It's awfully quiet round here..

[Steve Brown]

As there has been nothing added here I thought it high time there was some updates! In case you were thinking that nobody rides or cares for these bikes, well we do! Most of the discussion has moved to the Green Lane section Whatsapp group. So, you can keep up to date in two ways. Firstly, you can ask questions on here about the Morini trail bikes and tell us what you have been doing with your own Camel, Kanguro, Coguaro, Corsaro Regolarita or home built off-road special Morini. We'd like to hear from you!
Secondly, you can ask to be added to the Green Lane Whatsapp group (you must be a fully paid up member to join this) and there you will hear all about our expeditions this year and proposed for next year.
The Isle of Man, Kent trails, ABR festival and Peak District etc have all seen Morini action and no doubt some will be repeated in the near future.
Some of us are rebuilding or restoring or even creating Morini trail bikes too!
You now know where to find out all about it.

[Steve Brown]

If you want to be added to the Whatsapp group PM me with your details. I.e. Phone number, name and MRC membership number.

[MickeyMoto]

A friend sent me this:

'What is wrong with the forum to disseminate information to everybody?

I don't want to have to join lots of groups to pick up information on various tribes.

Is it a Masonic thing? Will I have to join a red 31/2 K Series Strada group, a 31/2 K series Strada group, a 31/2 Strada group, and a 31/2 Group? How would I read what is happening in 500 world? What if I'm blackballed and don't want to shake hands under my raised leg whilst showing my left nipple?'

[norbert]

To my opinion whatsapp is killing the forums.

At least that is what happened to the very well working spanisch forum some years ago. It's nearly dead now

I've warned them when starting with the whatsapp groups. But no way, They love that groups without any memory or orden where you can't find anything and don't apreciate the forum as an archive any more It' a pity!!!

[norbert]

It begins with "it' online to meet up, the tecnic stuff will stay at the forum" ... but that' not the way it goes ...

[3potjohn]

Ok- here is a post to waken things up.
On my Coguaro the front stop switch consists of a small rectangular microswitch with three terminals, the middle one not being connected, retained in the brake lever housing by two screws. A little plunger is fitted into the brake lever which presses on the microswitch in the “light off “position.
Recently I found the front brake to only intermittently activate the brake light. I have sprayed some contact cleaner into it and for now all OK again. I can see similar microswitches for sale but the little pin in the lever seems a bit wobbly. Should that be just a push fit or how is it otherwise retained. Maybe an X3 is the same?

[Steve Brown]

A friend sent me this:

'What is wrong with the forum to disseminate information to everybody?

I don't want to have to join lots of groups to pick up information on various tribes.

Is it a Masonic thing? Will I have to join a red 31/2 K Series Strada group, a 31/2 K series Strada group, a 31/2 Strada group, and a 31/2 Group? How would I read what is happening in 500 world? What if I'm blackballed and don't want to shake hands under my raised leg whilst showing my left nipple?'

I confess, I agree with your 'friend'. Trouble is it has actually enabled this section to exist, in as much as setting up group rides etc is better done in a sort of controlled environment. Yo are right too that technical queries get dealt with there and are missed by the regular forum users.
I'm not sure I have an adequate answer to all this, sorry!

[Steve Brown]

It begins with "it' online to meet up, the tecnic stuff will stay at the forum" ... but that' not the way it goes ...

Sadly yes, you are right again as is Mickey. About the best I can think to suggest is that I, as the guilty party who created the Green Lane Group, exercise more control of the posts regarding tech queries etc and limit it (by removing offending posts) and directing them to this forum? Geht das vielleicht?

[Steve Brown]

Ok- here is a post to waken things up.
On my Coguaro the front stop switch consists of a small rectangular microswitch with three terminals, the middle one not being connected, retained in the brake lever housing by two screws. A little plunger is fitted into the brake lever which presses on the microswitch in the “light off “position.
Recently I found the front brake to only intermittently activate the brake light. I have sprayed some contact cleaner into it and for now all OK again. I can see similar microswitches for sale but the little pin in the lever seems a bit wobbly. Should that be just a push fit or how is it otherwise retained. Maybe an X3 is the same?

I'm glad you asked that as I need to know too. (not really, hoping to help keep this going )

[Steve Brown]

Thanks to Mike and Norbert for highlighting their (and other folks) feelings about the Whatsapp group. Your comments have led us to start a (Whatsapp!) conversation about how we should use the group in future. Now it's been pointed out to me I can see your concerns and even share them. So with this in mind we/I will be policing the group a little tighter (we already have provisions for internal inquisitions) and we will aim to keep the Whatsapp purely for arranging green lane runs. We will keep those runs private to the group. This isn't to have our runs in secret but it is to avoid non-MRC members turning up to join in, or even members who haven't booked on for the proposed runs. All this as we prefer to limit the numbers of bikes riding together on the lanes as it is ammunition for those who want to ban us from the lanes altogether. Hope you understand our thinking there? We normally say an ideal groups size is 6 riders, but an absolute maximum of 8 is (my) rule. Green laning or trail riding is often lumped in with the anti-social types who plague residential areas and we want to differentiate ourselves as best we can.

[Cosmo]

This forum is certainly useful for technical information on Morinis, but there are a plethora of platforms and only so much time. I think the WhatsApp group has done the mm cause some good because meet ups and some serious morini trail rides have been arranged and interest generated in the UK which may not have otherwise happened without it. And yes there's banter, but that is "throwaway chat" just what such a more temporary platform like what's app is about and probably not helpful for this more formal forum anyway. I don't have an answer for lack of input here, but the number of owners of older bikes is dwindling everywhere and is a common issue for many other owners clubs. By comparison if the Benelli forum is anything to go by, the posts about new models are thriving as are sales for the new models, but classics are lucky to have a new thread every few months, so it's hardly surprising responses are slow.