Ttaskmaster

My premium was only £88 fully comp... benefits of being an old git, I guess...!

Fat bottomed girls make the rockin' world go round!!

Name and shame, please - Where is this place, so we can all sensibly avoid it!!

Your topbox looks a little huge as well, Bippo...

Irish MOT may be different, but have a look at this and see how it compares to your bike: http://www.motuk.com/bike/1-1.asp

I never said small, I said uncomfortable. I've done Scotland and back on a Drag pillion... two diferent ones, actually, preferring the one with backrest as I could take photos and have a ciggie easier, but they were fine well past 2½ hours all day. Couldn't manage an hour on the Honda and I've coped with those pointy little Harley ones as well. I'm wondering about the peg height, as well as the pad. Yeah, fear will make your bike do that, I'm afraid... It just can't bear to see another bike pulling more birds!! Does it wet itself as well? But seriously, 100 extra CC, less weight, higher HP, chain drive and it still can't actually outrun the Drag? 0-60, the most oft reported value of the Widow is 7.6 seconds, while the Drag is an even 7. Highest top speed I can find for the Widow is 90.4mph, against the Drag's 96.3 (interestingly, Yamaha claim it's only 92)... Also, is this 100mph you mention an actual, measured, guaranteed 100mph, or just what your speedo said. If the latter, I beat you again with 107 and more to spare when the traffic isn't too heavy. You talk to Harley riders? BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!!!!!!! Sorry, that was rude of me. You were saying something...? Oh, yes... So, some Harley guy says he likes your bike... and that your piddly little 750 mid-size Cruiser can obliterate his, what are they, 1300cc one??!! Doing 0-60 he's 3.2 seconds faster than you straight off, topping out at 110-120mph (I believe Harleys are actually restricted to below 120mph, or something?). I think I know why his bike was in for repair... Honestly, I think he was just being nice to you, lad... Either that, or you're just making shit up, now. Either way, I'd possibly get a Virago over this Widow here. I toyed briefly with the Dyna just to insult you, but let's be serious. There are limits!! Depends how you set them up. I have mine pretty firm, braided into HH Sintered and running Avon Venoms both ends, as well as having the balls to brake hard if I need to. Never hit anything on the Drag so far. But you must be talking <9 centimetres of stopping distance at best. They simply cannot ever be "much much" better as they're still single disc calipers on a long-raked fork, with a drum for backup. Heck, I have twin disc 4-pot brakes on my FJ and that is only 'much' better than the Drag. The only reason you ever stop on a Cruiser is if you pray hard enough! Finally and most importantly... You're taling about a fucking Honda... This is the YAMAHA Owners Club. Dragstar wins every time here!!

No, don't leave it in Prime... Switch to Prime, start it and let it idle for a short bit, then turn to On and continue like that. Prime is just to push a bit more fuel through and usually used if you've run dry or close to it, as in ran a fair bit on Reserve.

If you try lifting a Cruiser's (or indeed most bike's) back end by pivoting it on the sidestand, the stand will fold in and the bike will hit the deck, likely on top of you. Either they are completely bullshitting, or they are seriously in need of a good head-kicking. Either way, NEVER go there again. Anyone responsible for certifying the safety of your bike shouldn't even joke about this... !! If they are not joking, then aside from damaging expensive bikes and charging the owner for their stupidity, they're also not doing the proper checks and likely letting people out on bikes that are not certified as safe because they're too lazy to do their jobs... They are not jokes, they are complete cunts and I use that word because they deserve all the severity, venom and hatred it brings. Cunts!! Do not go there again, or you'll get NO sympathy if you have any bike problems, at least not from me. Also, if they recently MOT'd your bike, then FFS get it re-done somewhere more reputable, as I'd not trust your bike as far as I could throw it if they are certifying it! If you were a bit closer (or if you're passing this area soon), I'd find you three guaranteed reliable places!

Well you either have to spend some money (Gemini pipes are the cheaper route, but you get what you pay for these days) or suck it up and do without. Set a couple of searches up so that whenever something you want comes up, you get it emailed directly to you. You'll need a couple of searched with different parameters ('Dragstar pipes', 'Dragstar exhausts', etc) but it'll only take 5 minutes and then it's set.

Aw come on, these are mid-size Cruisers. If you want proper torque, you'll want 4 figures on the CC! Err... Those of us already with partners, or who realise the sheer pulling power of a Cruiser!! Even my 125 Drag attracted random scantily-clad girlies with camera phones who wanted to pose draped sexily over it. Three times in fact (about the only thing London is good for). Hell, I even had a couple of blokes take a shine and while I politely declined their advances, the sentiment was still appreciated. The 650 was even better for pulling girls, with the added benefit of being able to take them home with you... Nothing worse than being drooled over as 'Mr Cool Biker' and having to turn down a very good offer from a very dirty girl!! Incidentally, the Cruiser pulling power is how I first met the woman I ended up marrying. It's all in how well (or badly) you look after it. Never had a problem with my chrome, aside from a few spots and the cause of that is the same reason my shock is fucked - Nothing to do with being a bad bike design, I just put my own through hell and back, on road and occasionally off. It shouldn't cope with how I treat it... but it managed!! Every Honda Cruiser I rode felt dull and unenthusiastic, until I tried the 1300 thing a couple years ago. The Drag actually felt fun to throw around! Mine was never particularly vibey, even past 100... assuming you're in top gear. It protested around 70, but that was in 4th, hee hee!! That changed a bit when I whacked non-standard pipes on, though... But, to your own tastes, I suppose...

Just certain touristy areas that have become a complete dump... But getting there is half the fun!!

He either watches the meter or he pushes it all the way home. He's a big boy now and must learn to deal with problems before they arise, or deal with the consequences. Scooters usually have space somewhere to fit a 2L bottle of emergency fuel or something too, so that's doubly prepared. Of course, when he arrives home breathless and severely pissed that you wouldn't come bail him out of trouble, simply ask why he didn't phone for the recovery service included on his insurance policy... "What, you didn't know? Did you not read the details of your policy, then?" It's harsh, perhaps, but that approach taught me well, from a very early age... and I'm sure my parents took great pleasure in it!!

Sell it and get a Yamaha one? Nah, check the mechanism. Dunno about the Aprilia but my FJ has a float on an arm inside the tank, pretty much like a toilet cistern, so when that drops below a certain level it triggers the fuel light. Sometimes they can (somehow) get bent or just stuck, especially if there's crap in the tank. Failing that, ignore the light and rely on the trip meter for an indication of fuel level. That's what most of us do, especially on bikes without fancy stuff like warning lights.

Yet another Drag rider - Goody good!! Plenty of Drag fans here - Welcome to the forum!

Thread needs more photos!!!

So they don't spin the back wheel to check the bearings and against freeplay, or anything like that? I'd find a better tester if I were you!!

Since we're critiqueing bikes - This is a chain drive, apparently... ??!! Also - Exhausts shaped like trumpets, round mirrors (always hate those, regardless of bike), uncomfortable pillion seat, over-shortened mudguard, smaller capacity fuel tank (by about 3 litres), 5 extra horsepower with a few kilos less but still a lower top speed rating... I don't know what, but *something* about it just reminds me of a Suzuki VanVan and I am overcome with fits of giggles!!

The official bike MOT manual is online for all to see. I posted the link here somewhere the other week...

Never heard of 'em...

Easy way to tell if it's under spring power alone - Bounce up and down on the back end. If it feels springy, it probably is. If it feels dampened, it probably is. Also inspect the piston itself, to see if the seal has blown and is leaking. If it's actually snapped, chances are a heavy bump will unseat the piston base from where it's braced against the bracket and your back end will drop down a few inches with a massive CLUNK, leaving you riding low. Because on the MOT, they *do* jack the back up to test the swingarm movement and to spin the rear wheel when testing the back brake, examining the tyre, etc. When they jack a broken one up the swingarm keeps lowering, prompting further inspection. The ONLY way to tell yourself if it's actually broken off is a stripped-down close inspection, or to jack it up and see it separate from the bracket.

Ah, outside my area. You should be able to get details from the local water company though, if it's not in the official survey.

If you have any, you likely won't be able to tell the difference between a main sewer manhole/inspection chamber cover and that for a private sewer, unless you work in the industry. However, I do so if you find anything, PM me the address details and if it's within our area, I'll let you know what we have there. If you have a mains sewer, we may require access to that in the event of flooding, or simple maintenance, which can be enforced through Section 159 of the Water Industry Act... but we ask nicely several times first and only use S159 if people are awkward buggers!

Most of that is likely just a camera symptom like filming a CRT TV screen and seeing the flicker. These are probably LED type lights. Only amber lights flash and then only at light-controlled pedestrian crossings. I may be wrong and this is some weird new traffic light, but if so, it's fuggin' distracting!

Ha ha, Shroozebreeeeeee... My new word of the week!!

Have you overfilled the oil? Check it exactly as per the owners manual says to.