Just been given yes given an XV125.

[Iceni]

Hey people.

This has been an odd week for me, A friend is moving to a new country and has an old bike that he used very briefly. He's not wanting any ties back to the UK, And in addition wants to move as quickly as possible.

This means that his XV125 that has only been used for 2103 miles has just been handed to me.

I have no knowlege about bikes, I'm a 32 year old, Had a driver licence since 17, But never owned or used any bike.

As far as i know he dropped it on a roundabout at very very low speed about 5 years ago, Lost his bottle and never got on it again. The damage to the bike was a minor scuff on the electric covers on the drivers side, But no other damage. I think he hurt his pride more than the bike.

Anyhow the bike has not been used. I've dropped the oil, and put some new oil in to make sure it starts. It suprisingly does. All of the electrics appear to be fine as well. Neutral light, normal lights ect.

My question is this, How do I go about ensuring that a bike that has been stood for so long is road worthy. I know that the MOT should validate some concirn but at present it doesn't have one. And I have no idea about how to go about checking the machine to make sure it will pass.

From what i can see when i've looked over the bike.

The cables are tight, and need reworking.

The fuel needs changing.

The oil wants swapping again, this time with a new filter.

The tyres are slighty flat, and i need to check the tyre walls. They do hold pressure tho and have been sat at low pressure not flat. As far as i can tell the walls are intact no cracks.

Can somone point me in the correct direction for some kind of check list to perform to ensure that most of the functions on the bike are working as intended.

Also does anyone know where to get a user manual and service manual. I have neither, and would like very much to have a travel path around the bike and a reference guide to getting the correct oil ect before I do any more tinkering. The oil in it atm is just some castrol 10w 40 magantec I had in the garage. Figured for just turning it over without doing any riding it would be fine. The correct oil will be needed before i can test the clutch ect.

Many thanks for looking.

The bike is identical to this one. Including the same seat.

[Airhead]

Wow thats lucky, hope he doesnt owe finance

you seem to be on the right lines about what to check/change...tyres oil/filter...battery...not much more with an aircooled bike

you made a mistake with the car oil you put in, bikes have wet clutches and need bike specific oil...get down to halfords for some 10/40 oil they have an offer on at the moment I think

Greetings and

[Iceni]

I'm pretty sure the bike is clear. The guy works on an oil rig and tends to pay cash, Plus it's the 2001 model. You'd have to evade pretty hard to manage to avoid payments for 12 years I'll check anyway when I get the documents through.

you made a mistake with the car oil you put in, bikes have wet clutches and need bike specific oil

I've just read that thread on here about oil I knew it was a mistake when I was putting it in. Since it wasn't going to be put into gear i figured it wouldn't hurt the engine. I plan on stripping the clutch, I don't fancy the idea of 12 year old clutch plates exploding due to age at high speed I had that happen in a MK1 fiesta (my first car). And it made me aware of how much stress they take It also taught me how to drive a car without a clutch after having a chat to my grandad over the phone. He said start in it gear and feel the gears in.... Suprisingly the car was fine after a 15 mile drive home and new plates went in!

[Airhead]

yeah i'm only joking iceni

get that oil changed again though

[Iceni]

get that oil changed again though

Will do

I'll have to do a bit of searching in my area for parts dealers. I can nip into Halfords for the oil, But if i'm dropping it I may as well do the filters, and strip the clutch as well. I do know the wife of a local club member, While I have no interest in been part of his little club I do apriciate his expirience with the bike itself. I'll get him to come apriaise the machine since i know he lives for his bikes, And will be able to spot a defect at 100 paces. His wife should keep his nefarious intrests at bay, and the fact I'm closer to a hippy than a biker Not much use to his crowd of people, It's still some scary dealings to think your friends could also become your enemies just by having an affiliation. It almost feels like a political minefield.

[beef]

sounds like you are on the right lines with it.

you may need to strip the carb and clean it as its been stood with fuel in it, you may need to do the fork seals as well as they may have dried out. and then its full sevice mode. clean all elctrical connections. change filters, may be some bearings.

get your cbt and get out on the road and have fun

where abouts are you? fill in your details on the user control panel.....

[Iceni]

I went out today and got myself a lid.

Ended up with a caberg justissimo. It's new had the Gold stamp, and more importantly was only £80. I have a silly sized head apparently. XS is not common, and this lid had been sat a fair amount of time in the back of the shop untouched.

I also picked up some gloves and already own a leather biker jacket. I'll swap the jacket for a kevlar one when i have a CBT and start to get ready to go on the road. For the minute the basic protection is in place for me. And I can progress to actually working on the bike.

I also turned the bike over today. It's still on the wrong oil, But the clutch is still siezed. So I just let in run for 30 mins, It's not had a decent length tick over for a long time. It fiered up second time, came back off the choke after about 3 mins of running. Once off the choke it was reving to full with no sputtering and no apparent loss of power through the range (audable only). Once i get these parts on order (thursday) and have a tinker with the internals I think I'll have to get myself booked in for a CBT!

Beef I'll add my location later, For the minute the bike is un-insured and sat locked in a back garden. I don't want to advertise a location until I have a gound anchor, and Insurance in place

[dt502001]

Hi and belated welcome.

The wrong oil won't make the clutch stick,in fact it will help free it up.

Before pulling the clutch appart,try removing the cable it's self and see if it's not seized.

The clutch actuating arm on the eng should move with some effort, Tap with a hammer if it won't move. once freed up with the eng running again the arm might just free up now that its being lubed

The internals of the clutch don't normaly seize up short of the metal plates sticking to the fiber plates,but that dosent stop the clutch lever from moving,the actuating arm and different metals involved are what would.You can pop the cover off and free up the clutch plates before ordering new parts,other than a gasket, as a bike clutch is multi plate wet clutch they last a long time unless abused.And with the small HP of a 125 it's prety hard to abuse it

As far as 12 yr old plates blowing appart not likely,I'v still got the original's in my 13yr old bike.

Good luck with the CBT and happy riding

[Iceni]

Before pulling the clutch appart,try removing the cable it's self and see if it's not seized.

The clutch actuating arm on the eng should move with some effort, Tap with a hammer if it won't move. once freed up with the eng running again the arm might just free up now that its being lubed

The internals of the clutch don't normaly seize up short of the metal plates sticking to the fiber plates,but that dosent stop the clutch lever from moving,the actuating arm and different metals involved are what would.You can pop the cover off and free up the clutch plates before ordering new parts,other than a gasket, as a bike clutch is multi plate wet clutch they last a long time unless abused.And with the small HP of a 125 it's prety hard to abuse it

I've already checked the cable and arm. It's working as intended The sump was left dry for a bit so i suspect the plates have been bound on. I'd rather just swap them over. It's actually an added saftey measure atm since i know if anyone tries to steal it and drive it away they won't get it moving. It'll just stall as soon as your drop it into gear. There was a fear the big end would be ceased, but the starter motor was able to push the engine without a problem one we got some oil in her. We gave the engine a few turns over, then left it for a few mins before doing it again. The guy helping me thought this an unneeded step but a siezed big eng would have been disasterous.

I've spent a bit of time looking it over while it was ticking over.

The brakes are fine. No deep rust on the front disk, and the pads have some left on them.

The rear drum is free and working, I've not been able to test either under powerd movement up the garden, But pushing in neutral both work.

The handle bars appear to have a very slight missalignment to them. The throttle side is closer to the rider than the clutch side. I suspect this was done in the drop as the bars appear to be pretty thin mild steel. There is also an end cap missing from the clutch side hand grip.

Suspension is fine, No rust, no leaks. the springs are intact and clear of any problem as well.

The worst rust is on the rear cissy bar, and luggage cage. This looks to be a cheaper chrome job than the rest of the machine, I'm not even sure if it's a factory fit or aftermarket. The rust here while not dangerous is bad enough to be detrimental to the bike even if scrubbed back. I have 2 options. Take the one thats on it off and have it powder coated, or buy a new one. I suspect it'll be cheaper to get a new one.

I also need to pick up a feeler guage and do the tappets as she sounds a little pinky. Might just be the engine but i think a general service will help. Might be that the valve springs have been sat compressed and i have soft springs. Either way thats not too hard a job on such a small engine, I used to service honda GX160 engines almost daily when we raced karts, These little Vtwins are a little more complicated but not rocket science. Provided I pay attention do i don't drop a valve it should all be good

I'm going to drag it out tomorrow and get some pictures up, I'm like a child with a toy ATM. My wife has been laughing at me for been sat in front of the pc in a helmet and gloves...... LOL

[Nick-Bikesure]

I've already checked the cable and arm. It's working as intended The sump was left dry for a bit so i suspect the plates have been bound on. I'd rather just swap them over. It's actually an added saftey measure atm since i know if anyone tries to steal it and drive it away they won't get it moving. It'll just stall as soon as your drop it into gear. There was a fear the big end would be ceased, but the starter motor was able to push the engine without a problem one we got some oil in her. We gave the engine a few turns over, then left it for a few mins before doing it again. The guy helping me thought this an unneeded step but a siezed big eng would have been disasterous.

I've spent a bit of time looking it over while it was ticking over.

The brakes are fine. No deep rust on the front disk, and the pads have some left on them.

The rear drum is free and working, I've not been able to test either under powerd movement up the garden, But pushing in neutral both work.

The handle bars appear to have a very slight missalignment to them. The throttle side is closer to the rider than the clutch side. I suspect this was done in the drop as the bars appear to be pretty thin mild steel. There is also an end cap missing from the clutch side hand grip.

Suspension is fine, No rust, no leaks. the springs are intact and clear of any problem as well.

The worst rust is on the rear cissy bar, and luggage cage. This looks to be a cheaper chrome job than the rest of the machine, I'm not even sure if it's a factory fit or aftermarket. The rust here while not dangerous is bad enough to be detrimental to the bike even if scrubbed back. I have 2 options. Take the one thats on it off and have it powder coated, or buy a new one. I suspect it'll be cheaper to get a new one.

I also need to pick up a feeler guage and do the tappets as she sounds a little pinky. Might just be the engine but i think a general service will help. Might be that the valve springs have been sat compressed and i have soft springs. Either way thats not too hard a job on such a small engine, I used to service honda GX160 engines almost daily when we raced karts, These little Vtwins are a little more complicated but not rocket science. Provided I pay attention do i don't drop a valve it should all be good

I'm going to drag it out tomorrow and get some pictures up, I'm like a child with a toy ATM. My wife has been laughing at me for been sat in front of the pc in a helmet and gloves...... LOL

Hi,

After a delay in getting on, I will now be on here almost every day to see if I can help any members, if you want me to give a call about the insurance, feel free to PM me details as we offer discounted rates for forum members.

Cheers

Lee

I went out today and got myself a lid.

Ended up with a caberg justissimo. It's new had the Gold stamp, and more importantly was only £80. I have a silly sized head apparently. XS is not common, and this lid had been sat a fair amount of time in the back of the shop untouched.

I also picked up some gloves and already own a leather biker jacket. I'll swap the jacket for a kevlar one when i have a CBT and start to get ready to go on the road. For the minute the basic protection is in place for me. And I can progress to actually working on the bike.

I also turned the bike over today. It's still on the wrong oil, But the clutch is still siezed. So I just let in run for 30 mins, It's not had a decent length tick over for a long time. It fiered up second time, came back off the choke after about 3 mins of running. Once off the choke it was reving to full with no sputtering and no apparent loss of power through the range (audable only). Once i get these parts on order (thursday) and have a tinker with the internals I think I'll have to get myself booked in for a CBT!

Beef I'll add my location later, For the minute the bike is un-insured and sat locked in a back garden. I don't want to advertise a location until I have a gound anchor, and Insurance in place

[Iceni]

After a delay in getting on, I will now be on here almost every day to see if I can help any members, if you want me to give a call about the insurance, feel free to PM me details as we offer discounted rates for forum members.

Superb, When the time comes for getting on the road I'll make sure i come get a quote from you guys.

That might not be for a few months, I'm currently looking at the new slightly more confusing Motorbike test system. From what i can gather.

I can ride for 2 years on a CBT, provided i do the CBT on a 125.

I can then do either a 125 comunter licence, Or direct acess to 600cc. Since i am over 24 years old.

I'm going to have a word with the local test centres. I think we have a speedway, and an airfield in the local area both doing CBT + tests. I'll be phoning and getting quotes once I get my full licence back. It's due for a card renewall.

[cupcake1973]

Glad I don't have to go through the new bike test system, it's all rather complicated these days. I do understand the need to try and make things safer, but how come the driving test has gone through so few changes in comparison?

All drivers should have to take (and pass) a CBT before they're even allowed behind the wheel as a learner IMO.

Anyway, I digress from topic. Phoning around a few places is a good idea before you decide what test route to take and how much it's likely to cost. A good training centre should give you some decent advice if you're not sure

[KirriePete]

Why do I never get given bikes?

I can ride for 2 years on a CBT, provided i do the CBT on a 125.

I can then do either a 125 comunter licence, Or direct acess to 600cc. Since i am over 24 years old.

You can ride for 2 years on a CBT, regardless of what bike you do your CBT on (yes, you can do it on a 50cc twist'n'go then jump on your 125).

Then just do the Direct Access, the tests are the same, the cost of the tests are the same, everything's the same except you're on the bigger bike for lessons and the actual test. In between lessons you have the 125 to practice on, so you should be able to cut down on the number of lessons required which will bring your costs down.

Clutch - before stripping it down, have you actually tried putting the bike into gear (engine running, a bit of throttle, brakes on)? If the plates are a bit stuck together then this may be all that's needed to separate them, that stickiness will be the weakest point in the drivetrain so it should unstick first.

[Iceni]

Clutch - before stripping it down, have you actually tried putting the bike into gear (engine running, a bit of throttle, brakes on)? If the plates are a bit stuck together then this may be all that's needed to separate them, that stickiness will be the weakest point in the drivetrain so it should unstick first.

Yeah I tried that one already. Thinking it might just be enough to pop the plates appart. I think it's just a case of popping the clutch cover off and giving it a tap. The parts are pretty cheap to replace it. Less than £30 so i'm not going to loose out even if it's all bound up and needs scraping appart.

ATM even with the clutch in when you pop it into gear the bike lurches and stalls instantly. If the plates are not at fault part of the linkage inside might have a problem so i need to inspect it even if it suddelnly pops free. It's just not worth the hassle of it going pop when I'm out on it. I'd rather have 100% knowelege of what the problem is and know it's fixed.

I also don't know how the clutch sperates. I would assume it's an arm that seperates the plates towards your foot. Then upon relese the plate come back into contact.

I have found the XV125s manual on the yamaha homepage. While not a haynes manual it has enough information for me to be able to forumlate a work plan for the bike and a service schedule.

Why do I never get given bikes?

Odd as it might sound it's not the first gift with an engine I've recived! I got a Honda gx160 based kart given from a mate for doing their mechanic work without pay for 2 years, The same guy also gave me my first car, a fiesta MK1, then he tried to give me a honda H100. I didn't want that bike as I already had the car by that point! This XV125 is from a differnt person, I have however done him a lot of favors. Stop your perverted minds right away..

[Airhead]

the plates are stuck together, they will pull apart, why do you think they need replacing?

as for the trying to free them, get the engine hot it may help

[Cynic]

The clutch is nothing like a car. It certainly cant explode or pop. But if left the plates can stick quite solidly together.

Definitely worth inspecting before you shell out for new parts.

[Iceni]

Thanks people! I know i've joined the correct forum when people take not only an active interest, But they gang up on me because I've got no expirience and they know better

[Airhead]

yeah weve got your best interests at heart iceni

[Iceni]

The clutch is free I used your advice, ran the engine till hot, Pulled the clutch in then dropped into gear. The bike lurched and stalled. So i restarted it, And did the same thing again but on about 1/3 throttle. Bumped straight onto the clutch. I then sat with the bike ticking over for probably an hour, just moving up and down the garden. Didn't get out of 1st, but everything is working. Front brake is very keen. Rear brake is easy to control. The engine didn't stall or go flat once.

I also found the saddle wasn't attached So 2 bolts have gone in to secure that.

The bike has been given a coat of WD40. Figured it would help remove the spiders webs, and give it a little surface grease. It's also made the electric controls spring back faster.

The only thing i forgot to do was take my camera with me! And by the time i got back into the house I was coverd in WD40.

[Iceni]

I finally got the camera out ( well my phone at least).

Here she is!