Motorhate

Thanks fellas, battery turns up tomorrow so as its brand new, I'll check how its charging. If its OK and starting is still sluggish then starter clutch seems the most likely cause. Damn ... more money

Kevlar armoured hoody, sweat a bit in traffic but on the motorway its like riding with no top on. Kevlar combats which are also quite cool in the summer and combat boots. Got a Caberg Judge system helmet which also has good venting. I must admit, the temptation to ride in just a t-shirt is always there, especially round town.

Got a problem at the moment with sluggish starting, i.e. when I start the bike, it turns over really really slowly like the battery is almost dead. Repeat this two or three times and the bike starts OK. I've got a new battery on order but was wondering if it could be anything else? Its an old bike, 2001 reg and just recently serviced. Any ideas?

I did a like for like spec compare on both bikes and they look more or less evenly matched. I'd be genuinely interested to hear from people who've ridden both and can comment. Generally, I'm not a fan of HD bikes, although aesthetically pleasing I think they are vastly overpriced for what they are and teh after-sales and service are very expensive.

That happened to mine, it corroded so much so that it eventually fell off mid-journey. Managed to get it re-attached with a jubiliee clip.

I'm with you on this mate, I cannot stand white-walls. Just ruin the look of a bike for me. Each to their own though.

That was really luck mate. I had a rear indicator come off, spin round the rear wheel and end up embedded in the engine. I too heard a loud bang, and couldn't work out what it was until I got back home and wondered why there was a refelctor in the engine. Luckily it was a shaft drive bike so no chain but it could have worked out pretty bad.

Well, dropped it in yesterday morning and here's the breakdown of whats what: Braided brake cables are too short, they need to be replaced with longer cables Exhaust gasket was ill fitting due to the pipes not marrying up properly with the engine. Its better now, but there's still a small gap. Rear brake pedal doesn't return freely due to the exhaust, so that's gonna be sorted Both front discs need replacing, they're worn and one is warped (although the pads are OK) Throttle is a bit sticky so that needs looking at Oil light coming on (they think) is down to the relay but as its only an level indicator, they recommend by-passing it. Front tyre needs replacing as its got hardly and tread left and it had the incorrect pressure in it which was causing the heavy steering Needs a full service too. Not sure how much it'll cost but it'll probably end up balancing up the cost of a second-hand XVS1100.

The oil light is permanently on, both at idling and high revs. I checked online and have confirmed that the oil light is a level indicator only, not a pressure gauge so on that reasoning, I rode into work (12 miles today) and there were no issues, so I'm assuming this is either a faulty sensor or loose connection somewhere. I'm getting it serviced today so will get them to check that out. I paid just over 2 grand for the bike, which I thought was a bargain price. The brakes definitely need doing and it could also do with a service but even on that basis I think its a bargain.

I must admit it was a little scary bombing down the M1 and hitting the brakes only to find they were almost non-existant compared to the Honda. I've checked the discs too and there's a lot of wear, I can also feel them wobble when braking at low speed so looks like they'll need to be replaced. Not cheap either which is a pain. Oil light keeps coming on even though I've thrown in nearly 3.5 litres of engine oil too. I can't complain because I got it for a bargain price. Oh and Clarke, you're right about the steering, its great in a straight line but its heavy on corners and slow speed manoeuvres. Sounds absolutely amazing though with the straight through pipes.

Thanks Ttaskmaster, that's really helpful. I'll probably take it for a service anyway as it looks like it hasn't been serviced in a while. Brake fluid and oil levels were really low. This is the beast in question I'm glad to report them wavy stickers have now been removed.

I bought an XVS1100 yesterday and rode it home (110 miles). Bike looked OK and I checked it over quite well. There's wear on the front and rear discs but this was factored into the price. However, I noticed that the steering is very heavy at slow speeds and braking is pretty sluggish too. I'm just wondering if this is normal for these bikes (the largest bike i'd ridden previously was an FZ750).

Me too, I've got one on mine and always wondered what it was for.

Just thought I'd update you on the horn issue. Well I took Ttaskmaster's advice and squirted a load of WD40 into the switch unit. Nothing, dead as a doornail so resigned myself to buying a switch unit. For some reason, I was watching one on Ebay but never pulled the trigger on it and rode without a functioning horn (mind you, could have done with one on more than one occasion - bloody BMW drivers!). This morning, for some unexplained reason whilst riding down the A40 to work, I decided to try the horn and it actually worked. I was almost as surprised as the bloke in the car driving next to me. So it seem the WD40 did the trick. Thanks Ttaskmaster!

Thanks for the tip Ttaskmaster's, I'll give that a go if Noise's tip on the indicator isn't working. Is the switch unit difficult to take apart?

Tried a few things - I got a cheap replacement horn (118 db apparently) and it still won't work. I'm beginning to think I might need to replace the switch unit on the handlebar to get it working - joy!! Admittedly I haven't cleaned the contacts yet so that's next on my list and also to check the wiring into the two spade connectors. Will need to wait until I have some time during daylight hours to do this. I didn't realise how much you miss not having one when riding round London in the rush-hour!

Yep, its my other passion. Have 11 guitars (ESP, Washburn Schecter etc.), 5 basses and recording studio set up in the house. In two bands who play here in the UK and abroad. Don't ask - you'll hate them, trust me.

Got a problem I noticed this morning with the horn on the bike. It won't work. Not sure where to start on this. I'll admit now, I'm not much of a mechanic but I don't think there's a fuse for the horn in the fusebox. Any ideas or any common causes of the horn not working ? ... (cue Viagra jokes!!).

I think it might be the tank, although I didn't know the tank had an overflow. If it has, then it could be the tank as I filled it more or less to the top.

Cheers mate, can't wait to get one, the 125 is OK but I'm forever in fifth gear thinking I should be changing up

I've currently got a fuel leak which looks to be coming from the fuel overflow. I ran out of petrol today and flipped to the reserve to get me to a petrol station. I filled the tank right up (almost to the top) and rode home (about 3miles). On parking, I noticed a puddle of petrol (also noticed this in the petrol station) and was wondering whether the overflow kicks in if you fill the tank right up to the top, or if there's a problem with the carb? I've taped up the pipe (I'm assuming its the overflow as I can't see anywhere it would connect to) so that's stopped the leak for now. Bike starts and runs fine without any obvious problems by the way.

New member here based in London. Ride an XVS 125 and love it. Hoping to get a 650 soon.