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Hi Paul, welcome to the YOC, just so I know did you change the clutch line and did you check the slave cylinder which has a known problem as well? On my FJ I found that the slave cylinder was the real culprit, the bore wears and you get a back flow. Easy to do but can I suggest that you check out the FJ owners club site or this http://www.fjcatalogue.com/catalog/item/7221205/7432061.htm It is a cheap fix if you have clutch drag, measure the bore on your slave cylinder as well just to see if it's in tolerance. On mine I eventually replaced the fibre clutch plates as well just to be sure, try looking at this as well http://yamaha-parts.victordrummond.net/causes-of-a-slipping-clutch this guy has it all down pat, I followed his instructions and found that an upgrade he suggested was brilliant as you didn't get that usual FJ clunk when changing into first. that lot should keep you busy for a while mate. This is the full article on a clutch UPGRADE on an FJ 1100/1200, well worth a read. http://yamaha-parts.victordrummond.net/fj1100-fj1200-xjr1200-xjr1300-tutorials/clutch-improvement-and-upgrades PS can I suggest as well that you pop over to the New members section and say hello, just so folks know your not a one hit wonder, thanks. Oh Yeah and a photo of the bike if you would, we like photos!

Re the bars mate, look up a set of bar risers on ebay, I fitted a pair onto mine and the difference was brilliant went from leaning forward to upright, they are only about an inch in height but also bring the bars back about 1/2 an inch which makes it much easier on your back and arms. FJ club price £84.

Sweet bike finnerz, miss my old tank, be careful tho a 100MPH appears and disappears rapidly. Join the FJ owners club, they know all about these things and are really helpful, cheap parts and supplies as well. FJ Owners Club, Ivy Cottage, Cromhall, Wotton-U-Edge, Glos GL12 8AR ; Tel 01454 299325 ; [email protected]

If you take the top off of the radiator and look inside to see if the water has a sheen to it, like oil on the surface of a puddle in the sun, if it does then that's your problem solved, well apart from the repair of course, most obvious is the water level, has it gone down? If when you drain the oil you have a white sludge either in the oil on the oil filter or around the inside of the oil filler cap then that will also tell you that you have a water leak. Can't say much more without seeing it mate. good luck. Just thought, if you pour the used oil into a clear container then let it settle you will see the water floating on the top.

3 bikes for me Noise, 1 Ducati 999, to hang on the wall just so I can look at it, 2 My old Bonnie from back in the 60s, keep it in the garage and polish it and NEVER take it out. 3 My FJR cos it is one of the best bikes I have ever ridden.

Hi Malleus, ok if the oil is 2 colours it usually means it's been contaminated with something, it's probably water getting into the crank case so you need to drain the oil out and check to see if you have a water leak. The noise is probably because the oil has failed and your rubbing metal to metal and you should do the oil change asap, when did you last change the oil? Do this today if you can, is the engine getting hotter than normal? friction inside the engine can get really bad if the oil has failed. Some of the reasons the water gets into the engine, a leak from the coolant, if it's stood outside in all weathers with no cover can drive the rain into the engine, some arsehole has taken the cap off and poured water (or worse) into the engine. Let us know how you get on mate.

Nice one Lassy, that sure seems like the sort of noise you would get with the belt rubbing, good catch.

Brake pads/disk - wheel bearing - even wind through the bike, know your looking for a definitive answer but your not going to get it I'm afraid that noise is to faint with the other noises to make out more than a squeak/squeal at speed, that's with head phones, if you have a remote mike for your camera then try it on different parts of the bike as you go along but it's definitely there just not loud enough to locate the source, you will be incredibly lucky to finds anyone who knows exactly what it is unless they own one and it has the same noise.

Have you looked at anything like these? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LCD-Digital-Odometer-Speedometer-Tachometer-Motorcycle-Backlight-Tool-DC-12V-/222046087392?hash=item33b2fa68e0:g:DxIAAOSw9mFWIatj Should fit just about anything and there are loads on ebay for just a few quid if you just want a temporary fit.

Welcome to the YOC, yeah that's a bit bright on a sunny day I bet.

Morseman, if your Instructor is "Not a biker" then find someone who is, riding is about passion the sheer joy of being out there just you and the road, if you have some numpty with a boring voice wittering away in you helmet who is only interested in the money you bring in then your not really being shown how to be a rider, you'll know when your a rider, it's when your out in the freezing cold with rain lashing down and everyone tries to kill you and you say "That was fun, let's do it again!"

Like someone on here said a few months ago, MAVIS "like a big fat girl, comfy and fun but you wouldn't want your mates to see" Pretty little bike tho Morseman.

HI Derish, as above but NEVER let the buyer ride the bike unless he puts the full amount in cash in your hand, if he wants an inspection done, that's fine, but it's at his expense, as for payment well cash is king of course then a bank transfer and last is a cheque, now with cheques you need 3 days for it to clear, so he gets the bike as soon as the cheque clears not before. Anything else is up to you of course if he wants to trade his grand dad's watch or some such then just say "no thanks" and wait for the next victim to call. If you trade it then you have to allow for the dealer to low ball you on the price cos he has to sell it on and make a profit plus cover any faults that the next owner will find, so if your bike is worth £1500 then expect to get around £800 for it maybe less.

Yeah Noise, sounds like an earth problem mate. Have you painted the frame? If so clean the areas off that the earth wires attach to, had a similar thing with the XJ rear lights, forgot to mask the threads off.

Ah "Wallet Warriors" not heard that in a few years, they are the ones who buy their NEW bike cos they used to ride but got jobs that didn't let them play anymore now they want their youth back, poor souls think that us old bike riders are not posh enough for them and their power ranger set. Mind you if you stop beside them at a services or some such they will tell you how MUCH faster their bike is than yours !! Had one of them tell me his bike could do 200MPH, I asked him how terrified he was when he was going that fast, said he only knew cos it said so in the sales brochure

Hi Spike, bad luck mate, ok go back to first principles then, fuel and ignition, now you know it started and slowly died right? So my first port of call would be take the fuel line off and see if it's blocked anywhere, then check your spark. Try taking the tank cap off and see if will run with that off might just be a blocked breather in the cap. If none of those work come back and see If anyone else has come up with any more easy fixes, it's usually something small that f**ks you over.

Malleus. it's a fixed penalty notice, £30 fine same as not wearing a seat belt.

Short and to the point, Welcome to the YOC Justine.

Hi Gabe, welcome to the YOC.

Hi Will, well as it's a 125 your not going to need a power ranger suit, so a decent jacket good all weather gloves and a modern but not to cheap helmet, if your head is worth £20 buy a £20 helmet but if it's worth more than that spend around the £100 to £150 range do you want full face - open face or flip front? Do you have the manual for your bike? Cos if your servicing it yourself you will need that, how are you with the mechanical side of things? Can you tell one end of a spanner from another? You have loads to learn and this is the right place to start, loads of guys and girls on here who own or have owned a 125 and they like helping out new people. Good luck with your bike mate just be aware that it's fun but it's also dangerous but the first time you filter past all the cars stopped in traffic your will have an ear to ear grin.

So either way your going to have the wind In your hair mate, good for you, bung up a photo of what you decide to get, I bought the wife an OPEL Tigra more cos it had a fold down tin top and the fact that she had decided the moment she saw it she was having it or I was eating with the dog! Been thinking of visiting a mate down in Woking this year so if your up for it I'll buy you a coffee.

HI Len, Welcome to the YOC. As to parts mate your best bet is ebay or just type in Bike breakers in Google and see what they have. I'm rebuilding 2 Suzuki T100s at the moment and expect to be a least 2 years finding the parts I need, old bikes need patience and deep pockets!

Do tell mate, what have you bought now?

Yeah. if all goes well at the shop bite his hand off. Reference to your other post re the cables showing, it looks to me like there should be something attached to the bracket that the cables go to, ask the owner what was on there he's sure to tell you and if you think you like the idea then refit whatever it was.

No Malleus, I've had this myself, if your bars are all the way to the right ( when parked) and the bike falls on the right hand side it does give you a curly brake lever. Think about it, it's more or less the perfect angle to do it and almost certainly the first thing to hit the ground.