The Bar

this month (July issue) is featuring a special on Yamaha motorcycles.

how am i supposed to enjoy a ride out when there are so many cars on the roads😡

So, as I may (or may not) have said, I've just moved house... I went to the MAG website to change my details but couldn't find either a 'login' option or an 'account' option. Am I missing something obvious or is the only way to change your personal details with them is to phone them?

hi everyone, I just put a new kick starter shaft in my G7 (same as the G6 and G6SB....I have no idea which one i have, but they're all the same.) as I'm reassembling the bike there in my driveway, I look down in horror, seeing a lone ball bearing laying there on the asphalt, and I have no idea where it could have come from! in the process of the repair, the motor stayed in frame, and I only had to remove the right crankcase cover. I've poured through my manual and every exploded parts diagram that bike bandit has to offer, and I've only found one ball bearing that is loose and on its own, and its in the oil pump....I knew about that one, and its s…

Apologies in advance if this subject has been covered before/recently but i missed it. This summer I will be building up 2 bikes with frames that came from outside the country, 1 is an XVS125 Dragstar (frame came from northern Ireland with no V5 & plate) the other is an XVS400 Dragstar (frame from Europe on NOVA) What I require is any links/guidance in doing the registration process. Thank you kindly Richard

have just been looking at spark plug caps for a Thunderace. prices are £60+ each, around £250 for 4 plug caps. i was quite shocked to be honest. does anyone know of cheaper alternatives?

I ride year round, and with all the weather we've been having lately they've been drowning the roads in salt, and with the lockdown, finding a jetwash open is near impossible! So, obviously the bike is taking a bit of a hammering. It doesn't help that it has a full fairing... After several slightly crap hand washes (I'm getting on and don't have a garage, so getting on my hands and knees in the freezing wet isn't easy or good lol), I've managed to find a jetwash and gave it a good 'low' pressure wash yesterday. I spent an hour messing around with it today, cleaned the chain, hand washed it, re-greased the chain and kickstand workings. Two question…

hi all, i have just purchased a 1986 rd125lc and am a complete newbie to these bikes. how do i know if my bike is a YPVS model?

Hi All, Can anyone recommand clutch friction plates , steel plates and compression springs for a Yamaha xs850sh. I have seen them on ebay. Not really sure if I can trust the items on there. On another note would anyone know the torque pressure for the outtercasing and all the clutch internals parts. Cannot find this on the Hays manuel or on google .. Any advice would be welcomed. Live long & Prosper Thank you

Some know already but , well sometimes things feel like there is a higher order. On the vmax forum there was a fellow selling a set of carbon dymag wheels, i saw the advert September last year time but had neither the money or the need at the time. Fast forward, months of covid lock up, (i keep a little slush fund to pay for my biking which has just gone up through last year). Then the drive hub shat its self and the crap that followed. Well i stumbled back across the wheel add, no comments on the post, wheels had low miles, maybe a couple of thou. With tyres and such and with them being cheap, for dymags, i sent a message on the off chance. Well f me,…

Hi, Currently restoring my dad's old fz600 1988. But coming up short for a few parts. Online Yamaha NOS suppliers don't always have everything for this model. Are their any hidden away gems of parts suppliers and collectors out there? Craig

I have a 1988 Yamaha xv400. Recently dropped a bottom end bearing. I've looked into rebuilding but I want to know if I can swap the motor for a xv535 or xv750 of the same era without any major structural changes. Or if anyone in New Zealand know where i can source a second hand motor. Cheers Curt

Well on top of all this covid bullshit were having to deal with someone has finally finished of what little faith i had in human nature today. Found someone who would fix the drive hub on my vmax. Sent it off end of Jan with the sounds of " couple of weeks, end of Feb maybe? with covid its quiet". Sounding in my ears. When i called yesterday apparently its "gone crazy", so ok, i then asked for a ball park, end of the month maybe? (that's another 4 weeks he's had it 6 ). The response of "not sure will have to see how it goes", any parent knows that's a fancy 'NO'. So at the earliest that means getting it back, May/ April. Once i get it back its not just a ca…

Hi Guys, I'm looking for advice how I can turn my xj6n 2009 into a streetfighter look. I think I will need new bars, grips and bar ends, does anyone have any recommendation where the bars will fit with the cabling? I was thinking renthal bars? does anyone know the right sizing? Thanks

Hi guys. Not been on in a while. Hope all are well. Im after some help with a strange problem. 97 sr125. When i press the starter button i get strong voltage and good spark then it drops off and no spark. As i take finger off the button voltage grows again and spark returns. Obviously this all happens quickly but can been seen by eye and on meter. Im not the best with electrics so any help appriciated. Cheers

Hi All Trying to fix fork stabiliser to front forks and am having difficulty in moving the plastic shrouds, Can anyone help ?Cheers

I've been looking at this item: Smart Brake Module - Improve your visibility on motorcycle (safer-turn.com) Anyone got one? Is it any good? Do you think it's a good idea? Discuss...

Hi All, New to the forum and saying hi. Technical question to follow in the relevant sub-forum

About twenty years ago coming back from Clevedon in Somerset on the M5 Northbound after watching our local football team play away to Clevedon with my son on the back of my Divvy 600 he decided to fall asleep going across the Avonmouth bridge in Bristol. My mistake was to shout his name and ask him if he was OK. What I should have done was to pull into the emergency lane and woke him up. But since that experience I've learned that is a common occurrence. (frightening) But the most frightening time was coming back from Poole in Dorset again watching our local team play and as luck had it I entered a 40mph speed limit just before Warminster on the A350 and he decided to f…

Hi all. I wanted to replace the locking cap on my tank. I've got a replacement already - looks fine. I can see the old and the new is fixed using what looks like a single bolt. I have to ask before I undo the old one - does the tank have a threaded hole or should I be trying to catch a nut that might drop off inside the tank. Hoping it's a threaded hole for obvious reasons. Thanks