Breakfree

The sloppy way that lazy people speak just passes on misconceptions to those who do not know any better. When financially successful personalities announce that they never really made it at school, or even never made it TO school, they should understand that they are undermining the values that are so neccessary if we are to be kept under control. We may even start to think for ourselves and that would be disasterous for our rulers. Nah ahm goin aht ter frig wi mi bike. Duzzat make me a prat? Nahh, I've alluss bin a prat!

Good evening Mr YamaGod, Sir. Many thanks for your help. I joined the American forum you suggested and await my confirmation. Coincidentally, I'm off to see relatives in Montana in a few weeks and when I get amongst the trails that surround their town in the Rocky Mountains, will no doubt be devastated that my Serow is back home in Yorkshire. I wonder if a rented people carrier will be any good on the dirt! Just looking through the American pictures is enough to get me thinking about emigration. I wonder if my wife would mind. As long as I don't send my washing back home to her, I guess she'd keep in touch. TTFN John Apart from my Yamaha....... http://hoits.smugmug.com/Classic-Trials/Il...155319311_BoRWM

Can anyone point me towards a wiring diagram for a 1987 XT 225, please? I have a Haynes manual that covers 1989 onwards but the wiring is different. The first two years, '87 & 88, I believe, were kickstart only and the CDI had only six wires, later ones in the manual have starters and nine wires out of the CDI. I have had to replace the CDI with a modern unit and I tried to match wire colours, new with old, but it is apparently not that simple. Just to make things difficult, my bike is a Japanese grey import. After I get it running properly my first modification is to fit a big soft saddle to better fit my anatomy, twenty road miles is awful on the hard knobby tyres. Trials universals look like a good softener, too. Thanks for reading this, John

I just had a pointless idea, how about feeding juice into the dead bulb holder and testing how far it gets down the wires? Think of the confusion when you find volts on the input side of the switch, Or better still, as you suggest, just fit your new switch. Good luck John

Hi, Indicators, run a strip of fine (600) abrasive paper between the internal brass contact faces. Are you getting current to the input side of the switch? Check that the current is passing to the output side of the switch whilst you have it apart. Are the switch faces actually touching each other, maybe they are leaving an air gap, try easing one side out a bit. Test that first by switching on, check for current with a meter and bridge the gap with a screwdriver, if bulb is not lit it must be the wiring to the bulb. Carb cleaning, Drop the float chamber and brush gently round with aerosol carb cleaner, rebuild, start the engine and give several short squirts of cleaner into the venturi whilst on half revs. I've used aerosol stuff several times and found it OK, ultrasonic is certainly better but much more expensive and more trouble stripping the carbs. Tank, for varnish I'd use a liquid solvent rather than a handful of sharp stones, they are OK for rust but still need lots of rinsing afterwards. I've not tried it but I'd start with a vigorous enemel thinners containing xylene rather than cellulose gunwash or turpentine, experience may prove me wrong. Good luck. PS I just remembered that my Serow lights don't work until the engine is running, I don't suppose your wiring is supposed to be like that and the one that is lit is faulty, that would be too silly.

This sounds very similar to my Serow with a faulty CDI unit, try checking the loom plugs that hold the CDI wires together, give them a clean just in case. Any chance of borrowing one to try from a mate? I'd also be tempted to look at the flywheel end of the electronics, clean out the dust and rubbish, etc. Two longshots but you have done the most likely so it is time to look at the less obvious stuff. Good luck, John

I have a poorly Serow that runs completely out of power at quarter throttle. I checked the usual carb and valve clearances, flywheel etc, then found the CDI unit fastened together with insulating tape. Being super intelligent, I guessed that another CDI unit might be needed. My 1987 bike does not have an electric starter and the old CDI unit has only six wires. (Ref 2LN-MO 76F) I bought a newer one for electric start models, (ref488 217 maybe, it is badly smudged), thinking I would just leave out the starter wires but the colour codes of the nine wires have apparently changed and I don't know where to shove the bullets. Any suggestions? I have a Haynes manual for the XT225 but it is for machines that are five years newer than my bike. My frame is a 1KH, Japanese import. Just a pre-electric-starter wiring diagram would be welcome, I can figure it out from there. Can anyone help, please? Regards to all, John