KirriePete

Have you tried your local broker? You might be surprised!

Politicians - if their lips are moving, they're lying. Coffee tables and bike footrests were designed purely to detect and attack shins.

11½ volts is a bit low - a nominal 12v battery should show just under 13 volts or thereabouts with no load (2.1v per cell?) 11½ is the voltage at full discharge for a 6 cell battery. A clicking solenoid (that's the wee box) is normally associated with low voltage, so that all seems to point in the same direction. First point of call would be to get the battery fully charged up (Optimates and the like are OK, but you can't beat an old skool charger), then check over all the connections making sure they're bright & shiny and tightly put together. The usual suspect for big voltage drops is the main earth lead - a bit of corrosion on this connection will block all the electrical pixies from getting through, so it needs to be clean & tight. One other thing .... you say once started the charge holds at about 12v? It should go up to about 14½V as the revs go up, if it ain't then your charging circuit is dodgy, probably the reg/rec - no charge, flat battery in double quick time....

1. Give us an intro in the New Members Section - kinda funny about people arriving, getting help then buggering off never to be seen again. 2. Your battery's probably shagged.

The SR has probably the simplest chain adjustment method on the planet - slacken off the axle nuts then turn the snail cam adjusters towards the thicker end one notch at a time each side until the chain is at the correct tension. What are snail cams? These things: Correct tension? When the chain is visible in the wee cutout slot in the plastic chaincase. Then tighten up the axle nuts again & give the chain a splash of lube - job jobbed!

I've been using my 2 pot differential manometer for a while now and it's proved way more accurate than any other setup. Whereas yours works by each pot sucking against air pressure or a closed pipe, the differential setup has the carbs sucking against each other so no danger of the fluid being sucked out, plus there's an element of self-damping built in. Here, have a video: For a 4-pot system (eg the lad's Bandit 600) I balance 1&2 then 3&4 then 2&3, you generally find they're linked in pairs like that anyway, so no great problems. I'd be interested to see your setup in action, gonna do a vid for us?

Loada bollox, but it's great for making shitloads of white smoke and pi$$ing off the neighbours .... so I'm told .....

... but only if she asked nicely....

Thought as much - had the same problem with an MZ250 many years ago, I just learned to live with it and tapped the lever up after every downshift .... You say that like it's a bad thing! My wife refuses to touch my keyboard or my mouse, which is fine by me as it keeps her off ebay and saves us a fortune!

Hi Nathan & welcome to the madhouse.... Gears - sounds like the return spring is a bit 'marginal', is it just 3rd to 2nd or any gear going down? Choke - these engines run quite lean due to all the emissions regs (particularly Stateside variants), so you will probably need choke on for the first startup each day. The fuel tap should say PRI, RES and ON - ON is on, but needs a vacuum from the engine to operate, when the engine is off the valve closes - PRI is Prime, it allows fuel to flow without the engine on and RES is (as has been said) reserve, it's just the bottom inch or so of the fuel in the tank. Normally you would leave the tap in the ON position, there's enough fuel in the carb float bowls to start up enabling the tap to open. PRI is usually only used when you've drained the carbs for some reason.

I've been a loyal customer of WEMoto for many years, never a problem - here's a link for Athena top end gaskets for the '89 DT: Click Me. You're welcome

As of January next year, passing the test on a 125 will mean you are stuck on a 125 for 2 years and then you need to pass a test on a middleweight bike (up to 47bhp, I think). Another 2 years and then you can go for an unrestricted test on a big bike (over 47bhp). Currently, Direct Access is applicable to over-21s, next year it's over-24s, so you're safe either way. If I were you I'd do Direct Access this year - the test is the same, including cost, so why give yourself an uneccessary restriction? You can still practice what you learn between lessons on the YBR and they tell me the Mod1 stuff is easier on the big bike - I wouldn't know as I passed my test back in the Jurassic.

Permanent earworm guaranteed:

Keiran - do your test on a 125 before 19th January next year and you'll be restricted to 33bhp for 2 years, then you'll have an unrestricted licence after that with no further test. Do your test after January and you're stuck on a 125 for 2 years, then you have to take a 'middleweight' test to ride up to 47 bhp for a further two years, after which you can take an unrestricted test. So, one test with 2 years at 33bhp then unrestricted or 3 tests over 6 years - bit of a no-brainer really!

It's not just the size that matters (as I keep telling the wife), but the configuration and tuning. F'rinstance, my lad has a 600 Bandit, puts out about 78 bhp according to the specs, but all that power is up above 6000 rpm - below that it's not exactly gutless but tree stumps aren't too worried about the pulling power. My wee H*nda is a 650 v-twin, only puts out about 50-55 bhp, redlines at 8,000 rpm but will pull strongly from not much above tickover so getting away from the lights and general riding is much more relaxed. Don't get me wrong, riding the Suzook is a hoot, wringing the wee bast*rd's neck for every bhp puts a big ol' grin on the face, but day in, day out I prefer the H*nda as you can just let it pull and enjoy the ride. Or am I just getting to be a boring old fart?

Better yet, just leave the snapped nipple in place as drilling it out may well end up with you buggering the seat if you go too far with the drill. Then go get a banjo bolt with built-in bleed nipple - 10mm x 1.25mm bleed banjo from WEMoto - just remember to tilt the caliper so that the banjo is at the highest point when you bleed it.

That's what I've been using in my bikes for years, never yet had any problems .... well, none due to the oil, that is!

If that doesn't work, it'll be an electrical problem.

Jasmine the Wonder Dachshund: In her more usual position:

^^^ Wot 'e said - you should always ride with your gearchange foot either away from the shift lever entirely, or positioned in such a way as to make any accidental movement cause an upshift (usually with your toes under the lever). The reasoning is this - if you go over a bump that knocks your gearchange foot against the lever and you go down a gear, the over-revving engine may cause a rear wheel lockup, going up a gear won't do this. There's nothing wrong with your bike, the gearbox design allows for clutchless changes a lot easier than a car box.

Short answer - no. Slightly longer answer, the test must be taken on a 46bhp (or more) machine so it makes sense to do the training on the same bike. However, that doesn't stop you getting some practice in on your 125 in between training sessions. If you do a 4/5 day "crash" course, be certain you're being taught how to ride, not just being coached through the test (examiner will expect a lifesaver around that lamppost, signal as you pass that shop, etc...) - one way will equip you to survive on 2 wheels out on the roads away from the test routes, the other will get you a licence quickly. Just my 2d.

Here's my boys: On the right is my trusty Shoei XR-1000, on the left it's new playmate the Caberg Duke. Caberg - Pros: comfy, fairly quiet, 'Top Gun' drop down tinted visor, full visor Pinlock, good peripheral vision, chinbar can be locked in the open position (above town speeds you'll rip your head off, so don't!), chin wind baffle excellent, great when wearing specs (helmet on/off without disturbing them), good price (£130). Cons: polycarbonate feels plasticky & brittle, visor lock is really stiff, ventilation so-so at best, chinbar open lock button very fiddly, no ACU approval (not that I'll be doing any racing, but still ...). Shoei - Pros: comfy, similar noise level to the Duke, good ventilation, solid construction, ACU Gold approved, handy visor lock to keep it open a crack, or lock it shut. Cons: draughty round the chin area, pinlock only covers the middle of the visor, peripheral vision compromised by pinlock edges, original cheek pads to fat for my fat bastard face (£18 for replacements!), pain in the arse for specs wearers if the helmet is going to be on/off all day, price (XR-1100 is £400!) They both have a role in my two-wheeled life, if I'm going for a decent run it's likely to be the Shoei, if I'm going to be stopping/chatting/helmet on/off all day then the Caberg gets out to play. Horses for courses an' all that, innit? Which would I choose if I could only have one? Probably the Caberg as I wear specs and the hassle of taking them on and off every time you put the lid on is a real pain - going into shops, petrol stations, you name it. Add in the brilliant full visor pinlock and the tinted jobby and that swings the balance. Of course, if you want to wear an open face lid, be my guest, you'll change your mind when the weather turns colder .....

+1 on the Nikwax stuff - check out your local camping gear/outdoor sports shop, they generally carry the Nikwax range of cleaners/reproofers. Tips on use - cool wash only, make sure the soap tray is clean of any old washing powder (you can generally pop them out and scrub 'em under the tap). Use the green stuff to wash the jacket, then run another cycle with the purple bottle to re-proof it, drip dry over the bath and Robert is your Muvver's bruvver!

Can I just say - DON'T USE WD40 IN LOCKS! Dust and general crap ends up sticking to the WD over time and you end up with a gunged-up lock - ask me how I know this.... Get down to your local locksmiths (not a cobbler who cuts keys) and they'll sell you proper lock lube, usually dry graphite based. You can get away with a squirt of silicone spray lube, but even that is pushing it. Now - you had a frozen lock, you melted the ice by pouring hot water over it, then it refroze, have you tried heating the key up before putting it in the lock?

I've put gel pads from these guys - Danmedica South - into a couple of bikes and they do make a difference. My old XBR500 would be 100 miles before the 'two cheek shuffle' started, after the gel pad was inserted it was all day squishy botty comfort, no problems. I'd suggest you get a strap-on (ooer!), £47 for the biggest and you can keep it when you change bikes as against £130 for a rebuilt seat you can't take with you .... no-brainer in my book! You're welcome.