Visit to Armoury Rd, BSA Factory Site 999greeves 2024-04-25 | Nice sunny day, so I took the opportunity to divert via the old BSA site at Small Heath, Birmingham. Not much left these days, though more than many other famous factories. E.g. the SInger car factory that was just northeast of BSA, the otherside of the railway.00:37 Small Heath Station01:24 Factory Gate02:40 Site Maps : 1890 - 193803:40 Site layout & historic photographs06:07 Remaining buildings06:50 Where's Small Heath relative to Birmingham City Centre?07:17 Home time. . . .08:28 Quick look at the Recreation Ground
KeeGone Ice Machine Fixed 999greeves 2024-04-18 | We purchased this ice machine 7 months ago & it's had light occasional use since then, before it stopped working. It became clear that the 'ice bucket full' sensor had failed. I contacted the supplier via Amazon and they eventually agreed to supply a replacement machine, which is great. I didn't want to play with the failed machine until resolving things with the supplier but once a new machine was on the way, I decided to investigate. Sure enough the problem was the 'ice-full' sensor & a straight forward fix00:32 Demo of the fault (as shared with the manufacturer).02:27 Disassembly - rusty, broken sensor lead03:40 Replacement IR detector & fitment05:35 Petroleum jelly - to protect the metal leads06:33 Reassembly07:00 Final test
Mountain Bike Cassette Change 999greeves 2024-04-11 | Tannus airless tyres. I thought I had a video of fitting the red Tannus tyres to this bike but apparently not. I did make a video of Tannus products on my TERN eBike. They were only 50% successful in this case - the weight on the rear wheel was too much for the airless tube. The front wheel's fine though - youtu.be/4zFlv06Wnj4?si=e0QHi28AlYcPOyQRI've had the red Tannus tyres on front & rear of the mountain bike since 2018 and am very pleased with them.02:10 Cup & Cone bearings03:02 Wheel assessment03:19 Tannus airless tyre04:12 Replacement Shimano Cassette & wear assessment07:00 Cassette assembly & torqued to 40nm08;40 Bearing assembly & cone adjustment11:23 Quick release assembly & all done :)
Pesky Traffic? No Problem, Use the Pavement 999greeves 2024-04-06 | Oh dear, what was this driver thinking? She picked up a passenger but why did she have to use the pavement and jump the queue? Mercedes KR22 DYF(It wasn't me honking by the way.)
Clarke CML3 Bike Lift - Whats in the Box? 999greeves 2024-04-04 | Very pleased with the lift. It's big and heavy though (150Kg) & arrives in a sturdy wooden box.Here's what to expect.0:39 Inside the box1:56 Summary
Keep Your Dust Dry 999greeves 2024-04-03 | Damp morning at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley. Well worth a visit.The term Dustman / woman is still in occational use. In Victorian times household / street refuse was collected by dustmen and manually sorted to recover anything of even slight value. Rags, bones, ash (fertiliser), cinders (e.g. for brick making), etc. were extracted and sold on.
Fake Check: NGK Iridium Spark Plug 999greeves 2024-03-28 | I bought an expensive NGK iridium plug thinking it would offer superior performance to a standard plug. In practice it turned out to make the BSA even harder to start. I ended up swapping back to a standard Champion plug (once I'd worked out what the issue was). Could the problem be down to a counterfeit NGK? Apparently not.This is the video that inspired me to check the authenticity of my iridium plug:-youtu.be/vpH4O14EBxA?si=JzuuFEi99ZCdnkxf
Total Solar Eclipse, Carbondale 999greeves 2024-03-22 | Remarkable that Carbondale should see two total eclipses in 7 years. This is the 2017 eclipse, as experienced at Soutern Illinois University, Carbondale. Sadly, the view for people who had paid to be in the stadium was interrupted by cloud. For those nearby (like us), it wasn't perfect but not too bad. We experienced most of the eclipse effects. Note, for example, the 'shadow bands' on the road before & after totality - like ripples on the bottom of a swimming pool. Auto exposure reduces the real impact of the darkening. A video also completely misses the dramatic temperature changes.A fantastic experience; wish I could be there in 2024. If you can possibly get into the path of totality I'd strongly recommend that you do! Being somewhere with a lot of people was good as well; a great atmosphere.0:00 Shadow Bands0:39 Totality Starts3:05 Totality Ends3:38 Shadow Bands appear again
Hopper Extension for Gaggia Brera 999greeves 2024-03-21 | The small, shallow coffee bean hopper on the Gaggia Brera bean-2-cup machine is frustrating at times. So I took the time to design and 3D print an extension to the hopper.It's all freely available now:-Designed using OpenSCAD - openscad.orgAll files downloadable onThingyverse (free registration needed) - thingiverse.com/thing:6536517
Microwave Fix in 73 Seconds 999greeves 2024-03-21 | BEWARE: Magnetrons operate at 4000 volts are are extremely dangerous. Their supply is high power & an earth leakage trip (RCD or GFCI) won't protect against potentially fatal electrocution.Microwave turns on OK, then makes a fizzing sound and cuts out after about 15 second.Neff model C57M70S0GBThe magnetron part designation - 2M236-M42
WallBox Quasar - Filter Cleaning & Look Inside 999greeves 2024-03-14 | The WallBox 'Quasar' is a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) charger. It's an example of an electric vehicle (EV) charging system that facilitates bidirectional power flow between the vehicle and the grid or home. The Quasar not only charges the EV's battery but also allows it to discharge stored electricity back to the grid or home when needed, effectively turning the EV into a mobile energy storage unit. This bidirectional capability allows locally generated solar energy to be fully utilised & also enables periods of low overnight grid tariffs to be 'time-shifted' into daytime useage that would otherwise be charged at a higher rate. My Quasar charger has been in daily opertation since 2021-07 but has recently started to interrupt charge periodically & indicate an 'over-temperature' error. The unit's out of warranty & hardware support from WallBox is non-existant in the UK.So I decided I'd have a look myself and, in particular, check that the air cooling filters were not blocked. This is what I found. . . .00:00 The issue01:36 Removal from wall03:32 Rear filters10:55 Front cover removal, front filter & communications cable11:55 Comms connector removal13:04 Screen removal13:50 Front filter removal & fan16:34 Refitting screen17:42 Rear cover removal19:25 What's inside. . .22:00 Rear cover replacement22:40 Front cover replacement22:55 Comms cable replacement23:22 Refitting to the wall plate24:00 Power back on25:10 2 Days later - no improvement25:35 Supplementary cooling solution - external 'bodge'
Microwave Magnetron Fault 999greeves 2024-03-13 | BEWARE: Magnetrons operate at 4000 volts are are extremely dangerous. Their supply is high power & an earth leakage trip (RCD or GFCI) won't protect against potentially fatal electrocution.Microwave turns on OK, then makes a fizzing sound and cuts out after about 15 second. Suspect faulty magnetron filamentNeff model C57M70S0GB - early magnetron failure 😞The magnetron part designation - 2M236-M42
Changing Polarity of an LED Tail Light 999greeves 2024-03-07 | Decided to fit an LED tail light to the old BSA B50. Trouble is that it's positive earth and all LED lights assume negative earth. Not too difficult to change in this case, just a bit fiddly. (Should I have converted the whole bike to negative earth?)For more on the excellent Boyer 'Power Box' see here: youtu.be/tsAhu66dSd0?si=715vZqfWmszJabj_
BMW GS Cardan Shaft (non) Recall 999greeves 2024-02-28 | I was surprised when my local BMW francise announced that they were going to change the cardan shaft on my BMW R1200GS while the bike was in for a routine service. I turns out that there's a general instruction to BMW dealers to do this on bikes that meet particular criteria. The swap was performed free of charge, though is not a 'recall', in the legal sense.It arises from BMW’s Service Bulletin INFO-337390, issued October 2023
Replacement BMW Cardan Shaft 999greeves 2024-02-28 | I was surprised when my local BMW francise announced that they were going to change the cardan shaft on my BMW R1200GS while the bike was in for a routine service. I turns out that there's a general instruction to BMW dealers to consider doing this on bikes that meet particular criteria. The swap was performed free of charge, though is not a 'recall', in the legal sense.
Ironbridge on a Cold Winters Day 999greeves 2024-02-22 | Cruised to Wales via the Severn Valley on a glorious winters day
Ryobi SDS Makes Light Work of Floor Tiles 999greeves 2024-02-19 | I'm pleasantly surprised and impressed by the performance of this drill. I made lifting tiles in our kitchen easy and has easily drilled a couple of 80mm holes through brick with no problems. https://uk.ryobitools.eu/diy-power-tools/drilling-and-screwdriving/hammer-drills/rsds18x/rsds18x-0/
Cool 😎 Cooling, BMW R1200GS 999greeves 2024-02-15 | Never noticed this before but riding down a flat motorway at a steady 70mph I could see that the engine temperature was rhythmically drifting between 76 & 80 degrees centigrade. Not surprising really but I could imagine the wax capsule in the thermostat extending and contracting, controlling water flow to the radiators. An 'under-damped' feedback control loop but simple and keeping the engine within an acceptable temperature range :)(I was on my way to the Classic Dirt Bike Show at Telford International Centre - very good.) Music:- 'Drifting at 432 Hz'
Road Past the Sacred Well 999greeves 2024-02-08 | Enjoyable cruise along the B4407 toward Ffestiniog. The clip starts near the National Trust owned (rentable) house Ty Cipar. It ends passing Llyn Dubach, which is shortly before the road joins the B4391, which drops down to Ffestiniog. The route passes the Ffynnon Eidda, Drovers Well (alledged 'sacred spring') at the Conwy - Gwynedd border.Temperature was just below freezing, with ice on the roadside, but a glorious sunny, winters day.0:02 Ty Cipar - nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/wales/ty-cipar0:37 Ffynnon Eidda - megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=105441:14 Llyn Dubach
Cymarc Utility Box on BMW R Bikes 999greeves 2024-02-08 | Great product to give useful storage when you're travelling solo. See here:-cymarcbikeparts.co.uk/r-series-gsa-pillion-seat-clip-onoff-utility-box-also-fits-rallye-all-models-2014-pres-487-p.asp
Best Sound?; BSA 500 v Harley 999greeves 2024-02-02 | Bit of fun on the way home today. He gave me a toot as we parted a little way down the road :)Difficult to beat that V-twin sound(?)(I adjusted my idle speed down a bit when I got home.)
Out Noising a Harley. . . or maybe not(?) 999greeves 2024-02-01 | Bit of fun on the way home today. He gave me a toot as we parted a little way down the road :)Difficult to beat that V-twin sound(?)(I adjusted my idle speed down a bit when I got home.)
The Boat Inn, Jackfield 999greeves 2024-01-25 | Dropped in at The Boat Inn, Jackfield, near Ironbridge. There's an amazing number of historic industrial and other buildings along the river Severn in this area. The Boat Inn is famous partly due to being routinely flooded. On my visit it was definitely closed due to recent flooding; note the sand bags at the doorways. Looking through the window it was a sea of mud & silt inside. 'Business as usual' for The Boat Inn; no doubt it will be cleaned up & open again before too long.The Jackfield & Coalport Memorial Bridge (pedestrian) crosses the river next to the pub.The pub is here: 52.619682°N 2.454386°W
Filtering in WInter Traffic 999greeves 2024-01-18 | A38 Birmingham, Yamaha FJR 1300 (with panniers).Gently picking through the late afternoon traffic, away from the City.Music: 'This Too Shall Pass', Scott Buckley
Hysnox Helmet Headset - Dodgy Switch Fix 999greeves 2024-01-18 | Very pleased with this headset, which I've been using for 2 years. The volume rocker switch became intermittent recently though. WD40 seems to have fixed it :)Hysnox HY-01S Bluetooth Headset Intercom Universal Pairing 1000M Headset Motorcycle 5.0 Bluetooth Hi-Fi Headphone VS Vimoto V800:19 The headset model00:40 The dodgy switch01:07 Disassembly03:10 WD40 magic05:10 Reassembly06:18 Test
Palestinian Protester, Sutton Coldfield 999greeves 2024-01-16 | This video is captured as an interesting & unusual occurrence in the normally quiet centre of Sutton Coldfield. It doesn’t imply any opinion on the situation in the Middle East.I won’t respond to any comments.
BangGood Solar Floodlight; Better than Screwfix 999greeves 2024-01-11 | The Lap 'Snape' Solar PIR Floodlight is twice as expensive as the BangGood version (but appears to be identical)
LAP Snape Solar Flood Light Refurb 999greeves 2024-01-11 | After 7 years this 'LAP' branded solar floodlight stopped working.. . .Still available from Screwfix:- screwfix.com/p/lap-snape-outdoor-led-solar-floodlight-with-pir-sensor-matt-black-400lm/8403pbut also BangGood, for half the price:-uk.banggood.com/Waterproof-36-LED-Outdoor-Solar-Powered-PIR-Motion-Sensor-Security-Lamp-Light-Mounting-Pole-Fit-Home-p-1134523.html?cur_warehouse=CN&ID=224&rmmds=searchISDT C4 Battery Charger / Tester - isdt.co/c4-2.html?lang=en00:40 Inside the light02:28 ISDT C4 18650 battery test05:55 Reassembly & test08:10 Polish the solar panel
1971 BSA Gold Star PES Rocker Oil Feed 999greeves 2024-01-04 | I acquired a PES rocker feed kit months ago & finally got a chance to try it on the old BSA B50. A slight issue but working now.01:20 Inside the inner timing cover - extract from this video youtu.be/LWxbovwdKRw?si=m7coSbXiXqIkfB_o02:33 Orifice required? 04:05 Feed from timing cover05:52 Attach to rocker spindles06:40 Plug the original rocker feed12:16 1st Test - leaks!13:13 Rework - adapting the rocker box19:59 2nd Test - successPerformance Engineering Solutions - pesltd.ukMy Video on timing side assembly - youtu.be/LWxbovwdKRw?si=m7coSbXiXqIkfB_o
TT Mountain Chase Helicopter 999greeves 2023-12-28 | Peter Founds & Javan Walmsley’s FHO Racing outfit is chased by TV helicopter over the mountain course.3wheeling-media Sidecar TT Race 1, 6/6/2022
Perfect Helmet Camera Mount 999greeves 2023-12-21 | *3D Print a double curved 'shim' to prefectly fit a helmet camera.*I've used this method on 4 different helmets now. If you have access to a 3D printer it works well.All files are free to download here: thingiverse.com/thing:6030568 (you'll need to set up a free account).The (free) 'OpenSCAD' CAD program is available here: openscad.org*NOTE: SOME HELMETS CAN BE WEAKENED BY ADHESIVES.* Check that your helmet is compatible before applying any stickers, or adhesive pads.2:16 Measuring the curvature4:21 OpenSCAD generates the curved shim5:18 3D printer5:28 Fitting the camera mount with 3M VHB Tape
BSA Rocker Box Sealed 🙂 999greeves 2023-12-17 | See here for the main video youtu.be/-ITaB53rSKY?si=TRPdqKYS3EjLdeuW
BSA Gold Star Rocker Box Leak Fix 999greeves 2023-12-14 | Time to fix the slight leak from the rocker box on the 1971 BSA B50 Gold StarSee here for 3D printed inspection cap youtu.be/JlwPKakw3a0?si=G_QZRRD3Rwwxa_vDHere's the status after c.20 miles running youtube.com/shorts/-7A8-y7-HWg?si=047RK5uXt_p4AF-50:13 Getting access to the top end of the B502:05 Rocker box removal4:15 Clean the gasket faces & check for flatness6:00 Clean the stud holes7:41 Rocker & valve lifter removal11:20 Rocker shaft O ring seals & general inspection of parts14:04 Rocker box reassembly (using parallel pliers)20:17 Wellseal application21:47 Refitting the rocker box (8 ft/lb torque)23:09 Performance Engineering Services (PES) Inspection cover24:15 Nearly there - first start
Panasonic AirCon - Sub-Zero Heating 999greeves 2023-12-07 | Installed this 2.5kW Panasonic CS-FZ25WKE 'mini-split' bi-directional air conditioning system nearly 2 years ago. Very please with it; it performs perfectly in summer & winter. In cold weather the system gathers low entropy energy from outside & pumps it to the internal unit. As the ambient air approaches zero the external heat exchanger starts to freeze up, blocking the air flow. The system senses this and temporally reverses direction to clear the ice. I was intrigued to see this in operation, hence this video :)Original installation of the system is available here: youtu.be/IQzzvUIRVcw?si=r6L8rJgMz9L0eRnm
Police Close Grand Central Access, Birmingham 999greeves 2023-12-06 | Officers on the scene say they can’t give the reason
Honeywell 3-Way Valve Diagnosis 999greeves 2023-11-30 | Our central heating radiators stopped working. The boiler was OK and it became clear that the 3-way valve was the cause of the problem. A new powerhead fixed things but why had the original failed. . . .?
1971 BSA B50 Stainless Mudguard Bracket 999greeves 2023-11-23 | Front mudguard bracket from Classic Bike Parts UKclassicbikepartsuk.uk
Over-Engineered Asda LED Light 999greeves 2023-11-16 | Surprisingly over-engineered LED light 'bulb' from Asda. Could do with the application of some good old 'Value Engineering' :)
Peddimore - Yellow Brick Road 999greeves 2023-11-10 | Cycle around SE side of the new yellow stone path around the new Amazon Fulfillment Centre
Eclectic Brum: Red Brick Market, Deritend 999greeves 2023-11-09 | Visit to the remarkable Red Brick Market, Floodgate Street, Deritend, Birmingham, B5 5SUThere's a coffee shop too :)redbrickmarkets.co.uk
Ashted Tunnel, Digbeth Branch Canal 999greeves 2023-11-02 | Takes the canal under Jennens Road in Birmingham (now the A47). The narrow Ashted Tunnel is 94 metres in length and only able to accommodate boats passing through it in one direction at a time. There's a narrow towpath inside the tunnel but the roof is quite curved & you'll need to duck to avoid banging your head. Presumably horses were led over the top of the tunnel.Immediately at the northern end of the tunnel are the 6 locks of the Ashted Flight. The southern end opens up into what is now the Birmingham City University campus.Music: Amid Life - Andreas Boldt
No Joke at All 999greeves 2023-11-01 | My experience with the Wera Joker self adjusting spanner. I’ll never buy againMost Wera stuff is very well engineered. I have several other Wera tools that are fantastic. This particular spanner is well made but the design just doesn't work well in any situation I've tried to use it in.
Seagull Outboard Start 999greeves 2023-10-26 | Dry start of British Seagull engine from cold (took 3 pulls) Staring these engines without water is OK for a few seconds; the pump does not have a rubber impeller (unlike most more modern engines)Century 102cc modelSee here for more youtu.be/8cnwg82hoP0?si=kKeU-33xd_pfZwje
Still Bugs in IOS 17.1 🙁 999greeves 2023-10-26 | Installed IOS 17.1 yesterday but found this bug today.It's the date picker in Microsoft ToDo but must be using an IOS call to collect the date(?)
