August 2009
Last Saturday I had a go on a Honda 125. No problem with bike control but I did have issues with the gearchange. Basically I suffered a severe fracture to my left leg 18 months ago. Whilst pressing the gearchange is fine the hooking motion is a problem. When I owned a bike back in the early 70's it had a right hand gearchange. Is it just classics that have this or are any bikes made this way around as standard or an option?
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I was wondering if the Delta Integrale was becoming more valuable as time goes on ?
I know they are almost all LHD and are very hard to get parts for, but is it really work doung one of these up if it involves a few grand ? Read more
Depends on which model. The 8v ones are worth less than the 16v. The most valuable are the Evo2 which are the latest. There is quite a difference between ordinary ones and the pristine in terms of value. The special editions are always worth more but there are some fakes.
They're not that hard to get parts for. I have one. Some things are NLA but there are a lot of engineering firms and specialists that are filling the gaps.
If you do it up to make money don't bother. If you do it up because you love the car and want to keep it tip top then do.
Gas leak near the Runnymede Hotel apparently
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8222521.stm Read more
Look the Runnymede hotel up on Google Earth and you can see how close it is to the M25.>>
It is close, yes, but couldn't the anti-clockwise carriageway have been kept open even if the clockwise was shut down?
I don't understand the difficulty in shutting off a gas main. How can engineers dig down and repair if the gas isn't or can't be turned off?
If you shut the M25 there is no way you can "ease congestion". Traffic that should be on the motorway pours onto local roads and causes gridlock.
I'm trying to think of a polite way of putting this, but I get an impression of self-righteousness in the "this is the way we handle it" approach to road closure and, in effect, the rest of you just have to put up with it.
Bought a 1997 1.9 Peugeot 306 diesel last week for knocking about in, grand little runner and is frugal on the fuel, however this morning after fitting a new stereo (turned out to be broken) it won't start.
I refitted the new stereo to no avail, I disconnected the battery in an attempt to reset the immobiliser to no avail, I checked all the fuses and they're all fine, for some reason the fuel gauge reads empty despite the fact I filled it last night!
I was told that there was a small square button beside the steering wheel, but mine doesn't seem to have one. It has a piranha alarm fitted, but the previous owner set it to off and I haven't touched it.
The car will turn over but wont start. I assume because it isn't getting any fuel -- but what could be causing this problem? I've thrown 20 litres into the tank and still nothing!
Any help on the matter would be gratefully appreciated. Read more
Thanks for the advice guys.
Got it running in the end.
Four fuses were blown, so changed them over and also had to reset the ECU by:
-Disconnecting battery
-Turning on ignition to 2nd status
-Reconnecting battery
Runs fine now. Will bear this in mind when fitting another radio!
I'm looking around for a small automatic. Had a brief look at a couple of cars and a chat with the salesman without making an offer yet. When I've asked if the price is open to negotation I've been told something like "not really\not much - small autos are hard to find so are more expensive". However they're being offered for quite a lot more than what my Parkers book says they should be, and ones been there for over a week.
I need to buy something within the next couple of days - of course I'm going to make a lower offer to start with, just wondering what my chances of success are!
Any opinions anyone ? Cheers Read more
you will only get a good reduction on a £2000 car if its either overpriced or a sticking dog
I have two cars, insured with 2 different underwriters, but via the same broker company.
When I renewed the cover for Car A, I also took the Legal Expenses and Personal Injury extras (provided by companies different from that underwriting the car).
The renewal letter for Car B has now arrived, and includes the same two extras as optional additions on top of the actual insurance of the car.
Before asking one of the broker's call centre agents...
...am I likely correct in thinking I would not need to take the extras on Car B's premium, because I have already got them?
...even if Car A is insured for myself and spouse, but Car B is insured for only myself to drive?
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Shell for Mastercard from CitiBank - free Legal Cover for Drivers.
Hi there,
I have owned my 54 plate Yaris from new and had absolutely no issues with it all to this point.
It has done 60 000 miles but has now started to develop a squeaking noise from the front end somewhere. This noise only seems to occur at slow speeds ie. when moving off or coming to a stop. I'm fairly sure that it stops when gaining speed although of course it becomes harder to tell.
The issue doesn't seem to have any adverse affects to handling, braking, etc. but I am slighlty worried that it might be a syptom or become the cause of a more serious problem.
Does anyone have any ideas what it may be? I'd like to have at least a rough idea what it might be before I take it into a garage!
Thanks in advance for any help!
Cheers! Read more
Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Are drop links that same as anti roll bar links?
If so I had read about this problem but from what i'd read I thought it manifested itself as a clunking noise. This is definately not what I'm experiencing. It definately a squeaking noise that comes from the car rather than a clunk.
My mate broken engine on his Mini. He made head cylinder reboring already, but he needs to do still crankshaft reboring (fine grinding) or something like first or second grinding (reboring) so I need to know all sizes or witch Big Ends (crankshaft bearings) I can use after grinding crank or how much we can grind (reboring) crank.
Rover Group MINI Cooper
first reg.: 11/04/1991
engine code: 12A2A (G)
engine type : 1275 cc / 46kW
chassis : SAXXNNAMMBD016018 Read more
From Standard, crankshafts are ground at 10 thou intervals to a MAXIMUM of 40 thou dependent on how worn the crankshaft is. After the first initial regind of 10 thou undersize recheck crank to see if all marks/ grooves etc have been removed. If not then proceed to 20 thou undersize etc.
This is a job for a professional crankshaft regrinder - not something you can do yourself.
Hope this helps
Robin the Technician
The new car I am about to purchase can only be insured if a tracker is fitted. Can anyone give any advice on the best unit to install around the £300 - £500 mark.
I remember reading an article in a car magazine a couple of years ago about the best one to buy but cant think what magazine.
If anyone has seen any recent reviews or can tell me the best one to buy it would be appreciated. Read more
To anyone seriously intent on stealing 'high-end' vehicles, defeating GPS-based trackers is trivial...
Hi all,
Can anyone have any suggestions on why I am feeling vibrations through my 55 reg car when it is idling? Its drives ok and dont feel any vibration when driving. It has only started to do this no warning lights on dash. It sounds as if there is something loose in the dash. the sound is like when you have your mobile on vibrate and is on a desk but not as loud and duller.
Any suggestions. Read more
Did you find out in the end what the problem was? Mine is doing the same.
Browse
I would strongly suggest that you contact NABD (National Association for Bikers with a Disability) who have an excellent technical resource for this sort of thing.
Freddy is quite correct, it was US legislation which forced the change; even their own bikes weren't immune since Harley's Sportster was a right-foot change, it having been designed in the first place to compete with the influx of British bikes in the 1950's.
The Sportster solution was a temporary, almost Heath-Robinson fix for 1975/6 which involved the gear lever being mounted on the rear brake shaft, a cable-operated rear brake and a long curved gear lever which made slick shifts impossible. In 1977 they sorted out a better solution, but the old Ironhead gearboxes, never the strongest of things, suffered dreadfully as a result and left the bike with a reputation for destroying its own transmission which it's never shaken off.
Earlier Sporties BTW have a superb box. I have a 1972 which changes up and down better than any Bonnie I've ever ridden.