General chat thread... Links, pictures, banter etc

prunudo

blade1 wrote: »

Hate the sight of those wires and every time I'm on that road I picture someone getting sliced in half!
I think they are banned in some countries!

Likewise, gives me the shivers. Other problem is the amount of times they get damaged and are left for weeks at a time with basically metal spikes protruding out!

Wonda-Boy

One word...COST. Its cheaper to install that wire then a amco barrier or the like.

prunudo

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

One word...COST. Its cheaper to install that wire then a amco barrier or the like.

Like most infrastructure in this country, built on a 1/2 a$sed budget.

Zascar

Lads, check this out. If like me you sometimes have to deal with a weak battery if you have not used your bike in a while, my mate just showed me this:



It's tiny and very light, charges via micro usb and has a big power boost that can start bikes and even big cars!

Since I sometimes don't use my bike for a few weeks and it won't start, I have to swap out the battery with a spare, but this just started it for me in seconds. I'm deffo going to get one.

Skill Magill

Z, you're trying to make us believe in Santa, such a thing either doesn't exist, or doesn't work

Skill Magill

Zascar wrote: »

Lads, check this out. If like me you sometimes have to deal with a weak battery if you have not used your bike in a while, my mate just showed me this:



It's tiny and very light, charges via micro usb and has a big power boost that can start bikes and even big cars!

Since I sometimes don't use my bike for a few weeks and it won't start, I have to swap out the battery with a spare, but this just started it for me in seconds. I'm deffo going to get one.

Dear God, it exists :eek::eek::eek:

Even idiots can use it !!

Gettin one, cheers Z.

frozenfrozen

I presume that yoke is just full of 18650 battery cells.. if so I wouldn't leave it under the seat or anything, li-ion batteries are fairly delicate and the heat from the engine could make them become fairly unstable. Grand if you're just leaving it at home for when the bike won't start..

Hotblack Desiato

That cures the symptom not the disease, which is letting the battery get deeply discharged in the first place which will shorten its life

What you need is an optimate type thingy (expensive) or a cheap trickle charger (tenner in Lidl) which can be left connected to keep the battery topped up without overcharging it.

prunudo

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That cures the symptom not the disease, which is letting the battery get deeply discharged in the first place which will shorten its life

What you need is an optimate type thingy (expensive) or a cheap trickle charger (tenner in Lidl) which can be left connected to keep the battery topped up without overcharging it.

Have an optimate myself, one of the best motorcycle related purchases I have bought. Saves having to change the battery every other year.

Hotblack Desiato

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

One word...COST. Its cheaper to install that wire then a amco barrier or the like.

Cheaper to install, much more expensive to maintain, concrete is the most biker friendly and basically maintenance free.

johnmolly92

frozenfrozen wrote: »

principal said that they don't quote people with no noclaims bonus.

I got took a policy out with principal 3 weeks ago on a SV650. I'm 23, no ncb, a2 provisional.

Sounds like your man was making excuses saying you need a ncb. Definitely worth ringing back and trying again.

frozenfrozen

johnmolly92 wrote: »

I got took a policy out with principal 3 weeks ago on a SV650. I'm 23, no ncb, a2 provisional.

Sounds like your man was making excuses saying you need a ncb. Definitely worth ringing back and trying again.

I'll have to do that, I think it's the same deal with the others the liberty girl wanted to hang up as soon as I said I was 20. Thanks for that.. they're sneaky ****ers aren't they

Zascar

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That cures the symptom not the disease, which is letting the battery get deeply discharged in the first place which will shorten its life

What you need is an optimate type thingy (expensive) or a cheap trickle charger (tenner in Lidl) which can be left connected to keep the battery topped up without overcharging it.

You are absolutely right, however I park my bike in an underground carpark and there are no power sockets - so no way of me using a trickle charger. I wish I could.

I have two batteries - I keep a spare just in case one goes flat and I have to swap. But its a pain swapping batteries and this is just so much handier!

Do all motorbike batteries get nackered after a few discharges or are some better than others?

frozenfrozen

Guy martin wall of death is starting in 5 minutes (quarter past 7 channel 4) in case anyone was interested in watching but forgot. I missed most of the F1 episode.

Zascar most batteries will be fairly damaged by being completely discharged. But some types like lithium ion batteries keep their charge for a long time while not being used. samsung have some on their website but I can't see where to actually buy one http://www.samsungsdi.com/lithium-ion-battery/trans-devices/ignition.html must be somewhere though. I don't think it would be much use if there is an alarm / immobiliser or whatever else slowly wearing down the battery though they'll all be dead after a long time of sitting not being charged.

you could always just leave the battery unplugged or wire in a switch so it can't be drained slowly but at that rate you might as well find what's causing the issue

Zascar

Cool thanks watching that now.

I did not know Samsung made batteries, but I'm actively on the lookout for a super small battery for a new project bike as I want to move it and hide it. Bike is a BMW k100 - how do I find out what type of battery suits and if I can get a small lithium ion battery?

I was actually thinking of wiring in a switch, would make things a lot more handy. How do I do this exactly?

frozenfrozen

Samsung make the only lithium ion batteries I'd consider safe enough to leave unattended. the cells are called 18650s they're a standard size and you have to be careful when buying because there are tonnes of cheap chinese knock-offs. These batteries will be found stacked beside eachother in laptop battery packs. When you're looking for them you can just search samsung 18650, and they can come in little packs where there are 6 or so tied together. There's a little protective circuit that needs to go with them to shut them off if they get too hot, and to stop them from overcharging and stuff like that. You can work out how many you need by using ohms law (v over I / r) if you know how many amps the starter motor needs, could be around 200 amps for a warm start and as much as 400 amps on a very cold morning. I wouldn't feel comfortable soldering a pack like that myself, and I have no idea where you'd buy one premade but they have to exist somewhere.

in the case of a switch you'd just need to put it somewhere between one of your battery terminals and the rest of your electronics, just a normal enough single pole single throw on off switch. You could also just disconnect one end of the battery by hand if you weren't going to need to do it very frequently.

Hotblack Desiato

Li-ions are used in actual electric cars/bikes but are not suitable for the heavy starting currents needed from an internal-combustion vehicle battery.

A switch to disconnect the battery needs to be rated for the full starting current, i.e. basically as big and bulky as the solenoid is. They're used in car racing (called battery isolators) but not seen in the bike world. A lead-acid battery will significantly self-dischage in a few weeks even if fully disconnected, anyway.

Lithium iron (iron not ion) phosphate batteries are now being used in petrol vehicles including bikes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery and should have less self-discharge and withstand deep discharge better than lead-acid batteries, they're also a lot lighter, but don't work as well in cold weather, and are more expensive, but should get cheaper soon.

Gavin

Putting together a L-Ion pack from 18650's for starting an engine is probably a bad idea. The battery needs to be able to deliver a very large amperage to start the engine, the CCA rating. Wiring the 18650s with the correct gauge wiring and control electronics to provide that is, I suspect, not trivial.

From another forum specific to my motorbike, one of the guys bought from here www.bclithiumbatteries.com

This is what he got. The stock battery weighs 4.2Kg. The LiFePO4 weighs 0.8Kg.

frozenfrozen

you know what they say.. the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer!

goodlad

Lads, the concrete floor in my shed is all done but tbh the finish in parts, especially around the edges is absolutely awful.

Im not going to bother painting it and just want ti put down some type of Vinyl mats across it. Preferably something that interlocks.

There is a load of options out there, too many to choose from.
Does anyone here have a recommendation of specific floor mats to use?

Zascar

A mate works in the matting business, I'll ask him

blade1

goodlad wrote: »

Lads, the concrete floor in my shed is all done but tbh the finish in parts, especially around the edges is absolutely awful.

Im not going to bother painting it and just want ti put down some type of Vinyl mats across it. Preferably something that interlocks.

There is a load of options out there, too many to choose from.
Does anyone here have a recommendation of specific floor mats to use?

You might want to leave it dry properly first for a couple of months.
I put a clear coat stuff i hot in a hardware that seals it and you have no more dust. I'll try and find out what it was called,maybe Thompsons or something.

Its nearly 2 years down now so does the job alright.

Zascar

This might suit: interlocking studded rubber tiles - for domestic garages. Let me know if you need any more info hes happy to help

Wossack

reckon you'll still need something under the side stand (bit of wood etc)

goodlad

The bike will only be in there a handful of times a year tbh. I will get a bit of wood for the side and main stand.

The floor is actually grand. Its just the edges that are awful. I will deffo need to smooth out the edges. Those tiles look great man. The shed is just under 10ftx14ft so would need a good few of them. Would be fairly expensive

Wonda-Boy

You REALLY need to let the concrete dry Gary, I let mine dry but I dont think I let it dry long enough before I stuck down the anti dust layer and then painted it. Cant stress how important it is to let it dry really well.

goodlad

Ah if im painting it i wont be doing it for about 6 weeks.
But im not arsed painting it. I need to sort out the edges with leveling compound.

The lad that done it is coming back out at the weekend to look at the hack of it and the path edges

If it ends up sorted i may paint it but its a large garden shed. Not a garage. The mats linked above from zascar look good but 15 euro per mat.... they can get the boat!

Halfords mats are grand but not heavy wearing enough. I need to put on tool chests, shelves etc.... the weight of them will wreck the halfords mats

CJhaughey

6 weeks won't be anywhere near dry.
TBH I think you need about a year to have a concrete floor dry enough to paint in this climate.
try this link for vinyl floor tiles.
http://www.bigdug.co.uk/mats-flooring-c402/interlocking-floor-tiles-c1789/interlocking-vinyl-floor-tiles-pp14434

Chisum

goodlad wrote: »

Lads, the concrete floor in my shed is all done but tbh the finish in parts, especially around the edges is absolutely awful.

Im not going to bother painting it and just want ti put down some type of Vinyl mats across it. Preferably something that interlocks.

There is a load of options out there, too many to choose from.
Does anyone here have a recommendation of specific floor mats to use?

You could try self levelling concrete, google it, it's good stuff great finish when done right.
Paint it for perfect finish.

goodlad

Yeah its looking like some leveling compound is gonna be put down to sort the edges