gremlin1988

Evenin' all I realise that this forum seems to have drastically reduced in both audience and participants, but hoping there are enough people left who can weigh in on a tyre recommendation question. Before Christmas I purchased a 2007 VStar 650 Silverado (American import, obviously). It's currently got Dunlop D404's front and rear (170/80-15 tubed on the rear, and 130/90-16 tubed on the front). Low mileage, so presumably original tyres. The garage I purchased the bike from told me "The MOT has a warning on the tyres as they're cracked, but there's plenty of tread left on them, just run them 'til the tread wears down" ... At that point all credibility for the garage went out of the window - but she's a very tidy bike, with 100% Yamaha original parts, unmolested in any way shape or form. Whilst I used to ride all year round, I've got other means now and am going to be an exclusively fair weather rider from here on out - well, as much as possible with the UK weather! Before the better weather comes, I've been looking around at tyre choices. I've owned 4 or 5 bikes over the last 10 years, but admittedly never been actively riding for long enough on any of them to need to replace the tyres. So I'm after some advice on which tyres you'd recommend for exclusively fair weather riding. Am I best just to replace like-for-like, or are there better options? I'm also playing with the idea of going for whitewalls - if I can find any. I've always liked whitewalls, but never had any. So I'd also be interested in any WW recommendations. Thanks Thomas

Hi all I've got a 2001 XVS 650A Dragstar Classic, which I'm currently rebuilding (some b*stard in a car knocked me off and left me at the side of the road), and I'm looking at purchasing an XVS 1100A V Star Classic to get back to riding quicker than my resto is going to take. The bike's an American import (obviously, being a V Star), and I *think* it's a California model, admittedly based purely on a sticker on the LHS of the frame. I know of the California models, and I believe I "know" that the specific models were created for the Californian market due to the state's high restrictions on emissions. But, what I've never been quite clear about, is what exactly the differences are for a California model, and what that actually means for the owner. For example, if Yamaha reduced the emissions by de-tuning the engine, then the power of the bike could be affected. I've come across examples of forum posts about aftermarket exhausts having to be correct between a California and non-California model, so assume there's also some sort of recirculation going on. I have had a quick search on the forums, but either my "Google-fu" isn't strong enough, or there's genuinely very little out there regarding the specific differences. I was hoping for some sort of sticky in the forums highlighting the differences between models; alas I can't seem to find any such stickies on several owners sites either. Anyone able to educate me? Thanks

Hi Guys I've been (very) slowly stripping my 2001 XVS650A Dragstar Classic down to component parts and re-building her. Everything's coming off, being cleaned, polished, repainted, or replaced - now only engine and final drive left on the frame. On taking the air box apart this evening, I noticed that the 2 rubber elbows that sit inside the air box and attach to the top of the carbs have a semi-solid brownish "seal" around them, underneath the green metal retaining plate. (Turn your air box over, and you'll see the plate). Doesn't look to me like a proper seal - more like something's leaked around the rubbers and sorta solidified. Or someone's put some adhesive around the rubbers when they've been installed and it's squeezed out. It's sticky, and string/stretches when pulled apart. I've got a Haynes manual, nothing mentioned about any sealant/adhesive. Anyone able to confirm whether there's supposed to be any sealant/adhesive around these parts, and if so, what to replace it with? Gut feeling says to put the rubbers back in the air box and let the rubber form the seal, but I'd like to see if I can find confirmation of what is supposed to be there. I've cleaned most of the gunk off of the rubber parts, but I'm linking to photo's of the parts I'm referring to, and what's left of the material: My Google Photos Album Any confirmation or suggestions would be welcomed. Cheers

Name: Suzuki GZ125HS (2010) Date Added: 02 August 2014 - 10:15 PM Owner: gremlin1988 Short Description: None Provided View Vehicle

Name: Yamaha XVS 650A Dragstar Classic (2000) Date Added: 02 August 2014 - 10:13 PM Owner: gremlin1988 Short Description: None Provided View Vehicle

FINALLY got round to sorting this out this weekend. Got the caliper off, old pistons and seals out, good clean, new seals and pistons installed, caliper re-installed onto the bike, brake lines connected. But... When I bleed the brake lines there's absolutely no pressure in the system. I can pump the brake lever for 10 minutes, but every time it goes straight back to the throttle grip, no pressure build-up felt at all at the lever. I've removed the caliper from the disc to check that the pistons were extending, but they're not. When I pump the brake lever both pistons extend about 1mm, then retract when the brake lever returns. When bleeding the system new fluid is pumped out of the bleed nipple, so there isn't a major blockage in the line, and some pressure must be present for the fluid to be pumped. But no-where near enough to operate the pistons. I've checked for fluid leaks and can't find any. At this point my assumptions are either an air leak or air blockage in the caliper itself. I'm getting to the point of taking the caliper off and starting again, but before I do, has anyone got any suggestions on what else to check or do? Thanks Tom

Thanks for the advice Campaman and Noise. New pistons ordered, hopefully back on the road next week.

Thanks for the advice Noise. Noob question coming up ... Is it necessary / recommended to drain the brake fluid out of the system before removing the old pistons? I know it makes it easier to compress the pistons if you remove some of the fluid from the master cylinder, and assume that in order to remove the pistons and seals I'd have to completely drain the system? Thanks Tom

Hi I haven't had as much chance to ride my Dragstar Classic recently, and unfortunately found the front brake had siezed when I went to take her out the other day. Taken the caliper off, cleaned the pads and caliper up (fair amount of corrosion / dirt around the caliper as she'd been sitting out uncovered) without any issues. But when I went to replace the pads, I was only able to compress one of the pistons. The other just starts pissing grease / fluid when I squeeze it, and doesn't actually compress. So I think I need to rebuild the caliper, or at least take it apart for a more thorough clean. I've always shy'd away from working on my own brakes in the past, any more than a basic pad clean-up. Can anyone offer any advice, steps take, and caveats to watch out for? Thanks Tom

Hey guys and gals I've tried to fit a heel-toe shifter several times to my XVS650A Dragstar Classic (2000) but each one I buy doesn't fit. They bolt on, but you can't shift as the heel part hits as you try and change. All the shifters I've bought are genuine Yamaha shifters, all advertised as 2001+, which leads me to believe that the mounts / frame / something was altered for the 2001 onwards models. Can anyone confirm? Has any-one successfully fitted a heel-toe shifter to a 2000 Classic? Thanks Tom

Cheers for the replies guys - had a go at them at the weekend. Realised the rails I have are no good as they are angled to help the soft throw-over luggage to site right, but means that these hard panniers hang at the wrong angle. So first things first, some new rails!

Hi guys I've just got hold of some "used" panniers for my XVS650A Dragstar Classic. Bargain at around £80 and don't look like they've ever been used. I've got pannier supports fitted to the bike from the previous panniers, but they were throw-over and these are not. Looks like they require mounting directly to the bike, possibly using a specific plate or rail mount. I can't find anything using Google, so thought I'd ask you guys before fabricating something myself. Anyone know what sort of hardware is required for these? (I've not posted this in "wanted" as I'm not wanting any-one's kit, just advice over what people have and where to get it from) Thanks Tom (sorry, tried using the editor to resize the photo but it doesn't save the new size)

Hi Guys OK, basic question which 9 times out of 10 means drilling out the bolt head - but just in case someone has dealt with this specific instance before... I've been attempting to remove the tank off of my 2000 model XVS650A but the front left hand bolt securing the instrument cluster to the tank is spinning. You can clearly feel the rubber spinning underneath the cluster. Tried putting upward pressure on the cluster whilst turning the bolt, wiggling and putting as much force on it as I dared - but it won't release. Has anyone come across this before and been able to remove the bolt without either drilling the head or breaking the cluster? Cheers