My 2025 Grand Tour Activity

[Lapchik]

I miss my old Hondas, where valves were done with a single wrench, single screwdriver, and the access caps were front and center on the engine with no tupperwear to remove. It's a 4 hour job on my current Honda. I think I'm going to buy a shim kit for it this winter, because correct shims were not easy to source last year.

[DownUnder]

I grew up with 2-strokes, so all this valve clearance stuff is new to me.

My previous bike, a ZRX1200, had finger followers, so it was easy to just slide them across without removing the camshafts to change the shims. Shims under buckets are another level of pain.

I am fortunate that I had easy access (no snow or ice) to a friendly Workshop with lots of "exchange" shims otherwise I'd have had to also buy a shim kit.

[DownUnder]

I have updated my Winter Maintenance blog on what became a never ending drama.

Winter Maintenance - Part 1

Winter Maintenance - Part 2

Winter Maintenance - Part 3

Hopefully, there will not be a Part 4

[DownUnder]

It is almost mandatory that you complete a few laps of the Mount Panorama Circuit when visiting Bathurst, and while the race-cars achieve 300 kph, the traveling public must abide by a heavily policed 60 kph.

None the less, it is still worth the experience. My Western Loop GT ride report to follow in due course.

[Lapchik]

I've driven many laps of that, digitally in Forza. The s curves on Brock's skyway after the top of the hill always mess me up.

[DownUnder]

The run up the mountain through the Cutting is deceptively steep but the bend has a fairly constant radius, so it is reasonably straight-forward.
However, the run down the mountain through the Esses & Dipper (s-curves) is both very steep with tight corners.

How the racers do it at the speeds that they achieve is beyond me.

[DownUnder]

As promised, I have completed my latest ride report.

The link is :- Western Loop Ride Report

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment or ignore, as you see best.

[DownUnder]

The 2025 GLMC GT is now "done & dusted", and the results have been published.

For your reading pleasure, my last 2025 GT blog at :- 2025 GT Wrap Up

As always, please feel free to skim, read, comment or ignore as you see appropriate.

Until 2026 rolls around, take care . . .