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Snakebite - yes, have it already insured. Only found this forum once it was already done. Looking forward to ride and enjoy it as much as I can. One thing that really stuck to me was when my instructor said - always ride to your own expertise. Never been on bike before CBT, didn't get CBT done first try either, first experience was pretty groundbreaking for me as I managed to ride ok for most part and then at some point I had brain fart, panicked and ditched it dropping it on me just to finish my gracious manoeuvre off. Hard lesson was learned on first attempt on a bike, second time went a lot better, but boy oh boy I have lots to learn. I hope I will have lots of experiences, lessons and emotions to share with you guys and generations to come.

you need Paul Dawkins contact him here https://www.motorbikeregistrations.co.uk/

..and Chrome hates water!! and Chrome today is nowhere near the quality it was back in the 50s~70's. Today its considered as "flash chrome", as in a quick flash application to make it look good. Back in its day is was dipped and chromed for longer so it had a thick layer of plating on it. not any more, its just a shiney surface dressing these days. Nonetheless, keeping it looking nice is down to the various non abrasive creams (Autosol) and elbow grease, and when its not being used a generous application of oil type products like ACF-50 to stop the damp getting through it. I've lots of experience being the owner of a Honda 400/4 with more chrome than paint!

Hard jet washing is bad. Too many exposed or semi exposed bearings / joints to blast the grease out of! You can jet wash from a distance to get more of a 'soak' going, but be careful. There's all sorts of cleaning products out there, everyone will have a different opinion on them, you probably have to make your own choices... The big problem with cleaning bikes is all the interesting gaps & cubby holes that all the crap gets into. Young and bendy is the key to cleaning a bike well. When you get old and creaky like me, it gets a LOT harder lol.

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I've done a 1986 dt125lc mk2 and fitted a big one full system (fresco) and it works and sounds perfect

1/ Not a clue, they don't appear to make one... 2/ As far as I can tell, if it's oily, it's ok, if it's not, it's bad... 3/ Yes, the pump WILL stop if you have the nozzle fully in the tank, however, since you're filling to almost the top of the tank you won't actually have the nozzle in the tank... So, no... 4/ Pro: Sounds good. Con: Could get you arrested...

Well RaySin, lets see.... Haynes or Clymer are the publishers of workshop manuals , unfortunately It doesn't look like they cover your bike......yet! That's not to say they won't in the future. So pdfs and USB versions of yamaha service manuals are probably all thats available at the moment. Ebay is worth keeping an eye on availability of anything, even if you don't want it!. As regards to Chains, they need to be kept oily, a dry chain will squeak and if it's squeaking you're creating wear! too much oil and it sprays all over the wheels and chrome, and too little it will squeak away. Get into a habit of putting it on, chain spray is probably your best bet, it's easy to do. Unfortunately an oily chain also attracts road dirt and sticks to it, causing grinding, you can't win.!!! Chains don't last forever, so it really is down to regular maintenance. It's worth noting that apart from a dry chain or oily chain, there is another condition that chains can get and that's clicking chains from stiff links, it might be only one link but it gives a unique sound. It also means you've not been doing your maintenance! Chains will often play up after wet weather! The other aspects of chains is that over time they stretch! so you need to move the wheel back a tad and still keep the wheel aligned!! Too slack a chain and it will clatter on the chain guard, or jump a cog!! Too tight and your gearbox and sprockets get put under too much tension leading to more wear!! it's ALL a delicate balancing act!! You'll love it!! As regards to filling her up, don't rely on the auto shut off from the nozzle. Bike tanks are not big so it doesn't take much to fill them up. The best advice regardless, is keep the fuel off the petrol tank otherwise your paintwork will suffer. Careful trigger control is the key and keeping an eye on just inside the tank would be my advice. And as you're a newbie, don't hesitate to pull off some of that blue roll all petrol stations have between pumps, and keep it handy to wipe off any spills or drips quickly. And finally, loud pipes... only you will love them. Everybody else older than you will think you're a nob. .....but we've all been nobs at least once! Enjoy...

That's great, thanks...the wemoto ones look the ticket!

Hey again, just following up as mentioned, bike is now back together and the first run has been had with no issues , ended up having to go with a straight through muffler so it could breathe (and sounds great). Looking forward to many more miles, I must say the power increase is amazing and would highly recommend doing if you have the bike and the time. Some pics....cheers Baz.

Hi all, new here. I'm looking at buying a Virago DragStar XVS125 from 2002. The photos look good but before I go and see it in person I was wondering if there was anything in particular to look out for on these bikes? Thank you all! TdashJ

Well, I am super hyped up 33 year old who just got his CBT done a week ago. My ride - Yamaha drag star 125. Absolutely love it!

You're seriously hoping that TWINSHOCK is going to reply? He last visited the site in 2010 and his post about the luggage rack was in 2009. Good luck with that one bud!