KirriePete

Zippo, no offence mate but you seem to be a bit unfocussed at the minute - starting with an SR125, then talking about a 250, then XVS650 then going to 'as fast a bike as possible .... which I'm not going to immediately slam into a wall'. Can I assume you've not swung a leg over any bike yet? In which case it's a matter of 'If you're asking the question, you won't understand the answer'. Get yourself booked in for training and then you will find out just how different a bike is compared to a car in ways that the raw data just doesn't show. F'rinstance - Porsches/Ferraris and the like have similar performance to Fireblades/R1's etc, but in the car you ain't hanging on for dear life as the machine tries to rip your arms out of their sockets, while battling to keep the front wheel somewhere near the tarmac .... bikes are much more involving and a helluva lot more fun. Once you're through your DAS you'll have a better understanding of the differences - bearing in mind DAS is usually done on a biking equivalent of a Mondeo (ER% Kwak, GS500 Suzi, CB500 Honda etc.), but even those will have you grinning like a loon the first time you twist the loud handle. Then go out and sit on every bike in every dealer around your area and make 'Vroom! Vroom!' noises until you find the one that makes you go "Oh yeah!" - then find that bike on ebay at half the price. Whatever you go for, you will enjoy it - I've been riding for over 34 years and I still get a big grin on my face after every ride, even with my 'dispatch rider special, bland, nondescript' H*nda 650. Here endeth the sermon ....

Is there such a thing as a rude Canadian? I thought that was unlikely, verging on the impossible .... If it's just a low tickover, have you tried tweaking the throttle stop (idle) screw - I think it's number 31 on this diagram: Other than that it's the usual suspects of cleaning carbs, checking sparks, valve clearances, battery charge state, ya-de-ya ...... I know a lot of guys in the States (that's the funny place south of you with all the burgers) swear by something called Seafoam for cleaning fuel systems - ring any bells with you?

A few things: 1. Read this - Clicky Linky Thing, then pop an intro up. Not just forum etiquette, it also helps diagnose problems if we know where you are - f'rinstance if you're in Delhi then the choke isn't as important as it would be if you were in Alaska, no? b. Be thankful some of the grumpier bods here didn't get first dibs on this post, or you would be faced with this - More Clicky Linkage. I swear that site gets more hits from here than anywhere else! iii. Choke - full out if the engine is stone cold, knock back to ½ shortly thereafter, then once warmed up (quickly in Delhi, bit longer in Alaska), knock it right off. If you're leaving it on all the time no wonder it's stalling - poor bloody engine will be drowning in dino-juice! Conversely, if you're not using choke for a cold engine it will be like my missus in the mornings, really hard to start (she needs coffee, rather than choking, although there are times ......)

Master cylinder rebuild kit from WEMoto - £24 plus postage. If you go for the ebay 'pre-loved' master cylinder, it could also be needing a rebuild ... best to stick with what you've got and refurbish, at least you'll know it's done properly. Each tiny step forward is one less you have to take, and one more bit of knowledge you can pass on to others later - how do you think all us wise ones got this way in the first place? Carry on.

Is the choke working properly? Dunno the specifics of the DT, but every stroker single I've had my hands on had a knack to starting from cold - the best method I found (worked 90+% of the time) was: 1. Ignition OFF, choke ON b. Couple of priming kicks, no throttle. iii. Ignition ON, choke ON, no throttle - kick. x. Leave throttle alone for a good 30 seconds and you should be good to go. This method has worked for me on machines from a Puch Maxi moped, through Suzuki TS50X, Yam RS100/125, Suzuki GP125, MZ250 and on ..... HTH - lovely looking bike, by the way.

Master cylinders are bastards to get going in my experience, so I don't bother anymore I just push fluid up the pipe instead: 1. Put it all together and empty the master reservoir. b. Get a clean syringe (the ones they use in those B&Q paint tint kits are perfect) and fill it with brake fluid. iii. Connect the syringe to the caliper bleed nipple (bit of clear tubing), open nipple one turn x. Pump fluid from syringe until it appears in reservoir. 99. Close bleed nipple, top up reservoir, test brake. Doing it this way virtually eliminates the need for bleeding as the fluid pushes any air out ahead of itself, but you could do a standard bleed just to be sure if the lever feels a little spongy.... You're welcome.

Zorsts I have used: Motad Fuel Predator Laser Which to go for? Phone/email each and see what deal you can get, they're all OK by me. Sound-wise, dunno 'bout 4-pot machines but the Predator I had on my XBR500 (single) had a lovely bass thump with a snarly roar further up the range, the Fuel I'm away to get for my NTV650 (v-twin) should sound like this: (clip courtesy of another NTV owner) Hang on, I do know a bit about 4's - the lad's Bandit 600 has a Laser pipe on it - purrs at tickover, snarls when it gets into the 'naughty' zone - nice! At the end of the day, you pays yer money and takes yer choice. You're welcome.

What about span adjustable levers? I would've thought your bike(s) share levers with several others from the Yam stable, some of which may have span-adjustable aftermarket jobbies available. I hear M&P are having a fire sale now, could get 'em cheap (if a little singed) Just a thought .....

Oh you sweet thang! (The bike, not you). If you do a full restore on it, it becomes just another in the long line of shiny toys with no history that you see around the shows (usually trailered in with carpets under their tyres). Clean it, ride it, maintain it, let it's character build with the years.

Kill it! Kill it with fire! Then pour Holy Water on the ashes. I had an XS250 for just under a year many moons ago - I still get nightmares ... Safe to say it wasn't Yamaha's finest hour .....

Hi Bonjo, 1. Read this - Clicky link - they like people to introduce themselves properly here, old fashioned thing called manners, y'know? b. Be thankful you aren't being sent here - another Clicky link - standard response for a lot of people here .... iii. (The helpful bit) If it runs OK when you put fuel straight into the carbs, it iounds like you're not getting fuel out of the tank - blockage in the tank/somewhere in the pipe? Do you get fuel out of the tank when the tap is switched to Prime? Welcome to the club, now go and say hello properly before the grumpy gits on here ignore you ....

I'll see your toasted sandwiches and raise you a Stonner Kebab Game, set and match, methinks!

Day 4 of the Rapture, when all the good boys and girls bugger off and leave the rest of us in peace.

Don't believe everything anything you read in the papers - Snopes is your friend

Possibly a few small bubbles trapped in the hose - when you squeeze the lever they get pushed down a bit, release and they start to rise only to get pushed back down on the next squeeze, so ... Tie the lever back to the bars overnight - any wee bubbles in the hose will rise up to the master cylinder in their own time and be released when you untie the lever.

1. Read this - Clicky Link b. Consider yourself lucky someone else didn't dive in and send you here - More Clicky Link iii. Reg/rec - volts across the battery should rise up to about 14.5 as the revs go up. Better charge the battery up off the bike first to be safe. Now pop over to the Noobs section and introduce yourself properly, there's a good chap (or chapess, we have no way of knowing right now).

The simplest test is to put it back together on the bike, without the chain to the starter motor, then turn the big brown gearwheel both ways. One way it should spin freely, the other way it should lock instantly onto the crankshaft - if there's any play at all in that direction, the rollers are fecked and should be replaced. Had this with my old NX650 Dominator a while back - the rollers looked fine but the outer drum moved just a couple of mm or so before engaging, giving me a nice "Whizzz! .... Whizzz! .... Whizzz! CRUNCH! Start ....". New rollers, no play, no whizzcrunch.

1. Read this - Clicky Link b. Consider yourself lucky BWJ didn't send you here - More Clicky Link iii. Sounds like the starter clutch is fecked. Now pop over to the Noobs section and say hello. Ta muchly.

Just take a short bit of wire and put the appropriate size spade connectors on each end. Use this to connect up the two wires and see how it goes. Simples!

Don't need any of that fancy steel stuff, here's a real man's DIY Vasectomy kit: Just take 2 of these ... you can work out the rest! On a practical note - dental picks are brilliant for getting the crud out of the grooves behind brake caliper seals....

Local pub's advertising their 'Bin Laden' cocktail. Apparently it's two shots and a splash. Hat, coat, door .............

Scarborough? We don't need no steenking Scarborough! This photo taken (By Sots aka Menace_FOP3 of the DBF - gotta give credit!) outside Murrays Motorcycles in Dundee at about 10:45 on Saturday morning: You can make out the widowmaker and owner just behind my wee NTV650 (admiring my manly topbox?). Is that hand superglued to his chin or what?

That's one way to do it - I've got 6ft of aquarium hose set aside just for this purpose. Mind you, you could always use a syringe to provide the suction, saving the possibility of getting a free drink. Having said that, you could use a syringe to push fluid through from the caliper bleed nipple - watch the master cylinder doesn't overflow if you do it this way - it's not pretty (go on, ask me how I know this!). This is good for the little bubbles that can get trapped in the pipe, as they keep getting pushed down every time you squeeze the lever. Tying the lever back overnight gives them time to bubble up to the master cylinder and when you release the lever in the morning the bubbles pop up with the returning fluid.

Last taxed in 1980 according to DVLA: So probably gone to that great shed in the sky .....

.... but anything's possible with enough bloody-minded insanity determination: