Ttaskmaster

Gotta know all the facts afore ya rides yer bike. That image just might stop some stupid twat from misbehaving and save a life or few...

That's why I love the old FJ editorials in magazines!!

Ride clutchless or, if you don't feel confident/even know about it USE THE FUCKING BREAKDOWN - THAT is why you bloody well paid for it in the first place!! You don't think they could manage to reach you on busy town roads or something? Fuck, just pull up on the nearest pavement, brake to a stall, park up and walk to the fucking garage or even catch a taxi, as you're in the busy part of a town. Buy a cable, walk back, swap them out and be off. Failing that, call your mum or a friend and have them go get you a cable while you guard your bike... That was seriously fucking stupid and anyone doing the same will get no sympathy here.

Had a massive dragonfly decide to take up residence, once... Visor up, reach in, pluck out and fling away. Wipe hand on leg and rev on.

YOC is like KGB. You never leave KGB. You may pretend ride other bike, but you stills are Owning of Yamaha. Seemples... Also: In Soviet Russia, YOC joins you!!

Roll your sleeve up. Relax your forearm completely. With your other hand, pinch a half inch along the underside of your forearm and wiggle it about. Feel the tension on the top side of your skin? Now rest your whole forearm on the desktop, keep it relaxed but press your whole forearm down into the surface. Now wobble it about. See where the skin moves round on the top? That's your tear point. Now go do that at 20-30mph on bare road surface!!

No idea top of my head, but Wemoto will do the right chains & sprockets and for less than £60! http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/yamaha/xv_125_virago/97-00/transmission_-_chain_and_sprocket_kits/#transmission_-_chain_and_sprocket_kits

Black with orangey-gold looks OK on certain bikes. Black with Red can also look good, but not the other way around. Silver with black accents looks pretty damn good. Orangey-red with Reddish-gold looks stupid. Depends how you do it and which way around you place the colours. I always favour black frames with olive green/olive drab furnishings, myself. Might look odd with a load fo chrome, though. Do a Google Image search fro "Dragstar" and lost look through for some ideas. That's how I found this beast:

Sounds more like the battery has lost charge, especially as you've let it sit for a while. Get an Optimate or similar and give it a charge, see if that helps. You can also jump-start it in an emergency. Remember, bikes generally only start charging the battery up once you get above basic revs. Start the bike up and position it somewhere you can see the Headlight and Neutral light (facing a wall in a darkened area is good). Then rev up slowly. You'll find there's a point where the headlight and dash lights suddenly brighten. That's when it starts charging the battery. It's not massive, either. Maybe 2000rpm. Note that the bike usually revs higher than this while you ride, but it takes a good ride to keep the battery topped up. Short 5-10 minute bimbles down the shop won't do it, especially in Winter. It's kinda like needing a decent ride just to get the engine oil up to temperature.

If there's enough tension across the skin surface, it will rip wherever there is tension. However, degloving is not just skin, but flesh as well. Like if you pull on a muscle at one end, it rips in the middle or further up. I've been punched just under the chin, yet the skin tore along the edge of my lower lip.

Wish I could join you...

Wicked - Hey, we even have a few Cardiffians on the forum!!

Heya Lex! Interesting list of bikes, there - Got any photos?

However advisable it may be to do so, Trikers and the (often) pricks riding Quads on the road are not actually *required* to wear a lid by law. Highway Code says they 'should' wear one, but does not say they MUST. Also look up 'Motor Cycles (Protective Helmets) Regulations 1988. Statutory Instrument 1998 No 1807'.

Hi Carl, Can I ask you to whack a quick Intro up in the newbie section? Ordinarily you wouldn't get much of a response, as lacking an Intro is considered bad 'netiquette', but since you've written such a detailed post I'm keen to help. Doesn't need to be much, just a bit about yourself, age and riding/mechanical experience. Remember to include your town too, as all this helps us find a decent solution for you. Whacking it into your Profile is a good idea, too

Couple more for you, both riders wearing jeans: Zombie, a well-known rider from a few years ago - Lovely chap, holder of every advanced riding and training certificate you could imagine. If ever you wanted to do IAM or something, he was THE man to go to. When he does the safety talk on CBTs, the first thing he shows students is his left leg - Prosthetic, which he earned in his youth when crashing at a mere 15mph in unarmoured denim jeans. Wear what you like on yer bike, people. Just don't come crying if something happens that you could have prevented!!

So, what bike has he got?

Poor bugger, probably didn't think. Still a bad thing and glad you stepped in, mate!

Just about anywhere that offers braided cables should be able to make you up a really nice set. Thing is, you either go for cheap, or for good. The two are rarely good friends.

Getting the same up our way, as we're actually in Wokingham's area. I leave late for work to avoid the worst of the cnuts.

There are MUCH better ones than that. I probably can't link to them though, so you'll have to Google...

This *is* civil, Foameh... It's only out of control when it starts to get like ARRSE, here!!

At least he can probably spell poofter :lol:

Here's an example of a really good one: As mentioned on your other post, this is a community, so folk here not so keen on replying to one-post wonders whose first post is a demand for help and doesn't even have 'please'. It's considered kinda rude, y'see I'd also advise putting your town in your profile, as there may even be a member local who can help in person.

Oh... not gonna do an intro, then?