Important Disclaimer
Advice given in this section may or may not be accurate, safe or wise. Always use common sense and when in doubt assume that any advice given herein is incorrect and liable to end in terminal engine or part failure and possible injury or death. www.ratbike.org and its contributors can accept no responsibility for anything, anywhere, regardless of cause.
Broken Plastics?
Get hold of a Lego brick in a matching colour,
place in glass jar and pour about a dessert
spoon of nail varnish remover (acetone) over it.
The resultant gooey mess will bond just about any
plastic panel - even fixed my press stud on my sidepanel.
SneakyPete
Carb running too rich at idle
I should have put this little gem on the tech tips ages ago: Since
ratbikers are always putting the wrong carbs on things and then fiddling about for
ages trying to get them right here's one quick cheap bodge if your carb is too rich
at the idle and low end no matter what you... more
Rex
DIY 2-stroke Expansion Chambers
For two-stroke riders looking for a cheap, power-producing alternative to aftermarket expansion chambers, try the following: find the point on your existing pipe(s) where the diameter becomes largest (usually a foot or so from the downstream end of the headpipe) and cut it (them)... more
Ben - USA
Insulating a Split Ignition Coil
If your ignition coil is split and leaking electricity insulate it with kit and tape. To keep the water away from the tape I put an empty red bull can (without the top) around the complete coil with tape and kit. This way it looks strange and it works great! I didnt have to buy... more
Rainier - Holland
Broken Oil Level Window?
If the sight windows in your clutch and brake master cylinders start leaking and oozing brake fluid everywhere, take the assemblies off and carefully punch out the windows from the inside w/ a drift... turn some aluminum/brass scrap into plugs to fit (or have a buddy do it for... more
Bart - USA
Motor Oil Overfill?
Filled your engine up with too much oil? You can always remove the oil plug. An easier way is to get on of those plant sprayers (or Glassex of something). Unscrew the spray gun, stick the tube in your oil filler gap, and you can suck the oil right out. Goes pretty fast if you remove the nozzle.
Steven - Belgium
Cheap O-Ring Fix
Use plumbers pipe tape for O rings instead of the leaky originals your carbs. Its cheep. Its always the right size. It works.
David Lent - USA
Always Carry a Wiring Diagram
just rewired your bike recently? If it breaks down in middle of hell can you remember all circuits? Of course you can't!! Make a wiring diagram copy, get the original copied half size and laminate it, now it'll fit under a seat, sidepanel etc. A small tourch,knife and fuses/wire/tape... more
Drew - UK
Broken Battery Terminal?
Snapped the terminal off your battery? Then simply solder a wire onto the stump. I found it soldered easier than expected as the lead terminal has a low melting point. Then make a loop with the other end of the wire and cover in solder so you can bolt it to the existing battery... more
Mouse - UK
Double Control Cables
A simple but useful tip is to double up on clutch/throttle cables etc.cable tie the spare to the one in use,and in the event of annoyance (usually in the rain)swap over the cables and continue merrily along @ warp speed!
Matt - UK
Quick Brackets
For quick brackets use joist retaining strip. It is about 1+1/4" wide, 1/8" thick and has staggered 1/4" holes at about 1" spacing. Easily 'liberated' from building sites too! (Honest Guv, it WAS in the skip)
Zed Kelly - UK
Making a Battey Box
Cant find a battery box simply take some snips or saw depending on grade ,battery size and get the industrial strapping from any diy store it has holes already innit or if your pushed,they put it around lampost cases "and sometimes the fall off and you see them by the roadside... more
HairyHead - Ireland
Direction Indicators
Indicators - the cylindrical roadside hazard flashers (available from most good ditches) make passable indicator units (they come free with lens, battery, bulb and flasher unit too). Just bolt them on, wire in and away you go - might cause police rage though...
Jaye - UK
Handlebar Ends & Grips
Plastic sparkling wine bottle corks make good handlebar ends and the rubber thing that goes around the inside of the rim on a spoked wheel makes a nice grip, when they break, if wound onto your handlebar and held in place by whacking a plastic cork in the end to secure it.
Also... more
Also... more
Rex from Ironage Motorcycles - UK
Keep Water out of Sparkplug Wells
On liquid cooled bikes which have recessed sparkplugs, a good way to get rid of the bits of grit that accumulate round the plug waiting to fall into the engine is to press a 'sausage' of Blue-Tack round the edge of your plug-spanner. Press down firmly over the plug then fish... more
Scott - UK
