neversaydie

Left hand side of the engine as you sit on the bike, between the 2 cyclinders, about halfway down, on a little bracket, should be the screw. If its seized, try a little relaease oil

non standard highway hawks/vance & hines etc are available to buy, shop around, you might need baffles for those for mot, depends upon the tester. Shop around ebay/motorcycle breakers for used stuff

Getting it serviced in winter? Winters gone mate 2 cables from the clutch lever assemby, one is the steel operating cable, the other is the electrical cable linked to the side stand switch to prevent the bike being started in gear with the side stand down and clutch out(think Ive got that right )I reckon that there should be a rubber grommet or plug fitted onto the electrical cable to hold it in place on the lever bracket, check to see if its not slipped out and is further down the cable. As for not finding neutral, this is quite common and requires patience and practice. It would be a benefit if you changed the oil, it plays a big part in gear changing/clutch operation and good clean oil makes it easier to find neutral. Unless you can be sure when the oil was last changed, and recently, change it and make sure you get the right type The knack is to slip into neutral just before you actually come to a stop Search for the Virago 125 owners manual on this site

You dont have to weld something on. Look to see if you can drill a small hole somewhere on the pedal arm itself for one end of the spring to hook into, thers plenty of meat on it for this. The closer to the pedal end the better for leverage Then look for another location for the second to be drilled, for the other end of the spring to hook onto/into, far enough away to give you sufficient tension and pull the pedal back. Second hole could be anywhere, frame/an existing bracket etc, hole just big enough to hook the spring into

Clutch looks fine. Youre right about the centre pop mark on the change shaft, should line up with the gap in the clamp. Looking at the pic in the manual and the photo of the gear shift, I would say that you need to adjust the tie rod at the pedal end, as it looks as if it needs to go 5 to 10 degrees clockwise. That would bring it closer to the manual setting of 30 to 36mm. I recall trying the split collar in different positions on the gear changer shaft in the past and it made gear changing inconsistent, harsh, and not always easy to engage.

Sounds like you've had a tough time. Take care, I guess you'll be sometime still recouperating.

Try adjusting the idle screw, left side of the bike, should have a round plastic knob on it.

It does indeed appear to make sound financial sense to take Leatherat's route. However, taking Direct Acess, passing (and there are no guarentees of first time pass), then buying a medium to large bike and taking to the road with abolutely no experience save for test training is not something that I'd advise. Buy your 125, ride it for a 6 months/a year on CBT, build up some roadcraft/confidence etc in different weather conditions, different traffic conditions, different quality roads, learn to observe/anticipate, then take the DA, youll have a better chance of passing with some road experience than without.

Standard plugs If the hole looks like its round ie put there deliberately, then its a drain hole

The answwer is no, the pedal return spring is similar to the rotary one shown in your photo. There is no lug for the additional tension spring to fit into/onto. There isnt meant to be another spring for returning the pedal. Is the pedal pivot sticking/seized, does it want cleaning and lubricating to get it working properly? is the rotary broken?

You're not alone on that one. I pulled into the drive last week on the dragstar, switched off, jumped off, walked towards the backdoor with the dragstar falling over behind me. Forgot to put the sidestand down Just caught it as it hit the deck, no damage or marks

The spring in the middle pic is the switch return spring. The pedal return spring should be up near the pedal, I'll have a look tomorrow as I've just locked the garage up

Good job Paul

Good luck with the test

if you mean the 4 that hold the springs in, then I can only tell you that its 8Nm on the dragstar 125, which is pretty much the same engine. Anyone confirm that?

for the rust, if its just the frame (black?) I'd sand it clean, a touch of rust convertor, then brush on some plain finish hammerite, a couple if coats. RS Paints website for matching up bike paints. As I said before with the chain. Its something you will have to do on a fairly regular basis with chain driven bikes, so get into the routine now, early on.

Handbag buzzer???? I suspect if your neighbours clocked you carressing a motorbike with a dildo the men in white coats would soon be round Yes, please post pics

Read the reply in the New Members section

Not familiar with the bike, but if you're looking to fit a new chain ask suppliers to tell you what types are available for that bike. Personally, even a plain non fancy dan type chain if cleaned and lubed up regulary and properly, and correclty tensioned, should last thousands and thousands of miles.

Start by having a real good read of your owners manual, it explains the choke/petrol tap/warning lights etc, too make sure that you understand how the bits and bobs work Welocome and good luck

Rusty? After 300 miles. Rust on the bottom of what part? Check the manufacturers warranty in the manual. If its out of warranty, you can buy a rust convertor, then apply your touch up paint, I'd be careful of using a wire brush on paintwork. if the chain's only done 300 miles, you could save some money and take it off and clean/soak it in parrafin, let it completely dry, then apply some chain lube. Just run it through your fingers to make sure that there are no stiff links, and make sure that you fit the spring clip the right way around ie the rounded end points in the direction of chain travel. As far as maintenance goes, follow what it says in the owners manual. Dont burden yourself with unessacery work when you could be out riding. Welcome, good luck, and enjoy

If it is, I shouldnt think Kelum will be too worried about carb icing in Sri Lanka

Its custom to introduce yourself in the New Members section. Not sure about the xv125, workshop manual seems non existent. Xvs125 says 311 cubic cms per fork of 10w or equivalent

hi paul, Section 6 of the XVS125 workshop manual, you got a copy? If not, let me know and i'll mail it over