Campaman

Yep as he said, keep it off the brakes and tyres, and a tin goes a long way, I got two tins from Amazon, done the Dragstar and the wife's electric push bike, used it around the house for hinges and other stuff and still got loads left in the first tin.

I think you will find a lot of the RD200 bits will fit engine and drive train wise as the RS was derived from the RD but with a single carb instead of the RD's twin carbs, it was more of a commuting / touring bike with the covered shocks and forks.

As you get the high level brake lights on cars and vans these days I don't see why not, as long as its red, also large vehicles have red marker lights at the top corners etc,

I used to have a RS200 when I was around 17, it didn't have the full seat like yours had, mine had a single seat and a rear rack which you could either put on a seat pad or the top box that came with it. At the time it made a lot of sense as most of the people that rode bikes under 250cc hadn't passed there tests so didn't need the pillion seat, I actually passed my test on the RS200, so then the seat pad actually became useful. I say its got to be worth keeping.

Personally although my bike came with an alarm, a disk lock and a lock & chain are your best visual deterrents, at the end of the day the best thing to do is make sure that you do what you have to do to ensure you are covered by your insurance should it get nicked, that way you wont have a problem making a claim if you have to.

I agree Nyloc nuts are not the best, more so as just about 100% of the ones you get in the UK are far east imported parts of dubious quality, you can get an All Metal Self Locking nut which will take a lot more stick than a Nyloc, but with any sort of Self Locking Nut the max usage is on and off 5 times only. Luckily I have good access to some decent stuff when I need it as I work for a Nut Manufacturer.

Don't know what it is with BMW's but all the ones around here appear to be faulty as none of them have working indicators... Problem with riding with your steering lock on is that you don't get very far before your back where you started.

Welcome Changing the battery is a nice easy job as I have just done mine, remove side panel, unscrew the battery terminals. remove large elastic band holding battery on and out it comes. Fuses are just above the battery.

Yeah I always use mine, out and about and at home in the garage, with the disk lock, large chain & lock, ground anchor, alarm/immobiliser.

OK that makes sense, unfortunately I can not use the bike every day due to what I need to carry with me for work, unless I get a trailer for the bike. Checked the instructions on the charger I have got and the motorbike setting chucks out 1.2Ah, so that's about right, but its not suitable for leaving permanently connected. New battery now obtained, just waiting for the Oxford Optimiser to arrive then will swap out the battery and get the Optimiser leads connected so I can just plug it in when I am not using it.

Hi I have a 1998 XVS650 Dragstar that has a Datatool Alarm/Immobiliser fitted and I have found that if I don't use the bike for about 2 weeks the battery is discharged enough so that the bike wont start. I have been using the charger in this link as it has a motorcycle setting http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7404881/c_1/1|category_root|Garden+and+DIY|14418702/c_2/2|14418702|Car+equipment+and+accessories|14418747/c_3/3|cat_14418747|Car+battery+chargers|14418754.htm I put the bike on charge last night and it said it was fully charged in about 2 hours, went to start it this morning and it turned over once then flat battery. The battery must be about 15 months old I would guess, so is it just that the battery has outlived its self or am I charging it with something that has killed it as looking at the specs for the charger it says 14-120Ah and when I have just looked up batteries on the web it appears that the Dragstar battery is only 10Ah Any advice welcome, Thanks.

Jeez, that means my neighbours gay, and what I thought was his wife on a bike is actually his boyfriend with long hair and great big man boobs... You never can tell...

If you go to the web site the information and forms are there.

Maybe its for mounting another foot peg so that women can ride side saddle

That's a relief, I was beginning to think I had lost the oil drain plug. Suppose it could be a mounting that's not used in this frame or a lifting point of some kind.

Was looking at adjusting my gear shift lever and spotted just to the right and slightly below where the shaft comes out of the case a threaded hole with nothing in it, anyone got any ideas what this is? The threads look clean as though something has come out of it, so I have used the car today can't find anything in the owners manual so now ploughing through 360 pages of the workshop manual.

Everyone has slightly different riding styles, I just find a touch of rear helps to balance the bike when braking, and have found with the cruiser I tend to use a bit more rear.

I have had my full bike licence for over 30 years, and pay around £75 for my 650 Dragstar, so as you are new to biking and that includes breakdown insurance it doesn't seem to bad.

Simplest way if its not too loose, would be loctite. The Gel Type Superglue does the same thing if you have some around.

I used the wifes new xmas pressy hairdryer to un-freeze the diesel filter on me Renault Kangoo Van in February, we had freeky low temperatures one Saturday night where I live of -19C

Yeah what he said. Part of what I put doesn't now read right after looking at it again, what I meant was that on the cruiser I tend to use more back brake with the front than I used to on non cruiser bikes. So Non Cruiser Front with a tad of back Cruiser front with a bit more back than above.

WD40 may help, as it will remove stickyness left by labels, not sure if it would do any damage to your paintwork though, maybe someone else will know that.

Great thanks, the bike didn't come with a manual but I have found and downloaded one, so I will adjust just the gear shifter to start with and see how that feels. I do find I end up gripping the tank at higher speeds, and on the way home yesterday I made a concious effort to relax more and it did feel a lot better, suppose as you say its like any new bike you need to get the miles under your belt to get familiar with it.

This is my first cruiser and I have now done around 700 miles since getting it last August and with the better weather approaching I want to make the most of it as I really like the bike, but I have a few possibly stupid queries regarding the riding position. My Classic has foot pegs rather than the boards that newer ones seem to have and it feels like my feet are slowly slipping sideways off the pegs, I am constantly having to move them back inwards, is this just me or is it actually happening. I am finding it a bit tight between the peg and gear lever, so I assume its just a matter of adjusting it using the nut and thread on the shaft? When riding I find I have my right foot above the brake pedal just touching the pedal, is this OK or do I need to adjust the brake pedal? My left foot ends up between the peg and gear lever touching the lever and as I said thats a bit tight but it does stop that moving sensation I am getting in that foot. Basically I need some advice on how to adjust the foot control setup to best suit me on a cruiser, I am six foot, average build with size 8 feet, if this information is needed.

You will get over it but also it will make you more aware, I had a head on in a car over about 20 years ago, came round a bend to find some nob in a XR3 on my side of the rode trying to over take a row of seven cars, with no where to go, I stopped, the nob didn't slow down just plowed into me. Broken left foot, broken right heel, full on bruising from seatbelt. (note to self, take feet off peddles if it happens again). Even now I am very aware everytime I see someone pull out to overtake coming towards me.