EazyDuz

Bit of background: Exhaust popping on decel, changed gaskets and it still remains. One screw is fine and turns, but the screw for the carb which requires adjusting had a ruined head. There was a tiny bit of a head left so i purchased a JCB branded screwdriver and used that. When applying force the handle on the screwdriver came loose. That is how tight the pilot jet is... So i used a pinvice with a 1mm drill bit to create a pilot hole. I then made it bigger with roughly a 2mm drill bit. I put an allen key in the hole and it grips but it still wont come lose. I tried gorilla gluing the allen key too which helped but again the seal snapped and its still stuck. My remaining ideas are: 1. leave it alone and put up with it popping constantly on decel. 2. Create two new holes either side of the centre hole using a pinvice with 1mm drill bit, then using a flat head screwdriver and trying again that way. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

How did you find that? When i ran the search i choose UK websites only as i dont want to buy overseas, maybe google filtered that one out? Cheapest ive seen it anyway so thank you

Where do you get your spares from? Looking for a pilot screw set for my 1990 535, got quoted £30 from a yam dealer. Disgusting for what it is. Seen them online for £15, why are the prices so different as they are both genuine Yamaha parts? Also considered from the US but shipping again is extortionate. Where is the cheapest place? Pretty sure its this that is correct for my bike: http://www.yamahamotorcyclespares.co.uk ... 0000&uid=0 Thanks

Would the carb need to be removed for this procedure?

Please let me know how you get on with this as i have the same problem with one of my pilot needles

My GZ125 had the same level of performance, its a heavy 125 cruiser, don't expect any more from it. Treat 5th as an overdrive gear, used only on flat or downhill roads with little if any wind.

Very interesting about the dyno run. I'd say keep it slightly lean. It really doesnt matter on such a low tuned low powered engine. You would only ever cause any damage if you were redlining it for hundreds of miles, even then i suspect it would be ok. Sports bikes need rejetting as they are much more highly strung

The HH slashcuts usually say they dont require rejetting. The drag is a very underpowered, low tuned engine, you would struggle to ever damage it if it ran a tad lean on wide open throttle.

They wouldnt i tried every way. If there was a way then i'd love to hear how you did it

Hey guys. Mini update. Decided to keep the 535 for another year, when i take it out the garage i just think it hasnt been used properly due to last years terrible weather, so this year im going to ride ride ride! I've ordered some pretty basic textile panniers: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261147804046?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 With my measurements ive discovered that i can leave the indicators where they are and these bags wont touch them. They will be seated forward quite a bit and will JUST clear my thigh/leg when im on the bike so as not to get in the way. No worries about them hitting the wheel as they will mainly be resting on the suspension area, and they are rigid. YES they are textile so look a tad out of place on a cruiser (like leather on a Ninja!) but they are only to be put on when touring so im not too bothered. Riding to Wales from Leicestershire up the A5 in April for a bit of a road trip. If anyone lives anywhere near that route with a 650 Drag Classic i'd love to see one, still not seen a Classic in person yet! I will be buying one next year though. Thanks

Easy for you to say, i wouldnt be able to pack half of that on my bike without running out of room. If someone has advice on where i can get some saddlebag brackets which will actually fit, i'd love to hear it. Failing that ill have to get a new bike. Im prepared to pay up to £50 for the supports, but cant justify buying a new backrest with a different mounting point just so i can get saddlebag brackets to fit, we are looking at £200+ for the new back rest and supports, may as well put that towards a Drag.

Yes but the further out the luggage rests, the more strain its putting on the rack itself, not to mention the weight. Bareing in mind those two bag contain a 4kg tent, sleeping bag, clothes. sanitary stuff and trainers. Making the bike tail heavy isnt a great idea either. Ive yet to see anyone carry a decent amount of luggage on a 535, its a tiny bike. Are most sleeping bags the size of a very large loaf of bread when packed? Im looking at getting a new tent anyway. Im camping in the Lake District in spring for the weekend, thats a good 350-400 mile round trip for me. I will see how i get on but if its a struggle ill probably sell the bike and hopefully get a Drag by summer. When i sold my GZ125 i had the Virago within 2 weeks,so fingers crossed the same strike of luck happens, id hate to be bikeless for summer this year. Oh while on the subject, when viewing a 650 Drag, Classic or Custom, what common problems are there with them which i should check? For example on the 535 it was the reserve switch which was a common fault

You make it sound like hes riding a TL1000 haha. I have a Virago which is actually faster than the 650 Drag. If you can, avoid a day where its snowy, chances are the gritters won't have done a good job, and regardless of how skilled you are, most people will bin their bike on a snowy road. Apart from that, just ride at your own pace, it should come natural if you're sensible. Look out for diesel spills and once the bike is home, cover it in ACF50 or you can kiss the chrome goodbye.

Touring 2 up isnt an issue this year, me and the mrs split in december, but even with the pillion seat, my luggage space is minimal. Are most 2 man tents pretty big when packed?

Saddlebags would do away with the pillion bag easily

Noise if i cut that part off the bracket,it wouldnt sit flush on the other mounting hole unless i twisted the metal somehow, which i thought fuck that, so i sold them as they were mint, made about 15 quid profit. I think they were made that way to encourage you to buy Highway hawk back rest as well (the brackets were HH), bit stupid really. About putting the tent below the rack, i could but it would be difficult to strap it, and i tried it before and it got in the way of the brake light, plus its a LOT of weight on the rack itself. Cynic it looks a lot but it really isnt. In the larger hold all it is mostly the tent. The tent is only a 2 man one from Tesco (double skinned) its actually really good but takes up a lot of room, maybe the tent is the main issue? I figured all tenThats are pretty hefty....i like the space of a 2 man, a 1 man wouldnt cut it. That set up was using crush sacks by the way haha. I think it looks more than it is because the Virago is one of the smallest 500cc+ bikes period. I think the Draggie is the answer, prefereably a Classic because i love the huge front tyre and forks. And the classic fenders on them, as for the Virago i cant see much of a way to improve luggage carrying

Cynic, pics of a typical luggage set up would be appreciated. I start to run out of places to hook on straps, and going 2 up is mission impossible. I think the weight limit on my luggage rack is about 12kg. I have a big holdall which i can squeeze a tent and one single sleeping bag inside, that goes horizontal on the luggage rack = no more room. On the passenger seat i have another holdall with clothes, contact lens stuff, hygiene stuff, trainers, that uses all the passenger seat room. I then have a tank bag which carries easy access items, so thats cameras, water, bike lock, etc you get the idea. What room am i left with? Infact here is my set up when i went camping: As you can see, little room for anything else, and that was a one night camp trip, riding on my own.... The last pic shows the reason i couldnt fit saddlebags, when i purchases them i assumed they would somehow fit together but they dont. Sold the brackets at a slight profit at least.

Noise i need the saddlebags because i like to tour the UK and go on camp outs, a tent and a sleeping bag alone will use up all the space on the rear luggage rack, so i need side panniers. Like i said i would keep the Virago if i could get saddlebag supports which will bolt on with my current Rentec luggage rack, but none of them do, so i will probably sell the Virago come August and get a Dragstar. While on the subject, what should i be paying for a Drag 650 Classic, dont care about the age, but mileage less than 20k prefered, and in good nick with minimum pitting, no dents etc? I would imagine around the £2000 mark.

Rucksacks look gay, like you cant afford saddlebags, and restrict your movement to the point where you cant even enjoy the ride.

You

Dont worry i wont be riding with no supports, i think its bad advice to be honest

Those bags look tiny though, i was after some longer ones which would probably hit the wheel

On the contrary, its too basic of an engine to benefit from premium oil, only (some) sports bikes need it. You could chuck any old 10w/40 and it will run just as well, just without the placebo affect.

Car oil works fine on these old v twins. Ive used Halfords own 10w/40 and covered about 3000 miles and had no clutch slip, even two up. Just avoid any oil which mentions 'energy saving' or similar, but yes car oil will work just fine on these bikes. Its higher spec sports bikes which require premium oil

Surely it depends on the bags? Also why do they sell bag supports if they are not needed? Pics would be appreciated