Rescuing a 1995 NTV

[Deleted]

What else? The bike needed new tyres, I went for Bridgestone BT46 which I got from Tyre Guru. They seem to be the cheapest company in the UK, and I have used them three times with no problems.

The rear indicators needed new stalks. These are almost unobtainable, I think I found one in Germany but the seller was wanting silly money. Instead I bought two of these:



They are made for a VFR. The threaded stem is too short for the NTV, but if you use 20mm sleeve nuts



they fit perfectly.

Both brake calipers were overhauled with new pistons, seals and boots from Hendler in the UK. The rear master cylinder was leaking, but Wemoto sell replacements at a reasonable price. New horns were bought, from the same eBay seller I used in my refurb ten years ago. I also fitted a Kappa/Givi topbox carrier. More photos to follow.

[Jake]

Same colour and year as mine....
Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Jake.

[Deleted]

The brass tube on fuel the fuel tap was split right along its length, and was so thin at first I thought it was plastic.



It was replaced with 8.5 mm brass tubing found on eBay. The tubing came from China, was very cheap and only took about ten days to arrive. The fuel filter or screen was missing from the petthingy. (Lol, it won't let me type petc-o-c-k!!) These are very difficult to get hold of. Eventually I found a shop in Germany which had three of them!



Unfortunately they refused to ship to the UK. Brexit again. Luckily a biker in Germany agreed to buy one for me and post it over. I only know him because he had bought something unrelated on eBay from me. Cheers, Stefan!

Finally the petthingy is ready to fit.



I am quite surprised how long the filter is.

[Deleted]

Well, I'm sorry to say the NTV and I have gone our separate ways.

I'm 6'0 with long legs, and after riding it a few times realised it was physically too small for me. I felt cramped and uncomfortable, and even got a bit of a sore lower back. I don't remember having quite so much trouble with the NTV I had ten years ago, maybe the years have fogged my memory or more likely my joints are not quite as flexible as they once were!

By the way here's a great site I recently stumbled on, where you can virtually check different bikes for size.

It's funny how life sometimes goes round in circles. After selling my first NTV, I tried several other bikes, among them a GPZ1100S, a Diversion 900, a ST1300 Pan European and a Triumph Sprint 1050 GT. All far more suitable for me, yet I still couldn't resist the neglected navy blue NTV for £500.

My two remaining bikes now are an early Pegaso 650 (VERY tall, fits me well) and a VFR 750. I'm thinking of adding a GTR1000 if I can find a nice one. I nearly bought my old Diversion back again the other day, but someone else beat me to it.

Anyway, the NTV has gone to a new owner who seems delighted with it. The whole episode has cost me quite a lot of money, but it kept me busy for a few months and I am pleased that I rescued a bike which is now giving someone else pleasure.

Happy and safe biking to you all! Over and out.