Hello All,

Introduction

So I know I keep spouting on about the updates to the forum, and yes these things take time.

I am not even through the first stages of these updates, but I've got plenty of ideas about what could be useful things to have.

I will take this opportunity to give a shout out to @Arite who has been spending time heading up designs for some of the systems more complicated features.

Scalar Vector Graphics

One of the things that I have been working on however, has started to take shape over the last couple of days.

The ability to view the parts diagram is no doubt an extremely useful feature, and it's probably one of the only reasons I use websites such as Fowlers.

I figured as this is the place for DTR's that we should in fact have our very own exploding diagrams.

Unlike all of the other parts diagrams available, I have instead opted to make these graphics Scalar Vector. Essentially what this means is that as you zoom in on the image, the image will redraw itself. This results in a crystal clear image every time.

Don't believe me?

Have a look at our Logo

Use Ctrl and the mouse wheel to zoom in on the image. Notice how it doesn't lose resolution

Integration With the DTR Forum

With that cleared up then, how is this going to be incorporated to the DTR forum.

I have created a dedicated section for these images to be stored.

Users will be able to navigate to this section, select the vehicle they're interested in, select the part, then explore the diagram in infinite detailing.

The beauty of having it in our community is that I have made it so that the parts are linkable to other members.

From the URL you can specify the bike and part that you are viewing, allowing you to help other members with the high resolution graphics.

This part is far from complete yet, there is still lots to do. I presume many users will be using their mobile devices, as such these high resolution images may impede performance. Work needs to be done to minimise the network payload too.

Since the SVG's total to around 120Mb per bike, I will have to ensure that alternatives are provided for those of you on lower power devices.

Conclusion

This is still very much in early days yet, the ideas will get revised and the layouts shuffled, but I feel that it's a feature worth investing time into.

I shall continue to make good progress on the extension to this forum, in due course time I will be releasing updates to this forum that should help keep the community alive.

Comments welcome.

Hi Everyone,

I just want to say that I hope everyone is self isolating, staying safe and keeping themselves busy through these trying times.

I know times are dark at the moment and we all have our demons to battle. We'll get through this and I am really proud that as a nation we have come together.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tomswalkforthenhs

If you haven't seen the incredible charity of our nation as we collectively donated 10 million pounds for Captain Tom to walk his garden on behalf of the NHS, then please do check it out.

It's so heart warming to see that we can set aside our differences and come together for a fantastical cause. Big up to all you key workers out there. Maximum respect for each and every one of you.

My nan passed away to the virus early last week, it came as a shock to us all and she is dearly missed. She is just one of the many victims of the deadly virus.

Stay safe.

Calum

First time riding it since I built the damn thing!

Lots of teething issues to sort out!

I would like to announce that @Mightyman has now become a moderator to the forum.

He's been with us since the launch of the new site and is always quick to spot things I miss.

Hopefully he can help out around here.

Cheers bud.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the recent outages I've been upgrading the machine and forum software, consequently something bad happened and the box refused to come back on line.

Some things during investigation grabbed my attention so I saw to them whilst fixing the issues.

We're now on the latest version of the forum software, but I can already see some potential bugs and what not.

I will keep an eye on them, and upgrade at the latest opportunity.

For now just bare with any bugs we see.

Kind Regards,

Calum

So unfortunately I broke my phone, but I borrowed a phone from a friend and took a few snaps of this little gem.

Two long years

https://youtu.be/n8NCG4xdbqY

Forum Update

There is going to be a forum outage at some point this weekend.

The forums software has become out of date and I may as well update the machine as well.

I don't know how long this will take, or when I will actually get around to doing it. Either way if you find you can't access the forum, that'll be why.

It will all come back up on Monday.

Emails

As has been request, I will also get around to setting up the emails on this server so that they actually work. I shall try and include this for the outage this weekend

Hardware Update

Also, I would like to note, there will be another outage in the next few weeks or so. The hardware I am using is going to be upgrade for a faster machine and just a general refresh.

URL Change

I also intend to move the location of the forum to dt125r.co.uk/forum and instead have a home page not related to the forum software. This change is going to be massive under the hood, as all of the links are going to need to be changed.

When I actually do this latter change I don't actually know. As said I will have to buy a new computer and stuff so it's whenever I got the spare cash.

Website Upgrade

I do want to shake the web site up a little bit and offer more content, this will come over the course of the year, but in order for these changes to be accommodated, I must first invest in some new hardware.

Ultimately the majority of this work is not going to happen overnight, significant time is going to be invested to ensure that we do not lose the hard work we have put into this forum.

If there are any questions be sure to let me know down below

Regards,

Calum

There it is ladies a d gents, The DT Forum. And above it the bastard thing that burnt out earlier lol.

Wow, there is always something else am I right?

This forum is really suffering from instability issues at the moment I have no ideas why.

I can't see anything in the logs to suggest that there is something wrong with the machine but I will continue to investigate.

I have ordered a new machine and new hard disk, so I will look to migrate the server to this very soon. The machine is also slightly faster so should be able to handle more concurrent users.

Sorry for the inconvinience guys I will do my best to try and resolve the issues we're having.

Kind Regards,

Calum

@ninja Wow, I don't know about once every 3-4 weeks. Certainly once a week lol.

@ninja I mean that will be the alternative. When you mix your two stroke, you mix your booster.

I don't think, for a weekend toy, it would be that expensive.

@ninja My Dad is massively concerned, hence why I brought this topic up for discussion.

He seems to think it's going to wildly affect his Vespas/Lambrettas.

I always try and use V Power anyway, because if I am on the fence, I want to make sure I'm using quality fuels to prevent against knock.

I want us as a civilisation to progress forward. I am all for EV cars, but I do want my Two Strokes to stay smoking.

Yesterday morning, I got up for work, I had a very rough nights sleep. I felt sick to the stomach. Was very close to phoning in sick. Normally I cycle, but I felt like I would throw up if I made any sudden movements. I fired up ye ol faithful smoker, and the woft of two smoke filled my nostrils, and like bacon to a hung over person, I was rejuvenated! Invigorated and no longer sick.

That was until I got into the office, then I was back to feeling ill again I got better by lunchtime FYI

And what does this mean for our 2 Strokes!

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e10-petrol-explained

So for those of you who don't know, or don't know why it matters, the UK is preparing to move to E10 fuel come Summer 2021!

What does this mean for our two strokes. According to the "Gov" Website, very little for our DT's, but for those who are running ported/tuned/modified DTs you probably ought to pay attention.

If you're not already, you should be using the Higher Octane rating as a standard anyway. But now will be the time to move to Shell V Power.

The main reason we need to be conscious of the fuel we use is because we have no control over the Ignition Timing or appropriate fueling on the DTR during operation. The E10 fuel will have a lower octane rating which will result in a high risk of detonation (otherwise known as pre-ignition) which is a killer to the Internal Combustion Engine.

I already use Shell V Power as it's generally considered the best fuel for Two Strokes. I'm informed that Tesco Momentum 99 Is actually the best road going fuel for Four Strokes.

Shell V Power will remain E5 and therefore we will be otherwise unaffected.

Failing that, you will need to be looking at going up a jet or two to compensate for the lower quality fuel.

Yeah wow, that's quite a transformation. Looking great!

@kevb1967 yeah wow, that could do with a freshen up! Looking forward to seeing more.

@ninja Yeah the bottom. Yoke may differ as fhe head light brackets fasten to the yoke.

I am sure it will fit, but you may find you have problems mounting the head light.

@ninja this website doesn't support image hosting. Image hosting is expensive so I rely on third psrty file hosting.

@dtlee Could be the ignition system breaking down, bikes are getting pretty old.

Unfortunately, Fowlers are out of stock on the coils :@ which is pretty annoying.

Check, spark plugs, coil, HT Lead.

@dtlee what makes it full power? The 2000-2004 DTRs are woeful. The are riddled with restrictions right down to the CDI.

The DTREs suffer from a restriction stopping them rev freely, but a simple mod soon remedies that.

Your description isn't really a lot to go on to be honest. It could literally be anything, worn engine, bad rings, oil seaping through crank cases. We are probably going to need a little more to go on than that.