A friend reported that the rear brake on his K100 had siezed on - hard, after a fall. So he sourced a pair of brake pads and we started in.

This - [img][/img]

is what his brake pads looked like. One pad was worn down to the backing plate and beyond!

Further investigation revealed that on piston in the caliper was siezed solid, (my thought was that maybe the seal had melted owing to the excess heat??), and the master cylinder was also locked solid. Dunno why that should be?

Anyone else have any horror pictures to share?

So, my K1100 LT has an HID unit fitted. And yes, I know all the stuff about light scatter and poor beam alignment, but it's passed several MOT's with no problem, lights up the road wonderfully and other road users are in no doubt that I'M THERE!!!

Anyway, after several years' use, it developed an annoying little fault in that occasionally it wouldn't strike properly. Culminating last night when it wouldn't light up at all and I was faced with an 18 mile ride home with only the eyebrow light on. Ever tried five miles of dark country lanes with the hazards on? Not amusing.

This morning, I called my favourite electrickery guru to ask his advice on removing it to replace the original halogen bulb. He instantly told me that he had an HID kit that would go in and I was welcome to it if I took the bike over. Which I did and the kit was installed and worked straight out of the box. Lovely ole job!

On the way home, I was kind of haunted by a strange "smoky" smell. Thought nothing of it, blaming it on the industrial incinerator nearby. Until I stopped , at home. Smoke? From behind the instruments? Arrrrggghhh!!!

Power off and extinguisher handy. No need, so I let it cool down and had a squint. Found this...



Ummm... I didn't secure the bulb in it's fitting. Ooops.

Gee I'm glad I'm not the only jubbo in the world.
That brake story of yours has scared me, think I better get a new set here.
Let us see how you fix the headlight mate
RT

Fear ye not RT, when it comes to Jubbo-ness, I reckon I could easily rise to be at least Vice President of the World Jubbonicity Association!

Unfortunately, the toasted bulb was, well, toast ;-( On the plus side, the full kit donated by Andy was for a car, so there was a spare bulb/ballast/wiring included ;-))) The instruction booklet was definitely on the square wheel side of Chinglish and pretty much incomprehensible.

Consensus of opinion at the pub last night was that a tiny blob of Superglue on the locking pins wouldn't go amiss. Duly applied and all back together again.

I'VE GOT LIGHT!!!