jon v8

The main thing after the bike being in good shape is to make sure you and the bike have plenty to drink. Running out of fuel is my main worry in LDT's. I rode the fantastic South Devon Woo Hoo on Saturday and got through nearly 3 tanks of fuel in my old banger TY250. Every opportunity to refuel myself and the bike are taken. Knowing that the bike is all up together so you can just ride it without worrying is a big thing too. My TY looks like an old garden shed, but mechanically it is spot on, this is important with a 45 year old bike. Even more important when I ride the Arbuthnot on a 73 year old bike this year.

Several clubs around the West country, including my own Ashwicke Classic club - Offer a Gentlemans route, this is where you ride into the section then ride anyway you like to get out through the ends cards.(As long as you don't cross your own path) We encourage novice riders to use this class as it gives them complete freedom of choice as to how hard they make their ride. If they wish to follow the clubman route thats fine, or if they are finding it all too easy they can ride the expert route. They can do exactly as they please to work out where their skill level or nerves will take them to.

I would get it working and enjoy how much easier they are to start,especially when they are very cold or not been used for a while. You can spin the engine over several times to free everything up, then draw some fuel in. My C15 starts from cold sitting down this way, it just makes it sooo easy - And nice for the kickstart gears.

Getting rid of the decompressor is a backwards move. Used properly its a great help in saving wear on the kickstart gears. They were never very well made when new, so any help is good.

Lucky you - They appear to have taken my money with a confirmation email, but I've since had two more emails saying my "Licence" has lapsed. I think me and the ACU are done, I can't be bothered.

My dodgy advice - It is only an opinion afterall, is to find a TY175 Yamaha. Plenty around,easy to get parts for,easy to ride,reliable and plenty of trick bits available to make it whatever you want.Because there are plenty of them and plenty of parts makers/suppliers, the cost of them is often lower than some makes.And if you don't like it they will always sell well because of their reputation. They can be as good as any other twinshock with mods, but as always - Its more about the rider.

Is it an early Majesty based on a modified Yamaha frame, or a later Don Godden one ? The Yam framed one is easy because you can get a dating certificate from the Yamaha RD Aircooled club very easily using the original Yamaha serial number on the headstock. But I wouldn't mention anything to HMRC or DVLA about it being a Majesty, just that it is a Yamaha TY. If its a Godden frame it may be more difficult, especially if there is no frame number. Then you may need help getting an HMRC / DVLA recognised agent to do a dating certificate. May be easier in that case to buy a standard TY frame and register that. Most larger car garages / showrooms have facility to check from the frame number if it has ever been registered - If you can find a friendly one its worth doing for a few quid,get lucky and it might just be a case of applying for a new log book if it was previously registered.

I run a 428 chain on my TY250 twinshock with no problems - it is how it came out of the factory. Mick Andrews was very frank with Yamaha about the TY range,got his own way over most of the design. Looking at how little needs doing to a TY compared to other brands of the time I think he and Yamaha did a very good job. There was a time a while back when it was popular to fit mono forks onto the twinshock TY's, then most went back to the originals as they felt the leading axle of the mono ones spoilt the steering. The progressive springs are the way to go as you already have.

The best long term solution is to get a 21" rim laced onto your hub. You then will have plenty of tyre choices, from road to full on knobbly.

Give them a break ! Its a small operation, staffed by a friendly bunch of people. They do a good job.

I had a pair of Falcons on my HT5 Ariel, they were very good, would thoroughly recommend them. The only bad experience I've had with rear shocks is with Betor's. On one of my Ty250 Yamaha's I had a pair which leaked within a few months from new. But they worked better when they had leaked, so I carried on using them till I sold the bike.

It varies every year, but even the bits of main road we have used in the past are very quiet with little traffic. It really isn't a problem.

The Arbuthnot varies in length, usually between 70 and 80 miles, although one year we did 90. There are no garages on the route, but there is a trailer which will take your fuel can to the lunch stop at the golf course. We always have lunch in the club house with a pint, then oil chains, refuel and a quick check over before setting off again. You need a good air filter if its dry, most of the distance is on old drovers roads which can be very dusty. Its a great day out,lots of nice bikes and a very friendly atmosphere.

Have you seen the Talon Mickmar in Sammy Millers museum ? By chance I was there yesterday, but didnt take any pictures of it.

I run a 9e clutch in my James J9 with an Albion 4speed box, the 9e clutch is a great improvement over the original, it was supplied by Paul Powell of Cotton Villiers services - very helpful.