my new bike: 1985 Yamaha SR500

I'd ridden one of these once (belonged to a riding friend) but certainly spent more time on the later models (the SR-X) and indeed before buying the KTM Duke 390 was actively searching for one. Sadly everything I saw was in crap condition or done up in a way that I hated (some wankers gravy stroke dream of what a cafe racer should look like). Still looking, I eventually found this one:

It was exactly what I was looking for: an honest looking version which hasn't been done up like an old slag at a nightclub to pretend she's at her prime. As well I was attracted to the fact that it has drum brakes on the front, making it both rare and easy to own. 

Now this last point will prove contentious, but being quite familiar with drum brakes, and being in the midst of the messy job of replacing the seals in my 2006 Yamaha brakes (twin disc, hydraulic, dual piston callipers), which have finally decided to stick to the pistons (causing problems not least of which was parts availability); the thought of needing to do that (and more) to a 1985 bike which has been sitting around for some time bothered me. So I looked for a drum brake version as a preference.

I already have decades of experience on bikes with drum brakes and know that 99.9% of the time the braking of drums is entirely sufficient (and I'm not making this a track bike so I don't need that 0.1% time). The small picture the the left there is me on my 80's Honda H100 2 stroke that I used to ride to Uni.

I suppose that some younger people will have mixed feelings about this, but to me the whole bike oozes genuine time traveller (who didn't short cut time).

From the tank ...

through to the frame (with little bits of surface  rust).  I just love that honesty (in not trying to hide anything beneath paint bog and polish).

Its so relaxing to ride, the low torque means also that I can avoid changing gears coming into slower corners and still pull out with just 2000rpm on the clock. With the KTM 390 Duke still in the stable here I can say that the old SR500 is more torquey, easy to ride at least as fun to ride and perhaps even a bit faster than the KTM. The specs of the two bikes make this clear too. 

FWIW I rolled it onto a local weighbridge here and it weighs about 160kg (oil in the engine, fuel in the tank.

Naturally as soon as I got it I did some basic services (changed oil and filter, checked valve clearances) and found that everything (well not the oil) was in excellent condition (relieved).

However on the 3rd day it wouldn't start. Bugger. So I started with the sparkplug (took it out) looking for evidence of fuel (on the sparkplug) or spark (resting it against the motor and kicking it over). Found fuel no spark. Long story short I found the problem under the timing cover.

I basically (still) have no clear idea how this mush of water and oil emulsion got there, none the less it needed cleaning out. So I took pictures, passed them around some friends who knew a few things, cleaned it up (taking off the flywheel and checking the stator coils and crank seal) and put it back together.

A couple of kicks, a back fire (which encouraged me) then - Started! (and the crowd cheered). I believe that the solution is that the coil up there (red circle and arrow) was being blocked from "seeing" the rotation of the flywheel and thus it stopped sparking when the oil/water emulsion got too much.

Somehow I felt like I'd passed a test, but either way I was unaccountably happy.

Why this bike?

As you may have guessed by now (especially if you read this blog much) a reason why I targeted the SR is not only because I like riding bikes, but also because I like doing things myself. The SR represents a point in motorcycle evolution where the owner could do everything needed for basic maintenance themselves but was sufficiently advanced that it was as fast as needed to keep up with modern traffic.

• No fuel injection
• Simple air cooled engine
• Single over head cam
• Valve maintenance by screw and lock nut adjusters

You see I've run the gauntlet of having to find good mechanics and in the middle having crappy work being done to my motorcycles by idiots (as described in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) for decades. Further I've gained great personal satisfaction from the outcomes. Its really become a way of life for me now not least because of the personal satisfaction I get from it. I very much subscribe to the interpretation of Nietzsche's "Will to Power" being the exercising of my own personal power to facilitate my needs and enhance my independence. Just like any of my projects be it solar floor heating or building my shed, the successful outcomes give me a sense of satisfaction and indeed happiness that just never comes from hedonistic pursuits (eating, fucking, and other transient pleasures), although I like them too ;-)

The supplied toolkit underscores this design philosophy is embedded in the bike by Yamaha; I've never seen a toolkit (outside of old BMW motorcycles) which comes with everything you need to keep the bike running nicely.

Conclusion

The small problems at the beginning of owning this bike were sort of like it testing me: is my new owner a narcissist or a competent human who'll look after me. You see my focus on philosophy these last ten years or so has led me to a different understanding. A book I read some time ago by Matthew B Crawford made some points about the differences in personality type between people. Let me quote:

A washing machine, for example, surely exists to serve our needs, but in contending with one that is broken, you have to ask what it needs. At such a moment, technology is no longer a means by which our mastery of the world is extended, but an affront to our usual self-absorption. Constantly seeking self-affirmation, the narcissist views everything as an extension of his will, and therefore has only a tenuous grasp on the world of objects as something independent. He is prone to magical thinking and delusions of omnipotence.

A repairman, on the other hand, puts himself in the service of others, and fixes the things they depend on. His relationship to objects enacts a more solid sort of command, based on real understanding. For this very reason, his work also chastens the easy fantasy of mastery that permeates modern culture.

I recommend the book, you can buy it on Amazon (here, and note I make nothing from recommending it).

The small trials I've been through at the start of this process have enabled me to see again that its through the struggle that success tastes sweeter and its in the power you have and the ability to develop it that leads to the most salient rewards.

Enjoy