Has it really been so long?
It has been a long time since I posted here again. The last few rides of 2010 being relatively uneventful until I met up with some of the guys from The Lonesome Twin site. We’d decided on somewhere central to everybody, and Phil came down from oop Norf and some others (OK one other) arrived from various parts of the UK to on their Z750 Twins.
After a little breakfast in the Cafe and a little chat we had a look around all the other bikes, which was when we noticed that the red Z750 twin from Birmingham was leaking fuel. Unfortunate for the owner who had just rebuilt the carburettors. The next bike under scrutiny was mine, which was leaking oil from one of the engine side covers. Damn it. So we all set off back home, I was sure of making it the 6 or 7 miles I had come to the event but felt for the poor guys who had lots of miles to do.
So fast forward to March 2011 when we decide to tax the Z750 Twin for a year. Enthusiasm sets in and I set about the oil leak a mere 6 months after I first spotted it. Psyching myself up to removing engine side casings I pulled out the toolkit. Tried the lower bolts where the oil was coming from and found they were slightly loose, so I tightened them up and called it job done. An oil change was carried out and then 3 kicks to fire the old girl into life. Kawasaki done a nice job, I think, if a bike 35 years old will start after 6 months lay up with just two practises and one real kick (OK it really was 3). No leaks once it was warm anyway.
The enthusiasm used up the Kawasaki Twin was sat back in its spot until today April 2nd when it was booked in for an MOT by my long suffering wife. Washed and cleaned to make it at least look like someone cared for it, I rode it to the MOT. Felt good and all was working until half a mile away when it died as I changed down gears. Dropping the clutch got the fire burning again and handfuls of revs at the last couple of roundabouts kept it going but she sounded sick. I explained to the MOT tester who was a very nice man, and as I pushed it into his testing bay I realised that the choke was in the wrong position. It passed brake tests, all the suspension and lights worked and the engine started and ran OK for the test now the idiot rider had been sorted out and put the choke off D’oh.
Result was a new 1 year MOT certificate with the advisory that the chain needed adjusting. Returning home I immediately sprayed the chain adjuster bolts and found my biggest spanners to release the spindle nuts. A few minutes later and the sag was gone from the chain once more. A little lube just to finish the job and all is well. All that remains is for me to get a new or at least decent mudguard for the Z750 twin.