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.
Parachute Cord
The nylon braided cable used on parachutes is tough and works great to fasten things when brackets break.
Tom Murphy
Beer Can Gaskets
I've used aluminium from my favorite beer cans for bushing and gasket material. It can be cut with a pair of scissors, punched with a nail found on the side of the road, is soft and will sacrifice itself as bushings should, and is readilly available. Aluminium soda cans work... more
'Jim' Carey
Cheap Exhaust Packing
Stainless steel scourer washing up things, slightly picked apart, make really good sound dampening wadding for sticking in your homemade exhaust. I've made my tailpipe from about a foot and a half of 4" pipe with a detatchable end and just stuff the pipe with the things. They... more
Rex - UK
Make it fit!
HVAC foil tape is grat for shimming parts that don't quite fit together right. It's metal and tape all in one. 3/4" black iron pipe can be made into custom bars, and with a few wraps of foil tape, 7/8" controls fit great. Metal lumber ties and mending straps make great bracket material.
Sib
Cracked plastics are better!
Cracked fairing or body panels? Drill pairs of holes along the crack, and tie it closed with an off colored zip tie. Get that Herman Munster stitch effect. Use for sewing up tears in jackets too.
Hellmut - USA
Road Salt Precautions
If you happen to live in a seasonally Arctic where the powers that be see it fit to scatter corrosives on the road (i.e. f*ckin' salt) then here are a few particulars that may save you some time and dissapointment down the road...
1. salt makes all the steel fasteners weld... more
1. salt makes all the steel fasteners weld... more
Lo-Tech Heavy Industries
Cheap Muffler Packing
For muffler packing use, pink bats fiberglass wall insulation.
Rudolph - NZ
Stop Burning Oil
Keep your old smoky oil burning bikes on the road by diff or transmission oil it is thicker and will not get past the rings is also stops bearing noise
Rudolph - NZ
Exhaust Leak Fix
Exhaust leaking between collector box and pipe? Cut the case of an old hi-fi cdplayer up, then wrap around join making sure the gap is packed with exhaust repair putty and secure with two hose clips.
Anonymous
Automatic Chain Oiler
cheap auto chain oiler - use a model aircraft fuel tank, (or small moped 2 stroke oil tank) pipe to a car in line fuel filter (IMPORTANT) to a car fuel injector (mine is off an XR3i) wired to a switched live (and earth...). This goes to a aquarium air flow bubble adjuster (99p... more
Guy - UK
Faster Superdream
Chuck out the balance weights in yer Superdream 250 or 400 motor and you'll get an extra 3-5 bhp! The downside is having to get new fillings in youre teeth every 500 miles.
Grem - UK
BMW twin ignition coil
Coil on your BMW kaput? Ripp one out from a Citroen 2CV from the local junkyard - it`s a boxer engine, too!
Tomster - Germany
Roadside Parts & Repairs
Hey.. as any good rat owner knows.... No matter where you break down, the parts store is never any farther away from the shoulder of the road... Ok, mebbe you might have to walk a little alongside to find the repair parts, But they're there... I once fixed a flat tire with a... more
Skarffer - USA
Easy Seat Repair
Sick of that cracked vinal on your seat poking you in the cheek on that 200 mile ride? Use black gaffers tape! Cover the whole seating area,making sure to wrap it over the underside and staple-gun it to the bottom. It makes it look like you care without really caring. (hint,... more
Blades - USA
Cool Bar Grips
Don't like your stock grips? Want something ergonomic to hold
onto while hanging on for dear life? Take used bicicle innertube
(roadbike tubes are best for this application) and cut out the
valve section. Wrap tightly and evenly around the grip to desired
thickness... more
Patrick - USA
