Aquila

Hello mate. Just returned to biking after before you were born when restrictions did not apply - had a 250 Kwacker S1 that would top 110mph, so I never bothered with my test. Upon return I have had to do my CBT, which permits me to ride a bike (XVS125) of less than 125cc and under 11.5kW power (1bhp = 0.75kW) As I am(considerably) over 21, I will be taking Direct Access to ride a bike of any size (aiming for an XVS650). You will not be able to do D/A, so get a good 125 to pass your test on and have it de-restricted after - there are several on the market that have absurd performance for such a small swept volume. You cannot exceed 33bhp for two years after passing your test, but then you can ride what you want (how the fuck this works, I don't know. You spend two years tooling around on a restricted R1 at 33bhp, then you are magically capable of controlling the same machine with 175bhp just 730 days later?). Whatever you do, do it before the first of October, when the Nu Labia Nannies will require you to build a GP-Moto from Lego, run the standing quarter at Santa Pod on a step-thru in less than nine seconds and ride up Ben Nevis on a disability scooter. Enjoy life on two wheels - I wonder why I ever gave it up...

Welcome to the two-wheel tribe! If you are enjoying yourself, then that's what matters. I just got my first Yam, having returned to two wheels after over two decades and I love it to bits. Wot Suzi you got then? I always had BritIron or Kwackers, but I wish I'd gone Yam at the time, as I wouldn't have packed in biking at all. Bottom line is - try them all and settle for your favourite, but I bet five-gets-ya-ten that it'll have the three tuning forks on the badge! Keep your fun safe fun!

Hi Stefan, It's a common problem. See thread below for an answer... http://www.yamahaclub.com/forums/index.php...ic=8289&hl= Cheers!

I agree with ozzy here. My XVS 125 has clutch stick problems that I cure by starting the bike, in gear, with the clutch pulled in and the back brake on. It jibs a bit at first but, once freed, is OK. The bike has a wet clutch and leaving it standing squeezes all the oil out of it and causes the plates to get sucked together like two sink-plungers. Recheck your adjustments and give it a go...

BTW!

OK mate, just seen your post. Here goes:- The handbook says that you need ordinary 10W40 oil that has no anti-friction additives, as these will bugger up the wet clutch and the starter clutch. Best to get the bike serviced, as they will do an oil change with filter for you. My 2000 XVS doesn't use oil at all and if yours does, it may be worth having a look for leaks and doing a compression test to check bores and rings.

Actually, if you want some real shite, buy Chinese. A bloke tried to sell me a Sinnis Vista in the claim that it was a direct copy of a Suzuki Marauder. Now the few Suzukis I have ridden always felt like something was about to 'let go' and introduce you to the tarmac, but this Chinese 'copy' was something else. My dad's 20 year-old ride-on lawnmower felt tighter and had better acceleration! All for £1300 on the road. The best thing about it was the front brake that had a dummy fluid reservoir, but you could see the cable attached to the stem of the lever! Having returned to biking after 22 years away, I had owned mainly Kwackers and BritIron (one shitty Honda), so my DragStar is an absolute revelation - well-made and superb to ride, I can't wait until April when I get my full licence and get my XVS650...

I am a member of Pistonheads and a collection is under way for a rehab centre for the wounded in Sussex, England. The thread can be found here:- http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.a...=466871&i=0 Just a few quid to say thanks wouldn't hurt now would it?

Seemingly, Zoomsplat1982 has zoomed and, indeed, splatted. What a bloody shame, I was looking forward to engaging in battle with such a mental giant...

At the age of 50 I am returning to biking after 25 years. I like the cruiser configuration, I want to survive beyond my first 20 minutes on two wheels and, in view of my government's appalling taxation of my income, I need to have a cheap, reliable, economical machine. At a later date, when my confidence has built up again, I will go for a larger bike - probably an XVS650. If money was no object, whilst I could think of tooling around on a Harley, a Buell, an Ironhorse or a Saxon, I would not do so as they are icons rather than real-world machines. My choice would be a 1700 Star or a Triumph Rocket III - as exotic as a Lamborghini, but as practical as a Nissan in so much as they are desperately reliable and cheap to maintain. A Harley is good to look at, but a Yamaha is great to own. Simple as. Verbal aggression is not big and is not clever. If you wish to start a debate as to the shortcomings of Yamahas against your preferred brand, please feel free to do so. Initiating this by way of direct verbal assault could leave you standing alone, ranting at nothing and looking like the cunt you possibly are...

Hello mate, I'm fairly new to this site too...

Wow! Nice Rat Bikes! You have a good eye for line and sweep. Ever thought about doing a cruiser?

I'm not too au fait with motorbike electrics, but I have built and driven a couple of rally cars, so how different can it be? I think that the 'tic' you are hearing is the relay operated by the starter button doing its stuff, which is nice... the problem thus exists beyond this point. This relay operates a solenoid that either drags the starter pinion out to mesh with the starter gear on the flywheel or operates a clutch into a lay-shaft in the gearbox. The most likely problem is a corroded connector on the solenoid that just needs a bit of a clean-up. Other things to watch out for surround 'hanging the starter' in which the starter circuit is still carrying full current after the engine has fired. This causes the starter circuit to turn into a dynamo that feeds current back through itself and will fry the engagement solenoid and/or boil all of the solder from the starter-motor commutator. I hope that this is of some help but if not, post some pix of the bits and I will try to come up with a further diagnosis...

Without wishing to sound too smug, I would regard manliness as reserving profanity for when it is really needed - ie, trapping fingers against hot casings with crap spanners, completely fucking up a racing start, missing out on a blow-job through saying something totally spack, scratching paintwork that belongs to you, farting and following-through, sneezing into your stash, waking up next to a munter, waking up next to a tranny, finding a big pool of oil under you engine (proceeding to strip it down, only to discover that your highly hilarious mates have drained out some lawnmower sump oil and tipped it out in an appropriate place - Oh! Har-de-fucking-Ho-Ho!), getting a blow-job from an epileptic, snorting cornflour in the hope that it's coke, eating a phall curry, shitting after eating a phall curry, meeting a tree-hugger, dropping your guts quietly and everyone in the room looks around for the passing Harley or discovering that you really do have Tourettes Syndrome... Clever use of euphamisms, profanity and swearing should be reserved for moments in which a point must be driven home - kind of like a balance between a wank and a shag - the more people involved, the better the effect! In the meantime, as a rock enthusiast, watch this simple piece of human effort at full volume and full-screen and be amazed..! Joey Jordison drum solo

Oh Hur! Hur! Very good! Shame it wasn't limestone - sedimentary my dear Watson... As to rock music, I have seen Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Motorhead live. I love this sort of music, but prefer the more 'Prog' bands such as ELP and Pink Floyd. My 18 year-old son has introduced me to some cracking modern bands (Rammstein, Killswitch Engage, Clutch and several others) who are making sounds that please my ears and give me hope for this generation that music is not stagnating into some nightmarish 'X-Factor' septic tank. I have been a drummer for over 30 years and I still play in a geriatric rock band at the school I work in - the only difference being that my kit is digital and goes into a large hold-all rather than my old Premier eight-piece that took up half a VW LT van. Only Rock rocks! Good luck with the site, mate!

No-one should have to out-live their child and your loss is all-the-more poignant at this time of year. I cannot begin to imagine what you are going through. The only crumb of comfort that I can offer is that you obviously have spiritual strength beyond the norm in posting to this community for succour and support and it will be from among your closest people that the support will come to help you through this awful time. I fear to admit that I am an Atheist in the common sense, but I do believe in the power of my fellow human's determination to overcome the most terrible adversities. My humble thoughts are with you and I hope you will draw strength from them...

Hi all, I have just joined the community and I would like to say 'hello' to you all. I have just bought a second-hand XVS125 with which to pass my test and then graduate to a 650 in due course. I rode bikes for over ten years, but gave it all up after having two bikes nicked within six months of each other and then starting a family (incidents not linked!). I love my car (a Rover 220 Tomcat) but the state of the roads, the price of fuel and 'traffic-calming' generated congestion are killing it rather quickly, hence my return to two wheels. I am no 'spring chicken' (51 in February) and so have chosen the cruiser format in place of the enduros and cafe racers I used to ride - stiffness occurs in places at 51 that are far removed from where they occurred at 21! Anyhoo, as a PistonHead, SafeSpeeder and Forum Senior at Rovertech, whilst I am a 'noob' to you, I am an old stager in forums so, no quarter received, no quarter given! I hope we all have fun...