stormy

Thanks for the reply, but I've sorted the problem now, turns out they were shorter than the standard Ace cables, so I've used 900 Diversion ones, and they fit perfectly. cheers stormy

OK, question ......... what's the winning ticket number gonna be? need a lock ! hope to see you there stormy

Anyone know how long (end-to-end) the throttle cables are on a FZR600R, the one with the clipons above the top yoke? I've fitted different bars to my Ace, and the original cables are a bit on the tight side at full lock, and saw a FZR600R in the local dealer, and they looked like they might be just what I need. End fittings are the same on both bikes, so just need the length (not often I have to say that!!! ) any help appreciated stormy

bollocks, just knew he was gonna say that! OK, first thing to remember is that once you have started to take the tensioner off the engine, you must take it right off and reset it, cos it's on a spring loaded ratchet mechanism. Tensioner is on the rear of the cylinder block, on the right hand side. Do not turn the engine over with the tensioner removed!!!!!! not even a little bit!!! 1 Undo the larger centre nut from the tensioner, and remove it together with the springs. 2 Undo the two smaller screws, (make sure you know which way up the thing fits, mark it if necessary) and pull it off the block together with the plunger bits. 3 Chuck the old gasket away unless it remains stuck to the block in one piece. 4 Release the ratchet bit on top, and make sure the plunger can move without sticking. If it does stick, investigate to make sure there are no burrs or swarf inside the components, they should all slide easily. 5 Lubricate with a bit of engine oil, and reassemble, and hold the ratchet down and slide the plunger all the way home. 6 If the old gasket is still in place, put a bit of Hylomar or similiar (jointing compound) on the gasket, and refit the complete tensioner body back onto the engine, and tighten the screws fully. 7 Re-install the springs and the centre cap bolt, you'll possibly hear the plunger extend out to the chain with a series of small clicks, this is OK. 8 Turn the engine over a couple of times (not start it!), best way is via the bung on the left casing of the engine, take it out and use a socket on the exposed rotor bolt head. 9 If you hear the ratchet extending again as you turn the engine over, then you know it is taking up the slack in the chain, but you may not hear it, cos it's fairly quiet. 10 Yamaha now recommend that you take off the valve cover (which is not a 5 minute job!!) to check that the cams have not moved in relation to the timing marks, whether you do, is up to you, I didn't bother on mine. If you're happy that all is well, start the bike and let it run at tickover for a few minutes. If the tensioner is working ok, then the engine shouldn't make any unusual noises. Sometimes, the engine will make a racket for a couple of seconds as the tensioner settles into it's final position. If any loud noises carry on for more than a few seconds (5-10), turn it off and check the cams and valve timing hasn't moved. You will need a manual for this job. Hope this is ok. regards Stormy

Chris, Check that your camchain tensioner isn't stuck, easy enough to do. stormy

If you want to see something a bit different, and you don't mind reading subtitles (or you speak French), I can recommend "The Very Long Engagement" which is doing the rounds at the moment. Very good IMHO. Try it for something different .......... Stormy

Market Deeping, near Peterborough, (or Germany, depending on the day of the week!)

Oh go on then, I'll do my best! I'm only in Market Deeping, so not far fer me!

Not a problem, there's plenty in OZ just wait for the right one!

Yup, I got one aswell, stonkin bike to ride, ain't the quickest thing out there, but so much fun it hurts!!! Pretty active TRX group on Yahoo aswell, Honk and myself have been known to frequent it, Useful mods are louder pipes, better brakes (r1/r6/ace) bolt straight on, USD forks from R1 are an easyish fit. Clean up the gearbox clunking (or did on mine) by using Silkolene Pro 4 oil. Huge improvement IMHO. Cheap to insure. Lots of hoots per pound. stormy

I use a Lazer Revolution Jet Mask, which is great IMHO. which I use when out touring or on my V-Strom (for riding my Ace I use a Shoei Raid) Has a drop down full size internal dark screen (unlike some of the other makes which just have a drop down piece for the eyes (my mate had one of those Caberg ones, and when we went to Italy a couple of years back, when he took his lid off, he had sunburned cheeks and jaw, but a white band across his eyes! looked like a negative of NT avatar!) Is double glazed, so misting simply cannot happen, is reasonably light, fairly quiet, seat belt type fixing and looks completly different to all the other lids out there, like something from a Star Wars film! Also, as someone who has to wear glasses all the time, I can take the thing off without having to take my bins off first, a real plus at times. Thoroughly recommended, and I've had two of them. Stormy

I bet that brought back some memories then ya ole git!!! one all. :neener

ya bitch! wuz still in front of you though ..........

Look, I'd better explain about Roy, nice guy an all that but, well the authorities only let him out about twice a year, so he gets fings a little confused, I mean take a look at his post " with a 1966 Cat" :shock: now I dunno about you lot, but 1966 was a little early for a Thundercat, and then he compounds it with "Norton Atlas" (which is actually what he calls his antivirus program for his book of maps). Then a Thunderace? I dare him to post a picture of what he has done to it, tis' sacrelidge. :twisted: Best thing I've found is to humour him, let him have his say, then ignore him completely (bit like a drunk at a party). On the other hand, he is the guy to contact should you any Customs and Excise paperwork explaining to you, as he seems to have quite a large selection with his name on them, especially if you are planning a trip to the continent for a booze run! :buzz last thing, He's right, . . . . . . . . . . he is an old bastid!!! :neener c u later .......................Dad!!!

WILL YOU STOP FOLLOWING ME, I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE, BLUE ONES ARE FASTER .......... you're getting as bad as NT ...... Hi Roy ya old git, you'll get no peace on here ya know ........ stormy, ps, never met him before in my life .... :wave :tu :duel

just thought I'd pop in and introduce mys ............. oh bugger, it's the same place !!!! I dunno, go away for a weekend, come back and some bugger has changed everything around ............ that's it, not going away again. Like the changes, bit of notice next time please!!!! I'm old and easily confuddled, stormy

Just watch out for being hard on the brakes going into a tight right hand bend, cos the front down pipe can ground fairly easily ........ go on, ask me how I know!!! yeh, I know it was only a demonstrator bike ..... stormy

Well, in a (big) nutshell, I've had all the usual problems that seem to affect the V-Stroms, although to be fair, my biggest problem has been my supplying dealer. I live in germany for a large part of my time, near Hamburg, (as my partner is german), so when we were looking to go touring we bought a V-Strom from our local dealer. Unfortunately his attitude seems to be "got yer money now fook off", and as such has been unwilling to rectify many of the little niggles that have afflicted my bike. He says that any warranty work will only be done in the winter, cos that's when the workshop is quiet and he has the time to spare, so he generally chucked a set of loan bike keys in my direction and told me to come back in the winter. Only problem is with that is my Strom has all the factory fitted hard luggage and the 600 bandit or the Hayabusa didn't! So not exactly good service. The bike: Well after I had run the bike in for 1500 kms, the rear piston failed and trashed the engine. Quick fix - new engine. Sorted. Not. Second engine siezed after 135 kms, but we think this was due to some oil containmation problem. Again new engine, on my third now. Now this engine has done 11000 kms without breaking down, most of which has been two-up with lots of luggage fitted, so not all bad news. However, after about 500 kms, the engine developed a pronounced knocking at idle, especially when it is hot after a fast run. Dealer says "they are all like that", but they are not, even his own demonstrator don't knock. Also we found that when accelerating hard, and believe me, these bikes don't hang around, the noise from the bottom of the engine was awful. Despite several attempts at convincing the dealer to sort the thing out, i eventually brought the bike to the UK and asked for help from Suzuki UK. Now my bike is german registered and supplied, and Suzuki UK have been brilliant. They booked my bike into Stamford Superbikes, who diagnosed some of noises as being a failing clutch basket, common on the -02 and -03 models. So whilst the parts were ordered up, I was still using the bike, then the slave cylinder went belly up, leaving me stranded by the side of the road. Both the slave cylinder and clutch basket were replaced at the same time, and have cured most of the horrible noises coming from the engine. However I still have this pronounced knocking, (since the new clutch is a lot quieter than the old one, it lets the sound out more) and Suzuki UK are still investigating this now. It sounds like a big end bearing failure (just to give you an idea of the sound) and is loudest when the bike is hot and in an upright position, e.g. sitting at a set of lights. put the bike on the sidestand, and the noise all but disappears, which is why Suzuki think it may be a crankshaft endfloat problem, (on the TL1000 s and R models, this is adjusted with a thrust washer, but strangely DL1000 don't have this washer :shock: ). As I said, this is still under investigation, but Suzuki say it is definitley not normal, no shit sherlock! Other things: The bike ran like a pig from new, regardless of which engine, misfiring, snatching at low rpm low speed, all of which was improved when I took the bike to BSD to have it checked out for fuelling. It would appear that the original dealer filled the fooker with petrol and handed over the keys, without actually doing a pre-delivery inspection. It is much better now, and as an aside, these bikes are sensitive to correct chain tension, too much slack and the throttle response is very snatchy. Over heating: the bike runs very hot all the time, much hotter than other V-Stroms I've ridden, but we suspect it may be simply a temp sender unit giving a false reading. Course then the fan cuts in and that is hitting something under the cowl, so makes a racket, but that will be sorted when the bike goes into the dealer again next week. Coolant leaks: Most Stroms leak water from every hose clip, and is easily fixed by giving the clips a quick half turn, after that no problems. Other fings: Dealer induced front wheel replacement, after a service, the twat left the "R" clip out of the front right brake caliper, pad retaining pin, so the pin came out (on these bikes they come out towards the wheel, not outboard) and proceeded to carve a slot in the spokes of the front wheel. We noticed it as we were leaving Donnington this year. The pin was also not fitted through the pad themselves, so the pads could have fallen out at any time. Don't bear thinking about. New front wheel (following a threat of prosecution) sorted that out. Side stand fell off whilst at lights, obviously the screws hadn't been tightened after a service or sumfink. It all sounds a lot, but on the upside, it is a fun bike to ride, bloody quick for a trailie styled bike, very good for touring i.e. comfy, econmical, handles very well (relatively I know), carries luggage easily, is distinctive to look at (subjective I know, some think it is ugly). Once I get the knocking sorted, even if Suzuki come back and say it is nothing to worry about and won't cause a failure, then I'll be a very happy bunny. I like the bike generally, and I think if I'd bought the bike from a UK dealer, then none of the dealer induced crap would have happened. I'll probably keep it for another year and then replace it with a TDM 900 or an FJR1300. sorry for the war and peace epic, but ya did ask!!! stormy

Thanks for the warm welcome, hope to meet up with ya all some warm day! stormy

also, you can visit some of us at www.Bikersoracle.com under "Forums" then "Thunderace/cat" see ya there, I think expatmatt is on there aswell stormy

have you been onto the TRX forum, as the same question was asked there recently, basically it is a big job, and not for the faint hearted. [email protected] stormy.

I'll post something tomorrow, cos I'm off to land of nod, not all bad news though .....

[quote="Unmutual But what about DL1000 clutch baskets, Have fun! 8) kin 'ell, I come here to get away from my bloody V-Strom problems, and what do I find .......... effin clutch hassles being mentioned!! so why Yamahas.... I like my TRX cos I built the thing up from a box of broken bits, and is just that bit different from other bikes, I like my Ace cos I like the comfort, speed, grunt, and looks of the thing (actually it's my second one, so kinda speaks for itself). I've had Hondas, been ok, but actually the most unreliable bikes I've ver owned, Kwacks are ok, but a bit boring at times, Suzukis, got a DL1000 with loads of troubles, so less said the better, but the yamahas have always been brilliant, so I like 'em. stormy

ahem, first, you got to come and collect said bike!!!! guess who ........ :hi :neener