Ttaskmaster

But if you check this page: Click Me You'll see the "pull-knob end" for the choke seems mounted between the engine cylinders. Based on the pic you posted, I'd hazard a guess that it's on the left side of the engine. Here's another: Click Me Too! The Owners Manual concurs: Click Me to open the PDF manual

I know sod all about physics, but... When I lean into a turn, say 20-45mph, I lose speed unless I apply throttle and power through. I sometimes use this on purpose to trim my speed a touch. Am I therefore losing energy to turning forces like a car does, then?

That's a lot of dazzling maths, there... So what can be done to make bikes more economic, then? Bear in mind cars have a LOT more body and engine space to fit various devices that enhance the economy. An extra kilo or two of ultra-economic technology is pittance to a car, but half that junk just won't fit on a bike - Even the Tourers have to be huge to get decent fuel consumption and bike tech is still at the level of preferring chains over shaft-drives to save weight. The speed is not the primary concern in the design of most bikes. Especially in today's green world, economy and emissions are a bigger factor but minds even greater than ours have yet to solve this problem. If you do solve it, though, let us know!!

Heya Miguel, Jeezy, THAT is your choke??!! Is that just a block connector? I don't know your bike that well, but there are manuals available here on the forum. I'd suggest looking through those to find where the engine end goes/how it affixes etc. As for the user end, I suspect it sits on the left side of the bike on a bracket near the base of the tank. Again, you should see pics in the manual, though you may have to make one yourself. Rust - I'm no expert in this either, but they could probably do with some Hammerite Kurust treatment and sealing. Or, this could be an opportunity to fit new pipes.... How does the front wheel squeak? All the time, or just when you're braking? If it's all the time, take the spindle out and lube it with some decent grease. That should fix it. If it's while braking, take the pads out, scrub the glazing off them (or replace if they're just knackered) and clean the caliper. If you have ANY doubts over doing this work yourself, it's always best to get a mechanic to help.

I forget what manufacturers call them, but Disc Detainer is a trade term for them. These are still the most difficult locks to pick or even drill properly. Unless you know how the lock is set up, you will drill out the disc(s) that are needed to turn the latch. Trust me - It's a LOT harder than they make it out in those videos. Plus you need the proper tools. After many months practice and knowing the locks inside and out, mine still take me about half an hour to pick. For a thief, it's quicker and easier to cut a padlock off. It then becomes a compromise between riding home and walking home...

Your Dragstar (and I daresay the Divvy too) is carburetted, not fuel injected and is a very simple affair. By contrast, your Focus will have all manner of fancy (but too bulky for a bike) doo-dads to enhance economy without adding too much weight. This is the problem with older bikes. That said, I average 48mpg on my Drag. Honda's Deauville gets something like 67mpg. The highest mpg I've heard for a petrol bike is 87mpg on the Enfield 500 models. I think the Honda GC125 gets even more. Then you start getting into the economy of diesel...

Big rides are all part of the fun in having your freedom. I went from Reading to Cornwall and back on a 125. You'll be stopping roughly every 120 miles for fuel anyway, so take that opportunity to stretch your legs, grab a coffee, relax for a bit. Stop whenever you feel like it - Do NOT soldier on. Get decent kit. Pack an extra jumper, headover and maybe a set of thermals or something. Better to have and not need than the other way around. Same for waterproofs!! Eat well - Get a full meal in at least half an hour before you set off. Try to stick with foods that are not thick, heavy, stodgy stuff and favour things that release energy slowly. Make sure the bike is in top condition and that you have some sort of roadside recovery facility (either RAC, AA or a service provided in your insurance). Take a mobile phone, if you have one. If you're taking a load, ie camping kit, make sure it's secure and well packed. Unbalanced, unsecured or un-aerodynamic loads will mess up your ride in many ways.... Take your time. Don't worry about getting there at any particular time. In fact, forget the clock completely. Enjoy the ride and live the journey - for each destination is but a doorway to another.

Oh - Put the chain through some awkward part of the frame or sub-frame, NOT simply through the wheel. The wheel can be removed and the rest of the bike stolen for parts!!

As I discussed in a previous thread yesterday, you need to make it VERY awkward to steal. 2 main types of thief - Those who want to Joyride it and those who want to sell it (as is, or as parts). Point 1 - Get a big-ass chain with a disc-detainer lock. Easiest way to steal a bike is to lift it into a van. 11-15 seconds is all it takes. There are videos of this happening. Easiest way to stop it is to make it immovable. Oxford chains are a good start, Motrax and several other brands too. Chain it to something immovable like a building, lamp-post etc. Make sure the chain is as high off the ground as possible, so they can't use it as leverage on bolt-cutters. Disc-detainer locks aren't that easy to find and you have to know what one looks like: These are very hard to pick and require specialist picks. If your lock key looks like a Yale front door key, forget it - I've picked those in less that 3 seconds with a paperclip!! Get one where the shank is hidden or encased. Point 2 - Cover it. Thieves steal to order so if they can't see what's under the cover, they will look elsewhere. Point 3 - Alarms. These don't stop anything, but DO make loud noises and draw attention. It could dissuade thieves from continuing, or even trying at all if they see the flashing red LED. It also alerts you to the theft and a pissed-off owner with a big stick is a great deterrent! Point 4 - Park it somewhere well-lit. Being seen is not good for theft. I also use a disclock. You have to get in the habit of removing it and many come with reminder cables, but it's one extra point that has to be dealt with. Immobilisers are expensive, don't do much to stop lifting it, can fail mid-ride and really only serve to get you slightly cheaper insurance. We really ought to make some stickies with info like this in the Newbie section....

Yes. A shop. You will probably get a better response if you start with an introduction in the appropriate thread, mate

Leather, leather, leather and only leather. Despite all the modern advances, leather still offers the absolute best protection by far!! It doesn't have to be expensive, either. I bought two Frank Thomas jackets, brand new - they cost me a total of £65. One is a warm, padded Winter jacket, the other is a vented Summer one. Normally each retails new for about £180, but I went down to Hastings on the May Day run. All the nearby bike shops had stalls selling kit that was simply 'last season', so was on clearance. Nothing wrong with them at all, they were just shifting stock - So keep an eye out on the Clearance pages of websites and in shop windows! Trousers really ought to be leather, too, especially on a Cruiser. If ever you have an off, it's most likely to be a low-side. Very hard to high-side a Cruiser. First thing that touches down will be your knee, then your hip and thigh. You WANT something good there to protect you. I have Halvarsson jeans, which have hip and knee armour in them, but even the more fashionable leather is good so long as it's at least 1.2mm thick. I also carry some cheap-ish waterproofs. The ones from Lidl and Aldi are good enough to last a while and cheap enough that you can afford to replace them each year. Even the expensive ones can fail (Lewis Leathers brand, £60, zip bust at the most inopportune moment)! Helmets - Claire uses a Caberg flip. Noisy compared to a Schuberth, yes, but overall pretty damn good all-round value for money. I have stuck with the old 104-V2 model, myself. You can drop the sun visor and pretend you're Airwolf, ha ha!!!!!!

The real trick is to make it SUCH a FECKING hassle to try and nick you bike that the thief will leave it alone and go looking for something else. 125cc bikes and Sports bikes (particularly those commonly used as track bikes) are the most wanted - These will always have a market and are frequently broken for parts, too. People always crash 125s and Track bikes. Mine, especially at the moment, looks like a bag of shite and will look horrendous if I do decide to Rat it. Customs frequently have special/custom/one-off parts too, so are very hard to shift.

Immobilisers stop someone from riding the bike off without the key/fob. They can also fail mid-corner if improperly fitted (even if fitted by a professional). Seen this one happen... What works best is a decent big-ass chain, secured off the ground, with a disc-detainer lock, that properly secures your bike to something immovable (like a house) - NOT just through the front wheel, but through the frame somewhere that cannot be cut without wrecking the bike. Alarms are good for only one thing - Letting YOU know someone's messing with the bike. I use an Accumen self-fit alarm and I will be out there with big sticks and violence if ever I hear it go off.

You are now subject to every joke that revolves around CHiPS... including the "You're A Homo" internet craze pictures!! Hope it helps the ride, though!!

I was even still in the same county!! Then again, I was planning the ride properly. Best part was being able to keep pace with a club full of bigger bikes.

Whereas I've done about 8,000 miles a year over the past 4 years, in all weathers, on all roads... No screen, no problem. Mostly at 80mph. Maybe I'm just used to it, but I never noticed excessive drain or strain... On motorways, my fingers are holding on but thimbs are relaxed. I maintain control and position using natural joint tension rather than muscle. Try shifting your backside back an inch in the seat and rotating your hips forward slightly. That, or slide slightly further forward and rest in a slight slouch. At higher speeds, try just keeping a light controling grip and letting your arms hang nice and loose. If you can flap your elbows like you're dancing to The Birdie Song, then all is good. You want no tension anywhere in your body, aside from a slight bit to hold the throttle open. This is really hard to explain....

I used to get around 74-76mph from my 125. It's all in how you ride it. Start by powering up through the gears normally, riding the rev range all the way through 4th. Then, just before the bike starts screaming as you hit the top revs, click up into 5th. Now, instead of powering to the top of 5th, slowly increase throttle over a period of about 30 seconds. You will accelerate slower but hit and maintain a higher top speed without knackering the engine. The only pain in the arse is if you have to slow down. Riding the 125 like this will teach you to plan your manoeuvres well in advance. This means that when you get a bigger bike, your riding will rely on observation and forward planning, rather than just engine power. It's a good habit to have! Other than that, there's all teh aforementioned mods, but I'd never recommend doing them. Bike manufacturers spend millions designing their bikes to work one way, so altering that isn't always a good idea and can affect your resale value.

Check out Gemini Exhausts on eBay. I have a set (being fitted this weekend) as do several other members here, including the famed Elvira. £210 including delivery, double-walled, removable baffles, straight or curved. Does a very nice job, I must say!!

Would that be a Honda Valkyrie, then? Welcome to the forum, chap!! Loads of fellow 650 Draggie riders here, including me. Good choice of bike, especially the Custom version! It's in very nice condition, I have to say.

I noticed that, for the first time in about 4 months, I felt justified in dropping my inner sun visor. Other than that, just the usual ride to work...

Now THAT is an introduction!!!!! Welcome to the forum, Pabz. Very welcome!!!

I'm a heartless bastard and would have done my best to crash into one of them. The other one would have told all his mates and they'd never do it again. Little fuckers deserved to get hurt/killed doing that. I don't mind people being stupid when it's just themselves that get hurt, but when they hurt/kill other people with their stupidity, all bets are off.

Point 1: NEVER take both hands off the bars. All it takes is one slight defect in our shockingly crap roads and you're off. This is how people die. Been there, seen it, don't argue. Point 2: Was it just the one wobble, or has it developed into a continuous fault? If the former, I suspect a minor defect as in Point 1. If the latter, see below. Point 3: Check your tyres. Friend of mine had the same thing, which developed into a small wobble at various speeds. The bike was fine so long as he kept a decent grip on the bars, but when he removed either hand you could see the bar going 'wibbley-wibbley-wibbley'. The cause was an almost imperceptible defect in the tyre. It was only found on very close inspection by the tyre replacement bloke. Cost a new tyre to fix.

I YES MEET ME UNDER BRIDGE IN CAMDEN HIGH STREET WITH CASH IN HAND COST £7429.63 I BRING BIKE TO YOU AND YOU CAN CUSTOMISE IT OR BUY IT FOR SAME PRICE IS OK GOOD SEE YOU THEN COME ALONE DO NOT BE FOLLOWED.

Yes, plenty of ideas. But it'd be good if you could post an introduction first, eh! There's a thread in the Noob section.