Ttaskmaster

Having heard two very different sets of pipes on a pair of Blackbirds this weekend, loud pipes officially suck!! The loud ones made the bike sound like a hollow, ranty child. The quieter ones had a far more menacing tone and the bike sounds like it actually meant its animalistic growl!!

Drag tanks are great. Nice biiig things, far better than the silly lemon shape of Intruders or the upswept things on Viragoes. This was still an actual Drag tank, though, just painted over. Rider was a typical moody Harley boy, as well. Just stared at me snootily, rather than noding and smiling as I did!

Not rider pegs, but you can on pillion pegs.

Sorry, you said the cables themselves were tight. Well if the valves are too tight and/or things cannot fully close then yeah you will get a chugging, as the system is open and bleeding. Compression/exhaust will be cyclic and come in spurts, hence chug. You know who I'd suggest can answer this in an instant, though, so I won't keep harping on... One of us... One of us...One of us...One of us...One of us...!!!!!

Chuffing - No idea. Hole developing in one pipe, perhaps? Blockage or carbon crap? Throttle cable - Can you not slacken them off a touch? Might need a bit of lubing up, too.

REALLY??!! I dunno... that's pretty feckin' sexy....!!

Just to add my usual contrary opinion on things... I actually saw a genuine Harley earlier on this week. The rider was pushing it to the petrol station!! I'd have helped, but he only had 100 yards left and he'd have made it by the time I caught up. I love Cruisers in general, but there's not a single Harley I've ever actually liked. They're cheap to insure because you're not expected to take it out very often and then only in pristine weather! If it were me, I'd pick a Yammie every single time. Bolt, Midnight Star, Dragstar, Warrior... I'd take a Triumph, Suzi or Honda before a Harley too... I'd probably even violate my own self on a Kawasaki before I bought a Harley!! Fortunately, for those that really want to live the American dream, Victory motorcycles are pretty good! Harleys are massively overinflated prices for seriously outdated tech. You're buying the name. This much is evident when you look at the stuff in their dealerships. I saw a single pair of Harley boxer shorts once. Price tag said they were £48. I thought that was pricey, but understandable from such a titanic brand name... then I looked closer and saw that the £ was already printed on - This *single pair* of undercrackers was being sold for £148!!!!! This is official Harley merchandise from an official Harley shop!!!!! Fuck...... THAT!!! I've had a leather jacket, uniquely designed, fully tailored and custom made from scratch, for less money!! But that's the price you pay and it extends to everything - Accessories, parts, service, consumables... all of it. Harleys belong on the long straight roads of America. The fact that they were trying to come up with a model actually "designed for European roads" themselves speaks enough testament to that. Plus you'll then be a 'Harley Rider', buying Harley accessories and dealing with Harley dealers, living The Harley Lifestyle and all that... There's no stopping it. It just happens. Buy smart - Buy YAMAHA!!!

I started down that route initially. I clocked the bike and was ready to smoke it, but then got worried as I suddenly found myself really loving the look of it... I was concerned that I'd finally found a Harley I actually liked... so I looked closer. Saw the paintwork, recognised the engine, the overall picture clicked and then I was left staring at the other parts that still read YAMAHA and wondering - WWHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY???!!! Then the lights changed and I rememebred I'm on an FJ now. He tried to race, bless 'im, but I've been there on that bike myself and know how it goes - You can beat most cars, but not The Battle Bitch!! But it was already written on it, right there!!! Would this not be something you'd proudly advertise??!! You don't see people driving.... say.... a MkIII Toyota Supra, with 'Ford Transit' painted all over it, do you? I'm hoping it's all some elaborate joke that usually gets explained when people are able to chat with the guy at a cafe or something, but on the surface it looks like the poor fella is a penniless wannabe - He didn't even have the Beard-Bandana-Beer Belly thing going on!

Riding home through Reading and down the A33 last night. Bike pulls up next to me, rider in head-to-toe Cruiserboy gear, just like in the brochure. Bike chugging away with custom pipes on. I smile and recall when I rode one of those Yamaha XVS650 Dragstar Custom... Red & Silver with Orange accents, 1999 paint scheme, which I recognise as I had one myself... Except for one confusing detail. Every inch of this thing is a Dragstar... Except the tank has HARLEY DAVIDSON in stylised writing painted on the side... WHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?????!!!!!

REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!! REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!! REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!! When you're approaching about 100 miles, try and keep your riding close to a fuel station. You should usually expect to get 15-20 more miles on Reserve. and in case you missed it: REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!!

You will need to search for a bit, but you can probably find suitable cables of the required length. I think you'd get a better fit and more satisfying build quality more easily if you had them custom-made, as well. Might even be cheaper getting it from one place than loads of different shops.

You might notice a slight drop in performance. However, it is a Cruiser, so was never a race contender to begin with.

REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!! It works like this: Silly artist cannot spell 'Drawn', but the idea is correct. One other mark you may have on your fuel tap is 'PRI', which is short for Prime. If ever you run out of fuel, or run pretty darn low, you must switch it to Prime when you fill up and first start it again. REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!! Practice switching the tap from On to Res. Sit there on the bike, hold it upright and keep reaching down to memorise the location. Then repeat, while actually turning the tap. Know which way to turn it. This way, when all the other bikers start flustering when they hit reserve, you'll just reach down and flip it. Takes 2-3 seconds. You'll also be watching your odometer, so will know to expect it some time around the 100 mile mark. REMEMBER: When you fill up from having used Reserve, turn the tap back to On before riding away!!

I have an old 3.5" Android screen... You open the pic and reverse-pinch the image to enlarge it, then pan around. I knew exactly what it was anyway, but still had a nosey! Clue 1 merely raises suspicion. Clue 2 confirms it. The rest only feed further information. Read more Christie and get them 'leetle grey cells' working!!

"Brand-spanking new user"? Sounds like Goff has returned and is smacking the arse of a newbie with a large Yahama sign, or something!!

FJ1200 - Fuel gauge and electric reserve!! Might have had the same on the FJ1100, which is from 1978!!

Clues: 1/. This is the Yamaha Owners Forum. 2/. This has been posted with not a *shred* of shame. 3/. It says Star on the airbox. 4/. It says Bolt on the tank. 5/. Sash says it's a brand new bike. Deductions: 1 - It might well be a Yamaha. 2 - It is almost CERTAINLY a Yamaha!! 3 - It is one of the Star range of Cruisers. 4 - It's probably a Yamaha Bolt (XVS950). 5 - It's a brand new Yamaha Bolt. Fucking wicked bike Sash!!! I wouldn't mind a go myself!!

There's a few places you may find louder pipes. The other option is to drill holes in the back and/or remove the baffles. This messes with your performance though and will affect resale value if you ever decide 12BHP is not enough...

Repair kit & breakdown cover. Too many bad stories about the goop/foam and either how it only works on certain types of tyre/puncture, how tyres are unfixable afterward, or how owners had no idea they'd been punctured until later on when the tyre subsequently failed further.

Of course it will work. You get the white stuff and if it's dry enough, you crumble it into the spilled fluid, mash it around and leave for a couple of days. Return at the point where it's almost completely dry and just peel it off, taking the spill with it. It's all here in this handy pocket-sized pamphlet...

Yup, should be absolutely fine. Just be sure it's for a 4-stroke and it says Motorcycle Oil on the bottle, and you're good to go.

I'm already trading as Steve's Soakaways, actually. Tax returns are awkward, as I have to prove I make no profit.

If you have standard pipes, the panel should just unbolt and pop off with a bit of wiggling. They're usually held on with plastic barbs that fit into rubber grommets in the frame.

Depends on the clunk. Both my 650s used to do that, though it was more of a loud chug.

Check the cheapest parts first!