Ttaskmaster

Betor apparently have shit customer service... and I can't find anywhere that sells Drag ones. There's a rumour that the FZR600 shock fits the Divvie 900 and the 650 Drag, but I can't confirm. Ohlins do some, but they have a shit rep and cost as much as Hagon.

You're supposed to take it to a dealer and pay 1 hour of labour for the minute it takes to decode this. However... "Apparently", there are only two fault codes listed for the XVS 3 blinks for the TPS and 4 blinks for the speed sensor. Since I don't know of any speed sensor on this bike and because the symptoms sound like it - I'd expect the issue to be the Throttle Position Sensor, or more likely one of the wires from the TPS in need of checking. There's a few YouTubes that show how to test the TPS. In case you don't know, it's Part 45 in the Carb schematic here: http://www.cmsnl.com/yamaha-xvs650apapc-2002_model11085/partslist/B-02.html#results

Oh yeah, forgot about cold and rain, heh heh... Kinda hard to even remember when it's 34º outside!! Do some proper mileage, a good tankfull or two at proper speeds and maybe then decide.

Just take it easy and ride it like you stole it - Safely, carefully and at speeds that won't attract Police attention! That's my tagline, by the way. Trademarked, copyrighted and all that gubbins!!

OK, this is just a quick, Cruiser-generic write-up... First off, every wanker out there will make fun of you and take the piss mercilessly. Deal with it... or go everywhere armed (with wit or weapon) and kick the fuck out of them (by wit or weapon!). Your call. Dealing usually works best. They *might* lessen off when they hear it's a large-size Cruiser, but 1300 is only just into the upper bracket. These days even an 1100 is now top of the mid-sizes. Understand and accept that you're now one of the faggoty, Rob Halford, tassles, beard & bandanna, studded leather gay boy brigade on an old man's tractor... as opposed to the faggoty, Tom Cruise, iPhone-using, one-piece leathers all colour-matched just like their nail varnish and clutch purse, Power Ranger posse on Small Penis speed-gun magnets, of course!! Attitude - You are not a Hells Angel. You are not American. You are not even anything *that* special. The fact that your bike goes slow enough for people to actually see how cool you are is just an advantageous design feature. make the most of it, by all means, but do NOT fill the stereotype most accurately described above by Pete... except shares in Autosol. You need that...!! But yeah, break the mould, wave at everyone, share the road, live the dream, ride all over the place, fuck get out and be a biker, man - This is what it's ultimately all about. Life is great, you have a wicked bike, what more could you want!!! Sorry, what was the question again? Ah yes, the bike... I hope you know all about Countersteering? Every bike does this, but because your feet are forward and not under you on a Cruiser, you will REALLY notice it. All your steering comes from the arms. This is curse at some moments and a blessing at others, particularly if you counter-steer consciously. Corners - These are NOT your enemy, but you will have to take them slower and wider. Too fast or too wide and you will deck out (scrape) the pegs (or floorboards if you have them). 'Cat riders are particularly reknowned for switching bikes and decking out. When you turn at speeds above maybe 15mph, don't just lean in, but picture everything below you sliding outward as well - Imagine actually planting your arse into the outside of the turn... like you're sitting into it. Hard to explain, but this will become more apparent when you're blatting down the twisties and take sharp or sweeping bends. Once you learn the angles, you can make surprisingly tight turns! Horn - Yours will sound as faggotty and pathetic as it really is. Swap it out for one of those twin snail thingies or whatever you find sounds best for you. Filtering - Your bike will be about 3-foot wide. Once you learn this and the 'twist' points where your lack of fairing is an advantage, you can handle most traffic. Motorways are piss-easy. But it will take time to get the feel for the gaps and you do NOT want to fuck it up on a bike like this. Take your time, take it easy and get there in good time. Exhaust - Loud pipes do not save lives. Not really. You will still have to ride with all the defensiveness that any other bike requires. People will assume you're slow and try to beat you when pulling out, moving off, etc. However, the visual size, associated 1%er image and menacing rumble of a V-Twin approaching is still imposing enough that some drivers will notice and move out your way, especially when filtering. You can usually clutch in and give it a massive, sudden whack on the throttle. Your bike will bark like a pissed off Balrog!! Power/torque - You have a lot, but it's really low down. You can close the throttle almost completely and be doing 5mph in 2nd gear without having to slip the clutch. Everything will be engaged and with just a touch of right hand, you'll amble along reeeeeeeeeal easy. Sporties are usually blipping the fuck out of their bikes at this point and it's really annoying. However, wrench open the throttle and you'll take off. Open it too fast and your acceleration will be bogged, so rapid but not overkill. Full throttle will probably be 2-4 seconds, at a rough guess. Also, the grips are bigger, so you can give it some without overcranking it. Just remember your muscle is in pushing off from slow, so take it especially easy during low-speed manoeuvres. Weight - You'll be solidly planted in corners!! Braking is for shit compared to other bikes, because your forward-raked forks push more of the braking power along the road rather than down into the tyre. If you have twin discs on the front, good for you. Either way, learn to apply *A LITTLE* back brake to help alter the balance, for the rare occasions you might need it. Backing the bike up is easier than a tall Sportie as your body is better placed for it. Pushing is easier while sat on the thing, too. Speed - Forget it. You might be quick off the mark, but this ain't a racing bike. You can abuse it some and end up throwing it round quite well, but believe me when I say it's better suited to taking it easy and just enjoying the ride!! Degredation - You have lots of chrome. You also have lots of nooks and crannies that will trap road crap, salt, water and what-have-you. Believe me again, when I say keep that bastard clean, or it will rot out from under you in places you'd never even think to check. Fuel - Pretty economical, usually. Big tank, V-Twin rumbler, easy(ish) rider... Ride happy and you'll do well. I get 48mpg from my Drag even if I rag the fuck out of it, so being a bit more sensible usually sees that figure start with a 5. No reason you couldn't feasibly achieve this too. Distance - Again, no rush. Yes, you can top the Ton and a few other fun tricks, but this is an armchair. relax, enjoy the miles and you'll be riding long after the sore-arsed Sporties have limped and hobbled into the nearest Premier Inn. If you start out at 3am, you can go from Reading to Scotland in time for breakfast, catch some scenery and still be home in time for tea and crumpets!! Weather - You'll discover this, big time! Look at how you sit on the bike - You're a fucking kite. Every little forward breeze and gust will be magnified. Side winds, however, seem less of an issue on the unfaired bike. You will also get wet, so keep waterproofs to hand when expecting bad things. A screen may be useful to you. I never bothered (this ain't CHiPS), but some like them and they come in various heights. Accessories - LOADS of room for 'stuff'. Heated grips, SatNav, Radio, CB, radar detector... you name it, you can probably clip or clamp it on somewhere!! Accents - If you really do like all that chrome trim and stuff, you're spoilt for choice. A thousand little men with $ signs (and occasionally £ or € ones) will spill out of the woodwork to sell you tiny chromed bolt covers, nick-nacks and doo-dads that they say will *completely* change your bike's appearance... your call. Also, any tassles, conchos or studded leather will further the piss-taking!! Maintenance - Half your spannering will be fucking easy, as you've no fairing to remove. The other half will be pigging awkward, as you still have to take off tank, seats, mudguards, airbox, etc etc. For goodness sake, get a decent bike lift, to make half your stuff easier!! Lastly... Luggage - BIG-ASS SADDLEBAGS!! With these, plus tool roll type thing, backrest bag (if you have a pillion) or a large touring bag, tank bag, some bungies or rope and you can carry almost anything. Seriously, kitchen sink time. Check this out - This bag has over 8 stone of kit inside, plus a 1.5 stone WW2 tent on the front, a light steel WW2 helmet on top and about 3 stone of stuff in each (small) saddlebag. On the way down I had a 42lb mortar behind the helmet as well. Bike was slightly slow, but very comfy and lacked that vacuum space that topbox users get! I also think this is the only photo of my bike I've ever put up here... If I think of anything else, I'll add it here! Happy riding!!!

I find a lot of shorties aiming at Cruisers for that reason, although many forget that they still have to reach the controls! However, you've got yours and are happy as, so either your controls are set properly and/or it just suits your style. Either way, it's all good, so here's to a myriad miles of great riding for you both!!

I never used one and you don't really even feel the wind until you pass 90mph, IMO...

I assume each light has two terminals/connectors each? First, reconnect everything and see if the bike will start up. If so, good. If not, shout and we'll look at that. See if you can trace where the LED one is patched into. I'd think it should use the same wires as the main brake light. If not, shout and we'll look at that.

Phone yer local Yammie place. They should be able to check your TPS with just the VIN. If that doesn't help, start with the 'Carb Thing', as mentioned above. No Power Commander I assume, either? Is this surging a recent development?

Welcome to the forum!! Got a fair few Canucks here, so even better!!

Welcome to the forum!! Came to the right place for the Star bikes, chap. Good intro, too. We like!!

What *are* you talking about? I use your exact words and choose my own very precisely, to avoid miscommunication. Compare it to what you like, I'm using points of reference relevant to my own ride. All a guy can really do, I guess.

I rarely use the back brake on my Drag, TBH. Get a Touring footrest fitted to the right side and rest your cast on that!

No, that's not the bet. The best is, word for word: "after 1h I bet you are broken and you need take a break.". So if, after one hour of riding, there is enough pain that I am unable to continue and am forced to stop, that makes you a winner. If after one hour of riding I do not need to take a break, I win and continue on with the bike in my possession, V5 and everything. Word for word. That is not a fair gauge. My last Drag cost me £1,700. My FJ cost me the carcass of my fist Drag and an additional £900, plus parts and beer for my mechanic. IF I can ever afford a brand new bike or IF there is a second-hand Bolt/XV950 whatevertheUKversioniscalled for sale at a price I can afford, then we can talk. Depends what the Bolt is like once I outrig the foot controls... Stock, I'd go for any of the Midnights but rip the fecking wings, I mean floorboards, off the first chance I got. Don't be silly - Wait, which Cruiser? 125 drag? Bobber every time. 400cc plus? Cruiser. 535 Viggie? Cruiser. Only way I'd choose a Bob over a Cruiser is if the Bob is built to my own spec, specifically for me. I like my spine to function! Anyway, I thought this thread is about whether we'd buy a Bolt, not whether it's the one and only bike to live our lives on. If I had money to chuck on a new bike to piss on a Sportster, I have several others already on my Dream Garage list that are ahead in the queue.

OMG, how thin are his legs??!! Even mine aren't that bad... well, maybe. In a Drag (pun intended) race, no chance. Not unless the Harley rider is a butterfly. I'd say a lot more of it is down to the rider than people think. Most 125s should outride my bikes through traffic, but my confidence, balls/stupidity and familiarity with my bike's capabilities beats their manoeuvrability. I did our local MC's Poker Run a couple of times - First lot were fuckin' INSANE bastards. Not once did they drop below 90, not for a single thing. The second time was a much larger group and they had the forethought to have outriders stopping traffic at junctions, but I still won no prizes for my speed!!

Aww... Game over, man. Game over! What're ya gonna do now... what're ya gonna do??!! I suppose it'd be bad taste to blatt up and down your street with my baffles out? Which foot is it? There must be a way around this... even if it's a Klicktronic!

That'll be another Torchwood cover-up, then... Bloody Torchwood!! But seriously, I'd have no idea. Hop on the M4 and come over this way for a blatt, if you like.

I thought that was only for short-legged people who keep burning themselves on the pipes? Does it come in red, then?

When I'm in the saddle, I forget about such trivialities... until I finally stop for fuel, that is!! Did you know it's legal to smoke within 5 yards of a fuel pump, so long as you're actually off the premises? The 125 Drag is a different cruising ride. Not neccesarily better or worse, just... different. Less wind fatigue due to lower speed. More focus, as need more planning for overtakes. Less comfort, but not much difference to big Drag. MUCH more fun to throw around through heavy traffic in the inevitable tourist area snarl-ups, though - "Stonehenge? Where? Oh, missed it"!! More likely I'd just get bored, especially if it's straight liney motorway stuff.

If I can cruise (such as it is) for 36k on a 125 Drag, I can happily handle this... and any boobs you throw my way had better be firm and pert! But as I said, you buy it and I'll prove it. If I do sell it thereafter, it will not be over comfort issues... tank range, most likely.

There's a festival here in Reading as well. 2013 is 23-25th August. Of the 180-odd acts, I've heard of seven and only like one!! London is OK if you've never been, but there's so much to do. I lived there for a few years and never had time to visit much. It all depends on what sort of things interest you...?

From a Western visitor: "Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now officially known in honour of the Godfather of Vietnamese communism) is the largest and most vibrant city in the country. Capital of the south during the American War, it is an intense, hectic metropolis where two-wheelers rule roads which to any and all foreign interpretations, have no rules. To cross a road in Saigon, is to walk into a nonstop flood of motorbikes and mopeds, holding the hope that your path will be avoided by the next twenty or so Hondas, Piaggios and Yamahas that will be bearing down on you with considerable speed. To make a succesful crossing one must act like the helmsman of a yacht, making clear and deliberate actions so that any larger vessel is clear of your intentions and thus has the means to avoid you. No eye contact, no hesitation, just cross. I’ve heard a statistic that there are 15,000 road deaths in Vietnam each year. This is an extraordinarily high figure, though on the strength of a few days casual observation I can believe it."

Foamy is in Newbury!! Couple of good biker hang-outs nearby as well.

This is impressive work Callum!! You do a lot of machining, then? Are you open to private comissions?

Guten abend, Jorg! Wilkommen hier zum diesen... err... forum? That's about all the useful Deutsch I picked up in school, I'm afraid... unless you want to be my fictional pen-friend, heh heh!!