Tuesday 5 July 2022

SQ4 - New tyres

One of the things I have always admired about these old machines is the ease with which you can remove the wheels. OK, so I do have a QD rear wheel on the SQ4 and the W/NG is a little more difficult but at least I have two stands and can remove both wheels at the same time! Try doing that on a modern bike.


Something that is less impressive is the front brake cable adjuster, which doesn't fit any of the toolkit spanners - it appears to be 2 BA across the flats, but it is a pattern part so perhaps that is the reason. I have a 2 BA spanner in the toolkit especially for it.


The front stand is very useful, though you have to lift most of the engine weight to use it. The trick is to make sure it is slack enough to swing down, and then tighten it up again.


The reason for all this was that the Avon Speedmaster & SM MkII tyres are now 9 years old and it's time to replace them. I've bought a set of Avon Roadrider MkIIs, just like I put on the CX500 back in 2019.

I might tackle that damaged paint on the brake drum before they go back on. But then again, I could just as easily do that when it was on the bike and get riding it again!

For the record, I am running these at 28 psi and 36 psi, at least for the moment.

4 comments:

  1. Just wondering, I’m reading of a lot of riders fitting the AM26 Roadrider, but according to Avon’s site, the AM26 is a racing version of the standard Roadrider – now in MKII version. Are you really fitting racing tyres to the Sq4?

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    1. No! Thanks for your comment. I've corrected the text now.

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    2. Thanks — sorry to come across as probably a bit pedantic, but I’ve read of so many riders, particularly AOMCC folks fitting ‘AM26’, I was beginning to wonder if I was missing out! I have RR MkII on my R80 and really like them wet or dry, and one of the great features is that the rear resists the tendency to square off; how they do that I can’t imagine…

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  2. J'aime vraiment ces pneus et ils m'ont bien servi. Il est temps de remplacer les pneus, mais je ne sais pas quoi acheter maintenant.

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