Everything Two Wheels

I looked at a Bolwell LeGrande for a local dealer who was having trouble diagnosing what the issue was. It was really weird. The scooter wouldn’t run but did have a very weak spark. My initial thoughts were a faulty connection in the kill switch or ignition switch but after a quick check over of both switches they appeared to be in good working order and we also had continuity right through the ignition circuit. I hooked my peak volts meter into the ignition circuit and was getting voltages that fell within the specs of the workshop manual. I was now a bit confused. All the switches checked out ok all the components checked out ok and we had continuity right through the ignition circuit. In theory this scooter should run. I wondered if maybe there was some debris on the pickup coil inside the engine. I’d seen this a few times over the years where metal particles had magnetized themselves to the pick up coil and caused the engine not to run. I removed the stator cover on the engine and was amazed at the damage I saw inside. The stator had been overheating and had melted the wires to the point where they were now all bare, exposed and shorting out against each other. The really odd thing is the way even with the damage to the wiring of the stator and pick up I still managed to get inspection voltages that fell within Bolwell’s specs. The only way to repair this one is to fit a new stator.

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The Jianshe is back together and up and running. But after riding this scoot I have to say Jianshe really is the lower end of the quality spectrum. The way nothing bolted together without a struggle and panels that had to be forced to meet each other showed that this really is a cheap scooter made from the cheapest materials. Needing a top end rebuild after just 3500 k’s is also an indication of the low quality materials used in buliding this scooter. On saying that this thing went ok for a 50. It took off without a drama and judging by the way it managed go off the dial speedo wise I’d say it had been unrestricted. It’s a shame the brakes were so wooden trying to pull the scooter up and the front leading link suspension bounced a fair bit. I think if I was in the market for a 50cc scooter I find the extra cash to get something with a better finish.

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As a favor to an interstate dealer I did a minor warranty claim on a Daelim NS125. The rider had moved down from Queensland and brought the scooter with her and not knowing Melbourne rang the selling dealer for advice. The guys back up north recommended she come to me for help. This is the first Daelim I’ve ever seen and I have to say these things seem to be ok. The quality was on par with some of the other top end Chinese made scooters I’ve come across and it rode pretty nice too. All the bodywork of the scooter came off with ease and went back together all in place without leaving any gaps or screws not lining up. I think if I was in the market for a new scooter and I was on a budget I’d definitely consider buying one of these. I look forward to this one coming back for its next service so I can have a proper look over it.

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Well, the parts for the Jianshe finally turned up. In total it took 8 days for the overnight bag to make its way from Jianshe in NSW to me in Melbourne. I think this is one of the drawbacks of dealing with smaller distributors of non-Japanese motorcycles and scooters. The bigger household brands do have the dollars behind them to stock almost every part needed to keep your motorcycle or scooter on the road and the staff to manage the whole ordering and shipping process so in all fairness to Jianshe they’ve done a good job at supplying spares for such a small volume scooter in the Australian market. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by working for the Jap’s over the past few years and I should just shut now and be greatfull the parts are here with me to be fitted to the scooter! Anyway, in the pack were piston rings, piston pin, circlips, gaskets and a few other odds and ends that were needed to put the engine back together. The only item Jianshe didn’t have stock of was a cylinder but after a quick wiz over with a medium stone hone the score marks came out and it looked like new plus it’s still within Jianshe’s service specifications.

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WOW! This has to be one of the highest mileage scooters I’ve come across in a long time. This Bolwell Ariba is used by my local news agent to deliver his news papers of a morning. At present its speedo reads 59782 kilometers. Yes, that’s right. Not far off 60,000. Pretty much every panel is broken or scratched on this scooter plus the extra weight of the front rack made of solid steel doesn’t do the scooter any favors suspension wise, but due to regular servicing the scooter just keeps going and going and going. The owner told me he’s never really had any issues with the scooter since he bought it from new. The biggest drama is when it falls over due to over loading with news papers or being crashed by the rider. The only reason it was with me today is down to a snapped side stand. 60,000k’s and fully loaded with news papers. It’s no supprise the side stand gave in. Apart from that its 4am starts every morning seven days a week don’t seem to bother it at all.

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The owner of this Bolwell LeGrand is someone who I’ve only ever seen when the bike has stopped and needs attention to get it going again. In the past 6 months I’ve seen this scooter four times. Three of them were to fix flat tyres and the fourth was to replace the fuel pump but apart from that it’s never ever been here for a service no matter the amount of persuasion I tried on the owner. Well, the lack of servicing has caught up with the owner. I got a panicked phone call asking could I take a look at the scooter asap. I told him to get over here and I’d take a look. A day later the rider finally turned up and the ‘rattle of death’ was very evident. Despite the noise the rider had carried on riding the scooter. The noise it was making was terrible but then suddenly there was no more noise. The engine had seized on the spot as I stood there looking at it pull up. It’s such a shame. This scooter chassis wise is in very good condition but at 22,000 kilometers with next to no servicing the engine stood no chance of lasting the distance. The moral of the story ‘stick to the recommended service intervals’. Servicing may cost but in the long run it will be well worth the out lay.

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“….will you fix my scooter for me, no other scooter shop will help me” was the question I was asked by my 5 year olds school teacher last week. “Sure” I said, “what make is it?” “Jianshe” she answered. Up until that point I’d never heard of Jianshe scooters before. I collected the scooter later that day in the van and was met by a half dis-assembled scooter and a box of engine bits. After a closer look back at the workshop it didn’t seem like it would be that difficult a job to put it all back together. The bore of the cylinder was a bit marked up but apart from that the scooter looked ok. After a bit of research on the internet I located Jianshe’s Australian office and gave them a ring. The spare parts guy seem pretty helpful and after a few minutes talking to him he’d opened a spare parts account for me and my parts were on there way in an express bag. Hopefully it won’t take too long for the bits to turn up and I’ll come back and post the progress of the Jianshe’s rebuild.

http://www.everythingtwowheels.com.au/scooters.html

Where are all the adventure bikes coming from? Last year I’d have never sold a set of Continental TKC80 in month yet this week I’ve sold 3 sets alone. I think I’ll have to start keeping a bigger selection of sizes on the shelf. They seem to be what adventure bike riders want at the moment. The rider of this Honda Varadaro was on a big 5000k trip into the outback over 3 weeks and wanted a tyre that would give good grip in loose ground. His best option was the TKC80. Not only do these tyres hold their own in the dirt they can also handle freeway work too. Check them out at the Everything Two Wheels tyre store.

http://www.everythingtwowheels.com.au/adventure_tyres.html

As anyone who’s ever met me knows, Im not the tallest guy in the world. My shortness was something that made todays work a bit of a handfull. Trying to man handle the DL1000 on to my workbench backwards was hard going. These are one heavy mother of a bike. Once on the bench even the high of the bike made it a challenge to get any of my stands to lift the front wheel high enough to be able to jack the bike up in the air to take the forks off. Thank god I had a few bricks and wooden blocks in the corner of the workshop to make a makeshift stand. Once secured the rest was easy. Wip the front end off, install the new headrace bearings and put it all back together. Easy!

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What a busy Saturday it was today. It started with a 1st service and some tyres on a Kawasaki, recovery of a scooter with a flat tyre and finaly a rear tyre for a Vespa GT250ie. This is the first fuel injected Vespa I’ve seen. I didnt realise the Vespa was fuel injected until I was taking the exhaust off and saw an o2 sensor sticking out of the header pipe. The exhaust came off with ease and the quality of the Vespa compared to cheaper brands I’ve been working on of late was very evident. All the bolts of the swingarm and wheel came out with ease and re-assembling the scooter after fitting a new Continental Twist rear tyre was a breeze. It made me realise why you pay 2, 3 even 4 times more for a none Chinese branded scooter.

http://www.everythingtwowheels.com.au/tyre_store.html

Where are all the KLR650 owners coming from? Today I did another first service on a 2008 KLR650 and another set of Continental TKC80 tyres, the third is as many weeks. The Kawasaki seems to be the weapon of choice for guys who are going off road riding but still want a bike that can handle some freeway work as well. The owner of this bike lived up around The Black Spur on the out skirts of Melbourne and did some off road riding of a weekend as well as using the bike for his everyday ride to work during the week. The TKC 80 are perfect for this type of riding. For more info on the TKC 80 tyres ring Everything Two Wheels on 0434 920745 or check out the tyres store.

http://www.everythingtwowheels.com.au/tyre_store.html

An owner of a Bug Hawk rang me today with a punctured front tyre stranded at the side of the road. The rider was at his wits end due to the fact his options of repairer were running out. After trying nearly every other motorcycle and scooter shop in the local area without any luck, Everything Two Wheels were the only workshop prepared to collect the scooter on a Saturday. After picking him and his scooter up it was a short trip back to the workshop. Getting the scooter up onto the bench it quickly became obvious why the tyre was flat. Smack bang in the center of the tyre was a builder’s nail. The only option was to fit a new tyre and it wasn’t long before a new Continental Twist scooter tyre was fitted and the rider was on his way again. If you ever find yourself stranded and it’s outside normal business hours feel free to ring Everything Two Wheels on 0434 920745 and we’ll try are best to help you out.

http://www.everythingtwowheels.com.au/scooters.html

An owner of a SCP Sienna rang me last week and asked if I could help! He said he was riding along and the scooter just stopped. I went out in the van to collect it and brought back to the workshop. To cut a long story short the scooters CDI had failed and replacment of the part was the only option. A quick phone call to Stoney Creek Powersports revealed that spare parts were no longer available for this scooter being as old as it is. The owner on hearing this news told me to dispose of the scooter at will as he was thinking it was time to buy a new Vespa anyway. The best option for this scooter is to be sent to Kangan Batman TAFE’s motorcycle training campus out in Coburg were the up and coming apprentices can practice their mechanical skills. After a quick phone call to the head of the automotive department, the scooter was loaded up in the van and on it’s way to it’s new home at the TAFE. If you have any motorcycles or scooters sitting around that are beyond repair or you just want rid of them ring Kanagan Batman TAFE on 03 9279 2222 and ask to speak to Rick in the motorcycle section. He will gladly take them off your hands and all for a good cause.

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The new shop is well on it’s way to it’s opening day. The landlord is great to deal with being an existing cutomer plus a motorcycle and scooter rider himself, Yarra city council are working together with me to cover all the legal issues regarding the use of the premisis, new suppliers are jumping on board on a daily basis and today I got the first mock up pictures of how the new shop will look. Im really excited about how it’s all stating to come together. Can’t wait to get in!

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I am a fan of the Sachs City. These have to be one of the best value for money scooters on the market within its price range. The only drawback with this scooter is that whoever designed it didn’t put any thought into the way they come apart at service time. The one in the workshop today was in for a service, a snapped throttle cable and replacement of most of the bodywork around the front of the scooter that got damaged after a crash. The biggest issue was replacing the under tray of the main body. To get the damaged section off and the new item fitted meant removing the front end of the scooter plus disconnecting the front brake hose off the master cylinder to thread the pipe through the hole in the under tray. It turned what should have been a quick straight forward job into a drawn out long winded repair. I could see plenty of these getting written off by insurance companies after a minor crash due to a combination of the cheap price of the scooter from new and the high labour cost of replacement of bodywork and panels.

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I pre-delivered a brand new TGB 303 for a NSW dealer who had sold this to a rider in the local area from interstate. When I unpacked the crate it came in I was taken aback by the very loud paint job. What a colour scheme. Bright blue with neon green and yellow graphics. The scooter looks really trick. After a full check over and bolting on a victorian number plate the TGB was ready to fly. The 303 runs the same engine as the TGB Delivery scooters I service for Domino’s Pizza and if that’s anything to go by this scoot should give the owner many trouble free miles to come.

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I serviced a 2007 Fireblade last week and while talking to the owner he told me how he didnt like the ’snatchy’ throttle feeling that the bike had. I told him I could fix it by making and installing an O2 eliminator. Basicly all I do is replace the O2 sensor with a set value resistor. The eliminator tricks the bikes ECU in to increasing fueling at closed throttle to make the bike more rider friendly when getting on and off the throttle. After plugging the 02 eliminator in and sending the owner for a quick ride, he returned very happy with how the bike now felt. If your having issues with snatchy throttle syndrome on your Honda give Everything Two Wheels a ring on 0434 920745 and we can install an O2 eliminator to your bike.

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Everything Two Wheels is now stocking AFAM chain and sprockets kits. The kits come complete with front and rear sprockets plus a chain that is cut to the correct length. These kit are European made and of the higest quality making them ideal for fitment to all model of road bikes from small commuters to high power sports bikes. If it’s time for your chain and sprockets to be replaced give Everything Two Wheels a ring on 0434 920745 for a quote of supply and fitting.

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It’s an exciting time at Melbourne Motorcycle Repairs. We are changing our name and also moving the business up a gear. Melbourne Motorcycle Repairs is about to become Everything Two Wheels and move to new premises in Fitzroy on St Georges road. The move will see us expand from a service and repair workshop to full retail business selling everything you could possibly need to keep you and your motorcycle or scooter in tip top condition. We will also be stocking a range of quality new and pre-owned motorcycles and scooters. Stay tuned to the blog for more info and the date of our grand opening.

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I did a first service on a Bug Orion today. What a nice scooter. It’s the first 16 inch wheel scooter I’ve ridden and I have to say I was impressed. The handling is very different compared to a small wheel scooter. It really rode very well indeed. To service it wasn’t a drama either. All the bodywork and panels came off without any problems. We gave it an oil change, did the final drive oil, checked the valve clearances, lubed all the moving parts, plus a saftey check of all the nuts and bolts. It was a plesent way to spend the afternoon! 

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If you take advantage of Melbourne’s CBD scooter friendly parking policy then be carefull when bumping up the kerb. The rider of this scooter got a bit carried away trying to get off the road and up on to the kerb outside his office. As the rider launched up the kerb the engine caught on the sharp corner and the impact has resulted in the engine cases cracking wide open. There’s no cheap fix for this one. The scooter will need a new set of engine cases and have to be totally rebuilt. 

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I had a customer bring their 2002 Fireblade to me this week after it failed a roadworthy. I don’t think the owner was aware how bad this bike rode. The tyres profile was totally squired off due to lots of freeway use and the headrace bearings were the worst set of worn out headraces I’ve seen in a long time. To sort it out we fitted a set of Continental Sport Attack tyres plus new headrace bearings. For good measure 3 sets of Nissin brake pads were fitted to replace the nearly worn out ones. A test ride after the work was done and the bike felt like new. It’s amazing what a set of new tyres and headraces can do for a bike.

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I’ve had a delivery of Michelin Road 2 that have been on back order for the past few months. There is still an issue with supply in Australia at the moment but I’ve been told that production has been stepped up back at the factory and we should see more and more Michelin Road 2 comming to Australia soon. If you want a pair give Melbourne Motorcycle Repairs a ring on 0434 920745 or check out the tyre store at but be quick, as I’ve found with my last few orders of Michelin Road 2 they’ll be snapped up in no time.

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I like the way this guy, before performing his death defying stunts, likes to kit him self out in a highly protective blue baseball cap a pair of thongs and a cotton T-shirt. Who said a Honda C90 can be fun to ride?

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Melbourne Motorcycle Repairs is now an authorised distributor of NISSIN brake products. Nissin brake pads and calipers are standard OEM fitment to a vast majority of motorcycles and scooters. Melbourne Motorcycle Repairs can supply you with standard brake pads and calipers plus a various range of aftermarket brake pads, brake calipers and master cylinders to fit your motorcycle or scooter. We can also supply spare parts to all brake calipers and master cylinders in the Nissin range. Give us a ring on 0434 920745 to find out more about Nissin braking products.

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I dropped in to MOTOLOGIC, the new company owned and run by Paul Free who runs the Honda road race team from his new premises in Campbellfield to catch up with some old work colleagues and good friends who I hadn’t seen since I left Honda. I was really impressed with Paul’s new set up. The workshop is full of the latest tools and technology for servicing and setting up of cutting edge race and road bikes. With the move to his own premises Paul informed me that not only does he still run and manage the Honda road race team but the operation has now expanded into a servicing operation that can set up and service your road or track bike to your requirements. They also now have a retail arm to the business the can supply anything and everything to do with your sports bike from aftermarket exhausts to Honda racing clothing and merchandise. Checkout their website at www.motologic.com.au or ring MOTOLOGIC on 03 9357 9705.

There’s no words to do this any justice. Click on the link, sit back and enjoy “The Roundabout Of Death!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWIxqJu9gAM

I’ve been servicng the fleet of Domino’s Pizza TGB 125 Delivery scooters for some time now and I have to say these things are pretty bullet proof. The one that was in today for it’s 30,000k service is showing no signs of slowing down dispite it’s mileage. The only things I can fault them on are a kill switch that can sometimes suffer if it manages to get too wet on rainy days and the tail light bulb that seem to blow on a regular basis due to vibration through the pizza box. Apart from that you couldn’t kill one of these unless you took to it with an iron bar.

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I thought I’d try one of the Silkolene air cleaner kits on the scooters that need to have their air filter washed and re-oiled as part of a service. The kit comes with two buckets, one for washing the filter and a second for oiling the filter after it’s cleaned and dried. The kit being self contained takes all the mess out of cleaning and oiling the filters. I found the oil in the kit not to be too thick unlike some of the filter oils that are more focused on dirtbikes. The kit has really made cleaning and oiling filters more simple to do.

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I often have riders ask me the question ”will it void my warranty?” when it comes to having their new motorcycle serviced at Melbourne Motorcycle Repairs. The simple answer is no. If your motorcycle or scooter is serviced with us there is no impact on your new vehicle warranty. No matter what the dealership tells you, you do not have to return to that dealer or their dealer network to keep you warranty intact. Today we did Heather’s 1000k service on her GPX250. The service was done as per the workshop manual, all spare parts were genuine Kawasaki and high quality Silkolene oil was put in to the engine. For more information on warranty and servicing check out our website.

http://www.melbournemotorcyclerepairs.com.au/warranty.html

Just fitted a set of Continental TKC 80 adventure tyres to a Kawasaki KLR650. These things seem to be the tyres of choice for guys who are heading into the bush and riding on unsealed roads, second pair this week to go out the door. Check them out by clicking here:

http://www.melbournemotorcyclerepairs.com.au/tyre_store.html