robbo 167

Well,to me it sounds like a starter fault...high resistance from cold..or starter relay possibly...test the circuits with a voltmeter to see where the power is(or isn't).

The answer is yes..remove outer air box (on xvs,not on xv)drain the float chamber first through the little pipe and away you go...as long as the cover screws are not (a) siezed up or (b)butchered by PO ..in which case it will have to come off

On cars the build up of carbon deposits on the butterfly valve would cause this...the cure was a can of carb cleaner sprayed down into the body to soften it all up,then run it and heyho! problem solved....might work for bikes too?

Most use 1.25 metric fine...but from my time with bicycles I know italians use some weird stuff...get a metric thread gauge(looks like a little saw) and then its easy to identify threads.

I had one with a broken wire in the loom,right by the neck,just behind the connecting block...as you say just bypass it if that is the case..also had a faulty light switch,water had got inside it and corroded all the contacts. I just use a small hydraulic platform jack..lifts the whole bike under the frame,everything is chinese these days but it seems ok..about £70 ish...makes life alot easier. The frame rusts inside out..when you see the bubbles its too late...

Compression will vary from bike to bike with use ,age etc but the important thing is the two cylinders should be the same....that way they should run together happily. Checking the spark like that does not simulate ignition load...with engine running pull each lead in turn..at idle the engine should run on one cylinder and change noticably when you put cap back on...if you have twin exhaust you can also tell which cyl is working/not working by the pulse at the end of the pipe,put your hand over the end ..should feel the same. Have you checked the rubber inlet manifold between carb and engine for splits?...it will suck air and run badly if so....

Sounds like it is dropping a cylinder,if it is intermittant I would start with spark check to see which cyl is the problem (pull a lead whilst running or use see through spark checker)then work backwards..check coil and lead for affected cylinder..maybe a compression check just to make sure..is there any noises?

Oh and yes..spray some waxoyl into the frame via the open tube ends (at rear of bike)..put loads in the bottom rails and jack the bike up so it runs forward then block holes..I use a rivnut and dome head allen bolts so it looks neat..this way your lower framerails have a chance of surviving intact. The swing arms rot as well but it is usually outside in so easy to spot and treat... Hows it going then?

Hi...You have the basics covered with oil,filter and battery but there could be a couple more problems lurking ....suspect that due to its long storage the carb will have some gunky fuel in it and the rubber inlet manifold will have age hardened and cracked(poor starting,intermittant performance etc)...whip off the tank,clean out carb,replace manifold and check fuel hoses for cracking too.Brake wise ,change the front fluid asap..you may find brake pistons will stick when put back into use,depends how much water/corrosion has affected the caliper....sounds like rear brake has stuck in drum ,cable siezed or pedal pivot siezed,a process of elimination should point the way forward. As a note I have seen a few of these bikes with frame problems around the side stand area...the bike is heavy and old now,the frame cracks or corrodes allowing the stand to twist when used..the bike leans further over...apart from the obvious frame safety issue it also means the right side of the engine suffers from oil starvation when started on side stand...got one here with right side main bearing failure and twisted frame/stand issue...too much coincidence for me!!....so check that stand and put a block under it when working on it so the bike is more upright. Oh..and get some new spark plugs in there too

As Ove (Ian) is busy out riding I thought I would update thread quickly....old engine shot,oil pickup blocked....built up engine(with bills) and rolling chassis,(abandoned project), located and brought,chassis sold on...engine checked ,stripped to find bills don't apply to this one,no new pistons!..not to worry though as is engine basically good,a set of rings,a valve job and it was in and running..only one gear though...a selector shaft juggle sorted that out..and it's done and out on the road....Ian is well chuffed with it,did all of the work himself, learning as he went..well deserved thumbs up mate!

Thanks for that..got hold of the right person at dvla and basically that is what he said..I did wonder though, as in the Classic Car world a brand new mgb bodyshell can have the old number used on it even though the majority of original parts are thrown away.

I brought a project bike and,as it had spent all of it's life in a seaside town ,it had a badly rusted frame...when it came back from the blasters the bottom rails where like swiss cheese with lots of horrible bodge welding all over it...pretty certain it was out of alignment too. So I brought a s/h frame with number and v5,all legit...if I rebuild all parts onto fresh frame which v5/reg do I use?...the original bikes because the majority of parts have come from it?.. or the replacement frame?...unable to get a definitive answer from dvla at the moment but will try again.

Hi...I would say the first things to establish is whether it is losing its spark,its fuel or its compression.Put a spark tester on the front plug and check spark whilst attempting to run it,if losing spark work back through cap,lead,coil,cdi etc.If still sparking , check inlet manifold,is the rubber split and leaking?(means mixture to front is too weak)...it is a common problem...if all ok you need to do a compression test...the two cyls should be roughly equal,if the front is down put a squirt of oil in and try again..if it comes up dramatically then its a front cyl strip down to find the problem. Good luck

Just a point to think about...I lowered my Honda Shadow 125..looks cool etc but if you have long legs it makes it a bit awkward when pulling away,very easy to drag your toes as your legs are all tangled up.

If ever there is a time to get introspective about life using the m25 is right up there.....where are we all going?..what are we all doing?..what did we do before? I have to use it whilst delivering stuff..I can almost feel myself getting older sitting there!