Gas up - Let's Go!

Stick with J&L...... at least you get the right part, and it's only a week.

Looking good Paul, but why only one handguard ?

Talk to yourself. Seriously, talk to yourself for the whole test, just a commentary of what you are doing. Split each little part into a small story, a bit like this: <examiner has just said take the next left> "Turn Left ahead, check distance, identify turn, check for hazards, check mirror, indicator on, livesaver, change possition, adjust speedspeed, select right gear, check left, check right, it's OK to go, livesaver, Gas up, and go, check mirrors, cancel indicator, relax" keep repeating the whole thing through any manouvre, you'll be so busy doing this and ridien the bike you'll have no time for any nerves. When I sat my test, I had a problem with emergency braking, my instructor told me a little rhyme; "Front brake, back brake, clutch, don't panic" I remember it to this day, and I still talk to myself too! mostty it's when I'm faced with a tough off orad section, I have to remind myself to relax, and power through it!

660 ? It's either a XT660, or a TTR600 ??? I'll assume it's the TTR It's a bit of an open ended question, but I'll try to give you something, and I'm sure one or two others will pop along to add stuff. Here goes, Firstly, you've bought a great bike, these are the true globetrotting bikes (never mind the overpriced BMUU stuff with TT RTW crap all over them ). These air heads are great, and can sit on Motorway or goat track and anything in between (with the right rubber on them) Power - You're not going to break any records here The bike produce about 40ish HP, maybe a bit more. You can help them along by changing the needles and air filter, but it's not going to give you the same as a twin, tripple, in-line or V motor. There is also a modification you can do to the <dirty side> air box to help it breath a little better. Personally, I wouldn't (and haven't) bothered. In terms of a refference point, I also have a 08 XT660Z Tenere and the TTR is quicker (even though 60cc less) from standing start to 50 mph. Probably down to it's 18" rear and more off-road gearing than the Tenere. Comfort, it depends, I find it comfortable enough (way better than a DRZ), but then I ride it mainly off-road so I'm very annomated in the saddle (I move about alot). Living on a island you are OK, but the fuel range on these is poor, with only 7litres before reserve you can cover about 60 miles before having to turn the tap. Long range tanks are available new from £300ish or sometimes (but very rare) on ebay for a bit less. Fuel, here is a tip, I thought it was just me, but one or two other TTR owners have agree'd; Make sure you turn the fuel tap OFF, before killing the motor. For some reason the bike doesn't like the fuel being left on, and starting it after is a pig! The clocks are a bit weak, especially the surrounding. It can frackture under heavy off-road riding (the really bumpy crap), but you can always replace with a nice TrailTech unit if you want. The TTR's do appear to hold thier value, I've seen one go for £1500, but mostly they do tend to stick around the £2k mark - if you can find one! they are quite rare to see for sale. Your bike is an import, the only ones that aren't are the 04 & 05 TT600RE's with the electric start. Can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but if you have any more specific question - fire away...

Maybe, they just want a better look at the fish ?

Doesn't make any difference,,, She snores like a Rhino, and can't make breakfast

Ahhhhhh,,,, The old ones are still the best...

Had a ZZR600 once, dissolved before my very eyes one winter.......... I've a mate who has a versususuuuesss thing, he loves it and it's reasonably quick, but I could never decide if it knew what type of bike it wants to be. Good for twisty roads, but it doesn't cut it against a good single, good for touring but it's not as good as a smooth 4 pot (and the service schedule!), it is a good all-rounder though quirky looks If you want/like the Saki, go for it, all bike have thier fans and fannies, you only every know for sure when you've got some miles on it.

She certainly is a game ol' bird.

Welcome along. FZ8, wow! I doubt you'll find anyone with any experience of that bike, being so new. But from the rag reports it sound like a good middle weight bike with big bike performance, so as far as living with the bike I'd say it'll be a great bike. However, (and you know this better than me) many people say what you are saying, yes you may intend to keep it, but once you get a bigger bike the chances are you'll decide you want a sportsbike/cruise/adventure bike and then you'll be looking again. My advice would be to look around for a 600cc bike 2nd hand and run it for a year, get one winter out of the way and get some <big bike> miles under your belt. At some point you'll come close to (if you manage to avoid it) dropping the thing. And you don't want to turn your new pride and joy into a scratched pile of dislike. Get a cheap one to get used to the bikes then look at a new bike. This will give the 800 a chance to get the gremlins sorted too, before you part with your hard earned readies, nothing worse that being the test rider for a new bike that has problems...... Just one opinion, neither right nor wrong.

By 'Bike bay' do you mean pavement ? It must be a southern thing, ooop norf we don't have places for bikes, just cars and sheep....

Beer. Works for me!

Ohhhh Ta for the find, I know a few guys who use these.

Ah, well the voice wasn't too bad.

Trust me, after using three of these canisters trying to pop a tyre bead back on, they are useless! On tubless tyres where the bead is OK, they'll give you just enough air to get to a garage - as long as you don't need to go far, other than that, in my experience (and a 6" nail) a normal bike pump is way better!

then it was time to hit the dirt........ and some trails and some less used trails !! and some open space and more space and hidden gems, this place was a good hour or two off any tarmac, turn left at 'nowhere' and this place was just beyond the middle of it. off course, there was the odd puncture along the way...... but the scenery did for me not forgetting the dirt riding.....

Chaps, You may have noticed that I've been quiet for a few weeks. This is mainly due to taking on an off-road trip through Spain & Portugal. I think the last tally was 818 miles of dirt'n dust on the XT660Z. Anyway, here's one or two pictures for you all. The usuall, 'leaving blighty' picture from the back of the boat looking at Plymouth.. the entertainment wasn't too bad on the ferry and before we'd even hit the trails the heat of rush hout in Santander took it's toll on the only XT-R that was with us. We stayed over in Potes in Northern Spain for the first night, riding south past a huge lake that was as still as a tombe

Isn't that the pre-load? it won't make the bike any lower, but if you 'loosen' it it will make the bike sag more when you are on it. I didn't think these bikes were tall in the first place....

It's a well known problem, well to those in the know anyway! I know this is a little late, and maybe no help at all but the problem is in the connector block that connects the Regulator/Rectifier assembly to the main loom. This is the unit with all the fins on it just behind the front wheel. Take it apart and clean it well, you may have to brake it open. The pins are very small and under some conditions overheat melting the plug.

It's just the British. A week or so back, after another hard day on the trails I was lying beside my bike in a gateway, somewhere left of nowhere and a mile or two from the middle of it, Enjoying the sun on my face.... Three, yes three people asked if I was OK, two were locals and one was a rather attractive Dutch girl with perfect english. Strange thing is, only three people past me at all! It was a little annoying at the time as I was trying to relax.... Can't have it both ways I guess .... Perhaps I should have suggested I needed Mouth to Mouth ?

I keep looking for a YPVS, 500 or 350 doesn't matter to me. Only problem is they are like rocking horse shit.. I've either got the money and nothing turns up , or something turns up that is stupid moey, or a cheap one turns up and suddenly my cash has become a family holiday !!! Then you come along and show this.. It's a beautifull bike, and super dooper condition too.

Doesn't the ATF run off the wire ?

Nothing like a bit of pressure.... I doubt very much that you can actually get in a theory and both modules of the test in a month. the DSA just doesn't work that well! from a 125 to a R6, is a mighty leap indeed and something that you need to consider very carefully. Forget what you think you have learned on the 125, not only do you need to learn to pass your test but you have to un-learn all the bad habits you've picked up over the last year too. First of all, have you read (and this sounds stupid, but it's important) the Higway code ? Also there are other publications from the DSA on Motorcycle riding, these woud be a great start. Secondly, you should at least speak to a training school, these guys know how to get you through the test - it's nothing like the CBT and you can fail the test on a simple part of either module (not reaching 30mph in the stopping-in-a-box part for instance). Failure on the second module can be something as simple as a sequence of missed life-savers, or failing to stop (and put your foot down) at a STOP sign. If the examiner has to take any action (such as passing you) then you will fail! I know it sounds like the voice of doom, but the answer is in real life training with a decent instructor. You can't see your bad habits until someone points them out, same goes for errors, mistakes or judgement calls. Some people can pass the tests easily, other can't. The only thing the 125 has taught you is some bike control, now you need to learn how to ride.

I take it you are on the original tyre ? then 9500 miles on one of these bikes is pretty good, and it say alot about your riding style. You can replace the rear without replacing the front, as long as the rear matches your front, and for this I would take advice from the fitting shop if you want to change type. If you are happy with the tyre you have, then just repalce it with the same type and away you go - it's normal to get 2 rear tyres to one front. Your replacement tyre won't last as long as the OE (original equipment) tyre. There are different tyres ranging from sticky rubber (for crazy cornering) that lasts a few thoousand miles to touring rubber that will last 10 - 15 K, where you gain on miles, you loose on 'stickyness' Your current tyre life suggests that you do not need any super-sticky rubber. In my experience most tyres will rapidly wear down when you get to the last couple of mm's, on a VFR I had I set off to work with about 2mm on the rear and got home (130 miles later) with a tyre that was just legal (1mm) but there are lots of reasons why the rate-of-tyre-wear can change. Sprockets, the easiest rule of thumb is how often you need to adjust your chain (Oh, and watch the adjuster bolts in the Fazer, they can furr up and be a right sod to shift if they've not been greased). When you find that you are adjusting your chain every week, or when you get close to maximum adjustment then it's time for a change. Sprockets and chain should be changed at the same time. A worn front sprocket will look like sharks teeth, hooked over at the top. This isn't because they have 'bent' but one edge has worn away to make them look like sharks teeth, or hooked, or like waves (as a child would draw them). Another way to see if the chain is 'stretching' is to try pulling it away from the rear sprocket, there is usually some movement but if you can pull it clear (from the rear-most point) then that is a good indication that something is wrong. A chain and sprocket set is going to cost something like £100, depending on what you replace it with - so consider a chain oiler, you will double the life of your chain/sprockets (if it's fitted and setup right - it's not hard but some people have no idea, can't follow simple instructions and won't listen to advice!). You can get these from £30 to £200++, Scottoiler V-System is probably the most well known and best value in my opinion. My current bike has 17,000 on the original chain with a scottoiler, and about 1/4 of the adjustment used so far. Keeping on top of your cahin lubriaction is the only way to extend the life of your chain. Hope this helps a bit.

Hmm, a link between Goff and the forum, maybe it just doesn't (the forum) like the fact that Goff is no longer here, keeping us in line, the whips, chains, and .......... we need love back in the forum....... who could be the new mistress ??? perhaps wildfoamy could don a dress?, no wait, he's not on here much either,,,,,,, wait a minute...... Wildfoamy and Goff ?? both missing together ????? could it be ???