Hi, I have recently bought an NC29, 1993 model.

Mulling over it a week I found several items that need a bit of work and was hoping to pick your collective brains and gain some insight on my problems. The bike has done around 30k by the clocks and I suppose its best to put things right before I ride it.

First, the front brake, pulling the lever the brakes seem to work but they tend to creak as you pull the lever, also they appear to be notchy at the lever. So,you pull it creaks, pull more and it goes in as if its notchy, then creaks some more. The lever appears to be fine and not corroded at all.

The downpipes up to the 4in1 bit is really grubby (rusty/flaky) and could do with a clean, is it possible to get the exhaust sandblasted and would it be expensive?

As above the bottom of the forks are also grubby, can these be sandblasted without taking the forks apart?

Finally I have what appears to be restrictor washers, so if need be would I just bung this on the correct place on the carb and the bike would be restricted to 33bhp or is there more work involved?

thx

you can sandblast most things, a sandblasting co will tell you what you need to strip off before they will work on it.

restrictor washers.
fit them in and get the bike on a dyno. get the print out that shows it cant go over 33bhp, ask the dyno person to sign the chart. some insurance cos want proof that its restricted, some take your word for it. keep the dyno chart for proof.

Thanks leopard, So I will add these if needed and do as you say about the Dyno. suppose i thought there may be more involved such as carb jets etc..

My brake problem could be due to sponginess but unsure atm.

suppose I will have to look local for sandblasting, never done it before so unsure where to look, for instance is it engineering or bodyshop type of work?

thx

I wouldn't worry about the sand balsting yet!
Get the front brake sorted 1st etc.

Get a quote for work to be done, to get the bike to MOT standard, before throwing money at it.


Martin

PS:
Beautiful are NC29s! Well done - Welcome the club

suppose i thought there may be more involved such as carb jets etc..

Rejetting for restrictors is an option and it will make the bike run better. But most people don't bother with it.

The brakes sound like there is air in the system, calipers would benefit from a rebuild if not a good clean up and a bleed through with new fluid.

Forks can be cleaned up with wet and dry, a bit of metal polish and then re laquered.

The exhaust can be blasted or just rubbed down and painted, however you would need to use heat proof paint and the end nearest the can will not really get hot enough to cure the paint so it will end up staying a matt grey and marking easily

Get the brake rebuilt with new fluid and Goodridge, the front brake on my NC24 was horrific when I got it, you could see the rubber hoses bulge under pressure...

Wouldnt recommend blasting the pipes, may make the a bit too thin in places and then they will have to be patched, which will look worse than a bit of rust...

"I will add these if needed"
you WILL have to fit these *IF* you take the 33bhp test which restricts you to a 33bhp bike for 2 years, then (at the moment) no new retest as licence automatically upgrades to any cc.

you will NOT need these is you take a DAS test which lets you ride any cc bike.

tuning after they are fitted is some thing id have done as 2 years is a long time esp if you ride every day. but as mentioned. some people do, some dont.

Thanks for helping out answering my questions.

I will be looking into the front brake, cleaning it down and replacing fluid to see if tht sorts it, as it does not feel right.

The exhaust is actually quite sound and doesnt look as though you could poke a finger through it but I may just wire brush it.. The most corroded part is the box where the pipes join, as you might expect..

While the above may or may not be exepensive to sort from what I seen I still got a decent bike for less than a grand as the rest of the bike is fine, considering its 15 years old. An experienced mate rode it home and said it rode brilliantly, true and straight apart from the brake and a hard suspension (Sorted now) he thought it was a decent buy.

My interest in the 33bhp washers stems from the fact that I have not passed my test and due to me being a short arse they might not have a suitable low bike. So those washers may be needed afterall. Lucky I got them with the bike.

I cant believe I have a NC29. Its been my dream bike for years, now its all mine!

Durka Durka wrote:Thanks for helping out answering my questions.
While the above may or may not be exepensive to sort from what I seen I still got a decent bike for less than a grand as the rest of the bike is fine, considering its 15 years old. An experienced mate rode it home and said it rode brilliantly, true and straight apart from the brake and a hard suspension (Sorted now) he thought it was a decent buy.

I cant believe I have a NC29. Its been my dream bike for years, now its all mine!

Exactly the same with me! Well done!

The NC29 is a truely beautiful bike