Ttaskmaster

They have to be at a certain height, perhaps? Hang it off the back edge of the rack and fit a string to it, so you can flip it up as you go through speed cameras!!

WOO-HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Someone actually reads the miles and miles of waffle I post - How cool is that!! I really should find all those advice posts and bookmark 'em. They'd make a nice manual. It will make a bit of difference. Problem is, you're on a 125. They're not meant to go especially fast or be particularly high performance. You'll go a bit faster, probably use more fuel and get less miles-per-gallon, maybe a bit more torque, likely wear-out your parts slightly faster, but nothing astounding. I used my time on a 125 learning how to time my manoeuvres and to plan everything - You learn to see much further ahead so you can brake in time, to get up speed and overtake well in advance, to anticipate and figure out other road users' intentions and then take defensive action well before they actually do something. All this, compared to relying on power, agility and your reactions to stay safe. 125s are great, but I prefer them factory standard.

Service interval varies depending on the component. There should be info at the back of the Owners Manual. However, a general guide for bikes can be found here: Easy Motorcycle Maintenance Schedule - Written by our friends at Wemoto. As for overheating - Weer you unable to filter, then? Keeping on the move is pretty much the key. That, or switching the thing off. No harm in clicking into Neutral, switching off and pushing the thing forward the one or two car lengths each time traffic moves a bit. Not like anyone's going anywhere in a rush, are they!!

Whereas mine's a Custom - Ha ha (did you see what I did there? I made a bike-related joke!!). Actually, I just picked this up off the New Posts page - Had no idea which section it was in

They don't actually have my key listed, but still interesting...

This is why I prefer Customs over Classics... Can you not just hang the number plate off the back of the rack? I see a lot of modded bikes with the plates off to one side, too.

Avon make some pretty good tyres and are often reknowned for their excellent grip in all weathers. They last ages, too!!

Easy one - 90° turning, I will take betwen 15 and 25mph. Roundabouts 20mph in 2nd gear. Centre of lane, or racing corners work fairly well.

If a Sports bike is a super-fast jet fighter, then your Cruiser is a big bomber. Literally, I sometimes feel like I'm a kid playing 'Aeroplanes', with my arms outstretched, such is the riding position. But it's a good analogy. Rather than whizz round the corners - a quick lean, scuff of the knee as you hit the apex, then blast out - aim for a slow, gentle banking turn. Remember that Cruisers with their raked forward forks often have a MASSIVE turning circle compared to most bikes (except the VFR800, I've found), so plan the turn accordingly. They turn in slowly and gently bank round. Focus too on countersteering. With most bikes, you think you lean it round the corner. You don't - Every single bike steers with countersteering. You move the bars, the bike leans, you lean with it. This is far more noticable with Cruisers. Most riders have a lot of pressure down onto the footpegs, so that's their main point of contact and balance. When they go to lean the bike, they feel the pressure on their feet. What they don't realise is that their shoulders (and thus the bars) are the first things that move, thus countersteering. With Cruisers, all the pressure is on the arms and back muscles, so you have no choice. And yes, slow down a bit - Cruisers are all about cruising slowly along so all the people can admire your chrome and beardy-bandanna. No use in a Sports bike as they just blast past and no-one knows/cares what it was. Cruisers go slow so you can get a goooooooood look at them OK, I do jest, but yeah - These things are heavy, heavy bastards. Mine weighs 37 stone (more than 3 times my own weight) and it's a tiny Cruiser! they're not made for slinging about and hooning like a Hoolie. Take it easy, sit back, relax and just enjoy cruising along.... no rush, no worries. Forget Born To Be Wild - try Magic Carpet Ride.

It's essentially a trade-off. That armour, plus a leather jacket will be too bulky to ride effectively and might make you more of a danger. Kevlar is reasonably good, but can still fail, especially if the seams are not 100%. The only kevlar worth the money is the expensive £600 stuff and perhaps Draggin' Jeans - I find them far too low-cut for comfort and my 'muffin-top area' would be mincemeat in an off. Textiles are (or can be made) waterproof and are lightweight - easy for daily life and commuting, but can rip/melt in an off. Leather is great against abraision, especially when armoured, and can be shower-proofed. Top quality second hand stuff can be had for very agreeable prices. But it's hot in Summer, cold in Winter and is also porous, so it will soak up rain. Get a set of waterproofs. Despite the drawbacks, I still favour leather over and above all else. Keep an eye out for end of season sales - I picked up two of "last season's" Frank Thomas armoured jackets (retailing at £180 and £190 respectively) for £30 each at the May-Day Hastings Run a couple of years back!!

In my experience, the padded leathers are padded right where you need them to be. You only need the padding for that moment when you hit the deck and the padding covers those parts which touch down first. Before that, you have the unavoidable problem of limbs being crushed between your bike and whatever hits you, whiplash, or other unavoidable issues. But it's the scraping along the road that does the usual damage in most Offs. I've had scrapes *through* the leather, ie the leather was not even scuffed, but the road surface scraped me through the material. It was only minor and you can bet that if I wasn't a leather fan, I'd have no skin left there. Two more things to consider: 1/. At 40mph, a road slide will grate (yes, grate. Like a cheese grater does) flesh away at a depth of 1 inch per second. That's flesh, not just skin - That's muscle. Ground off muscle does not grow back, really.... ever!! Remember also that once you reach the hospital, they will have to scrub all that road crap out of your wounds. They usually do this with one of those nail-cleaning brushes (a nice surgical green-coloured one) and a lot of elbow-grease. If you're very lucky, you'll have a pretty young nurse hold your hand and stare into your eyes while they scrub your wounds more viciously than a soldier bulls his boots!! 2/. Someone I knew on another bike forum - Wouldn't call her a friend - came off her Fazer whilst stupidly wearing jeans. She knew the risks anyway, so I have no sympathy for her. She was knocked off by another vehicle, IIRC. Her leg was what they call 'de-gloved'. This is where the skin all over is simply pulled off, as if it were a glove. As far as I know, several years of living on painkillers later she is still unable to ride and I don't think she's even back to work yet.

DON'T work on the basis of just replacing them once they wear out every couple of years. Learn to ride a Cruiser properly instead. Be aware that while your pegs/boards are dragging, that's a point of anchorage to the road - You are moving. You don't want anchorage. Worst case scenario is a poor road surface, with you doing 90mph down a motorway slip-road or exit ramp that suddenly tightens up. You lean further to counter this and get more turn, the peg/board anchors, your bike is pulled to the ground in a low-side, the bike then bounces off the surface, the rear tyre that is now spinning freely then regains purchase and the bike high-sides. You, of course, go where the bike goes and after having one side of you grated along the ground, you will then be flung to teh opposite side and over the top of it. You then tumble down the road with 37+ stone of spinning bike careening after you, which hits you on the way. That, plus any other vehicles, roadway furniture, trees, buildings or whatever, all for you to crash into. The place for decking out the pegs is on a racetrack. Friend of mine learned this the hard way, as described above. Besides, it'll save you money too!!

This kind of thing is great for pleasure riding, but not really practical for everyday use. On the road, you will usually hit the tarmac. You want impact protection for that. But then you will slide down the tarmac at whatever speed you spilled at. You will want some kind of protective all-over covering that will withstand the grating. This is why we wear leather!! Various materials and the time, in *SECONDS*, in which they wear through, while sliding at 30mph: 0.2 to 0.5 - Denim 0.6 - Some race gloves 1.0 to 1.8 - Most leather gloves 0.9 - Keprotec stretch material 1.0 - Poor Kevlar 1.3 - Two layers of waxed cotton 3.8 - 1.3mm thick cow hide 18 - Two layers of 1.3mm thick cowhide 55 - Three layers of 1.3mm thick cowhide 5.6 - Two layers of Kevlar plain weave 18 - Suede 20 - Boot leather (generally 2.2mm thick) 20.4 - Leather stretch panels

If you're decking out, then you're either going too fast, not planning your turn properly or intentionally riding like a dick. In my case it's the latter. Remember Cruisers are not über performance flashy manoeuvre bikes. Most of the deck-out complaints in reviews and the like come from Hoolie-bike riders who are used to hooning around on Bandits.

Google better. http://www.metriccruisers.co.uk/acatalog/luggage_racks_xvs125.html Seriously, just searching for luggage racks should yield hundreds. IIRC, most of the 125 Drag extras fit the 250.

How long does it have to be? If you need one, say, 26", try Googling for that. I expect most speedo cables have the same fitments, but check those too just to be safe. Additionally, I bought an aftermarket cable to replace my original one. The new one was a couple of inches slightly longer and all they needed to know was the length of the original. I actually had a choice of different ones. So try that - Check into your local parts shop and ask what cables they have in at least X length.

Don't know what the dwell angle is, or precisely what this Sparktune thing is either... But - Having Googled a bit, it looks like a fancy version of a ColorTune (no 'u' as it's American) Kit. I use a ColorTune myself - They're only a few quid from Halfords and they work with anything that has HT leads and spark-plugs, apparently. Hope that helps a bit.

OK, seems you've got some leads (pun intended) on the issue. For future reference: >I think so? How often should they be changed? As often as neccesary. However, I have only changed mine once in 40,000 miles. Use Google Images to find a spark plug condition chart - This will show you (in colour) the various states a plug can get into and what the causes are. Check every 3 months. >I would assume so? How can I tell???? Close off the fuel tap. Take off the hose and drip a small amount of fuel into a clean, clear container (a glass or test tubes are good). Hold up to the light and examine. It should be free of particles. >Probably not... never changed. How can fix?? Take old ones out, put new ones in. Some filters can be cleaned. I tend not to bother. I just switch them over during annual service. >Again, I don't know... How to check? Open them up and see if they're full of crap. Usually there's a load of black dusty particles inside. Again, clean out as part of your annual service. >Lastly, I have no clue how to check it... To start with, find the adjustment mechanism (mine's a screw) in the manual. The manual should say which way to adjust for more fuel or more air. Have a fiddle and see if it runs better one way or another. You can also use a ColorTune kit from your local auto shop for an approximate calibration. Then do the same fiddle test with the idle. However, to get this spot on, you will need either a professional tune up, or the kit to do so. Both are available, but they cost more than a few quid, usually. I'm keeping to just the cheap stuff for this particular post.

Are you using the choke? Are your plugs good? Are your tank and the fuel in it clean? Are the oil and air filters clean? Are the carbs clean? Are the air/fuel mixture and idle properly adjusted? Most of these will cost nothing to sort out. If it turns over, that suggests the starter motor is fine.

Unmodded 125 Dragstar weighs 144kg.

A Yamaha 250 what? Might help if we knew which model Somewhere on teh engine casing there should be a sight glass. Small, round thing, possibly with Min and Max level markings. Clean it with a cloth, get the bike upright and you should see the oil level therein.

Lubricate the cables first!!! Far cheaper than replacing them if you don't need to and extends their life. Literally, just get a can of WD40 with the little tube extension. Cut the very tip of the tube off at about 45°, like you do with flower stems - Makes the job a lot easier... or you can buy a special cable oiler device for a tenner, if you really want. Then stick this in between the sheath and cable and give it a little squirt. Operate the controls a few times to work the oil in, then repeat a few times until everything is nice and smooth. Job done.

One quick thing to check: Start by warming the bike up for a couple of minutes. Use choke if neccesary. Then see what the idle is like. If it is still low and stalls, try turning the idle screw up. A common thing with owners of Non-Harley V-Twins is to lower the idle speed for a "better" sound. Turns the normal, smooth "Budda-budda-budda-budda-budda" noise of a properly running engine into a pseudo-Harley-esque "Chuggg-achuggg-achuggg-achuggg". Sounds silly, but it happens. If you're ever at a properly outfitted mechanic's place, maybe for a service or something, have them check the idle speed - Should be about 1500 revs at idle, I believe.

Quite often I find people (myself included) are doing one of two things: 1/. Instinctively applying some back brake without realising it. Happens more with car drivers who do things with the feet anyway, but bikers do it too. Harder to spot on a bike that has no 'feel' or feedback on the rear brake. 2/. "Braking onto the back brake". Odd one this - Basically, as you apply the front brake, your bodyweight is thrown forward. To counter this, you push yourself backward/more upright. It's a natural reflex. You'll even start to brace for it in anticipation, before you actually apply the brakes. Now, to push back against the braking force, you need to push against something. What are your main points of stability and contact with the bike? Yep - Hands and feet. You learn not to disturb the hands too much, so your next point will be the feet... right where the rear brake is. Check where your right foot normally sits on the peg, especially the toe. If your toe is usually 'covering' the brake pedal, that could quite possibly be a cause. Just being aware of it and altering your foot position slightly will resolve it within a few days of riding.

Yes, the drive shaft splines do occasionally go. Usually this is due to lack of maintenance and over-heavy use of the throttle at high-torque points. I ride fairly hard. Mine's almost at the 50,000 mark and I've had no such issues. Claire's 650 is closing on 45,000 and again, no such issues. I know several other 650 Draggers around this way and none of them have had it either. It's just something I've seen occasionally pop up on forums. I'd be more concerned about rust. You'll find a lot of road crap gets kicked up into awkward places and you won't notice the rust until bits drop off... like heat shields on the exhaust Keep it clean and get some proper cleaning brushes that can reach down behind teh awkward places.