Paulwhite

only if the cam chains were loose but unless you undid the tentioner they would stay tight.

the "popping" is sounding like a timing problem look in the manual to see how to check it........the only way it can be out is if someone has taken the heads off. are the coils in the right plugs?

annoying lol im in the process of taking it to bits and re-doing it all, as the electrics failed on me a couple of months ago im taking the frame into work tomoz to start getting it sorted.

anyway get an intro done and say hello to everyone (its just forum politeness) and i want to see some pics of your bobber! there are a few people on here who have a xvs bobber or an xv bobber (myself included) so would be nice to see what yours looks like

i dont know yet as iv only just ordered one (need to re wire my bobber b4 i can test it out) but the original one i had was ok till about 4 months ago (new in 2004 so 8 years of abuse) its had a rough time, been in the cold, fully discharged then recharged many a time, gone 2 years in a shed not doing nowt then put back in the bike.......it finally gave up when i had a short in the electrics causing it to swell and die. to be honest as long as your reg/rect is ok a bog standard one should last you a while.

probably something to do with emissions ........or health and safety lol (wouldnt want that boy who is nicking your fuel to drop dead cause he swallowed some now do we!)

yeah ......lol......if you look after the engine then 50-60k miles is more than possible. my engine died due to lack of love.......and oil lol (wont be making that mistake again!)

that is some tallent!!!!!!!!

ok it went down on the left so im thinking clutch cable / lever needs sorting (could of bent so try adjusting the cable when you can get the engine running ), but a knock to the gear selector shaft could of either dislodged or broke something inside the engine (maybe) or its bent the lever just enough to make it hard to shift. your best bet is to get the carb out and give it a good clean/ inspection as it sounds like you have a bit of crud / dirt in your jets causing it to bog down and die when you turn the trottle.... while your taking the carb out have a look at the rubber boot that the carb sits in there prone to splitting, it could even be something as simple as when it went down it dislodged the carb but you wont know till you have a look. best thing to do m8 is sort the carb and get the bike running properly then adjust the clutch cable and see if that sorts it........oh just thought when was the last time u changed the oil??? bad oil could also be the cause of the hard shifting problem....and get a new battery!!!!! lol try www.wemoto.com and search for the xvs 125 and you will see a battery (high torque) for about 40-50 quid or the regular one for about £30 let us know how u get on, good luck.

it will read the 1 spark plug which im thinking wont be an accurate reading, best get the ones that can connect to 2 cylinders.......plus where will u be putting it?

i got 14k from new then my engine blew up .........but i put that down to poor maintenance and some misguided info from the dealer at the time.

iv only got an android tablet and it hasnt got gps but im sure we will see an android system (or something similar) being intergrated into cars and bikes soon.

nice! its not a bad idea but wouldnt you need to keep credit on it for the gps to work 24/7? just wait till someone comes up with a way to remote start and stop the vehicle using an android pone and apps

ha mint!!

try wemoto.com there good for parts. http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/yamaha/xvs_125_dragstar/00-04/ iv just got my hands on the rear sprocket less 3 teeth so il see how that goes (only took 2 days to get to me) ....to be honest the best thing you could do to get more speed out of the xvs 125 is to take all the plastic off and put it on a diet. its a heavy bike and that will play a big part. .........put it this way the honda cbr 125 (04) engine kicks out the same power as the xvs 125.

i think its up to the mot place but have you driven in the rain without a front fender??? the water flicks up covering your head (and visor) in water/dirt .......so not so good in the rain. best bet is have it on for mot then whip it off on a nice day (if you wanted to)

id say keep the original air filter! the xv virago engines are so temperamental about the air fuel mix that any change in the design of the air flow will stop the bike from running. unless your willing to spend at least a solid week testing and trying out carb setups then your better off just keeping it. i tried a couple of years ago to put a pod filter on and found that you cant do it without the air box/ chamber going from carb to filter. plus any change in the air/fuel mix will ware your piston rings faster (and there like gold dust to find).......also the bottom end is a week point so any extra power created will cause it to blow.

just type "xvs 125 bobber" in google images and you will see it (1st pic) it will redirect you back to the forum. or type xvs 125 bobber in the search bar on the forum. it will all be there from start to finish.

your going to struggle finding struts for the little xv 125 virago. as far as i know there not an aftermarket part and have been custom made. if you know someone who can weld then its a quick easy job to make some out of some tube. just to give you something to think about .......are the roads silly smooth where you ride? any pot holes or dips? if you put struts on then unless you get a springer seat your going to feel EVERY nut and cranny going through your spine. could you live with that day in day out? when i re-built my xvs 125 into the bobber it is now, i decided to keep the suspension and to be honest im glad i did as the ride is so smooth.

its up to you but you dont NEED them ........i found that the footpegs (front and back) are wide enough to stop anything touching the engine, tank, seat and frame. i found this out when i accidentally dropped the bike, all that was up with it was a scuff on the end of the bars and a scuff on the footpeg .

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