Finally MOT'd

[LeoBlue]

After correcting all the issues outlined in my previous post, plus a few more! I finally got it MOT'd last Friday.
I'll still need a permanent fix for the badly welded silencer which I've patched up with exhaust repair putty for now.
Fitted Yamaha indicators, Hagon rear shocks, new fork gaiters, Barkbusters etc.
I cut down the seat foam & recovered it with new vinyl to drop the seat height (plus 30mm on front forks through the yoke).
Lots of NATO green spray paint,although various parts are still about 30 different shades of green!
Obviously I removed the exhaust system to 'repair' the crap welding, and resprayed with 'hi-temp' paint; although I doubt if it will last long on the downpipes if my experience with this type of paint in the past is anything to go by!
Engine & gearbox masked off and resprayed in-situ.
Barkbusters were painted NATO green using a paint brush instead of spraying (don't look too closely!).
14th Army stencils (WW2 insignia as a nod to my dad's service in Burma at the end of the war) were custom made by Axholme; £35.00 for four large & 4 small stencils. Never used these stencils before, but they come with full instructions and a spare stencil for practicing the correct way to fit & spray paint them.
The left over stencils were used on old ammo boxes that I'm going to fit as panniers (my next project!).

[Chisler]

Congratulations, another running piece of history

[Wirralman]

Congrats for getting your bike on the road. I assume this was your Caveat Emptor MT

[hounddog]

Looking good , well done

[LeoBlue]

Wirralman; Caveat Emptor indeed! With all the notes & photos taken, I could write a book about all the faults this bike had when delivered to me!

[Wirralman]

Wirralman; Caveat Emptor indeed! With all the notes & photos taken, I could write a book about all the faults this bike had when delivered to me!

Years ago I put together a thread entitled Initial Servicing Guide- a combination of the faults I found and the faults that other members found. Some have worked their way through it and have reliable bikes

Many new owners assume that an MT is robust and needs little attention, happy taking the Bend it and Mend it approach.

[LeoBlue]

Wirralman, funnily enough one little tip I would suggest is something that a lot of people probably wouldn't think of checking. When removing the spark plug for cleaning or replacement, always brush around the plug to loosen any dirt before blowing it out using air from an old foot pump with the valve adaptor removed (or compressed air if you've got the facility). I've always done this on previous bikes to stop dirt getting into the barrel, but on this occasion (on the MT350) after the initial clean I noticed a small piece of grit that was jammed next to the plug in the hollow. The only way to get it out was to loosen the plug a few turns to allow me to get a very small Allen key under the grit and lever it out. If I hadn't done so it would have fallen into the barrel when I took the plug out. If I hadn't noticed it, the damage it could have caused to the barrel would have been very expensive to fix!