neversaydie

All through winter, theres only been me and another guys 1970s Honda 250 in the bike park at work. Fuck me, the sun comes out for 10 minutes and theres not a fuckin space left when we poll in. Full of ditch finders, fair weather puffs AAAAAHHHHHHHH

Hi Kelum, Sounds like carburetor trouble to me. Start with the easy first, are the throttle cables free in the outer sleeves, i.e. not sticking when you ease of the throttle. If so, pour some engine oil down the outer sleeve till it runs out of the other end. Where the cables fasten onto the carb, does the unit spring back easily? Is the rubber sleeve on the carb free from splits/cracks etc? Ray

Whoooooaaaa there. Riders are recipients of exactly the same kind of daily dangers that we are, perhaps more so, from other road users. The overwhelming majority are well mannered, gutsy, and constantly aware of their surroundings. They are driven by the same spirit as motorcyclists, independent, like the wind in their faces, and appreciative of any efforts made by other road users to accomodate their presence on the roads. I've never yet had a horse pull out in front of me..

and dont forget to take photos as you do more work yourself, invaluable for reffering to when refitting stuff

Matt black paint offer more air resistance than shiny chrome

Heidenhau tyres from PNEUS online Granby Motors for parts Back drum brakes arent that efficient, dont worry about that as long as it slows you, bribngs on the rear light, and doesnt go to the end of the wear indicator

Assuming that the 250 is pretty much the same as the XVS125, then yes you could change the sprockets. Smaller on the front will give better acceleration but increased revs, smaller on the back will give the opposite. There are many, many threads on here about changing sprockets/ carb jets/exhausts etc to try to improve performance of the XVS 125 and 250. Its always a trade off, may invalidate your insurance, and reduce the life of the engine. Chains can be shortened or lengthened to suit any new sprocket set up. 250 Dragstar should cruise at 65 to 70, perhaps 80 flat out as standard? Your not looking at the 3 grand one from Wigan Yamaha are you, horrendously overpriced. Good luck

125 Viggie? Still see plenty knocking about over here, and some look really well looked after Nice

Sounds chain/sprocketish. Check the chain tension as per the owners handbook. Check youve plenty left on the sprocket teeth on both front and rear sprockets. Check that the front sprocket is secure on the shaft, and the rear one on the wheel. Check that the sprockets are in line with each other. Remember to check/adjust the rear brake if you adjust the chain Good luck

Dear God, dont dare fit that piston then ride the bike. The surface looks pitted, so its likely never to seal. Not only will you be putting your own safety at risk, but also every other bugger on the roads As a result of other stupid twats on the roads, Ive had 2 trips to A&E in 12 months. Let me tell you, it fuckin hurts Ride safe

Look at your riding position. Forearm to wrist to hand needs to be straight, try not to have pressure being applied to the wrist area (carpal tunnel), puts pressure on the nerves/tendons. Shoulders relaxed and loose, same for the elbows, bent slightly, you should be able to flap your elbows when riding, dont grip the throttle like its your wifes neck. You may have to adjust the position of the bars and levers to suit.

That makes some sense, as the bike slopes down towards the stand side when parked up, so any oil would run over to the stand side. What spec oil did the maverick mechanic (?)use, did he use new rings? I thought you moved away from the standard spec oil late last year? I said earlier that I managed to nick one of my o rings when I i did mine earlier this year, and Im extra careful 40 years time served engineering tradesman. It sometimes happens. At the minute, the evidence is pointing to re-doing the oil change with all new o rings/seals etc, all torqued up snug as per spec, spec oil, and then monitor for improvement. Its a relatively cheap exercise, and far less than £700. Good luck with it

The bikes not renowned for its acceleration. Youll have to screw it around the curve in second without draggin the footrests, quick change to 3rd and hope ittll hit the mark before the trap. Count the number of teeth on the front sprocket, if its the standard 16 tooth, consider fitting a 15 tooth at the weekend, to give you sharper acceleration. Probably not the best bike to do the test on

I know that this is stating the bledding obvious, but did the leak start immediately after the oil change?, was the filter changed at the same time? I managed to nick one of the o rings when re-fitting the filter on mine, and the oil dripped and ran elswhere on the engine, causing me to look in the wrong place first off. I reckon clean the engine, then trace the drip back to point of origin. I reckon at an oil change, the only items disturbed are filler plug, drain plug, and filter housing

Welcome to the Forum. Dont think there are many 400cc Dragstars in the UK, import only I think, mainly aimed at the Asian market I suspect that some of the 650 owners will be able to help

I think youve got to try an make light of these things at the time. I remember when I took my test, I thought id probably done ok, completed the swerve and pulled up but cuaght my foot on the footrest as i went to put it down, fell off to the side. I lay there for a while looking up at the lovely clear blue sky thinking "what a twat", then after perhaps 10 seconds or so the testers face disturbed the view. "are you all right sir" to which I replied enthusiastically "have I passed then"

Well done, good luck week, bon chance et tout la

I would say so. Virago engines are robust, its likely to only want cosmetic work, may be worth as much as £3500+ Nice colour scheme too

Slip the old parts back on then post a photo for us to compare old with new. I cant get my head around how the locking plate will secure to the sprocket since it looks a pitch out, and what keeps the combined sprocket and plate on the spined shaft

Youll get a shed load of differing recommendations. Get the best that you can afford, trawl around looking for sales bargains/end of lines etc, and dont be afraid to haggle haggle haggle

Did it make all of these sounds before you carried out any of the works previously described in many of your posts on fuelling/air/mechanics/lubrication ?

Yep, I thought Yamaha stopped making in 2000 too, replaced them with the XVS 125 Dragstar which started production in 2000. I suspect that ones made after that were made under licence in China/India etc?

Too Hot To Handle!

Lidl have on offer starting the 5th April, reversible ratchet 28-210Nm torque wrench with 17/19 and 21mm sockets, plus 125mm extension, £14.99. Looks good value

A six point socket will give better drive on the bolt. As above, penetrating oil and not just wd40, let it soak, repeat applications. Try tapping the socket bar with a hammer both ways (tapping, not flogging). If it starts to move, but fights you all the way, undo a bit then back a bit while appyling release oil