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!

Hi Mate...they are both rated as the same horsepower, as far as I can see,so performance wise they are the same...differences that I can see are final drive sprocket is bigger on virago (15t to 14t),maybe to do with the weight of the bike,and a question mark on the timing trigger electrics.,its got the same connectors so should plug in,whether it works or not don't know?.use the dragstar inlet and carb and control unit...got any further with engine search?

Opps...now own a 3rd Dragstar..wasnt expecting to win it,engine needs a top end refresh and side stand snapped off...pretty clean bike thats had a fair bit of money spent on it,still got 11months mot too...just as well I like to keep busy!

Thanks all....just wish I had done my test back in the day...anyone got a time machine?...

Quick update for those interested.....Tea was drunk,hobnobs were munched and with a bit of jiggery-pokery it fired up.......but the smokey semi-dead rear cylinder and the noise/harshness meant it wasn't for long..looks like two issues then,rings/valves on rear cyl and what we think is an oil supply problem,maybe a blocked pick up. More tea was drunk,hobnobs were polished off ...so we then pulled the engine,drained the oil and got it ready for stripdown...will follow soon. Its a damn nice bike...proper job done and all that.....just keep the faith mate!

Haha ..the only thing I can murder is a cup of tea!.......you have tea right?

Ove...Wednesday or Thursday evening this week is possible,don't know my weekend plans yet,let me know if this is any good...Don't give up yet!....my email is [email protected]

Hi The battery earths to the engine (behind left hand engine side cover) and the engine earths to the frame ,no rubber engine mounts here!.....thinking about it,I had a similiar problem with my old virago,showing spark at the plugs but not starting...replaced the plugs and away it went..can only think the plugs wouldn't work under combustion pressure...might be worth a try?......if not just pull the engine,get it on a workbench,pull both heads and start from scratch...it was sold with a problem and the only way to get to the bottom of it is to get drastic(maybe)....my offer still stands if you want a second opinion by the way.

Ahh...The Stones...now you're talking!.. These Beatles you mention?...weren't they some sort of boy band or something?

Hi Time has proved to be too tight this weekend...happy to come over one weekday evening this week to lay a fresh set of eyes on this....just let me know if thats any help?. Out of interest..was this the bike advertised in Worthing a little while back as a non runner that the owner(and his garage apparently) couldnt get to the bottom of ?.....

Hi I'm Robin,57 years old and live in sunny sussex .. I have a mint dragstar 125 (1600 miles) and have just finished building another dragstar as a bobber,bike was an abused non-runner with rusted frame and was a bit of a challenge all told.Recently rebuilt and sold a virago 125 (just a little too small for me) and have also built a custom honda shadow 125 over the winter(dont suppose I should mention that!)...background in mechanics,classic and custom cars but now drive a van for a living..always wanted to see if I could ride a bike so did my cbt last year and trying to get as much riding in as possible now(when its sunny that is!),in truth I prefer tinkering really.Will try and get some pics up later. Cheers