The Bar

Hello and first post from a newbie. Bought a badly kept XV 650 to turn in to a bobber. Stripping it down and when I removed the tank I found that the 2 plastic covers over the wiring (it also surrounds the ignition keyhole) was brittle and parts broken. Need to get a replacement but cannot find on the service manual what this part is called? If I am not making myself clear I can post some pictures later. Thanks in advance.

Hi after some help with a transmission bearing please. Im rebuilding my yz125 2003 and need to replace one of the transmission bearings. The bearings is an ntn 6304x3nx2. It has a snap ring on the outer race. Is this just a normal 6304 bearing with snap ring or is it a specific bearing made for yamaha? As I am having trouble locating one without going to yamaha direct and paying the privilege. Thank you in advance, Tom

Hey, I have recently purchased a dragstar off ebay and bought a pig in a poke. Its beautiful to look at and has been converted to a bobber. The previous owner has put harley controls on it and the existing wiring doesnt fit, therefore I cannot twist the throttle and I'm not a fan of holding the indicator switch as I turn (still a novice rider) I'm looking either for original controls or something that will do the job - by controls i mean left and right hand controls on the handlebars (brakes, clutch, lights, indicators, etc) Can anyone help me? Desperate to get on it as the summer months are rapidly approaching.

Apologies if this topic already exists but I’m a newbie and couldn’t find a search facility. I’m looking for replacement side covers L and R. The model year is 1982 ie drum brakes front and rear. Any suggestion I’d happily subscribe if this works 😀

Well, the lil cbr has the most pathetic wheel/tyre combo at 80/17 100/17 i mean come on there are pushbikes with wider, thats fact too not just internet bull. Anyway, looking at her boyfriends bike, then looking again with a tape measure, what do you know the spacings work to switch the wheels. So she may well get some yzf wheels in her cbr, get em powder coated repsol orange. 😈 Can feel the hate 😱

Bloody typical, bought the daughter a cbr125r as a step up from the scoot, yzf's were stupid money for old knackers before you ask. Throw in the need for cool points in this modern world i gave in. Yeah, Honda 125 bullet proof, can forget about it. Can still see Andy's 80k sr 125 in my head. Well guess who has a stripped out 125 needing a cam chain tensioner and a cam chain. Apparently 20k is about all you can expect from the cca and when it goes guess what it takes with it. Then to add insult to injury can you strip the flywheel with the standard 24/27internal puller we all have rolling around in the bottom of our kit box, nope its a one off internal threa…

Trying to trace my first bike RD250E( red and White) reg LTT450W . It’s untaxed since 1986 . long shot : Does anyone on here own it regards Scott

Hi there, Has anyone had any experience of re-spraying a frame using S.A.S. 27 Glass Black Paint (acrylic)? I'm just wondering how hard wearing the finish would be. Any tips on how you prepared the frame and applied it would be appreciated. Alternatively, has anyone used powder coating? Cheers, Johnners

Hi all. A question for xt600 owners. I have an aftermarket dipstick come oil temp gauge and it has no markings on for oil level !. The needles exposed length is 115mm. Could someone tell me the where on there dipstick is the max/min levels please. All the best Paul

Hi all, im looking to see if it’s possible to put one of the new DT175 heads from eBay on a DT175E engine. The heads are slightly different (see picture). This would be for the 1978-81 dt175 bikes. Differences of heads pic The thing I’m more concerned with is the intake opening is bigger on the new DT175 head Thanks, McCooey

I bought the TDM 900 in December 2021, rode it a good amount, changed engine oil & filter, bled the brakes, fettled the calipers and generally fiddled about - as you do with a new bike. I could not find any history re the valve clearance checks so tried to book it in with a pal who is a great mechanic, but he could not fit me in until mid-march ! Right, I am fairly handy so I'll do it myself. While I'm in, I'll fit the SmartMoto secondary air valve bypass system and some posh coolant hoses from AS3Performance I got the rad, tank and airbox off and looked at the access to the valve cover, or rather the lack of it. The manuals all show the engine being worke…

Hi All, sorry to ask a daft question but how do you release the fuel line connectors. There are a couple of pads which must be locking devices but I cant figure out how they operate. Not a good start to the valve service I've got planned !!

Jeez, it seems like an age since I've been on here. A lot has changed, but nothing has changed (wife and I both lost out remaining parents during lockdowns; wife lost her sister and 2 aunts, I need a hip replacement, wife has been diagnosed with angina and our son has been diagnosed with FND and now needs a wheelchair to get around), we still have the same bikes and like everyone else we're getting to used to life outside lockdown again. This past year I've made a couple of subtle changes to the FJ (Fazer 1000 mirrors, wavy rear disc, braided stainless clutch line) as well giving her a bit of a deep clean, but mostly I've just been riding her. Quite a few 100-200 mil…

I am having difficulty removing the handlebar top cover / fairing on a 2014 Delight 115 scooter. I have removed the visible screws from the sides and the bottom of the cover but it still appears firmly fixed. I do not want to damage the plastics so have not tried forcing it off. There do not appear to be any workshop manuals available for this model, I have found a couple of free downloads on-line but none are in English and the diagrams are of little use. If anyone has had any experience removing the cover I would be grateful for any tips.

Nice little ride out with yesterday a couple of pals to Caffeine and Machine, on the outskirts of Stratford. No other bikes there, but some nice cars. It was a bit chilly first thing, but a lovely ride along some back lanes. Being with a new Enfield Himalayan 400 kept the speed down, but I really enjoyed the back roads around Southam/Gaydon/Kineton and Stratford

The top of my DT 175 cylinder head has a port for the spark plug going in vertically, but it also has another port going in at 45 degrees (blanked off with a bolt). The only thing I can think of is for a decompressor which if I remember rightly was to help kick over large engines, and I seem to remember as a young lad that some of the trials bikes had decompressors. So, what is that 45 degree 2nd port for, and how are decompressors used when riding trials bikes? The correct answer wins a good feeling in the pit of their stomach, haha. Doug

My headlight and tail light bulbs blow within a minute. I don't know much, but do know some. It wasn't the earth. These two lights get their electricity straight from the magneto, not via the battery. So I reckon it is basically that the voltage regulator isn't working right, and that is what is blowing them. I think it is under the tank. I'm sorting a little problem with my magneto at the moment, so i know the lighting coils are good and so is the condenser, so i would like to just continue a bit further and get the headlight and tail light working. I suppose the best thing would be to replace the parts like the regulator and whatever. I wouldn't be able to test the…

Nope, that isn't a typing error in the title! I've just found a Thunderace for sale with less than 200 miles on it!!! https://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/1996-yamaha-yzf1000r-thunderace-thunderace-sports-tourer-petrol-manual/1418957595?utm_source=newsnow.co.uk It's not pristine, hasn't been dropped, but has some damage on it (I assume from being leaned against stuff). Not that I have £3,500 spare, but I'm curious..: 1/ Would you be looking at a full engine strip? 2/ Other than all the rubbers replacing, what other problems would you expect from a bike that has basically never run for 25 years? 3/ Why do people buy bikes…

I'll be starting work on my 1981 RD200 soon after Christmas and it hasn't been started since around 1990. Has anyone any top tips for getting it to start without damaging anything? The only engine prep so far has been to drop half a capful of Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders to free the rings. The insides of the fuel tank were atrocious. The fuel hadn't been drained and there was a lot of rust in there. The tank was filled with white vinegar and left for 10 days and now its looking pretty clean and no leaks, but the first start will be using a portable tank. The bike was garaged and is in pretty good condition, accept for some light rusting in a few places …

That's mine sorted for this year 😂