Quiet month

Not done a lot recently.

Painted the nearside middle fairing panel badly.... but better than it was before.

Fitted bar muffs.

Went for a ride.

No work done - took it for a ride instead

Got up early this morning, pumped up the tyres (that's sorted the strange handling I'd been experiencing) and took it for a run.

Started with the 'usual' - A470 towards Brecon, branching off to cut the corner to Sennybridge, then A40 to Llandovery for a much needed coffee. (It was bloody cold today!)

Headed out of Llandovery towards Llyn Brianne reservoir - taking in the single-track unclassified roads.

From there, headed to Llanwrtyd Wells, heading towards Builth Wells, but branched off to take in the road over Epynt mountain.

Was out for a good 4 hours, including stops for hot drinks - covering around 150 miles.

Awesome bike - I can see why they're generally preferred over the 800Fi and also why they're considered to be the ultimate version of the VFR concept.

This is an overview of the route;

New dash and other bits

Lots of goodies arrived from eBay this week.

Most importantly, the replacement dash:

Also a 'Pro Bolt' kit - although, if you look at the 2nd photo, I wouldn't recommend them:

Also broke out the satin black paint, as the rear wheel was chipped and corroded. Don't know how long this will last, as I hardly did any prep work, but used the same paint on the fork legs of my BMW, which  has lasted very well.

(Yes, those are bloody big chicken strips.... still getting used to the bike!)

Satin black also applied to the bar ends:

And the engine cases (just the visible bits):

Finally, but it back in the garage:

Still lots of potential in the bike - but it's at a level where it's presentable and usable.

Will do more bits over the weekend, but progress will slow now, as I want to enjoy the remainder of the decent weather on it.

Quill Exhaust

Not the best quality..... but this gives a taste of what the beast sounds like.

Not a VFR!

Not the VFR this time, but my project the weekend before....

4 years ago, I (some say foolishly) bought one of the cheap Honda copy Chinese off-road bikes on eBay - a Hongdou GY200.

For those who don't know, they come in a crate and you have to put them together yourself:

And this is what they look like when they're built:

I rode it a few times, then events overtoook me - new job, involving lots of traveling, so I never had much time for it.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I dragged it out of the garage, rebuilt and re-bushed the rear shock mounts, freed off the brakes, stripped and cleaned the carburettor.

Once it was working, I stripped the bodywork, removed the stickers and painted in NATO satin green, with a brush....

This is what it looks like now:

Took it for an MOT last Tuesday, which it passed! - now just need to tax it.

New parts on their way!

Busy day of eBaying.

• Working dash found
• Lapis Pearl Blue paint ordered - in an aerosol
• Lacquer aerosol also ordered
• Bulk pack of plastic screw-to-release rivets to replace the missing and broken ones
• Pro-Bolt silver anodised fasteners to replace the rusty and missing steel fasteners

Fingers crossed the weather will be OK on Thursday, as I need to go to Holborn, and plan to use the VFR, as my air-cooled BMW doesn't like heavy traffic.

Some old photos

Unusually, the history of this bike can be traced right back to the supplying dealer.

A friend bought it as a very nearly new bike, and put the huge mileage on it.

Then it was sold to another friend, who sold it to my brother, who then sold it to me.

The original owner sent me some photos of how it was 'back in the day'.

I think the highlight is the DV camcorder gaffa taped to the helmet!