Mark Haycock and you with a page of tips.
Clutch conundrum
Q: With my bike in the garage over the winter is it best to have the clutch engaged or disengaged? Lesley Lee
A: I think you must mean from the point of view of whether or not the plates tend to stick together when the bike is left for a while. This used to be a problem with British bikes and certainly I do remember having to pull in the clutch lever and jab at the kick-start to free off the clutch as a preliminary step, before flooding the carbs and all the rest of the performance before actually starting (or, more usually, trying to start) the engine. The aim of course was to stop the almighty crunch or bang and lurching forward when slamming it into first gear, which must have damaged the gearbox. And all that was just after leaving the bike overnight. But that was for clutches where the friction plates were faced with cork (yes, really), rather than synthetic material and using old-fashioned oils too. It is not usually too much of a problem now, though if you find on your bike that it is then you could tie the clutch lever to the handlebar grip to prevent it. But then again, that might stretch the clutch cable – though I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.
Grease is the word #1
Q: Hi Ralph! I love CMM and your workshop bit is one of my favourites. In the August issue when overhauling the blue-spot calipers, you used ACF grease in the seal grooves. Never used ACF before, is it safe to use with rubber parts? I always use rubber grease only. Richard Makara
A: Ralph Ferrand says: “Glad to hear you’re enjoying the technical articles in CMM, we try our best! ACF-50 Corrosion Block grease is absolutely fine with rubber and I have been using this technique with no problems for many years. “What gave me the idea was a discussion I had with the manufacturer’s agents where they explained that one of the product’s big advantages is that it doesn’t attack plastics and rubbers in the same way that some mineral grease does. I only paint a very thin layer on the inside of the seal groove and still lubricate the seal with red rubber grease, but this method has proved very successful for keeping aluminium corrosion at bay.”
Grease is the word #2
Q: I read Jim Lindsay’s article on page 82 of the October edition with interest and his point about the use of copper grease struck a chord. As he rightly said it is an anti-seize grease and in that it does a good job, but he mentions that on moving parts it acts like grinding paste as the composition of it is copper and as in all greases the remainder is wax of different density dependent on the application. My question is, how does it act as a grinding paste when the copper is softer than anything it comes into contact with? Its anti-seize ability is useful in many applications as the advice on the back of a packet of Carlube copper multipurpose grease tells us. So it is both anti-seize and multi-purpose. So, in my maintenance regimes, Castrol multipurpose is the preferred option, but I have seen copperslip used without any ill effect on countless bikes in dealers’ workshops. I doubt any disastrous effects will come about by it being used not strictly in the correct context: it is grease after all! Daniel Davidson
A: We’d welcome more feedback on this topic. What grease do you use and why?
Honda CB125 Super Dream
Q: This 1983 bike did not come as standard with a side stand, this being an optional extra requiring a different footrest hanger. New items are not available and I have tried breakers without success. Is there any way that a side stand can be fitted, possibly a different model? Bob Henderson
A: David Silver is listing a brand new stand for £47 plus VAT. To aid your search, the Honda part number is 50530-KC1-000. It attached to the frame via a so-called bracket (part number 50610-KC1-000). These parts, by the way, were only fitted to the CB125T series bikes.