neversaydie

What about an XV 750? Shorter bike may fit in easier

If there is a horse close by, then you could ask it, but they struggle to get the chain links back in.

oh, the joys of motorcycling. On the bright side, I concur with Ttaskmaster, I fill up at aopund 110 to 120 miles, then immediately reset the clock back to zero. Paid £2.50 each for plugs (NGK),£6.62 for the oil filter, £11.91 for the air filter, and £4.94 per liter of Silkolene oil. And I did note an improvement in performance, but the biggest improvement was ijn gear selecting. Neutral selection is now a piece of cake, whereas before itm took some finding, and gear changes are now smoother and less clunck. I reckon either the wrong type of oil had been used before, or the oil had become contaminted and was leading to poor clutch perfomance. The correct typef oil for the bike is extremely important.

Wow, I'm surprised you've enough fingers left to type on a keyboard No offence, but perhaps not a technique for new riders

Sadly, no. Its where the chrome has flaked off the base metal, and no amount of polishing is going to make it re-appear. Options are - wheel removal and re-plating, new wheel, second hand wheel in better nick. Depends on how much you want to spend and how proud you are about the appearance, there is a trade off here between cost and sensibility. Pitting can be kept in check to an extent by regular cleaning and polishing, but never use anything abrasive ie scothbrite/emery etc. Might be worth hanging on a few ays to see if anyone else offers any options Ive not heard oo regarding the pitting though.

Best way really is to take it off, soak it and brush it in paraffin, then hang it up to dry. When dry, lay it out flat on cling film/plastic sheet and spray lighty with chain lube.Then refit. Refer to previous posts here regarding chain tightness/slackness etc, and read your manual. If youve a doubt about the chain condition, buy a new one, very important component, failure can be catastophic.

Forget it. Unless the person carry out the mods gets the engineering clearnaces/tolerances/alignments spot on, you'll end up with either an engine with no compression, or it will seize in seconds. There would be a bit more mileage in a straight complete engine swap, but then agian just buy a 250 with no risk.

Blimey, deja vu! Ring up any yamaha main dealer, give them the reg and they should give you the paint code. Then google RS Paints for touching up supplies. I believe that they only made them in one shade of red, mine is code DPR070B, Deep Purple Red, manufacturers paint code DPRC3

Not sure, but ring up any Yammy main dealer and give them the reg of the bike and they should give you the paint code. Then google RS Paints, they do touch up materials.

Try the headlight. There are some countersunk screws inside that secure the parts together, if loose they produce a tinny rattle but not all the time, depends on revs and whether or not youre coming off the gas. Look closely at Drewpys' photo and you can just see one of the slots on the lamp

I agree. I changed mine last weekend. The one that I took off was 15 tooth, so I've actually gone up 3 to 18. Its like having another gear available. Cruising now at 60-65 with plenty left, longer to accelerate but still able to accelerate with traffic flow easily. Yes, I have also noticed that the engine performance is smoother both up and down through the gears. Total cost £7, money well spent.

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.!

Whenever you adjust/replace the chain, the rear brake is always altered with it. Move the rear wheel in or out and it moves the brake as it is connected by a fixed linkage, not like the chain which is flexible. Adjust the brake as per the manual. Every time you adjust the chain, you need to adjust the rear brake also.

Pauls right, proper chain lube is superior as it adheres to the chain surfaces and wont throw off. Dont leave it too long before you change that chain if its shagged, it may bite you! Instructions for rear brake adjustement, just follow the manual.

Adjust the idle screw. Don't burden yourself with sprocket change unless they're shagged, they should last for years. Dont forget to check the rear brake after you change the chain for correct operation.

Bought one last month for £30, plus £9 for chain oil. I reckon a workshop would charge £50 - £60 quid if youre not comfortable with fitting it yourself. Its easier if you can get the bike off the deck safely while you work on it, but you can do it on its stand. Bear in mind also that youll almost certainly have to adjust the rear brake once youve done the chain. If youre going to give it a go, post here and let us know, Ill rustle up a brief step by step.

Yep, RS Motorbike Paints 01707273219. Yamaha main dealers also keep records of sold bikes etc in the uk and should be able to give you the code if you give them the bike details, RS should then be able to create the paint to the code. Incidentally, where do you get an XVS 400 from, is it an import?

Have you tried bump starting the bike? If it starts and runs, that may isolate any mechanical problems from electrical problems. Is it the same result when you start in neutral, and in gear with the clutch in? Try searching for the XVS 125 service manual, I think theres a link somewhere on this site. If no luck let me have your email address and i'll forward it on to you. Last section gives fault finding for ignition system etc. Sounds batteryish/connections to me

I have heard that they can be carefully removed by using a hair dryer, and peeled off slowly.

Yep, just follow the instructions in your owners manual, should be straightforward. Make sure that the bike is level when you refill with oil, also make sure you use the correct type of oil, very important.

Try a good quality release/penetrating oil. Soak it well over a few hours, dont let it dry out, keep applying some to the seized joints. After that, try moving the bolt in both directions alternately a little to try to break the bond, with an occaisonal tap on the bolt head with a hammer. Sometimes does the trick.

I get the picture now. Sound advice too, sometimes the embarrasment is more painful than the damage

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, not sure I follow that, 7mm hole - 11mm bolt, 40 years as an engineering craftsman tells me thats an interference fit then.

Yep, Silkolene Super 4 10W40 (change the filter too). Spark plugs NGK CR7HSA, ease the old ones out carefully, same with the new ones, ease them in without cross threading. Iridium spark plugs are 5 times times the price with no real evidence of improved performance. Change the air filter too.

Just to add to this thread, I changed my oil and filter last week, big improvement in engaging neautral, now snicks in easy from 2nd or first. Suspect old oil either incorrect type or too contaminated