Ttaskmaster

Might want to change your oil, mate.

One other point - Leather in itself is not waterproof. It's more like a sponge. However, it is still by far the best mmaterial for protecting your skin in an off...

33bhp is 400cc, which is plenty of power to misbehave with. Trust me - I speak from experience*. Personally, I'd love to see a young'un on a properly restricted Hayabusa or Rocket III... Just because. *Pulling a stoppie in front of your instructor on an XJ400 does NOT bode well for your forthcoming test

I'd be more worried about the wheel rims - 2 miles on a flat tyre is a long way...

Yeah, I was just playing and decided to see... Good news is that it WILL still work if it has to - ie middle of feck all, pouring rain and with completely karked battery, I can still get us home. But yes, not something to do regularly by any means...

I saw some kiddies on their practical test yesterday, so I guess the Theory people are open too...

Nope. And I ain't got my service manual to hand, either... Dammitt... Have you a caliper to hand or something?

Well, I'm a firm believer in using things as they were designed to be used. Scooters are 'pootle-about-town' devices, used for... well, pootling about town. Messing with something can kill your resale value when you come to change bikes as half the buyers won't even touch a de-restricted vehicle. I always advise just getting a bigger machine, if/when you can... As for what those fancy words mean - Click here Each tech term has a link to what the damn thing means. As for 'how good' it is... compare it to some other similar models. Obviously it's crap compared to a Hayabusa or a Rocket III, but fairly reasonable compared to some other scooters.

Might want to do the air filter, plugs etc as well... Aw heck, just check everything - Your bike will love you for it!!

I'd take the whole wheel along to the tyre place. Mine do all the fancy stuff, like balancing it etc, all while you wait. There's also a mobile tyre fitters round our way. They offer a few other services too: GS Motorcycle Tyres BTW - Spokes should indeed all sound the same. Generally a resonant 'DINGGGGGGGGGGGG', rather than a dull 'DINK'.

Mine does it with the battery removed... Dunno how. Just does.

OK, listened... and still don't understand.

OK, so that's a "meow, woof, tweet, squeak, neigh, cluck, baa, hee-haw and oink"... What sounds are made by tortoises and rabbits??!!

Lower one, huh? Exact same as mine. My chappie cut down between (what was left of) the shock and its swingarm bracket. Essentially, he cut the bolt and replaced it, but kept the collar. The grinder did graze the collar a few times, but all worked out in the end. Replace with a Hagon shock, by the way - They're excellent!!!

You left the bike running with lights on for 20 minutes, or just the ignition? If the latter, then yeah it will kill your battery very quick. However, in case this ever happens again and you're away from assistance, the 125 Drag is light enough that you can easily bump-start it in 2nd gear... or even 1st if you're forceful enough. Being at the top of a hill helps... Is it not the opposite side? The one with the key is the 'glove compartment', innit?

If you have a workshop manual, it shouldn't be a problem. Read it carefully and all the way through the procedure before doing any of it... and I do mean everything. Both Haynes and the official workshop service manual have a habit of only mentioning useful details in the small print!! You will need to take the top off the brake reservoir first, as it's a sealed, pressurised system. You won't get anywhere without doing that first. Just remember to put a big rag around the reservoir first, in case any brake fluid spills. Next, you will want to undo those two bolts marked in the manual. You can then just hinge open the caliper assembly without having to remove the whole thing. The pads should pop out OK, maybe with a little persuasion. If you do need to fiddle around a bit, opening the reservoir will allow you to do so. Once those are out, push the pistons back and whack in the new pads. Reassemble in reverse order. Once the new pads are fitted, test the brake pressure and only then use the bleed nipple/valve to drive air out as you build the brakes back up again. Alles klar? Any other issues or questions, feel free to ask.

How long are you letting it warm up? I give mine a good minute, every single morning. I take that minute to go round, giving it the POWER check: Petrol Oil Water Electrics Rubber Or, in the case of Cruisers, W = Weather Some Winters, I also turn the idle up just a touch, depending on how cold it is that year.

Right under the seat, on teh right hand side. Undo the Allen bolt and gently, but firmly, lever away the panel. If you have a Classic, the panel is likely the same colour as the tank. If you have a Custom, it's probably chromed. Get an owners' manual and/or a workshop/service manual. You're gonna need it.

I always buy stuff from Halfords. Got a couple of nice sets from their smaller Professional Set range. Pretty solid stuff, feels good to use, reasonably priced and in metric, too. A lot of the pro mechanics round this way also buy from Halfords - They all recommended I do the same.

I had the same problem when my monoshock bust right off it's bolt bracket. My mechanic was able to carefully angle-grind the thing apart. Is this the lower bolt on the swingarm, or teh upper one that connects to the main frame you're having trouble with?

Outstanding, dude!!!!!!!! Good to have you back with us, too!

22mm. Apparently, that's 7/8ths.

I'll nod at yer. If you don't nod back, you're a miserable wanker.

Almost got an XJR1300 myself... Just a little too big for the day-to-day stuff, I felt. I'm only 5' 11", though...

Eh? What'd I do? I cannae see YouTube here at work. Which song is that?