I trust your day is going
better than mine. I should
be back any year now...
Guido, two desks up from
you on the right (normally)For those of you who
came in late, or haven’t
skipped straight to ‘Our
Bi k e s’, Guido recently
did what he’s now made
a habit of: buying a bike
sight-unseen in some
remote location, flying
there and then riding
it back to Melbourne.
What, as they say, could
possibly go wrong?
What appears above is
actually a text message
from him in Marla, SA, to
me in Cooma, NSW. Ain’t
modern communication
grand? I’m reproducing it
here because the advice
from the Cooma brains
trust (which included
Roothy) may help other
airhead owners.Step one was check
that the air filter wasn’t
blocked. That would
restrict the engine revs
and would account
for the terrible fuel
consumption. Guido did
this by removing the
filter, but the problem
remained.
Step two was to
inspect the carburetor
diaphragms, which can
dry out and become
brittle if a BMW is left
for long periods. This
turned out to be the
problem and, off his own
bat because I was fairly
sure it wouldn’t work, he
used vinyl race tape to
patch the large cracks.
If the problem is small,
pin-sized holes in the
diaphragms, a thin smear
of grease will usually
provide a temporary
solution.
Before we found outSpannerman
YAMAHAYZFR3ANDMT 03 (2019)
PROBLEM: The front brake lever may break
when a strong squeeze is applied, resulting in
the loss of all brake functionality at the front
of the motorcycle.
ACTION:Contact your nearest Yamaha dealer
and a replacement brake lever will be fitted.
SPANNER SAYS: The worrying thing here is
that if you’re squeezing the front brake lever
hard enough to snap it, you obviously really,
really need to stop in a hurry. It’s the perfect
storm, so if you have a 2019 R3 or MT-03, get
ye to your nearest dealer ASAP.DUCATIPANIGALEV4/V4R
PROBLEM:Thefueltankventilationsystemmaybe
defective and cause pressure to build in the tank,
resulting in fuel potentially spraying out of the tank
when the cap is opened and creating a fire risk.
ACTION:Ducati dealers will fit an updated ventilation
system and give you a sticker for your owner’s manual
with instructions on how to correctly open the fuel cap.
SPANNER SAYS: You could argue that a bike that costs
as much as a Panigale V4 should have a fuel tank
ventilation system and a tank cap that you can open
intuitively without the risk of burning to death. A sticker
with operating instructions for the tank cap? Seriously?HONDACBF300N(2019)CBR300R(2018)CRF250L(2017)
PROBLEM: The groove on the main gearbox shaft
was incorrectly manufactured and is oversized, which
could result in circlips flicking out and causing damage
to the gears. It has the potential to lock the back
wheel while you’re riding the bike.
ACTION:Visit your nearest Honda dealer for
inspection and repair.
SPANNER SAYS: Another Honda recall for a major
mechanical defect, which involves taking the engines
apart. As long as Honda is realistic about repair time,
at least the dealer network will be making some
money out of this.The carburettor diaphragms
can dry out and become
brittle if left for long periodsRecalls