Shock Horror

Suspension - motosickle development has come a long way since rigid-frame, sprung-seat two wheelers were the norm. Suspending as much of the mass as possible of any vehicle by spring has the effect of cushioning the occupants from the harsh vagaries of the road surface. Springs alone will provide cushioning and a degree of comfort but left to their own devices they will absorb the energy and reciprocate with an equal amount of rebound offering a very "bouncy" ride and failing in the all important task of keeping the tyres in contact with the road. In vehicle suspension we really need this springing to be controlled by damping.

When the GT50 first appeared on the scene last year it was apparent that the ancient Paioli suspension (both back and front) had long since given up damping and was content with doing just the bouncing. Fellow Shit-Bike Club member and enthusiast Rupe Paul will have no truck with iffy suspension and is something of an expert - so I listen to him. Initial response, in the usual Diplo 'shop manner, was to strip the offending shocker (only one on the very advanced mono-shock GT50) and fettle/bodge some sort of recovery. The constituent parts can be seen laid out in the picture - piston, damper rod, seals and pressure bladder are all shot to pieces. Time for a Yorkshire Gold brew and a Turkish smoke to consider the options. First port of call was the very accommodating suspension guru Darren Wnukowski at MCT in Suffolk - he suggested I shipped the offending item to him for a re-build quote. Next day a very brief 'phone call - "beyond salvage". That said, Darren immediately furnished a quote to get a new bespoke shock built by Falcon Shock Absorbers - the beauty of these guys doing their job properly is that they absorb all the shock of the quote - suffice to say very reasonable.

How refreshing to keep bumping into friendly, helpful, practical people in the world of the motosickle - people actually manufacturing top quality products on this little island of ours - marvellous.
I include a shot of the new unit by way of demonstrating just how wonderful life can be - doesn't get any better than this ......
Front forks and other issues to follow.
MORE DAMPING  !!

Beauty is Truth .........

Right then - something tells me we've been here before ! Much pork and other meats have appeared on these pages over the years. I would suggest that any of us who received the first outbreak of "horse in beef " news with shock or surprise have been either living on another planet or simply been deluding ourselves. Nothing wrong with horse meat as long as it's prepared for human consumption and not pumped full of Phenylbutazone which will cause you to suffer aplastic anemia. Debates on the merits or otherwise of a more diverse meat diet are generally missing the point which is that manufacturers, distributors and retailers have been marketing horse as beef. That's just plain wrong  - and very ugly - in the view John Keats and the rest of us who acknowledge the beauty of truth. Why is it that the world is so full of untruths and plain bollox ? I've had many a conversation - not least at our weekly ShitBikeClub meetings - in which we have explored what might happen if politicians, big business and The State ran a trial period of 12 months uttering nothing but the plain truth. Needless to say we decided it ain't gonna happen. On the basis that you're never going to know what's in processed foods because "They" aren't going to tell you how it is - just stop buying the stuff. Nutritional benefit for your English Pound is poor and could probably be outstripped by eating your grass cuttings - may be a little extreme - but - let me point out one thing. I know exactly where my bacon comes from because they're my pigs and I cure my own stuff. I also know exactly where my beef comes from because I get it from the man who raises it. Now, I appreciate we can't all do this for the sake of time, space and convenience.We could all get a lot closer though by buying locally from people we know and trust - them's what say it how it is, ask them. I reckon my pigs find their way into my freezer in the form of chops, legs,shoulders, fillets, trotters, sausages and all the wonderful offal at an average of £1.50/lb all in. That's not expensive by any standards. It has to be said that if you prefer your bacon a little less fatty than that above - can't think why - then they'll oblige. A little change of diet is all that's needed.  MORE HONESTY !

Let's Get Started

Blimey - that beer making nonsense is just too time consuming and has caused havoc with my blog writing over the past few months. I have a pile of jobs awaiting me at Diplo HQ - things have slipped, the Series is out of MOT, the Little Shit is off the road and the 'shop is a disaster zone. Pictured above is the idyll of motosickle ownership, a selection steeds, sunshine and the prospect of a lazy cruise to the boozer for a Sunday lunchtime freshener. All is not just as it seems right now. The XT pictured has had to go (Rick Parkington has exported it to The South) to make way for the Little BSA GT50 in the middle of the picture. This has come on board to satisfy Diplo Jnr's need to get on the road at an early age. This will need a rebuild over the next few months to be ready for the Spring and the process may feature a little on these pages. The Little Shit is due a new exhaust system which we're proposing to manufacture in house !! The Series needs the rear hubs stripping and re-sealing so the brakes'll satisfy the man from The Ministry. All of these jobs offer hours of entertainment and contemplative Yorkshire Gold moments - First Things First - find the workbench ! MORE DETERMINATION !