MrBrady

The battery is quite new. I'll have to check out the regulator to see what type it is, I haven't gotten that far yet. Yes I have the 3 white wires, but the other set of wires has a black, green, blue and yellow. These are the ones I think have been replaced but are definitely coming out of the back of the alternator. The workshop manual is telling me to test these wires to get an indication of the health of the coil. If I can adjust the regulator and can boost it up a bit, can this hurt the alternator if it's had some wires come loose in the coil? I don't want to be causing more problems

Must be a great feeling! I hope it all goes well for you.

Hello yet again, I'm trying to test my alternator output but it seems that during my bike's life sometime someone has replaced some of the wiring. The workshop manual is telling me to test the resistance between specific colours of wires that come out of the alternator, but the colours don't match! The reason I'm trying to check this is that with the engine at around 2k revs it's only outputting 13.4v instead of 14.5, and before I move on to checking the rectifier and regulator the manual suggests testing these to see if the coils are working properly. Suggestions please?

Hi everyone, Last weekend I lost a baffle from the end of my left hand exhaust pipe. The only solution I could find was to buy a new set of 'generic' silencers which arrived this morning. They came with 3 sleeves to suit different diameter exhaust pipes, and each sleeve had a section cut out of it so that it could expand or contract as necessary. I ended up using all three sleeves for each silencer. The problem is that when I did a test ride today, after a little while the engine wanted to stop running, and I was getting gurgling noises and pops from the exhaust. I assume this means that water was getting in there? This evening I re-fitted one of them to take a closer look at the sleeves, and when I was done I ran the engine and used a spray bottle to squirt water onto the exposed ends of the sleeves. It was obvious that exhaust air was coming out of the join through those cut-out sections in the sleeves, and I figure this means that water can get in there as well (when riding in the rain there's a lot more liquid around than I could get out of a spray bottle). So what do I do about it? I tried removing the inner sleeve and squeezing the other two to make them smaller and therefore minimise the gap in the cut out section, but then I couldn't get the silencer end clamped tight enough to even grip the exhaust pipe. I hope this makes sense to someone. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

Hi there, I was just wondering if there were any bike enthusiasts in Brisbane who might want to teach a young dog some new tricks? I have an '81 XS-250 RH which I've had for just over a year now. To say it has character is probably an understatement, but I'm enjoying getting my hands dirty and I'm learning as I go. I'd like to learn everything I can so if you've got some knowledge to pass on, drop me a line! MrBrady

Hi Gary, I've got a Haynes workshop manual for that bike, but I use it all the time for my '81 XS250. Did you find what you were looking for? Or is there a particular section you're intersested in I might be able to scan some pages for you?

Fixed! The new cable arrived on Friday morning and all went smoothly. Thanks for the advice guys! The next thing I'm wondering about is cleaning out underneath that cover that I had to take off. It was DISGUSTING in there... mud, twigs, leaves, who knows what else? It was covering everything including all the electrical cables!

Well I can't get the part locally - I have to wait for one to arrive from Sydney via express post so I can't attempt the repair until tomorrow.

Good evening, Long story short I was very fortunate earlier tonight when my clutch cable snapped while I was riding. Luckily I was only going very slowly in peak hour traffic and was able to get off the road and to a service station. I have the workshop manual for the bike (1981 XS 250) but it doesn't tell me how to just change the cable. I know it's the cable (and not something more sinister) because I can see where it snapped right up the top at the lever. The only mention I've found about the cable at the engine end is this: "Remove the five screws which hold the final drive sprocket casing to the left-hand side of the engine. Pull the casing out until it is clear of the gearchange shaft. The clutch cable must be disconnected from the operating arm inside the case before the casing is completely free. Take care not to lose small steel ball which lies between the inner face of the clutch lifting mechanism and the clutch pushrod, in the centre of the mainshaft." This is in the section for removing the entire engine from the frame, at step #11. Here's my questions: 1. Has anyone here done this before in Brisbane Australia who might be able to answer some phone questions tomorrow the 4th May? 2. Is it something that a moderately mechanically minded person could do without having seen it before? 3. Am I likely to need to drain the oil first? (this is mentioned in the manual but as part of the steps for removing the ENTIRE engine from the frame) 4. Are there any noobish mistakes I need to be careful not to make? I hope you can help me! Thanks, MrBrady

Hi there, new member from Australia signing in for the first time. I have a 1981 Yamaha XS-250 which is in fairly good condition that I use as my day to day commuter. I've had a few issues but overall I'm quite happy with it for a first bike! MrBrady