Leatherat

That purple is a gorgeous colour, but the underside of the blue tank looks like it's been in a horrible accident!

Go down to the local park, where the scrotes hang about drinking and smoking weed, take a bottle of cheap cider with you as a reward and get one of them to take it off. It'll only take them 30 seconds to do!

If the organisation which he/she works foor were more trustwothy and reliable, he/she wouldn't have had to bother. I've just had to return a parcel which had been opened, contents checked (for cash presumably) and damaged. The sooner the Post Office gets some credible competition the better. P.S It's still on the sewing machine, can't push too hard though, or my dinner won't be on the table.

Is it by accident or design that the new (Hinkley) Triumphs are so ugly?

Any joy yet? Either of you?

Mine arrived this morning ........... well done Drewpy, 5 STAR Quality. It's pinned to my leather weskit, which is slung over her sewing machine awaiting the final fix (She says she's to busy at the mo, but I'll post a piccy later) Thanks Drewpy, Top job!

Mine arrived this morning ........... well done Drewpy, 5 STAR Quality. It's pinned to my leather weskit, which is slung over her sewing machine awaiting the final fix (She says she's to busy at the mo, but I'll post a piccy later) Thanks Drewpy, Top job!

The 125 Dragstar does the job of commuting very well, it speeds along admirably on A & B roads and returns 100+ mpg It also has a rather splendid look I think. It is heavy and compared to a CB125 it's a little sluggish, but it's not a CB, RGV or a YZR, it is what it is and there's plenty of people who'll pay very well for a good one. That particular one is a good one and sold in less than 12hrs of being advertised, for more money than it owed me. The 900 Diversion, well it gets ridden every day, and lives outside in all weathers. I have an Oxford cover for it, but to be quite honest, I rarely use it as it is a real PITA putting it on and taking it off everytime, and when the bike is wet and a bit grubby, whats the point of covering it up? The cover gets wet on the inside etc etc........ I have ordered some ACF50 to protect the bike through the approaching winter, I've never used the stuff before and I'm hoping its as good as the reports sugest. I've also purchased a car! Which will only be used on days when there is ice or snow as I feel horibly enclosed in a car, not a problem in a helmet, but quite clostrophobic in a car.

No picture of me, just my bikes XVS125 Dragstar (now someone else's pride and joy My current ride XJ900S Diversion

It's true that they're very good, but have you ever been to Fowlers? They have 2 large warehouse type shops in the same yard, both of these are stuffed full of shiny new bikes, clothing, accsesories etc they're well lit, warm and welcoming, but if you want parts............."it's over the road on that industrial estate mate, little red door at the end". A grey dirty building that has none of the pomp and ceremony of the new sales floors, you enter a large metal warehouse with a small corner partioned off for the sales counter, not warm, flourecent lighting, but still welcoming though, just a major contrast to the time when you walked through the doors with X amount of thousand pounds to spend on a new bike

Anyone going? I'll be there tuesday 30th.

Kuryakyn do these pretty trick footboard covers, they don't come cheap but they might be worth having if you want to cover the damage from time to time, otherwise I guess you'd be looking at new OEM from Yamaha, but you aint gonna get them for £50 I'll bet! http://cruiserstuff.com/pgroup_detail/21809_Footpegs_Floorboards/31430_Billet_Rider_Floorboard_Covers/?goto=%2Fpgroup_list%2Fyamaha_accessories%2F21809_cruiser_Footpegs_Floorboards%2Fdes%2F

Perfect!

While we're on the subject, why not join the Royal British Legion Riders Branch. It'll cost you £16.00 per year, check out the website at http://www.rblr.co.uk/content/ Membership is open to everyone, whether you are Ex Services or not, being a supporter of the Royal British Legion's aims qualifys you for membership. Have a look at he site, check out the pictures and then fill out the online membership application. Lest we forget.

I look at it like this........ If your going to do the DAS test, just go for it now, being used to your new bike will be irrelevent as you'll be training and testing on a riding schools 500cc+ bike. If your going to do it on your own 125, then the more accustomed you are to the machine, the better chance you'll have. Good luck.

Hi, my lad has just gone through this, so I hope this might help both of you........... The theory test is £31.00 and you have to book that yourself anyway, mostly common sense, read the Highway code (Cars & Motorcycle parts especially, don't worry too much about the pedestrians and cyclists although as Tesco says every little helps) Get yourself a DVD with interactive Hazard Perception, so that you can practice and re practice the clicking, its what catches most people out, but it can be learnt, most of the clips on the DVD will not be official but don't worry about that, it's the recognition of the developing hazard your after. Once you've got your pass certificate you can think about the MOD 1 test. MOD 1 Test tips: The test starts from the moment you get on the bike, so don't forget observations even before your on the testing ground. Remeber Neutral/Ignition/Stand when getting off the bike. Enter the first available box to complete the manual handling exercise, push it back out as if you're leaving a parking space at Tesco, use observation techniques constantly, keep going backwards in a U shape so that once you've backed into and come to a stop in the second box you'll be ready to ride out for the slalom/ figure 8. When you've finished manually manouvering your bike, stay close to it, even inadvertantly kicking a cone with your foot is a fail. Don't count the figutre 8's only stop when he calls you over(it has been known for some people to only complete 1.5 circuits) Pull off and round the bend, accelerate pretty hard out of the bend and only back off once your through the speed trap, flick the bike through the avoidance and front wheel stop into the box. The next bit is where alot of people fail, the U-Turn. Observations before you pull off, THEN AGAIN BEFORE you make the turn, don't look down! find a point in the distance towards where you want the bike to go and look at that. Slow ride keeping up with the examiner (they don't dawdle, so you shouldn't have any problems there) Then back around the bend and through the speed trap again (Same as before) but this time it's an emergency stop. Leave the gears alone and leave the clutch until the very last seconds, stalling is OK (better if you don't) but losing control (without regaining it) is not. Remeber the test is not over until the bike is back in the parking space you started from so don't forget observations even once your off the playground. Park and get off! The test is now over. Make sure that the bike you take the test on is between 120 & 125cc and is on the DSA's acceptable list. Some machines are not. Make sure your insurance, MOT and Tax disc are all up to date, unbelievably when we went there was a young lad turned away from his test before it had even begun as his bike was not taxed! In my humble opinion all this can be done and the test passed without the need for expensive tuition MOD 2 Test tips: Get some expensive tuition! Even riders who think they're good, probably aren't. The DSA like things done their way, learn to do it their way and you'll pass the test, after all that's what your paying to learn ........how to pass the test, not ride a motorcycle. They will ask you to ride a course set by them over the radio head set you'll be wearing, they will also ask you to direct yourself to a destination (harder than it sounds when you've everything else to think about at the same time) They will ask you to perform a hill start and pull away at an angle from behind a parked vehicle, you've already demonstrated the U turn and emergency stop in the Mod 1 test. The test costs £75.00 and test dates are rare and getting rarer, don't balls it up for the sake of a few quid. Well good luck, my lad passed, and he's no Barry Sheene, just a normal lad so there's no reason you can't do it. Remember that the test days ussually include a couple of hours tuition before the test and you'll get the benifit of one to one or maybe two riding up to the Mod 1 test centre if you take that option, and remember that re-tests make things even more expensive. Best of luck and let us know.

Prior to 1971, Britan's monetary system was Pounds, Shillings and Pence, Oddly abbreviated to L,S,D. One Pound was made up of 240 Pence, or 20 Shillings, or variations of each. A 'Bob' is a slang term for a shilling. There were also Tanners, Sixpences Half crowns etc, 2 & 1/2 pence = a tanner 5 pence = a "bob". 2 bob = a florin Half a Crown = 2 bob and a tanner 10 bob = 50p A quid = £1 Guinea = £1 and a bob. Once we sucumbed to the evils of Europe and adopted the decimal currency system in 1971, a Pound, or Quid (Slang) was made up of 100 New Pence, we have One, Two, Five, 10 and 50 Pence Peices. As 20 Shillings were needed to make up a Pound, and you also need 20 of the new Five pence pieces to make a Pound, the New Five Pence peice is often refered to by the older generation as a Shilling or a 'Bob'. Hope that helps. Bored yet?...........Thought so!

Well, I've loved them ever since they burst onto the scene in the early eighties, my ride at the time was a very tatty Suzuki GT380 having qualified for a full licence in 1980 on an X7, just before the law changed to limit learners to 125cc. The Hesketh was an unachievable goal for a 19 year old in 1981, it was an absolute monster of a machine and tremendously exotic. Even now at 48, the Hesketh has eluded me and still commmands a kings ransome, infact I've only ever seen one not in the showroom. I wandered into a crane factory's reception, near Stoke on Trent about 10 years ago (more lorry loaders than cranes I guess) and there in the office was a black V1000, in used, unrestored condition. The owner was planning on restoring it, whether he ever did who knows. Fantastic machine, is it any good as a bike, who knows or cares, I want one.

One day I will own both of these, maybe not at the same time, but I will own both before I die. Hesketh V1000 Norton Interpol 2 The Hesketh is very rare and costs a fortune (£20-22,000) The Norton is Very rare and is pretty cheap (£3-5,000) Both are bloody lovely!

Much better Idea to be honest! However, it might 'do' me shins on a regular basis coming in an out of the house!

I use a 7" x 7" x 12" gate post off cut, on its side it's long enough for both of the frame rails to sit on giving a you a solid base, and high enough for the rear wheel to be off the ground. Mine came from when I put a 5 bar gate at the top of my access lane but I'm sure you can get a lump like that from B&Q etc. To get the bike on the block, stand on the right (rear brake side) push the bike away from you using the side stand as a lever and slide the block under at an angle, then pull the bike back towards you and slide it onto the block. This is easier to do than it sounds and gives you a stable platform for both oil level checks and rear wheel /chain issues. When the blck is not in use as a stand, my missus uses it as a plant pot stand outside the back door. Hope this helps.

I'm sorry, but I cannot for the life of me find anything rude about what this guy is asking: (quoted from the link above) "Hi, I,m new to all this so please bare with me. I rebiulding a 1977 DT 175 but I,m having trouble geting hold of a silencer for it. There was,nt one with it when I got it. Has anybody got any idears as where I could get one? I.v been watching ebay & theres loads for 125, are they the same size or could you modify one to fix? Any help would be great. Thanks Wullie" Now, call me old fashioned but I think the guy was being very polite and it's certainly a reasonable request to make on an open forum dedicated to the Yamaha marque, and from a guy who has put his hand in his pocket to subcribe to the site! To be honest, after trawling around the internet I have come to the conclusion that this, and other sites like it, tend to become populated by small minded individuals who form little cliques and get a tad too full of themselves. Sites like this have members with so much knowledge and information and could grow to become so much more, if they wern't so feicely guarded by the regular and somewhat snotty, 'Golf club' style clientele. I know that you'll disagree, which is your right, but to be honest I'm sick of all this membership hierachy shit and won't be posting again. (which I'm sure you'll all be terribly sad about, and so you should!)

Oh no! Someones posted in the wrong place What you really mean is that you haven't paid your bung to be able to ask questions relating to sales or want adds.

Here you go......lots to choose from http://birmingham.gumtree.com/birmingham/47/65472747.html http://www.motorbikes-for-sale.com/adverts/133/13356/ http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BREAKING-TZR125R-TZR-125-R-4HW-4FL-AND-SOME-3XV-PARTS-/150495828119?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item230a401897

Of course everyone's entitled to their opinion, but in my opinion your original post was very demeening to other people and that is the reason I sounded off. It matters not one jot why they do what they do, if it makes them feel good, that's the point I think that the questions were pointed more to making their tiny machines sound bigger rather than go faster, a fault which can be laid firmly at the door to the manufacturers for building bikes which look far bigger than they are, without supplying a suitable sound track. I hope not, because the only way anyone really learns is by f%*king it up then having to rebuid, isn't it? I too have opinions which I'm not afraid to air, hence us jawing now Ok, I was more than a little unfair, and I unreservedly withdraw that comment, but having it out? C'mon then, square go!