Any news about my own Runner and also anything I pick up of interest to Runner owners.
07/07/02: My Runner is alive again. After nearly 2 months my Runner has been rebuilt after a transmission failure at 80mph destroyed the whole drive train including the crankshaft! It’s been rebuilt with all Malossi parts including new variator, belt, clutch, torque driver and a Malossi High primary compression race crank as well as a technigas race exhaust which I bought in Greece. Photos and a report on how its running soon.
It still looks like I’ll be getting a car later this year and keeping the Runner as my toy for weekends.
04/07/02: Just back from 2 weeks on the island of Zakynthos in Greece. We had 4 blue/yellow Runner SP50’s for the 2 weeks. Plenty of pics just uploaded to the features page and the gallery page.
28/05/02: Stoffi’s garage also selling Runner trophy replica bodykits for all Runner models. The kit is fully painted but is without sponsor stickers and costs just EUR360(Ј200)! Not bad for every painted panel!
Click here for a pic.
22/05/02. 209cc kit for Runner VX/VXR 125/180 4-strokes now available online from Stoffis Garage in Austria. Watch out,the 4-strokes are catching up! Click here for a pic of the kit.
13/05/02: Its been a few weeks since the noise in my transmission started. Since then my Runners been in with Paul Ryan MC who spent 3 days stripping the tnansmission out and checking everything. He said that although he could hear the noise he couldn’t find anything causing it and when he put it all back together the noise was gone!
So I took the bike home a couple of weeks ago and it was driving fine until yesterday. 80mph on the motorway and ‘BANG’ rear wheel locks sending me skidding across two lanes, although I managed to hold it I almost caused a lady in an Astra to hit the barrier. She was understanding though and eventually went on her way. I pushed my Runner off the motorway and took off the transmission cover.
Smashed front pully, variator, belt snapped and the rear hub/gear cover was pulled open spilling the gearbox oil everywhere. I had it brought to Paul Ryan again to fix as I really couldn’t be bothered to do it myself. Unfortuanatly I can see myself getting a car and leaving the Runner in the garage for sunny sundays very soon!
10/05/02: Recieved some pics of the ‘new’ Runner. Very little difference really apart from a new range of colours, although if you look closer you can spot smoked light lenses a revised front panel and a completly different rear end. Don’t know about anyone else but I think the dark green on the VX is sweet!
Although Gilera seem to be still suffering from whatever illness it was that caused the Gilera Ice with the coloured wheels on some models. Click here to view.
22/04/02: Scorpion have re-designed their new exhaust to combat the reliability problems they had with the original models. The new system for the Runner/Dragster 125/172/180 is still fully made of stainless steel which is perfect for our wet climate. Its going to be available from jasscooters, www.jasscooters.co.uk for Ј199 sterling (EUR330 approx) towards the end of May/ begining of June once they’ve finished a few rolling road tests.
Methinks I’ll get me one! Check out the photo of it here .
20/04/02: Left my Runner in to Paul Ryan MC first thing this morning and gave him a run down of the problem. He said I should give him a ring later today and he may even have it ready by this evening! Sweet.
Won’t be long now before the summer miles are being clocked up.
16/04/02: Well my problem still isn’t sorted but it has been down graded from a bent crank. I spent last Friday running the bike up and down the street to try to hear the noise properly and I think it may be the secondary gear in the rear wheel hub. I couldn’t be the crank or the bearings because the engine runs perfectly when idling and up to about 15mph, when the noise starts.
I’ve booked the bike in to Paul Ryan Motorcycles to be fixed because I’ve completely lost the will to do it myself-I’ve had the engine and transmission out about six times in the last two weeks trying to find the problem! However having a sick bike doesn’t mean I have to stop modifying it. I got hold of a neon string light kit from a car accessery place and fitted it in around the dials.
So now I’ve got trick VW style blue speedo, fuel and temp gauges. The bike going in to be fixed on Saturday and should be done middle of next week
