Tech Tips

• For quick brackets use joist retaining strip. It is about 1+1/4" wide, 1/8" thick and has staggered 1/4" holes at about 1" spacing. Easily 'liberated' from building sites too! (Honest Guv, it WAS in the skip) [Zed Kelly - UK]
• a simple but useful tip is to double up on clutch/throttle cables etc.cable tie the spare to the one in use,and in the event of annoyance(usually in the rain)swap over the cables and continue merrily along @ warp speed! a simple but useful tip is to double up on clutch/throttle cables etc.cable tie the spare to the one in use,and in the event of annoyance(usually in the rain)swap over the cables and continue merrily along @ warp speed! [Matt - UK] a simple but useful tip is to double up on clutch/throttle cables etc.cable tie the spare to the one in use,and in the event of annoyance(usually in the rain)swap over the cables and continue merrily along @ warp speed!
• Snapped the terminal off your battery? Then simply solder a wire onto the stump. I found it soldered easier than expected as the lead terminal has a low melting point. Then make a loop with the other end of the wire and cover in solder so you can bolt it to the existing battery cable. But be careful to use wire thick enough or you will be starting fires when you crank the engine. I found that 3 lengths of 36 amp wire to be OK for my CB550 rat choppa. [Mouse - UK]
• just rewired your bike recently? If it breaks down in middle of hell can you remember all circuits? Of course yoy can't!! Make a wiring diagram copy, get the original copied half size and laminate it, now it'll fit under a seat, sidepanel etc. A small tourch,knife and fuses/wire/tape stuffed in means can fix electrikery at roadside. [Drew - UK]
• Use plumbers pipe tape for O rings instead of the leaky originals your carbs. Its cheep. Its always the right size. It works. [David Lent - USA]
• Filled your engine up with too much oil? You can always remove the oil plug. An easier way is to get on of those plant sprayers (or Glassex of something). Unscrew the spray gun, stick the tube in your oil filler gap, and you can suck the oil right out. Goes pretty fast if you remove the nozzle. [Steven - Belgium]
• If the sight windows in your clutch and brake master cylinders start leaking and oozing brake fluid everywhere, take the assemblies off and carefully punch out the windows from the inside w/ a drift... turn some aluminum/brass scrap into plugs to fit (or have a buddy do it for you). Mine were 18 mm; I pressed in the plugs w/ the vice and some loc-tite. Those of you w/ metric drill rod could just use that, I guess. I made mine .001 oversize: no leaks and that was $$$ saved. Plus the flat-black on the tank lasts longer that way... [Bart - USA] (Editors note: you can also use a coin of appropriate size!)
• If your ignition coil is split and leaking electricity insulate it with kit and tape. To keep the water away from the tape I put an empty red bull can (without the top) around the complete coil with tape and kit. This way it looks strange and it works great! I didnt have to buy a new coil and that's the most important part of the story. So when the second coil started to give problems I did the same to that one as well but I didn't have a red bull can so I used a WD40 can instead. Looks even better! [Rainier - Holland]
• For two-stroke riders looking for a cheap, power-producing alternative to aftermarket expansion chambers, try the following: find the point on your existing pipe(s) where the diameter becomes largest (usually a foot or so from the downstream end of the headpipe) and cut it (them) there. Then braze the end (converging) cone and stinger from a junk dirtbike expansion chamber to it. You're usually dealing with a large enough and cool enough pipe that braze will be plenty strong, if you do it right. Try to find dirt bike pipes off a model with a similar displacement to each cylinder of your bike. I had some success doing this to an old GT380 triple and a friend's GT185 twin years ago. I used two RM125 pipes and one that was probably off a YZ125 for the 380. I used all of the YZ pipe except the headpipe, in fact, because the middle cylinder of a 380 splits into two exhausts...all I could use of it was the headpipe. The YZ pipe tucked right around the rear wheel with a little cutting and brazing, and that thing would do easy second-gear wheelies afterwards, even with no rejetting. The 185 gained more top-end but lost a lot of low-end, and ended up holing a piston. Multicylinder two-strokes sound incredible with unmuffled expansion chambers. This approach saves a lot of involved mathematics and should work on most restrictive old two-stroke exhausts, at least with some rejetting, but be advised that you'll trash your original pipes doing it. Might want to try it on a spare set of pipes first, and if you run it lean and hole a piston or two, blame yourself for not jetting it right and not doing enough math--like I did. Good luck. [Ben - USA]
• Coil on your BMW kaput? Ripp one out from a Citroen 2CV from the local junkyard - it`s a boxer engine, too! [Tomster - tomster3@gmx.de - Germany]
• Chuck out the balance weights in yer Superdream 250 or 400 motor and you'll get an extra 3-5 bhp! The downside is having to get new fillings in youre teeth every 500 miles. [Grem - grempox@btopenworld.com - UK]
• cheap auto chain oiler - use a model aircraft fuel tank, (or small moped 2 stroke oil tank) pipe to a car in line fuel filter (IMPORTANT) to a car fuel injector (mine is off an XR3i) wired to a switched live (and earth...). This goes to a aquarium air flow bubble adjuster (99p for two in petworld) to the chain like a scottoiler. When the bike is switched on, the fuel injector fires and allows oil to drip on the chain - when the bike is off, it stops the flow. Pure gravity only. Adjust for 1 drop every 30 seconds and use hypoid 75 /80 /90 oil. 25,000 miles so far on an X ring chain on a big bang TDM 850 with nitrous oxide. Usual zip ties / gaffa tape / red crimps apply ;-) more info [Guy - guy-ratbike@dewdney.co.uk - UK]
• Exhaust leaking between collector box and pipe? Cut the case of an old hi-fi cdplayer up, then wrap around join making sure the gap is packed with exhaust repair putty and secure with two hose clips.
• Keep your old smoky oil burning bikes on the road by diff or transmission oil it is thicker and will not get past the rings is also stops bearing noise
• For muffler packing use pink bats fiberglass wall insulation. [both from Rudolph in NZ] Looking for hard to find OEM parts? Bike Bandit probably has them!
  
  NB: Stuff bought via the banner above helps to pay for this website.
• { regarding mostly old KZ's with a healthy dose of Suz GL's and Hon CB's...bikes from the first Mad Max movie...'NIGHTRIDER!' }
  { if you happen to live in a seasonally Arctic where the powers that be see it fit to scatter corrosives on the road (i.e. fuckin' salt) then here are a few particulars that may save you some time and dissapointment down the road... }
  { !1. salt makes all the steel fasteners weld themselves the alluminum case quite snugly... now they naturaly will do this anyway, as there is a chemical reaction between the two types of metal, alluminum alloy and steel; therefore impact tools of any variety will come to be the centerpiece of your alter. }
  { !2. any fastener with a Phillip's head replace with hardened steel or titanium alloy...(hey, there aren't that many bolts holding the throw-rod bearing shit on the bike...)...with steel fasteners it is wise to allways coat the threads lightly with an alluminum oxide 'anti-sieze' to enshure not ever snapping off another fastener in the case and hours spent picking out threads with dentistry tools, drooling on yourself because you have a small mag-light clenched in your teeth to illuminate that impossibly deep, dark, shaft... }
  { ...side note: wrap the last inch of the mag-light down to the seam where the end screws on in a heaalthy dose of electricians tape to give yourself a bit of padding while clenching said flashlight in mouth, on the shoulder of a seldom used highway, in a torrential downpour; essentialy giving you an extra hand to sort out your little ignition problem. }
  { more insight to follow... }
  { ..........[the Engineer <dedend666@ratbike.org>]......... }
  { this has been a [Lo-Tech Heavy Idustries] transmission... }
  { [the Engineer][B.D.M.-B.C.][2002]...[-Z-13-] }
• Cracked plastics are better! Drill pairs of holes along the crack, and tie it closed with an off colored zip tie. Get that Herman Munster stitch effect. Use for sewing up tears in jackets too. [Hellmut, USA]
• HVAC foil tape is grat for shimming parts that don't quite fit together right. It's metal and tape all in one. 3/4" black iron pipe can be made into custom bars, and with a few wraps of foil tape, 7/8" controls fit great. Metal lumber ties and mending straps make great bracket material. [Sib <sibco96@hotmail.com>]
• Stainless steel scourer washing up things, slightly picked apart, make really good sound dampening wadding for sticking in your homemade exhaust. I've made my tailpipe from about a foot and a half of 4" pipe with a detatchable end and just stuff the pipe with the things. They deaden sound greatly and have little or no noticable restriction. [Rex <ironage@beer.com>, UK]
• I've used aluminium from my favorite beer cans for bushing and gasket material. It can be cut with a pair of scissors, punched with a nail found on the side of the road, is soft and will sacrifice itself as bushings should, and is readilly available. Aluminium soda cans work as well, but the beer cans are more fun getting to the bottom of. ['Jim' Carey, JamesCarey@ocfa.org]
• The nylon braided cable used on parachutes is tough and works great to fasten things when brackets break. [Tom Murphy, ss67nova@hotmail.com]
• On liquid cooled bikes which have recessed sparkplugs, a good way to get rid of the bits of grit that accumulate round the plug waiting to fall into the engine is to press a 'sausage' of Blue-Tack round the edge of your plug-spanner. Press down firmly over the plug then fish the blue-tack out with a screwdriver, the grit will now be stuck in the blue-tack. [scott <twostroke350@hotmail.com>]
• Plastic sparkling wine bottle corks make good handlebar ends and the rubber thing that goes around the inside of the rim on a spoked wheel makes a nice grip, when they break, if wound onto your handlebar and held in place by whacking a plastic cork in the end to secure it.
  Also for handlebar grips try that tape stuff for tennis racket handles. The stuff with the peel-off backing sticks on great. Even comes in many ugly colours. [Rex from Ironage Motorcycles <ironage@beer.com>, UK]
• Indicators. the cylindrical roadside hazard flashers (available from most good ditches) make passable indicator units (they come free with lens, battery, bulb and flasher unit too). Just bolt them on, wire in and away you go - might cause police rage though... [Jaye, stuffntings@hotmail.com, UK]
• When your big, warm, waterproof mitts/gloves, slip on the handgrips and can`t keep the throttle open: put a few rubber bands round the grip. This makes it easy to get a good grip and use the throttle. [Grishnakuk@yahoo.co.uk, UK]

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Advice given in this section may or may not be accurate, safe or wise. Always use common sense and when in doubt assume that any advice given herein is incorrect and liable to end in terminal engine or part failure and possible injury or death. www.ratbike.org can accept no responsibility for anything, anywhere regardless of cause.

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