Topic: The Happy-ish Thread. Share your small wins and mixed blessings.

[BenelliSEI]

Terry….. Thanks for all the detail very good looking bike! I’m sure I read about that engine years ago and was fascinated. Post some pics next time you are working on it!

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks John, it’s filthy after being stored for 9 years (except the tank because I had to clean some of the black crap from the dissolved fuel pump anti vibration damper off it) but I’ll take some pics tonight when I drive over to Spotty’s place with some fresh fuel to see if it’ll start. If it runs I’ll take a short video.

[spotty]

i went swapmeeting yesterday in the p1ssing rain and did well, got a pair of new Akront 18" alloy rims with one spoke set ( future fit to the trail bike ), a new 16" rear rim with honda 4 spoke set (probably for the future chopper ), brand new front guard for the trail bike, a better seat for the trail bike, a fork brace that could well be for a honda. an oil cooler that mounts to the frame down tube ( for the trail bike ) and a bacon and egg roll ( for my breakfast and future heart attack )

caught up with a couple of old mates and laid further groundwork with one of them to buy his honda 750 and my old chopper/digger frame and a stoopid long front end, told him i'll turn up at his door and wave a large wad of cash at his wife and watch her make him sell the bikes. fighting dirty i know but the end justifies the means

[RAFster122s]

Congrats Terry and Spotty...

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, I drove over to Spotty's place this afternoon and was impressed with his swap meet haul. I took a container of fresh fuel with a few additives and we dumped it into the tank, hit the button, and ....... nothing. Well, the engine turned over which was good, but no "Vroom vroom". Bugger.

We checked for spark, and it had plenty of that, so that was good, so we popped off the fuel line to check the pump, and it was pumping  nice fresh fuel to the injector rail, so we're assuming that the injectors are gummed up? Cool and wet now, so we'll have another go on the weekend, remove the rail and injectors, and see if they're blocked, and if power is going to the injectors. Isn't working on bikes fun?

BMW Monday 8 April 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[RAFster122s]

They can be both fun and drive you to drink or cry and since we are too old to cry over stuff like that,that leaves drinking for many, or releasing the stress and anger over it some way that is not destructive...

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks David, I’ve never been one to spit the dummy and start throwing tools around etc, I’m more interested in trying to understand what could possibly go wrong with something, and trying to fix it.

I went home and did some Youtubing, and discovered that blocked injectors are common in my model BMW if it’s been sitting for a long time. It’s not a big deal to remove and flush them, and test them. It should be interesting to see if that fixes it.

[BenelliSEI]

Terry….. I’m sure you’ll sort it out. I have two K7/8 bikes stored at the back of the shop. I spent time cleaning them out before storage, but I’m sure “recommissioning” won’t be straight forward!

[simon#42]

Thanks David, I’ve never been one to spit the dummy and start throwing tools around etc, I’m more interested in trying to understand what could possibly go wrong with something, and trying to fix it.

I went home and did some Youtubing, and discovered that blocked injectors are common in my model BMW if it’s been sitting for a long time. It’s not a big deal to remove and flush them, and test them. It should be interesting to see if that fixes it.

if you have an ultrasonic tank i find that works well

[RAFster122s]

BG44K is hard to beat as a FI cleaner... It is recommended by many expensive car brands
 One bottle does 20 US gallons, so once you pick your jaw off the floor at the $24 price, this stuff really works and cleans very very well...

But yes, an ultrasonic cleaner works well on FI as well as carbs...a big 30L should fit the whole rail, then your going broke filling it!

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, I’ve got my 30 litre heated ultrasonic cleaner but I really need to buy another $200 drum of Simple Green aircraft parts cleaner, which works really well. The stuff in it now still rips the muddy grease off my dirtbike parts but is so filthy I’d probably lose my injectors in the tank. I bought a Vevor injector cleaner/tester some months ago so might give it a try, and I’ve watched some videos on how to clean and test them off the bike, and if the solenoids are shot I’ve ordered new injectors which will probably arrive next week.

My main concern is that power is getting to the injectors, there’s lots of crappy rewiring that a PO has installed which might be the problem, including a tiny microswitch that we discovered when we swapped out the batteries last weekend. No idea what it’s for and it makes no difference with the switch in the “up” or “down” position, I thought it might have been for an alarm as there’s a little horn mounted under the seat, and that mercury switch dangling under the seat too, but before I start messing with anything I’ll test the power to the injectors, it might be a blown fuse or something simple.

[Trevor from Warragul]

My wife went to the dentist yesterday to get a crown. After they drilled the tooth, they scanned it and then 3D printed the crown!  The world is changing...

[Terry in Australia]

Well I thought some more about cleaning the injectors in an ultrasonic cleaner and bought a little one on Amazon for 40 bucks. Should arrive tomorrow so I’ll use it at Spotty’s place on the weekend.

[Kevin D]

My wife went to the dentist yesterday to get a crown. After they drilled the tooth, they scanned it and then 3D printed the crown!  The world is changing...

Hey Trevor, I got a new crown recently, traditional methods, about $1300us
Can you say how much is a 3D crown?

If my dentist can make the crown in-house he will do it.

[Kelly E]

My wife went to the dentist yesterday to get a crown. After they drilled the tooth, they scanned it and then 3D printed the crown!  The world is changing...

My dentist has a small CNC machine for the last few years that cuts the crown from a solid block of material. Crowns completely done in one hour.

Dr Tony is a tech guy so I'll tell him he's behind the times since he isn't 3D printing crowns.

[Ichiban 4]

After working in Dental field for over 40+ years [retired essentially in around 2008] I can honestly say that there's no substitute for a hand made crown..and/or related bridgework..if the dentist and the lab technicians have good manual dexterity..and pay close attention to detail.

It's like a lot of 'custom fitted' things..I feel: the fit and function can be tried before actually seating or fitting the crown/appliance..so that any discrepancies can be seen and adjusted for.  If the tooth preparation is done properly and the crown snugly fitted..most will last a lifetime for the average patient. [we used to see patients in their 80's & 90's with crown and bridgework done 50 to 60 years prior BTW].

With the advent of 3D printing and scanned dies and models..that longevity rate has gone down to maybe 10 to 20 years..at most.  The reason for that is because 3D printing and scanning cannot produce a crown that fits as well as a custom made and fitted crown does..period.  The reason 3D crowns fail so much earlier..is because to make-up for the looser fit..the dentist has to 'slop' more crown cement into the crown to make-up for the difference in fit..with the result that the cement gradually erodes away in time..causing leaks with the oral fluids..which then eventually results in decay of the tooth structure..which then requires a new crown to be made and/or the tooth to be extracted..due to decay and infection.

The caveat to all of what I've related here..is that many of the Dentists graduating from Dental School nowadays..do not get the clinical training or experience to prepare or insert crown and bridge work that has the accuracy of a truly skilled practitioner [in other words..many Dentists today simply rely on 3D and computer generated appliances because they lack the manual dexterity and experience to make them the way we did 20..30 or 40 years ago.

A good way to decide if your dentist/practitioner has the manual skills to fabricate good crown and bridgework..is to check to see if they have done post-grad
work in prosthetics [most haven't BTW It's a specialty called Prosthodontics].  Asking for references and referrals from other satisfied patients..also helps sometimes in deciding if the Dentist you go to is the best fit for getting crowns and bridges [some Dentists are better at other specialties like General Dentistry..or Pediatric Dentistry..for example].

This issue of accuracy and longevity of dental appliances was a major point of concern for me over the years..still is I guess.  Feel it's like a lot of dental-medical stuff: there are a lot of "Doc's" out there..but if you want to insure that you get the best possible care..do some research beforehand..and don't just settle for what's 'the latest' or most technologically advanced product that comes along..

Best wishes..

Doc Ichi

[Kelly E]

After my dentist makes the crown on the CNC he hand fits it. By the time he is ready for the cement it's so tight he can barely get it back off to apply the cement.

[Kevin D]

Thanks for the discussion Al. I have a mouthful of crowns and this most recent one was a replacement, the first replacement. I was surprised that a crown would need replacement. At no time in the discussion with my dentist did the words prosthodontic skills or prosthetics get mentioned. I hope to remember those words for our next discussion.

[spotty]

i'm looking forward to the day when i can have whats left of the last 7 tooths in my mouth ripped out and wonderful plastic ones popped in there instead, going to the dentist fills me with horror and dread and i figure one last time ( under general anaesthetic ) will solve the problem for all time

[jgger]

Done there been that! It stillseems a bit weird after 2 years.

[PeWe]

Implants work fine. "Time-sert" drilled and screwed into the jaw where a tooth had been sitting before. Dragged out years ago and gum to heal.

Wait for titanium insert to heal and accepted, mount the new tooth with a screw. Cover the screw hole.
I think they scanned my mouth before making the implants. To get the measurements and create a tooth that match my mouth.

[Trevor from Warragul]

Hey Trevor, I got a new crown recently, traditional methods, about $1300us
Can you say how much is a 3D crown?

About $2000 AUD

that longevity rate has gone down to maybe 10 to 20 years..at most

That's okay, my wife is almost 63, so the crown will expire around the same time as her!

[simon#42]

Hey Trevor, I got a new crown recently, traditional methods, about $1300us
Can you say how much is a 3D crown?

About $2000 AUD

that longevity rate has gone down to maybe 10 to 20 years..at most

That's okay, my wife is almost 63, so the crown will expire around the same time as her!
[/quote

do not mention this or you may go sooner , a lot sooner

[Terry in Australia]

I need to get a lot of dental work done. When I was at the private hospital to have some minor back surgery last month I realised that they did dental surgery there too, so being the chicken that I am, I’ll have “Sleep Dentistry” done. Doesn’t cost me anything, the VA pays for it, which is a good thing.

I sold the “spare” DT250 yesterday for a 50% profit, after I ratted the parts I wanted off it. The buyer has it worse than me, he thinks he has around 150 bikes. (All dirtbikes) I was happy to add one more to his collection and get one more out of my place. The cash is always handy too.

[grcamna2]

I need to get a lot of dental work done. When I was at the private hospital to have some minor back surgery last month I realised that they did dental surgery there too, so being the chicken that I am, I’ll have “Sleep Dentistry” done. Doesn’t cost me anything, the VA pays for it, which is a good thing.

I sold the “spare” DT250 yesterday for a 50% profit, after I ratted the parts I wanted off it. The buyer has it worse than me, he thinks he has around 150 bikes. (All dirtbikes) I was happy to add one more to his collection and get one more out of my place. The cash is always handy too.

Terry,will they put you to sleep before you have dental surgery there ?