then, I will rest.

[Nibile]

The best of them all?

[nik at work]

Had a pretty good motorbike pr0n day today. It's practice week for next weeks Manx grand prix and today I had a very nice Vincent in the workshop so I could fabricate a ally guard for some exposed pipework the scrutineers had picked up on.
Then spent the evening pit crew-ing for a friend, basically bike pr0n central. Whereas the TT is all modern sports bikes (which are nice but a bit same-y) the grand prix has all sort modern stuff back to okd school and everything in between. And it is loud, i thought the TT nortons were loud but they are nothing compared to some of the screamers here...
Ace day

[Nibile]

Hey Nik!
Hadn't seen your message before! Cool!
Pics please!

On a side note...
To hear your engine die suddenly at a stop is a heart stopping moment.
To press the starter button and hear no reaction at all is heart breaking.
But to push the bike uphill (without dying in 35 degrees and full leathers), bump start it downhill and ride it safely home for more than 60 km of turns and hairpins, timing every crossing so that you won't have to come to a complete stop, well that's frankly quite cool.
Proud of myself.
Now I only have to find out what's wrong with her. Surely some electrical issue.

[Nigel]

Now I only have to find out what's wrong with her. Surely some electrical issue.

Good effort getting it home! I've had to do something similar before, pretty nervy! Bound to be an electrical fault if absolutely nothing happens when you press the starter. If the bike still runs fine after bump starting then I'd imagine most of the "ignition" stuff is OK i.e. plugs, leads, coil, ignition ECU. If the engine died "suddenly" as you say and nothing at all happens when you try to start (not even a click from the relay?) it might be a short somewhere in the starter circuit. If it made your engine die when running I would put my money (well, my first bets anyway!) on something to do with the kill switch. Might be worth opening up your lever and checking it out as a first step as its a simple fix and shorts in the lever are "hidden" and can be intermittent.

[Nibile]

Hey Nigel!
Yes it's been pretty nervy. The engine wouldn't idle, and it died again in a very slow hairpin with some traffic in front of me. Luckily I was downhill and I bump started it again without stopping. But then there were a few crossings, roundabouts and even a traffic light closer to home, so I had to rev it hard to avoid it stopping. I completely ran a red light though, but only because the road was deserted in each way.
Anyway, I removed the battery and found out it's dead. I tried to put it under charge but the charger wouldn't even start, sign of a faulty battery. My mechanic told me they gave me a wrong one, 12 V but 8 Ah instead of 11 Ah.
So I'll change the battery and then hopefully everything will be sorted. I wanted to put a Lithium one anyway because of future works to do: we'll make a brand new rear frame, much slimmer, to give a more aggressive look, so we need to reduce the available space. Can't wait.
Cheers for the inputs.

[Nibile]

Here we go! New lithium battery installed, bike started first go.
Chuffed, will celebrate with some turns tomorrow!

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Nice work there Lore    Enjoy the bends.

[nik at work]

Hi Lore

Here's the Vincent:
Vincent by Nik Jennings, on Flickr

The ally guard we made is the rough looking thing in front of the foot brake. In my defence I only had 30 minutes to come up with a design, fabricate and fit it before they had to go back through scrutineering or no racing (they made it, and the scrutineers passed it )

This is my mate Andy Hayes on the start line for a practice session:
Andy by Nik Jennings, on Flickr
He's wearing a high vis because he's a newcomer. Managed a best lap in practice of 110mph, had to pull out of his first race at the start of lap two with rear wheel issues. An all night rear end re-build and he finished the second race with a best lap of 109mph. Unlike most of the young hotshots in the newcomers class he's very much the far side of 40...

And this is another Vincent, which is shiny:
Norton by Nik Jennings, on Flickr

If you like older bikes, two stroke bikes and a more relaxed vibe Manx Grand Prix over TT every time (although nothing beats the TT for sheer lunacy)

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Sweet machinery there Nik!    Also, this: http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/41117834 Pooh  Get well soon Vale.

[Nibile]

Yes, bad news! 
Nik, that is brilliant stuff, absolutely stunning machines. Must be quite a honour to work on one! The classy look of classic bikes remains unparalleled.
On this side of the pond, after replacing the battery, yesterday I broke yet another clutch cable, the second in two months or so... Either they are bad or I am bad...
So yesterday night - to avoid traffic issues - I rode the bike clutchless to the mecanic's shop, again timing the crossings to avoid coming to a stop. It was obviously closed so I parked the bike just in front. I'm going to get her right now, hoping to find her where and how I left it. Leaving the bike out for a night... Terrifying.

[Nibile]

Got the bike back today, with the new hydraulic clutch! Managed to mount the adjustable lever via an adapter that I've been given by the guys who make the levers and also the oil tank!
The mechanic had the brilliant idea of mounting the two oil tanks on the steering plate, an unusual place, and it gives a nice touch, leaving the clip-ons slicker.
Here she is, me likes a little bit of symmetry.
frizione idraulica 1 by Nibile, on Flickr

[Nibile]

So today I was riding my bike, with my mind drifting towards all the seafood I was going to eat, when I felt a sudden loss of power and then a loud pop, and the bike was dead. I was just out of a righthander, so I quicly put it into neutral and stopped, only to see a massive, thick cloud of smoke coming out from under the seat.
For a second I thought about dropping her and running, then I put her on the kickstand and thought "Right, now I will sit on the other side of the road to watch her burn, and I'll cry."
Luckily it's hunting and mushroom season, so there was a bit of traffic in the woods, and two or three cars stopped by.
One had a few bottles of water, so we poured it under the seat, it was obvious that the battery had exploded. When the smoke diminished a little, with some tools that a guy had on his car, we managed to pull off the seat and reach the battery to take it out. Unfortunately it was almost melted, so we no other chance than cut off all the wiring.
The smoke stopped, the guys left, I called the rescue service and I waited.
Quite sad at the moment, but glad it all went kind of fine.
NNFN.

[Duma]

Hope shes ok Nibs 

on a brighter note, I found this video of you 

[Nibile]

He goes a bit too fast for my likes but the position is nice.
On a side note, the bike came back to life. The alternator broke and overcharged the battery, causing it to explode. She'll be out for a while though, next week I'm taking off the tank to have it modified!

[Nibile]

So, a few days ago I took the seat and tank off and brought the tank to the guy who's going to modify it, hopefully by the end of the month it should be chez moi.
Then, in the very same day, I went and collected this beauty that I've been waiting for for more than six months. It was worth though, it's a beauty.
forcellone bianchina by Nibile, on Flickr
Can't wait to see both parts on.

[Eddies]

De-restricted ewd Sanchez a few weeks ago... Felt like the right time to do it and the difference it's made is quite remarkable. It's opened him right up (no more rev limiter) and put a huge smile back on my face


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nibile]

 

[Nibile]

[Eddies]

 

[Nibile]

Nice interview of an old Italian master of hill races.
Passed away recently.

[Falling Down]

Got my steed fixed and back on the road today 

[Nibile]

Pics please.
In the meanwhile, I got my tank done!