Popeye
Registered user
My bike, an 04 1150GSA twinspark, has been gradually getting less and less enjoyable to ride.
The transmission has become clanky. Riding in town is just horrible.
A smooth gear change from 2nd into 3rd and 4th has only been possible clutchless, use the clutch and the gearbox just makes a horrible noise.
The general vibrations of the bike have gradually been getting worse or perhaps I am now just more aware of them.
The starter motor makes a god awful noise as it disengages.
The tick over has become lumpy.
The other morning I went to start the bike after it had been out in the rain all night on the sidestand and it sounded like it was only firing on one cylinder.
I got to thinking. Phrases like "well they all do that" and "a bit agricultural" sprang to mind. I had no benchmark to know whether my bike was good, bad or average.
On Sunday I had a bit of a poke about and think about these issues and decided to check the stick coils out, primarily because of the rough running. Sure enough one of them was duff. No visual sign of corrossion but one side of the bike must have been running only on the secondary plug.
So, two new replacements arrived from Motorworks this morning. 10 minute job to put them in. Fired the bike up, stuck me lid on and ........
.....feck me, it's like a new bike. Smooth and I do mean smooth, all the transmission backlash gone, gear change spot on, torque like there's no tomorrow. The bike fires up much better than it ever used to and the starter motor disengages properly.
I can only think that the deterioration was gradual and I hadn't realised how bad it had got. Bit like when your eye sight goes !
So £120:00 spent and I absolutely love my bike again
The transmission has become clanky. Riding in town is just horrible.
A smooth gear change from 2nd into 3rd and 4th has only been possible clutchless, use the clutch and the gearbox just makes a horrible noise.
The general vibrations of the bike have gradually been getting worse or perhaps I am now just more aware of them.
The starter motor makes a god awful noise as it disengages.
The tick over has become lumpy.
The other morning I went to start the bike after it had been out in the rain all night on the sidestand and it sounded like it was only firing on one cylinder.
I got to thinking. Phrases like "well they all do that" and "a bit agricultural" sprang to mind. I had no benchmark to know whether my bike was good, bad or average.
On Sunday I had a bit of a poke about and think about these issues and decided to check the stick coils out, primarily because of the rough running. Sure enough one of them was duff. No visual sign of corrossion but one side of the bike must have been running only on the secondary plug.
So, two new replacements arrived from Motorworks this morning. 10 minute job to put them in. Fired the bike up, stuck me lid on and ........
.....feck me, it's like a new bike. Smooth and I do mean smooth, all the transmission backlash gone, gear change spot on, torque like there's no tomorrow. The bike fires up much better than it ever used to and the starter motor disengages properly.
I can only think that the deterioration was gradual and I hadn't realised how bad it had got. Bit like when your eye sight goes !
So £120:00 spent and I absolutely love my bike again
well done for fixing it! 
