FlyingOsca

Hi, Thanks for getting back to me - really appreciate it. I'm just outside Trowbridge - Hilperton BA14 7HY. I'm ok at 'fixing' stuff, usually pretty good with 12v, I fitted a foglight and spotlights to the trike as well as sat nav and these has been working fine for a couple of years so don't think they are the problem although my plan of campaign this afternoon was to get the seats and tank off and see if there is anything blatantly amiss. Yes, I have a multimeter but to be honest had to look up how to use it on YouTube!! There is an immobiliser fitted to the trike - factory fitted which has a small red light on the dash which flashes intermittently when the engine is off and the key is out but from what I can find out it uses very little power and certainly not enough to drain the battery overnight. I'll give the trike a once over this afternoon but if nothing is staring me in the face I will get someone to come out and have a look see. As you say, I don't want to set fire to it! From what I can find out online it is usually quite simple to locate a short but I think you are right in saying that you do actually need to know what you are looking for! Thanks again for the reply. Cheers Larry

Hello everybody, I have a Yamaha 650XVS Dragstar which has been converted to a Trike. I bought a brand new all singing, all dancing battery for it a couple of months ago as the old battery was not designed for starting engines (I know nothing.) I've been using the Trike twice a week since then, the last ride out was Monday when it was extremely hot. I wanted to go for a run on Thursday but when I turned the key in the slot I got no reaction whatsoever. No neutral light, no engine warning light and no lights on the trike as usually happened. I checked the battery with a multi meter and got a 0.03v reading. I jump started the engine and when idling got 12.5v - 13.00v and under a load (revving) got a reading of 14.5v which I assume means the alternator is working??? I turned the engine off and waited a couple of minutes, took another reading which was 2.58v I waited an hour, took another and the reading was 0.33v which tells me that either the battery is knackered or there is a short somewhere draining it. I'm a very basic amateur mechanic, not into diagnostics etc. so can anyone tell me the best way to find a short (if there is one) or do you think the battery is dead and would the heat on Monday (the engine did get pretty hot) have done some damage somewhere? The battery was a Yamaha battery, which I got from a dealer who told me to perform the checks above but they haven't got back to me since. Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Larry

Good morning everybody. I am new to the Forum. I have owned my gorgeous Yamaha XVS650 Dragstar Trike for 3-4 years now and he is starting to look a little road weary. I have spent a lot of the winter giving him a makeover to get him ready for the summer which involved stripping him down, mudguards off, sand blasted, powder coated etc. When I took the front mudguard off I snapped both bolts in the front left fork that held the mudguard in place. I am no mechanic and don't have the first idea how to weld - even if I had the kit so I have made a temporary repair by drilling the old bolts out (hell of a job) and filling the holes with chemical metal, re drilling and tapping them and it worked. New bolts holding but it is not the best repair job on the planet. The forks (both of them) are looking a bit sad/tarnished/road beaten so I really would like to replace them. Problem is I've searched the web and just can't find any dragstar forks for a 2005 XVS650. Does anyone have any for sale or does anyone know where I might be able to get a pair of forks? Any help or info would be appreciated. Many thanks. Larry