jinxed

To check if fuel is getting into this cylinder, take the plug lead off the suspect cylinder and run the engine for a short while. Remove the plug and check for petrol. Apart from compression, did you check that the plug hole "sucks & blows" when you rotate the engine by hand? (I.e. checking that the valves are operating.)

Don't forget it's air cooled and the designers put some emphasis on venting heat from the engine, so it will take longer to warm up than a water cooled motor. I don't remember any specific gearbox problems with mine, though I've not ridden it in a long time. Maybe it needs adjustment? Checked the oil level? I had a rack like your one on mine; they aren't suitable for a heavy load BTW. (Mine cracked where it bolts to the frame.) Keep an eye on it. Did you check underneath the front suspension gaitors? Always worth checking for pitting; this isn't a bug-bear with these models AFAIK; if the forks are covered, always worth checking on any bike with gaitors. Looks like you have a nice clean one though! (Shiny, shiny and a nice colour!) I always thought these bikes had a fair amount of power (72bhp?) but were a bit on the heavy side. I moved mine recently and had obviously lost the knack of getting it on/off the main stand. Compared with my GPZ500S, the XJ was hard work!! Out of interest, did you pick this up from a private sale and do you mind me asking what you paid for it? (Trying to figure out what mine is worth.)

Does this have a separate 2-stroke tank or is it pre-mix? Maybe you're getting a little too much 2-stroke oil through. Are you giving the engine long enough to warm up? (I.e. is this a problem with the choke?)

Was the timing out on it before then? How have you verified it is now correct? What's the compression like? If the timing was out, maybe you did damage a valve. After cranking it over, remove the spark plug and check for petrol on the plug. (Then you can check the spark too. Don't hold the spark plug when you're cranking it though!)

That windchill factor chart makes painful viewing! If it hits 0degC when I'm commuting to work in winter and I'm riding at 50mph, 12 minutes later I'll get frostbite! But my commute is ~25 minutes!! Nooooooooooo! My hands, knees and feet seem to suffer on the coldest days in the winter when riding. Last winter, I rode my trusty 125 which is unfared; the only winter modifications I make are the handlebar muffs. Clothing wise, I had a Dickies flourescent jacket over the top of my leather jacket whenever I rode and always wore my waterproof trousers. The trousers keep some of the wind out, whick keeps my legs slightly warmer. I always wear a neck warmer winter/summer. This year, I'm going to try my one piece ski suit over the top of the leather jacket. This should keep my legs a bit warmer. No doubt my hands & feet (esp the feet) will still suffer. I will miss the flourescent jacket as I think it makes me more visible. (It's geting to the time of year when car drivers can't see out of their cars properly. I already saw a bent bicycle on the road this week; I assumed the car parked near it had not seen the cyclist and driven into/over him.) I wear a reflective bib over the top of the leather jacket normally; I'll see if I can squeeze this over the ski suit. (The ski suit was bought with biking and not ski'ing in mind!) When I do finally get to work, I keep my gloves on (for a while) to give my hands a chance to thaw out slowly. If I take them off immediately in the warmer air, it hurts. I love riding in winter, despite the cold. Admittedly, if ice is forecast or present I would probably take the car instead. (And join the other queing car drivers in traffic.)

If you see a charger, ask if it's a trickle charger or an intelligent charger. My definition is that a trickle charger will provide a low charging current constantly; an intelligent charger will stop charging the battery once the battery voltage reaches a certain threshold. (Presumbly, the intelligent charger will start a charge cycle if the battery voltage drops below a threshold.) The Optimate 3 seems like a good product; if you don't use your superbike for 4-5 months of the year, £34 for the Optimate could keep your £90 battery going for a good number of years. Avoid discharging a battery too much and DON'T discharge a battery by shorting out the terminals. Better to turn the bike lights on or use an inspecition lamp as a discharge load if you must discharge it. I don't think you can 'deep charge' a lead acid battery. (Not sure what you mean here.) If the battery isn't taking a charge, it's probably no good. Sometimes, you can recover a suspect battery by increasing the charging voltage; this requires a variable voltage source that has the ability to limit the current. Be careful using car battery chargers, especially on the "high" setting. They are able to give out a high charging current which may be more than the charge rating of a bike battery. As with most wet lead acid batteries, you ought to remove the fill stoppers/plugs when charging and ventilate the area well. (Sorry, it must have been that curry!) However, an intelligent/trickle charger probably won't require this. Oh, one more thing; be careful not to short out the battery against the frame when attaching the chargers clips.

What sort of cr@p? (There's a question I thought I'd never ask!) Could it be rust? If so, you may need to line it or even replace it if it's bad. Presumably, you've removed the tank already and given it a good shake with a little petrol in before emptying it out? (To try to clean the tank out.) This is a plastic or steel tank?

I thought these were two terms describing the same thing. You'd hope that the VIN/frame number would be stamped to the frame and difficult to remove or change. Does your frame number match what's on the V5 (log book)?

I was always told new batteries didn't need charging after filling. I would suggest letting it stand overnight before using and checking the level again in the morning. (Air bubbles get trapped between the plates and you want those to go before you try and drag an engine starting current through it. Tapping gently on the floor during filling may help to dislodge the bubbles if you can't wait overnight. Put the plugs/stoppers in the cells before attempting to tap it down though!) Cover the terminals of your old battery (E.g. with insulating tape or the insulating covers that came with the new battery) just in case it gets thrown in the shed and someting metallic gets dropped on top of it.

What sad subject matter. I think that if that child was loved, respected, cherished and nurtured by their family, then however short their life may have been, they would have been happy and felt part of something very special. I think a parent can take a lot of comfort from that. From a practical perspective, I would also say don't suffer in silence. If you can't get the support you need from family and friends, consider talking to a professional councellor.

Have you checked the chain for tight spots or stuck links? You may have had a tight spot before your new tyre, but when the tyre got fitted, the fitter probably adjusted the wheel at the slack point in the chain. I.e. the chain goes tight now. Is the rear axle at the same position in both adjusters on the swinging arm? (Look for the alignment marks.) If the chain slackness is changing as the wheel rotates, either the the front sprocket is not centred on the gearbox output shaft properly, the rear sprocket is not centered on the rear axle properly or the chain is damaged. (Is it tight/slack at the same position when you rotate the rear wheel? Is it tight at only one point for a full rotation of the rear wheel?) The thump could be the chain hitting the tight spot or maybe even something jammed in the chain. E.g. small stone. Is this an endless chain? First, inspect your chain; find the tight spot. Then, I'd be pulling the wheel off and checking the cush drive for wear and making sure nothing is "missing". (There is often a spacer between the wheel and drive sprocket carrier.) Also, does the rear sprocket look centered on the sprocket carrier? Don't ride it with a tight chain! I doubt the MOT checks for "correct wheel size"; just wheel bearing condition, chain/sprocket condition and tyre condition & tread depth.

I think it was a guy called Greg Bush or something like that ......

In my experience, the valves are broken and the tappets are not tapping. Also, my feeler gauges are rusty, so my clearances are "some". I've been hunting for a (dodgy) service manual for this model for a while, so far without luck. The user manual doesn't help: "Valve clearance adjustment The correct valve clearance changes with use, resulting in improper fuel/air supply or engine noise. To prevent this, the valve clearance must be adjusted regularly. This adjustment however, should be left to a professional Yamaha service technician." Should add "And not you, spotty!", shouldn't it? I found clearances for the XT225, which (I believe) is very similar: Valve clearance inlet 0.05-0.09mm exhaust 0.15-0.19mm As it's not a high performance engine, clearances of this size may suffice. Make sure the locknut is tightened securely though - I took an oval locknut out the head of an SR engine only recently; it must have worked loose. If you find out what the clearances should be, me too!! ME TOO!!

This reminds me of another thread I saw: Ok, so you may be able to detect my sceptiscism; if my son made this suggestion, his feet wouldn't touch the floor and NOT because he was riding away on an R1 neither! I feel like a real Dad now, 'cos I want to say "bank the money and buy yourself a lesser machine to learn on first." If I was still 16 (turning 17) I'd really want an R1 too; fortunately, I never got its equivalent which is probably why I'm still riding to this day. Yes, you can ride an R1 slowly and properly, but at 17 all I'd want to do is let it rip and race around as fast as possible pulling wheelies at every opportunity. (Boy would I get laid!) However, you have to remember that as a biker, other road users play more of a part in your survival than you think. Reading their behaviour, anticipating their next move takes experience and lots of practice. (If I put my Dad hat back on again, I'd be saying "I'll buy you a nice Volvo; keep it in first gear.") As per the other posts, you need to get some training. (What's the US laws on riding & licensing?) Anyone can ride a bike; not everyone can ride it safely. Ok, so they'll be a dozen others in the forum making the same comments; I really hope you get your R1 though; I really hope you'll be the best 17 year old rider ever; best of luck and wear protection. (You'll be fighting the women off.)

Get a permenant marker pen; change the "R6" to "R60"; tell your insurance company its only 60cc ............ Sounds like you are using an online insurance form; try to phone up a decent company (who knows what they are talking about) and give them the details over the phone. They may understand and know enough about the model differences; they may just give you a price based on the registration date. If you can prove it was built in 2004, you may get your discount; what proof have you? Remember though that if it gets declared a total loss, the value could get assessed as a 2004 model; would you rather take the money for it's 2004 worth or 2006? Was this actually built in 2004 and is, therefore, a late registration or is it just described as the 2004 model but built in 2006? Can someone enlighten me on the R6 models? You have to be straight with the insurance people though; what would happen if you lost control and rode your bike through a crowd of supermodels and then found out that you weren't insured 'cos you had entered the details on the insurance application "incorrectly"? (If you did wipe out half a dozen supermodels, you may get some fanmail though. )

Had a chance to take a closer look last night. The generator and ignition pickup on the two engines are completely different! Both the stators and the flywheel are totally different, so my only options are: 1) Swop the flywheels, keeping the old configuration. 2) Swop the wiring loom, CDI, reg/rectifier and use the new flywheel/generator. My initial inkling is to swop the flywheels over; I did try and remove the old flywheel with a 3-leg puller, but it wasn't having it. The flywheel is threaded, so I suspect I need a "special Yamaha tool" to insert and tighten to remove it. (Or maybe a suitable bolt would fit in the thread? I didn't have any to hand.) I didn't look to closely at the wiring loom; I note that the CDI and reg/rectifier have different connectors, hence the need to swop the looms out. But I didn't check to see if the old front part of the loom will mate with the new back part. (I was assuming that the loom I have is just for the main part of the bike and there is a connector separating the front & rear looms.) I guess Mr Yamaha deemed it necessary to change the charging and ignition systems. Doh!

NOW we know why Evel Knievel was so successful! Must be tricky getting a 50' bike off the sidestand though. It worth be worth borrowing a 50' bike for the day to get some revenge on the cages ......

Do you know if it's an inertia engage type? What was wrong with the last starter? I'd take another look & make sure that it's fully engaged into the housing; maybe it's not making contact with the starter gear. Does this starter have one or two electrical connections?

Is the engine turning, or is the starter merrily spinning on its own? What do you hear?

Before you even get the FZ6 on the road, fit a front mudguard extender and a rear hugger. (As reccomended by another FZ6 owner I know. Keeps the crud off the shiny bits.) A scottoiler would also be a good investment if you're doing that kind of mileage. Tyres and brakes will be all shiny & slippery, so don't tailgate anything until both are bedded in. The user manual will also say "before riding, check daily ....." blah, blah. This isn't a bad idea; if your dealer does the PDI properly, there shouldn't be a problem, but worth doing especially as it's just been taken out of a crate & bolted together. Variation is the name of the game in running in the eingine, as per Xtreme's post. I.e. don't stick it in top gear & ride at 70 all day. Perfect time of year to put a new bike on the road; Not! Enjoy it, you lucky devil!!

What's a cam chain? (NC30 owner.)

Trust me; my user name is VERY apt if you ever get to see my SR! (And the box of broken bits that I am slowly accumulating.) I must get a picture of it up .... or what's left of it. A compression tester should be on my workshop "must haves" list; along with a valve spring compressor. I just finished putting an engine back together that I bought 2nd hand. Previous owner said it just stopped working; he'd taken the top end of & then put it back together and given up. I found that one of the valve adjusters had lost it's lock nut and the valve probably wasn't opening any more; I adjusted the valve and then the engine jammed part way round; camshaft timing was WAY off! Better safe than sorry, I took the head off to check for other damage. Found some parts missing; found the valve locknut after shaking the head about. (Locknut is now oval shaped.) This engine should be going in my SR soon; the original engine is shot, especially after I let it run out of oil recently. Moral to this story? Don't buy a bike off me and check all the basics on the engine, I guess. Thanks for the offer of the manual; I probably need to find the earlier manual too as I have an '86 bike and a '96 engine and need the two to co-habit. The search continues! (You're probably a bit far away for me to drop in & give you the benefit of my limited SR knowledge.)

Is it running without it? Chuck it; less weight; more speed! (Unless it's big and round and "rubbery".) Ditto on the picture request.

Have all your tests been with the airfilter connected? Try it without the air filter & check the state of the air filter again. (There's a crankcase breather pipe connected to the air box on this model? Is it particularly wet with oil? I think my valve wasn't closing properly, before it broke, and this was causing oil to be pumped out into the air box.) Are the carb rubbers in a good state? (Not split or damaged; shouldn't be on a 2003 model!) Also, check that the timing marks on the flywheel and camshaft gear are aligned as expected. (I managed to get mine offset once; it ran, poorly, and you could hear the engine through the carb/air-box; sounded great!) I doubt the throttle stop screw will change the mixture; doesn't it just alter the position of the slider, thereby changing the idle speed? If the mixture looks too rich, re-check the mixture screw; try adjusting it whilst the engine is running & see if you can get it to behave better. Have you actually ridden it? Does it pull like it should? If you've bought this as a complete unknown, you should probably give everything the once over: Camshaft timing; valve clearances; compression; spark plug type. Where'd you get your compression tester, BTW? Anyone got a PDF manual for the SR125?

Yes, the restricters will limit the bike to 12hp I suspect, so removing them should give you more. But, you should get more than 45mph from a 12hp 125! Have you ridden alongside someone to verify that the speedo is accurate? When you say "new" do you mean brand new, or new to you? My 20 year old SR125 is extremely sick, but the speedo still shows 55 when it maxes out. (Hold your laughter please!) It looks like I have finally found someone I can beat though!! Can I race you? Please! Just the once!!