[Reg in Bristol]

I sold my van and bought a smaller more economical one

the thing was, it was in Manchester 180 miles away so how to fetch it?

Sod public transport,too expensive and it will take ages to get there

I know !

I'll ride the CX up, dismantle a few bits, throw it in the

back and toddle off home in van.

Stripping a CX, mine especially is but the work of moments.



The next day started well and I was full of joy and enthusiasm as I set off

looking forward to a good run out on the CX.

It was windy and rainy but so what?

I had all my clobber on and it was good to be out of town for change.

It all went pear shaped very quickly though

the CX stated to lose power 20 miles up the motorway and I got off the motorway and on to an A road

but waited 6 F***** hours to get picked up by the useless recovery Rsoles

6 bloody cold wet hours !!!

I could have walked home in that time and wished I had.

When I eventually got a recovery guy arrive, the guy dropped the bike

on its side as he winched it up the deck of the truck!

I honestly didnt care at that point,I just wanted to go home

the crash bars took the weight and my tatty old thing will take a knock

and scratch or ten without me bursting into tears.



So, next day, Plan B.

I ride the beemer uo to TrevH's house north of Birmingham, stay with them and the next day he took

me to Manchester,we get the van and go back to his place.

Looking at the bike next to the wee van ( which looked bigger in the pictures)

we say

"Oh bugger! how the hell are we going get that thing in there?"

taking a K100RS with RT fairing apart isnt anywhere near as quick and easy

as stripping a CX and its a bloody heavy bike too

but with much huffing and puffing, swearing and tea we did it eventually

we removed the cargo bulkhead, reversed the passenger seat and wooden racking

in the van and got busy lowering the bike until we just squeezed it in

Oddly enough I took it out quite easily on my own when I got back and had it up and running

in no time.

Without the wonderful hospitality and generosity of Trev and Rose I'd have struggled.

Many thanks to them !!



What wrong with CX ?

I haven touched it since I got it back but I think the battery died

as it stunk of rotten eggs and was dead flat.

I'm too busy with other things right now so

I'll leave it until the weather bucks up and sort it then



A busy few days.

 

[bandit]

great story Reg,and nice to see pictures.looks like a fair bit of vasaline was used to squeeze the beemer in.

when i read the first line,my immediate thought was.....brave chap,i hope he picked a good day.Bristol to Manchester,in rain,cold and wind would be my idea of a nightmare.

well done Trev and family

 

[CXPHREAK]

Doesn't sound like simple battery failure to me Reg, your bike should have continued to run from the alternator alone.



I guess there are a few ways a battery can kick off so hopefully that's all it is. I'd be very suss on the reg/rec unit if it were mine though.

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Doesn't sound like simple battery failure to me Reg, your bike should have continued to run from the alternator alone.

thats what I assumed, but it was dead flat and I do recall my voltage monitor showing

a slight increase in voltage just prior to it going wonky

I have another battery and 3 spare RR's and a spare stator too but this one checked out OK when I did my roadside tests.

when I get interested in it again I should be able to fix it.

 

[CXPHREAK]

My guess would be that the RR has allowed the battery to overcharge and cooked it. The smell of sulphur dioxide is a sure sign of a battery put under some sort of unusual stress.

 

[Reg in Bristol]

some sort of unusual stress??

Bugger the battery

What about me? I was stood there for 6 bloody hours !

I was a bit whiffy meself after all that time I can tell you

 

[Shep]

That's pretty crap for the Breakdown service Reg.I've never had to wait more than an hour max and had good service. :/

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Utterly appalling service Shep.

I fired letters off to Footman James, Axa Recovery who they farm it out to

and SOS recovery who effed up big time.

No word yet from any but SOS at who at least apologised and offered to take my bike

from my place to a garage to get it fixed.

FOC for humping it there, but not for getting it fixed I might add

It was a gesture I suppose, not that I need any spotty yoof with an NVQ to sort my bike out

they wouldnt be able to make head nor tail of my 'all in my head' wiring

SOS whose web site boasts of state of the art comms and satnavs 'lost' a driver

and no one thought to tell the poor sod waiting in the rain

Axa's nose picking, gum chewing call centre drones were useless

All it needed was for someone to monitor progress and make a decision if

somethig goes wrong but theyre obviously programmed to read

off a que card, click a few buttons and go back to reading their Hello magazines

(unless they chew gum or pick their noses. They dont multi task very well)

 

[Shep]

I've used Footman James once,never again.Hard to get hold of.Utterly useless to me.I stick with Carol Nash or Ebike,



http://www.ebikeinsurance.co.uk/







Whichever is offering the best deal each year.Zero problems with either.I think mine was £90 ish inc for both CXs including breakdown etc.





Carol Nash always seem helpful.

 

[ramprat06]

That's pretty crap for the Breakdown service Reg.I've never had to wait more than an hour max and had good service. :/

Maybe the "whiffy" was that intense...?

 

[CXPHREAK]

He SAID it was the battery, mayhap a vindaloo while waiting?

 

[bandit]

He SAID it was the battery, mayhap a vindaloo while waiting?

along with the aroma of whitelightning.....no need for satnav...so no excuse.lmao

 

[Reg in Bristol]

OI !

dont get personal

I have a good rub down with a damp flannel every Sunday night whether I need or not ok?

theres no need for you lot to get like that

I still got a bottle of that Brut stuff someone gave me in 1973 and I have a splash of that now and again too

 

[bandit]

OI !

dont get personal

I have a good rub down with a damp flannel every Sunday night whether I need or not ok?

theres no need for you lot to get like that

I still got a bottle of that Brut stuff someone gave me in 1973 and I have a splash of that now and again too

how do you keep those Bristol bombshells away from you,you lucky chap

# Brut Original Aftershave

# Brut Aftershave Original is the essence of a real man, a fresh and distinctive fragrance.

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Just been out and woke the CX up with another battery in it

It took a while to wake up but thats normal after layup

stator resistance tests looked good

When running, my LED battery volmeter looked normal and tests with a meter

showed it regulating around 14V

The only unusual thing I can find is the exhaust rattles which is probably due to

when the recovery guy dropped it on the ramp.

I can only assume at this point that the battery died in a rapid and major way.

Thats not bad at all really

 

[Allan]

Just been out and woke the CX up with another battery in it

It took a while to wake up but thats normal after layup

stator resistance tests looked good

When running, my LED battery volmeter looked normal and tests with a meter

showed it regulating around 14V

The only unusual thing I can find is the exhaust rattles which is probably due to

when the recovery guy dropped it on the ramp.

I can only assume at this point that the battery died in a rapid and major way.

Thats not bad at all really

Reg,

Glad to hear it was not too major,,I would hate to see you have

another breakdown so soon after the last one.

 

[kingston73]

That's pretty crap for the Breakdown service Reg.I've never had to wait more than an hour max and had good service. :/

Your service over there sounds like what I've experienced here with AAA. I'm impressed with you cramming the BMW into that small little van, looking at the 2 I'd have never thought it possible.

 

[nolavox]

Seriously, this sounds like the perfect British day... nothing not to bitch about

other than "Brut"



I suggest: English Leather over Brut as Brut is nothing more than Aqua Velva with added Ethanol... it won't hurt your motor, just don't leave it in the tank.



An open circuit battery... off venting hydrogen sulfide .... ee gads, sounds like someone's been mixing white lightning in the omelettes. Might want to neutralize the sulphuric acid before your swingarm dissapears

P.S. I think that rattle is the flebostat - johnson rod assembly getting ready to grenade ....

 

[Eurovee]

Doesn't sound like simple battery failure to me Reg, your bike should have continued to run from the alternator alone.

thats what I assumed, but it was dead flat and I do recall my voltage monitor showing

a slight increase in voltage just prior to it going wonky

I have another battery and 3 spare RR's and a spare stator too but this one checked out OK when I did my roadside tests.

when I get interested in it again I should be able to fix it.

Reg, only the CDI CX`s will run off a dead battery - you fitted TI gubbins to that engine which needs a battery to power it, remember???

I think your memory must be going, it`s probably addled by that shoe-polish-and-meths-filtered-though-bread liquor substitute you`ve been on since the price of tramp piss cider went up.



btw

break down on a CX?

FAIL.



The only times in 150,000 miles on a CX i`ve never made it home is one puncture and getting T-boned by a car on the North Circular.



FAIL.

 

[Reg in Bristol]

Reg, only the CDI CX`s will run off a dead battery - you fitted TI gubbins to that engine which needs a battery to power it, remember???

Weeeelll yes of course I do but I reckoned my TI motor would possibly run on crap battery but this one must have turned to mush inside and was acting like a black hole for the electrickery gubbins



Its only the second time in ten years I didnt get to my destination on a CX

the other was the day after getting the best engine prize at the club rally and

the crankpin snapped on the way home

I've always suspected foul play y'know.....................



as for comments about tramps piss cider etc

Steady on !

WE dont want these folk thinking I'm not a refined English gentleman of independant means

but a shabby old piss artist who'd drink anti freeze in a pinch do we?

I'm not OK? I dont drink that stuff any more

It used to give me awful headaches