Ttaskmaster

It can be done... might look rather odd, though. Mudguards are there for a reason, too. Incidentally, have you looked at Yamaha's new 950 Bolt? All the bling and good looks of an 883 Sportster, but all the things the HD sadly lacks, too!!

1. Irrelevant. You are not riding with your feet on the floor. What matters more is the distance from seat to peg. A lot of short riders choose Cruisers based on the seat height (and bullshit commonplace remarks about the seat height, from places like MCN), before discovering how much of a stretch it is to the controls. 2. Depends on what makes you so tall. I'm 5' 11" with a 33" inside leg, so it was a little small for me but I still managed for several years without issue. If you're concerned about seeing over traffic, get the tallest bike you can find... but there will still be vehicles that block your view anyway. 3. The battery should be fine, but try and keep it charged if possible. If you can't plug it into the mains, get a solar charger and leave that on there. Maintenance-free shaft-drive is great (even though there is still some occasional maintenance required). However, this is not a lazy bike - It's covered in chrome and will need frequent cleaning to keep the rust and corrosion at bay. 4. If you can ride it well, the Drag will serve you just fine in the middle of London. The three biggest issues you will face involve busses (who will just pull out on you), office girlie-girls (on pink scooters, who don't have a clue how to ride) and filtering in general (the bike is almost 3' wide, so you will need to learn your filtering limits). Personally, I never had a problem. 5. They are Cruisers. They ride like Cruisers, they behave like Cruisers. Somewhere on here is a long post of mine explaining the characteristics of riding a Cruiser vs other types of bike. The HD is heavy, rattley and generally feels like the old-fashioned, outdated tech it really is. By comparison, the Drag just feels far nicer and better suited to European road riding. Get an HD if you want... I wouldn't touch it if you paid me!!

I'd still advocate the paint-on stuff. Stitching things on is time-consumingly fiddly and can compromise the integrity/waterproofing of your gloves.

That is bizzarre as feck... Looking at the Yammie microfiches, it seems you have the 2002 XVS650p/pc, whereas most models have the same unit as used on the 2002 650ap/apc. That's a bit of a bugger... I suggest as NSD does and get an extension cable made up so you can fit a normal unit. It'll be cheaper than a custom reg/rec, for sure!

With no prior road experience, I inevitably failed my first test. Both times I did a DAS course - 4 days, plus a couple hours pre-test on the 5th - for about £450. The second one was with a former Police Riders instructor, so I learned a shit-load more than just the basics, but both were worth every penny. I did DAS because I was over 21 and would do so again, as I wouldn't have to fuck around with more tests and can just hop on whatever bike I was most comfortable with.

And you can't just unplug it at the reg/rec unit itself?

Summer is clearly here because when I want to have a braai, other people are interested! There was supposedly something about Tit Monday too, but I stay so far away from the idiot masses of this town, that I don't really get to see it any more.

You checked your oil level recently? Clutch cable adjustment? Idle speed? Carbs?

You should be able to, but if not, the existing connector should still suffice and you just need to cable-tie the excess out the way. http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/yamaha/xvs_650_drag_star/97-04/picture/regulator_rectifier/ http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/yamaha/xvs_650_drag_star/97-04/picture/regulator_rectifier_-_alternative/ http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/yamaha/xvs_650_drag_star/97-04/picture/regulator_rectifier_-_by_electrex/

Should connect like the one in this schematic: http://www.cmsnl.com/yamaha-xvs650ppc-2002_model11084/partslist/E-11.html#results

Actually, the first one I bought from them did not fit, but I helped them correct it years ago and they now have the correct one ID'ed. Tout, the cable should fit just fine. Don't forget that Yam use the same parts on different bikes (the VMax has the same indicators, I think). IIRC, the Wemoto cable was slightly longer than the OEM. It doesn't go under the tank, though. It's about 8" long and joins the connector just by the footpeg. This connector then has a cable that goes up into the wiring loom - Is it that you're after as well?

I got a very cool 650 Drag reg/rec direct from Wemoto. Pattern part, but very decent.

Braking will be noticably slower on a Cruiser compared to nore nippy bikes, yes. Cruisers are still big-ass heavy bastards and you have, at best, a pair of twin-pot calipers. It's always worth stripping them down and rebuilding them, though, just to be sure. Re-bleeding with fresh fluid, putting on sintered pads and changing to braided brake lines will all help. Steering should not feel overly heavy, although Cruisers are still big-ass heavy bastards. Check your tyre pressures, anyway. Go to the manufacturer's website, find your exact bike and the exact tyre to see what pressures they've designed it to be, rather than using the Yamaha manual, though. Congratulations on buying a damn fine machine!! Just remember to really look after it

If it sounds like a sewing machine, it's usually the tappets.

The shorter version of all the above is: It's insanely cool!!

1./ What tosser goes into the cinema without switching off their mobile phone??!! 2/. You'd need to go round one area at a time and text everyone locally at the moment the ad is on TV, in order to get the same effect. 3/. I prefer Australia's approach of actually showing every single gory moment of a real crash, just to hammer the point home.

Never heard it called 'hunting' before...

Hunting? You mean with a tweed outfit and a shotgun?

FJ1200 1TX, 3CV or 3XW models, the latter of which has an ABS variant. You'll find a lot of older chaps really favour these and they are treasured by owners, some of whom run two or three at the same time! GOOD POINTS - 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds... but only if you make it. Otherwise, as nice and sedate as your throttle hand decides. - 160mph top speed. And yes, it will... but only if you make it. Outside of that, it sits happily at whatever speed you decide. Motorways are your playground! - Roll-on. Any gear at any speed. 1st gear will take you well past 75mph, or you can sit in 4th all day. There is virtually no rev range or power band. It just works. But when you're rolling on, there is nothing else on the planet quite as good as the FJ! - Build quality. This bike is a tank. I was rear-ended at 60mph while stationary. The bike flipped up and landed with its full weight on the left side. Aside from a broken rotor cover and slight rear wheel damage, the thing was still raring to go! - Durability. These things WILL go round the clock, sometimes more than twice. 50k clocked means the bike is just about broken in! - Ease of maintenance. Pop the seat and tank off and almost everything you need is right there within very easy reach. There are a few things behind the front fairing, but the whole assembly just pops off with 4 bolts and away you go. - Comfort. It is a sheer mile muncher. You will be knackered well before the bike ever is! - All Rounder. I commute, travel, play around and do everything on mine. As with all bikes, you need to be used to it before you go filtering, but it handles very well when you do. - Cost. You can find one in very good nick for under £900. As mentioned, owners treasure these, so most are well cared for. Parts are cheap and plentiful, too. - Owners Club. Not much into these myself, but these guys are seriously into this bike. There is even the Club Mechanic who has made a living doing nothing but servicing the FJ for 23 years. - Insurance & tax. This year is the bike's 30th Anniversary. Many places now recognise it as a Classic and you pay accordingly! BAD POINTS - Fuel costs. It's a 1200cc carburetted bike. Not especially amazing on the economy... but for what it is, you still get a flippin' decent amount out of the 22L tank. - Tyres. Crossply only... or so it is said. However, some places, like Avon, offer Radials that do fit properly, or you can swap out for FZR1000 (Exup/Genesis) wheels to permit Radials easy enough. - Weight. It is 266kg, which is 42 stone. It takes a while to get used to. However, once you're used to it, away you go! - Heat. It can get a bit hot, but only if you're sat in traffic. Learn to filter or pull over for a cuppa!

Or just wire in a standard 12v Hella socket, like I did. Make sure it has a waterproof cap.

According to a mate of mine who lives in Bradford, this incident is completely your own stupid fault... and your mistake occurred at this exact point - "I went into Bradford"!!

Welcome Martin! Good choice of bike, too - That'll see you safely through some very happy times!!

You're on a 3CV, aren't you?

They are, along with the little fairing inners that line the inside of the screen!!

Cutting through bottles full of water is a recognised simulation of the force and precision required to cut through a human body part. It is common practice among practitioners of sword arts, where the effectiveness relies on the sharpness of the blade, such as many Japanese arts. Personally, I don't really give much credence to it. Doesn't matter how blunt your sword is - It's still a 3-foot piece of steel and most of the actual damage comes from twatting someone upside the head. Even the blunt trauma caused by hitting a bloke in armour can seriously fuck up his day!! As for Big Boy up there in the video... He may move slow and look quite 'Thpecial', but if he times it well and actually hits you with that amount of weight behind his blade, you are well and truly fucked!!