I sorted a new front brake light switch from what is fast becoming my favourite website, Wemoto. The rear brake was a bit of a strange one because when I got it back home and got the back wheel off the ground to test the brake, it was working. The only reason I can think of is that because the bike had been sat for a while it just needed some use.

It passed another MoT a week later, but it was bittersweet because it refused to start when I collected it.  No amount of trying to bump it or get it going with Start Ya Bastard (at the time it was more like ‘Start you useless piece of shit’) would work so I admitted defeat and came back the next day to see what the problem was. It spluttered for 10 mins and sounded like a Vanessa Feltz on the bog after too much cake.  When it eventually started it ran like the aforementioned fatty boom boom too, but I managed to get it home.

It felt like it wasn’t getting enough fuel so I checked that side of things first.  Putting fuel directly into the carbs saw it run properly so I checked the breather hose that goes into the top of the tank and that was ok, but routed incorrectly, so I changed that.  Next thing was the vacuum hose that attaches to the fuel tap. When cranking the engine I could feel a good vacuum, which then led to me taking the fuel tap apart and discovering it had been messed about with to bypass the vacuum operation. It was bodged, the spring was missing and the rubber diaphragms were perished.

I found a company called NRP Carbs in Manchester that sell replacement fuel tap and carb parts and got a new set of diaphragms and a spring for the fuel tap. With the fuel side of things sorted the bike was still not happy so I checked the electrics and found that the regulator was knackered (a common problem on NC30s) and charging the battery at 19v at 4000 rpm which was totally cooking it, not good. I bought a new regulator from LM Spares and it arrived the next day. Since fitting it the NC30 has been on top form and has been behaving properly, which has only highlighted how shocking the rear shock is…

Pip

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Because the rear pads were worn so badly, the pistons were jammed out of the caliper; no wonder the rear brake felt a bit on the non-existent side. Moby thought there was a chance that because the metal of the pads had been wearing against the disc, the brake fluid could have boiled in the line and the whole lot would need replacing, but fortunately it wasn’t as bad as that.

He took the pistons out of the rear caliper and cleaned the whole lot up for me in our parts washer before fitting new seals and at the same time rebuilding the rear master cylinder – massive thanks for that. As the rear brake pads had worn down to the metal, the rear disc had more grooves in it than a James Brown record and Moby also replaced this, along with both front discs, meaning the brakes were once again trustworthy and working, which is reassuring.

Next time: The carbs come off for an inspection and clean…

Pip

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I have always loved motorcycles and after a stint working for Fast Bikes decided to stop just talking about it and do it. Just under a year ago I started looking for my first bike. Originally I was searching for something sensible, mainly SV650s and Honda Hornets. After looking at a few of them I decided that I actually wanted something a little more inspiring – a sportsbike it was then. I thought a 600 was my best option but after speaking to some insurance companies eager to pull my trousers down for a year’s cover, I decided a 400 was the way to go if I wanted a proper sportsbike without massive insurance costs. For me there were only two choices; a ZXR400 or an NC30.

Most of the Kawasakis I could find for the money I had were pretty bad and there seemed to be more NC30s about so it was an easy choice, plus you can’t deny that a 400 with single-sided swingarm and V4 is cool. I reckon the Honda easily beats the ZXR on looks too. After deciding on an NC30, I went scouring high and low for something around the grand mark. Unsurprisingly fleabay came up with the goods for my limited budget and a couple of days later I was looking at the bike on my driveway – what had I let myself in for?

Spending under a thousand pounds on an NC30 got me a bike that is essentially decent, but it needs some work. Things that were immediately obvious were the missing left side middle panel and the fact that the original fairing had taken a battering over the years – they were properly bodged together where they meet under the bike. The rear brake was awesomely badgered with the rear pads worn down to the metal, shot seals and a master cylinder in need of a rebuild. A closer look at one of the front brake discs also revealed that it had a hairline crack – glad I didn’t notice that before riding it 60 miles back to my house.

After having the bike for a couple of days one thing became immediately obvious – I had a bit of a project on my hands. The previous owner’s obvious lack of mechanical sympathy and general neglect meant it was a bit of a dog - nothing that couldn’t be sorted. I thought a good place to start work would be with the basics – an oil change, new oil filter, new spark plugs and because they were looking a bit worn, some new front brake pads. I bought all the bits I needed from Wemoto and proceeded to get the work done.

Draining the oil and replacing the filter was relatively simple – I managed to avoid spilling oil all over my garage floor and although it was fiddly, changing the filter was not a problem. The front brake pads came out easily and before fitting the new EBC items I had to gently work the pistons back into the caliper, which was no fuss. Changing the spark plugs was probably the most annoying thing, simply because access to the front two cylinders is so limited. I unscrewed the crusty bolts on the seat unit, removed it and then lifted the tank up and supported it with a piece of wood to get to the back two cylinders and remove the plugs with a 13 mm long reach socket.

Getting to the front two plugs means taking off the smaller middle fairing panels on each side and then slackening off the screws that hold the top radiator in place. Lots of people recommend removing the top rad but I found that loosening the bolts enough so that I could pivot it out of the way was enough to get my hand behind it and only skin my knuckles a little bit.

Next time: FB’s resident mechanic Moby sorts my brakes…

Pip

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