Making it easy
Posted in Project XT on Feb 12th, 2012
The recent really cold weather has meant that I have not had much of an inclination to head out on the weekends. So, today I decided that I needed to start up and run the Hardly and the XT. I started off with the Hardly and could hear a rattling. Nothing to worry about, as […]
Posted in Project XT, Technical on Aug 16th, 2011
Whilst I was putting the cylinder back on the XT550 I seemed to have misplaced a 12mm socket.I did not think much about it ‘cos it may have just rolled under something and I have a spare. In fact it was just a niggling thought that I had lost a socket, and it was possible […]
Posted in Project XT, Technical on Aug 12th, 2011
So, once I had the engine in pieces it was simple to swap out the gear selector shaft, which was the whole point of the exercise. Now it was a case of putting the whole lot back together. There is no gasket between the engine casings, so it is just a matter of cleaning the […]
Posted in Project XT, Technical on Aug 11th, 2011
I managed to get the engine stripped, though it was not all easy going. It was the classic case of tempting fate. All was going well when one of the head bolts would not move. They are about an inch long and made of aluminium (see photo). It turns out that it the aluminium of […]
Posted in Project XT, Technical on Jul 31st, 2011
Now that I have completed, and passed, the IAM Test, and I have finished putting the ST1100 (Pan) back together after it slid out from under me, I can now start work on the XT550. Back in April I had an encounter with a deep rut on a green lane. The outcome was that the […]
Posted in Bikes, Project XT, Rides on Apr 16th, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided to invest in a set of motocross boots. I had been using an old pair of normal boots, but they gave very little support and they had smooth soles. I was going to go for a test ride last weekend, but did not want to be writing […]
Posted in Bikes, Project XT on Apr 5th, 2010
Project XT pretty much ground to a halt. The main reason is that I am having fun riding it on the green lanes around here. I also use it as a weekend runabout. This got me thinking that there is little point in making it all pristine, as I will end up trying to be […]
Posted in Bikes, Project XT on Feb 7th, 2010
I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but the brake reservoir on the front was off a Kawasaki something or other. The main reason the XT600 front end was put on was to take advantage of the disc, and getting rid of the drum, as apparently this would provide much better braking. To be honest, […]
Posted in Bikes, Project XT on Feb 2nd, 2010
I just realised that the XT is supposed to be a project, and I am supposed to be documenting the progress. To be honest there has not really been any. The fuel issue is sorted, which was sorted by the strip down, and ensuring that the second carb opened at pretty much the same time […]
Posted in Animals and Nature, Bikes, Project XT on Jan 7th, 2010
So, we needed milk today. I rang around the various shops nearby and no one had any. Some where expecting their delivery but were not sure when, and others did not even know if they were getting any. I was going to dig the car out of the snow, but that just seemed like hard […]