Ttaskmaster

Lies. The Drag speedo only goes up to an indicated 110mph, which equates to about 94.5mph in real terms. You were either going an actual 98mph, or were reading in km.

Not talking about the bolt on the front edge of one (I think the right) fork leg, are you? If so, that's not a drain bolt - It's the pinch bolt that secures the spindle.

Dunno - Ask my mechanic. He does all the fiddly bits that use expensive equipment. I usually do it by ear. If you then go for a ride and find it a bit laggy in throttle response, turn it up. If it revs like mad at 'idle', turn it down. You want a nice doog-a-doog-a-doog-a-doog-a sound, rather that a sputtery 'potato potato' of a Harley. As Noise mentioned, alter the balance to keep the rear cylinder cool as well. I used a Colortune kit.

Click here - This should help: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=yamaha+r1+maintenance

Could well be genuine, but I doubt he'll get many bites. People are stupid though and I'm sure a few womenfolk will blunder along, ignoring all possible consequences. Keep eyes on the headlines and obits...

I was hanging off the side of my house! The staircase was too noisy to step down at night, so I'd hop out my window, lower myself down and then drop to the ground, before using a key to go in through the back door. That really was the quietest way to sneak down and watch 'adult' features on TV back then!

Every 6 months or so I repost the long article I wrote that breaks down bike thefts and appropriate security measures. I'd repost again, but I really can't be arsed right now. Do a search. It's all there, even down to type of lock mechanisms.

Adjustable in what way?

You learn to anticipate it, watch for the signs and react accordingly. The Michael Fish incident was 1987, wasn't it?

You have a 1997 Yamaha XVS650 Custom. Standard colour for the 97 models. There is also a pale blue version and a red & silver version (different years, I believe). There is really only the Custom - model XVS650 and the Classic - model XVS650A There are variants A, B, C, J, Q etc but these are just very slight revisions. Just about everything is still interchangable between variants. It's only whether you have a Custom or Classic that makes any difference. The bike has customised pipes, backrest, luggage rack, bar grips, mirrors, tax disc holder and footpegs. Take the other keys off your keyring, otherwise they'll swing back and forth as you ride and scratch your tank paintwork to buggery.

Post Intro in the Intro section. Then check wheel bearings and forks. Then check spokes.

Check your idle speed and air/fuel mixture. You have factory standard pipes? If not, you may need to re-jet. Mine would cruise at 92mph easily enough and top out at 107mph. 85 is about your best average m/way speed - You don't really want more than that as your riding position is that of a kite and you'll destroy your neck muscles trying to sustain more than 85 for any length of time. Then again, I get shouted at by my mechanic as I ride the thing like a hoolie bike anyway, heh heh!

Bus Drivers - Good for the most part, bullying cunts in central London. White Vans - Mostly good. Women - Most sit WAY too close behind me. Many don't check mirrors before moving. Asians - 50/50. None are memorably good, but some are horribly bad. BMW types = Mostly tossers. Scooters - Expect them to be pricks. Be pleasantly surprised if they're not. Sports Bikes - Winter = Nice enough, Summer = cunts.

Bollocks - Half my casings are chromed plastic and they've not suffered in the slightest over the past 13 years!

+1 for Autosol. Been around for ages, works fine.

It could be, yes...

This was at 80-ish mph initially and the rattle only got bad when I dropped to mid-range revs and when I tried to restart it from standstill.Bike stalling was probably because I slowed right down while still in 5th gear, combined with the aforementioned overcome engine power. I don't think it's siezed, as the bike still starts up - But we're not really doing that too often, for obvious reasons! Hopefully I've caught this in time and damage is minimal. New engine, 2nd-hand, whatever - I just need the bike back in working order. Chances of finding 650 engine and/or parts are minimal at best, though...

Bad how? Are they just loose? You can tighten them up yourself, or get a mech to do it. Just need to make sure it's done evenly.

Interesting... I like that wraparound rear mudguard idea. Kinda hugs the tyre. Drag tanks always look wrong when they're plain-coloured and have no detail, though. Just so empty...

I've only done just under 50k on this. Should be good for twice that, at least. I don't know what caused the seal to go and leak engine blood all down the M4, but that one small part has likely killed the whole bike. I'll be opening it all up on Thursday to see how bad it is. I might get lucky... Doubt I'll find a whole new engine in good nick, though. Not for this. People tend to either run Drags into the ground, or write them off completely. There's a knackered old one in the US for 400 quid plus shipping... Time to save for a new ride, methinks.

Ha... lucky you. Over the weekend I somehow managed to blow out a seal or something somewhere on the right side of the oil sump, around the filter. Bike was fine when I rode off, but during the 90 minute blaze down the motorway, my entire oil capacity pissed right out. The first thing I knew about it was a slight tappetty noise that developed. I slowed to hear better and suddenly the bike starts clattering like a machine gun, with some *serious* rattley vibration between my feet. Slow down even further and the bike actually cuts out. Stop on hard shoulder, phone AA recovery and get it delivered to my mechanic straight away. Bike is fooked. Running without oil, chances are I need a new engine. At the least I'll need new shells and so on. Fuck.

Yes, you do. It's actually a common thing for newer drivers to build up NCB.

And I've heard dogs can't look up... £400 a year is quite reasonable. My first 125 was £380 FC. I've always gone Fully Comp, separate Lid & Leathers cover, uninsured loss, legal cover, pillion, riding others' bikes, gotten every available extra going and made damn sure it includes the most comprehensive breakdown/assist/recovery thing available. Never regretted it. Your call...

For a mere £20-£30 you can get a chain bag (aka chain/lock carrier). It's a small, square zippered bag with two velcro straps - Wrap the straps around the pillion seat and the bag sits on top. Put the chain in there, job done. Most places sell them and many chains even come with one. I have two, myself.

Har har har!!!!! Looks good for a laff!