RatBob

Which is exactly what none of you are doing. For the record, I never stated that the dragstar 125 in particular kills people. If you're going to have an issue with something I've said, you might want to check that I've actually said it first. Secondly, if you're going to just say "you're full of shit", at least back it up with some evidence as to why. Don't go round insisting people adhere to a set of standards that you don't apply to yourself. Many motoGP riders are quite short, yet they are fine with tall bikes. Point proven. If you think you know more about handling a motorcycle than the best of the best, you really need a reality check. If you think that being tall is the requirement, ask a motorcycle instructor, ask female rider forums, check out youtube, and you'll find that riding a tall bike does not require you to be tall, it requires you to know the techniques. I actually misread a spec sheet, so apologies. The point still stands though. There is no reason a short person cannot handle a tall motorcycle. It's all down to technique. Balance with one foot, counterbalance with the other, shift off the seat slightly. Once you've mastered it, no bike is too tall. Here's a girl and her brother riding Hyosung GT250rs. Girl is only 5'0. At 780mm seat height on the GT250R, there's only 10mm in it between that and your FJ. If she can handle 780, then 790 isn't going to be much different. Actually, no, it's not "simple as". If you're short, you need to choose which foot you're putting down, shift over to one side of the seat (left side if you put your left foot down, opposite for the other leg), balance on the foot on the ground while counter-balancing on the peg with the other foot. If you ever get the chance to ride a BMW R1200GS or a Honda XR650L you'll see what I mean. This is where the mythology starts. You do not need to be able to put both feet down. You don't even need to be fully on the seat, you can slide off to one side a little to give yourself better reach. There are some bikes out there that even someone who is 6'0 tall wouldn't be able to get both feet down on the ground. It's dangerous to attempt it on a tall bike as you're likely to wind up with the bike on top of you. Hence the phrase "pick a foot". The concept that you must be able to put both feet down is along the same vein as people who believe that counter-steering doesn't exist. It's a dangerous lack of technique. You really ought to consider advanced rider training if you ride a tall bike and still believe that you should ever attempt to put two feet on the ground. I hope you don't ride like that, otherwise you're lucky you've gotten this far without it falling on you. If you disagree with any of this, then go on youtube, go look at tall bike riding technique. Check out the riding schools that offer training videos for this. They do a better job of explaining it than I do. If the only thing you have to say in response is "no you're wrong", without backing it up or looking into it because you think you know better, then I can't be bothered to go to the effort. The laws of physics will eventually teach you why you were wrong anyway.

So what does he do when he needs to come to a stop? Just jump off? As I've already said, I sold the NSR. After I passed my test I kept the little draggie and ended up buying and selling a couple of bikes. The draggie is now my "inbetween" vehicle. It's just a mode of transport because I live in the middle of nowhere and don't have a car license. I never said it was essential, I just said it's part of the learning process. If you want to restrict yourself to bikes with a lower seat then that's fine, but you're missing out if you do. Also, if short people you know can't support your FJ1200, then they're either legally a midget/dwarf or you're not teaching them properly (no offence). Make no mistake, it DOES take practice, especially for shorter people. However I've seen a 5'0" girl ride a Ninja 250r, which has the exact same seat height as your FJ. Bike weight doesn't matter a great deal even if you are short - I could go into a whole bunch of physics explaining how mass at an angle relates to effort required to resist falling, but I won't. Suffice to say, it's easy to support the balanced weight of a motorcycle so long as it doesn't lean over to an angle where it's downward force exceeds your strength. You'd have to screw up pretty hard to end up dropping it. Once you've mastered the skill of supporting a tall and heavy bike, that is deserving of respect just like mastering any skill. It's not something everyone is cut out to do as some just lack the confidence. I'm here because there's a lot of good advice here about fixing issues here. I'm not a particular fan of any brand except Ducati (god I miss my Duc...). I don't specifically love Hondas or Kawasakis, they just have epic build quality and make great products. Not much of a fan of the Yammy product range at the moment. I loved the MT-01 but the insurance would've killed me. I like the styling on the newer FZ but that's about it. The WRX125 is neat, too. Some people take to this easier than others, so to you it may have just been natural which is probably why it doesn't seem like a big deal. There was no hidden cryptic meaning. Not really comparing them, as they are chalk and cheese. They were just the first and second bikes that I owned and I ended up really loving the NSR. Doesn't mean the draggie was worse, it was just more my cup of tea.

I've road tested a couple 650 draggies and honestly I preferred the Kawasaki Vulcan 800 and Honda Shadow 600 for that class of cruiser. It pulls well enough (in a sort of pickup truck way) and is extremely well made - far superior to the 125 counterpart. Engine is a little flat though and while the Shadow is good for 110, the Drag ran out of breath at about 90. Neither speed nor accelleration was it's strong point, and neither was handling. That left me wondering what it's strong point actually was, and I've pretty much decided that it's down to styling, build quality and exhaust note. The second draggie I tested was a bobber with straight through pipes, and it sounded awesome down narrow streets. I should probably explain a little. Admittedly, I started off life as a cruiser devout - I felt that bobbers were the epitome of motorcycling and thought of sports bikes as the preserve of the speed freak. Then I ended up purchasing an NSR125 super cheap as a winter hack and bad weather bike, given that the XVS was not really up to the job. Not realising what a bargain I had, or knowing anything of this bike's legendary status, quite frankly it took me completely by surprise. Not only were they selling for way more on ebay than I bought it for, I was also massively impressed with the handling as well as the power. Pretty much immediately I became interested in the idea of putting in for my test, sold the NSR for near enough 5 times what I bought it for, and took my test. Pretty soon after passing I got an offer from a Kawasaki dealership to come test their new Ninja 250 (thanks go to the riding school for selling my details to the dealership). I road tested a few more cruisers before deciding that none of them were as fun as my NSR was, even with the added power. I took up the offer to try the Ninja and I was completely blown away. So I guess really I've been spoiled by the sports bike. For me the pin-sharp handling is just so much fun. I really enjoy twisties, the challenge of perfect apexing every time. I can happily cruise around if I want to, or alternatively the choice is there to really throw it into some turns. I also became addicted to the modern styling and basically never looked back since. I hear this a lot. You're not alone in thinking that way. Danny Pedrosa the motoGP racer is a mere 5'2. There is no such thing as a "motorcycle for tall people", that idea is a total myth. If anything, cruisers are harder for shorter people to deal with because there is a longer reach to the handlebars and foot controls. The way it works is you use your left leg to support the weight of the bike, and your right foot on the footpeg to counterbalance it. Or the other way around, depending on which foot you choose to put down. This does take some practice and is an extra skill that you have to learn - some riders lack the confidence to try it and that's fine. Some people don't feel safe unless they have both feet flat on the ground, but being able to ride a tall bike is a skill that most riders will give you extra respect for.

Word of advice on the BBQ paint, exhausts get a LOT hotter than a BBQ, they're easily the hottest component on the whole bike so it may not be rated for those kind of temps. You're better off spending a few quid on proper VHT paint and saving yourself a future job. Also, speaking from experience I definitely would suggest giving it a coat of VHT clear once you've done your colour layer. Gives you a lot of extra protection against stone chips and whatnot. As for your pipes, have you considered a 2-into-1? Or maybe the Biltwell exhaust builder kit? That's if you have access to a TIG welder of course...

If you don't mind it steering like an absolute barge then power to you buddy. It can be done. Probably easier and cheaper on the chain drive cruisers though, that'd be the Honda Shadow and Kawasaki Vulcan. Would be a bit of a dog to do it on the draggie with that shaft drive and monoshock softail suspension.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to give all the criticism, obviously you are all tremendously angry about the fact that I have an opinion that you disagree with. All I really have to say is, good for you, I wouldn't wish a dodgy bike on anyone. If the baby drag works for you then great, not every machine is born equal. The issues that I have with it are down to manufacturing and aesthetic decisions that impact the lifespan and performance of the vehicle. I agree that "looked after" there's no reason why it wouldn't last, unfortunately the condition of my machine has been largely out of my hands having 7 previous owners excluding myself. I imagine that there will be many people out there in the same boat looking at bikes with a large number of previous learner owners. You could argue that a cruiser is not really a fantastic choice for a first bike. Before you all shout "seat height", learning how to use a tall bike is part of the overall learning process, it's just another thing that takes practice. The issue is really one of length. No, it's not an r6, I'm just saying to all prospective buyers and current owners, if it's got a couple scuffs, your bike has probably been dropped, lowsided, and maybe even involved in a couple minor accidents. It's surprising what a bike can survive without any major signs of damage. Cruisers aren't exactly known for their ability when it comes to avoiding/getting away from a bad situation. Accidents happen on any bike, but the geometry of a cruiser can be a compounding factor. I think many of us have been cornering a bit too quick before and realised just how unresponsive a cruiser can be in this situation. It's your choice whether or not you decide to rectify the handling, as there are things you can do to improve it. It's not bad for gentle riding, just go easy in the twisties unless the road is bone dry. Chances are, if you're buying a cruiser then you're not going to be too bothered about performance anyway. Just something to keep in mind. Yes, the other part of it is maintenance. What I look for in a good learner bike is neglect-proof construction. There are a couple of design elements on the draggie that don't really go hand in hand with first time owners. It's not really about "if it's looked after". Even a piece of shit chinese bike will never give you any issues if it's well loved and pampered after every ride. It's more about how it holds up in the wrong hands. The first things to go on the baby drag seems to be the header stud bolts, and indeed mine were no different right from the start. The second thing to rust is the bottom yoke, followed by most of the nuts and bolts. Corrosion seems to be a bit of an issue, I've been chasing it relentlessly, sanding back to bare metal, primer and paint, and then clear coat. I've welded exhaust holes, too. The exhaust seems to be a bit of a weak point in general. If you own a draggy and it seems fine, then there's probably no need for alarm. Practice on it, pass your test, sell it on. If you really want this bike to be your first (or second, whatever) then here are my tips when shopping: Make sure it's low mileage, the lower the better. These bikes aren't really built for the long haul unless you're really comitted to pampering. Be prepared to be a fair weather rider. These machines are not waterproof. Consider buying a cheap second bike for transport if it's raining and save the drag for nice days. Check out the exhaust header bolts and the exhaust in general for rust. Ask to see the owner remove the spark plugs. These bikes have alloy threads that can cause corrosion, cross threading and stuck or loose plugs. One of the first major issues I had with my bike was having to helicoil the plug threads after changing the plugs for the first time. Inspect the machine for signs of crashes. Scuffed footpegs, bar ends, lever ends, and exhaust pipes are a common telltale sign. Also when test riding, have a quick look at the front wheel while in motion. Wobbling suggests a buckled rim. That's about it. If you don't really feel that I have any authority to comment then fair enough, just ignore me. If you take it on board and don't have any of these problems then great, congrats, you own one of the better examples out there. If you have a choice between the drag and the shadow, the honda is the better bike all day long. More powerful engine, better build quality, but then honda are known for that. I'm not really here to argue, just to give my 2 cents. Take it easy out there everyone.

"It's a Cruzah, innit!!" In what way is that a valid excuse? So a bike should be built with positively dangerous steering geometry because "it's just a cruiser"? Well I've got news for you bud; when it really counts, you'll pay for that attitude with your life/limbs. "Tyres - The 650 Drag has a 100-110/170 front/rear mix (depending on year), which is even worse, so that should make for a fucking god-awful ride, right? People should be sliding off and killing themselves left, right and centre, right? So how come none of us Drag Queens here have offed ourselves by riding such deathtraps?" Dragstars have maimed and killed people in corners, and most cruisers have this issue, which is why you see so many of them with lowside damage. The manufacturers do it to copy the "Harley look" and also because cruiser riders all have a boner over that fat rear tyre. Oh and also, most cruiser riders I've met haven't got a shred of riding knowledge or technique. Many of them don't know how to corner properly and as soon as I say "countersteering" I've completely lost them. This "I just learn as I go" attitude is particularly dangerous. And for the record, no, the 650 dragstar is not comparable. Even though the front to rear tyre ratio is too wide, this effect only becomes pronounced in smaller bikes - so a 400cc or less. The front tyre in the 650 is large enough that it can cope a bit better, however with a narrower rear tyre the handling would be significantly improved. "You say you're an owner with many years experience... You don't say anything about your service intervals, cleaning or maintenance schedule. Also, you imply you put all 34,000 miles on the bike yourself, from new but don't specifically say so. Can I request a short bit about you and your riding habits with the same detailed precision by which you analyse the bike characteristics, just to establish an accurate perspective?" I don't have to defend my riding habits, cleaning and maintenance schedule to you. Suffice to say, I'm probably up there with the top 5% of people who really seriously care for their machines. But that's as far as I'll go, this isn't a discussion of my abilities, this is a discussion of how these bikes don't stand up to the abuse of multiple previous owners well enough to be considered a "good" learner machine. Scott.

Hello everyone. As we all know, the Dragstar 125 is a very desireable motorcycle. To a first time buyer, there are few learner legal motorcycles on the market that look as good as the Dragstar does. And the fact that it's a Yamaha goes a long way to convincing most people that it has some reliability. Unfortunately, sadly, this is not the case. Although Yamaha has rightfully earned itself a great reputation for making quality vehicles, the XVS 125 does not live up to this reputation. I say this as an owner, with many years experience. One of the first things this motorcycle has an issue with is rust. You might think that I'm talking about chrome - well, I wish I was. The chrome on the XVS 125 is only average quality, so this will pit and rust unfortunately and there isn't a great deal you can do about it. If there wasn't so much chrome in so many hard to reach places then this may not have been such a problem, but then that's really the nature of the beast. But no, this issue doesn't really involve chrome, unfortunately it involves the frame. After just 34,000 miles, I discovered a big crack in my frame under my kickstand, where rust had eaten through a weld, and the weight being put on the kickstand had opened the hole into a crack. This had to be welded and patched up. That's the kind of repair that I'd expect to be doing on a 20 year old bike with 100,000 on the clock. This bike is just a little over 10 years old and only a third of the mileage. Not good. Another rust issue is the exhaust header. This is a very poor design that suffers from rust to the point that the bolts will corrode to dust. My front exhaust pipe bolts have now snapped from being rusted through and will have to be drilled out, the holes tapped, and replacement bolts fitted. This is money wasted because the design was shit and the materials were poor. Cast iron exhaust headers not only rust extremely quickly, but they're unnecessarily heavy. Cast iron headers is the kind of simple technology you can expect to find on a car - motorcycles have long since moved past this. Even old triumphs and BSAs used steel pipes bolted directly to the head. Using cast iron headers is a huge backward step to make a saving in manufacturing costs. It's the kind of shitty shortcut you should expect from a cheapo Chinese bike, rather than a well respected Japanese brand. The next issue it has, is unfortunately right where it really counts, and that's the engine. At around 30k miles, expect just about everything to fail on you. The spark plug threads, spark plug caps, the HT leads, the coils, the cam chain, the cam chain tensioner, the intake manifold, the oil pump. For the cam chain to go so slack that it's making a lot of noise after just 34,000 miles is really poor. The tensioner itself is "automatic" in the sense that it's held on a little ratchet, so as the cam chain becomes slack, the spring pushes on the tensioner to take up slack until the chain is tight again, and the ratchet prevents it from being pushed back. Once the tensioner has pushed out as far as it can go, the chain will need replacement. Although I haven't properly inspected it yet, my bike has cam chain noise. So either the tensioner has failed/isn't working properly, or the chain is so slack that the tensioner is no longer making any difference. When this happens, the timing becomes "retarded", that means that when the engine revolution pushes past the peak compression and the resistance in the valve spring, the spring pushes the valve back upwards, which suddenly turns the cam shaft forwards, causing the chain to suddenly go slack. By the time it's pulled the slack out of the cam chain, the next valve is now a little bit late to open. This happens with both valves, so that they both let fuel in and exhaust out too late. As this gets worse, the engine's top speed and accelleration will gradually drop until eventually the timing is so far out that it causes a catastrophic engine failure, and that's when your bike ends up on the scrap heap. But wait, there's more. Another issue with this motorcycle is an actual inherant design flaw, and it's to do with the wheels and what we call "steering geometry". The steering geometry is what determines how a motorcycle handles when cornering, and also how stable it is riding in a straight line at different speeds. It determines how much you have to lean and countersteer to corner at different speeds, how well the bike will perform in different conditions, how much grip it will have, and the manner in which it tracks a corner - the way that one wheel will follow another. Where the dragstar goes wrong, is that out of all the 125cc cruisers from all the different manufacturers, it has the narrowest specified front tyre, while still having a relatively wide rear tyre. This is universally discouraged, because it creates an extreme difference in the cornering characteristics of the front and back tyre. Looking at a tyre, we see that it has a curved profile, and as the bike leans it "rolls" on this profile. If the front tyre is narrower than the rear, what happens is that when you lean, the front end of the bike will lean before the rear. What happens is, in extreme slow motion, as you lean the bike, the front tyre leans first while the back is more upright. This means that the front wheel is forced to face in the opposite direction to where you are leaning, because it wants to try to keep going in a straight line, but this causes the bike to lean more. This effect is countersteering, and it is why leaning your body causes the motorcycle to corner without having to consciously be aware of the countersteering technique. If both tyres were the same width and size, you would have to more consciously force the bike to countersteer in order to get it to move properly. So a little difference between the width of the front and back tyre is good. But when you have a back tyre that is quite a lot wider than the rear, what happens is the countersteering action happens too easily, and you end up being unable to corner without the back wheel losing traction. On a dry road this is fine, but owners of an xvs 125 will have noticed by now that cornering on a wet road you can constantly feel your back tyre losing grip. This is because you are doing what is called "broadsiding". Speedway bikes are actually deliberately set up like this so that they automatically powerslide around corners. Naturally this is bad. This design WILL lose grip in corners because the front wheel is not stable enough when paired with the back wheel. The only way to fix it is to put a wider rim on the motorcycle and run a wider tyre. The rear tyre on a stock Dragstar 125 is a 130/90-15, and with a tyre that width your front tyre should be at least a 100, and preferably a 110, but on the stock it's only an 80. That's a difference of 50mm between the front and back tyres - 2 inches! You can see the problem here, compare any other motorcycle, or better yet compare larger CC motorcycles. Lets take the 250cc Kawasaki Ninja for example; a bit more power, a bit more weight, but it has the same 130 width rear tyre. It has a 110 front, so there's only 20mm difference between the front and back. This is a bike that is really well known for it's handling. Considering how the rake of the XVS 125 makes the steering less responsive than the rake on the Ninja, don't you think it's a bad idea to combine less responsive steering with a tyre width ratio that causes unwanted broadsiding? It means you have to lean a lot to get not much grip - not surprising so many people have had accidents on these bikes while taking a sharp corner! So if you own this bike, please, sell it and get something else. If you're thinking of buying one, don't bother. The Honda Shadow, Honda Rebel, and Suzuki Intruder all have better build quality, engine reliability, and steering geometry. All have 90 front tyres, all have a rim that will accept a 100, none of them use cast iron headers, and they should all last well past 35,000 miles before needing any kind of serious service. You're much less likely to have an accident in a corner, and you'll get more enjoyment out of riding it as a result. Cornering will feel like you simply have more grip available to you. I hope this has helped some people. I really have grown to hate this motorcycle now and can't wait to get something better designed. Stay safe out there. Scott.

Noise, it is possible to cut the frame and replace with a single backbone tube. What you need to do is buy a single carb kit from these people: http://www.kjsmotorcycleworks.com/vstarVirago.html What you get in the kit is a single 40mm mikuni horizontal carb with the correct jets and an inlet manifold to fit. You can then fit a great big bellmouth/stack on it like the old Harleys. Costs about £400 delivered to the UK from Canada. You get a significant boost in horsepower, torque and fuel economy by doing this mod. It also makes it a lot easier to change jets and do maintenance on it, since the carb will be sticking out the side rather than hidden under the tank. This also has the added benefit of simplicity and reliability. This leaves you free to cut the backbone and replace it with a single tube.

It sounds to me like it's leaning off after a certain point... almost as though one of your jets is blocked.

Sounds to me like the throttle cable free play needs some adjustment. An easier way to test the speedo cable by the way, disconnect it at both ends, and then twist one end with your fingers, you should see the other end move. If not your speedo cable is broken. If it's moving when you twist it with your fingers, then connect it to your hub, turn the wheel by either pushing the bike or have it up on a stand, and just watch to see if the other end of the cable moves. If it doesn't, try pushing the inner cable down into the outer cable a bit, and repeat the process to check if it's moving with the wheel. If not then your hub is the culprit. If all is fine here, then reconnect it to the speedo, making sure that it's properly seated and threaded. If you're still having no joy then the speedo is your culprit.

Okay, just another update. Mechanic picked up the bike earlier, and after checking it over discovered that the fault appears to be the HT leads were making poor contact, so these have been adjusted now and the bike starts and runs. He's keeping it overnight to recharge the battery and will be putting the battery back in the machine tomorrow to test to make sure that the issue is definitely solved. But basically it looks like the contact was so bad on both of them that the plugs were barely sparking! Might be worth noting that this is another problem on the xvs 125 that can crop up "suddenly". I'll post again tomorrow once I've got it back.

I thought as much. Thanks.

Unfortunately if it was either of those two things, the starter button would not work - I wish it were really that simple.

Okay so just a quick update since my last post, I had a brief look in the battery box to see if any wiring was touching the bare metal plate - I even moved it around a little just to make double sure, there's definitely no wires contacting any exposed metal surface. I have however, noticed that for some reason, the engine light is now working normally, and comes on for 1.4 seconds after the key has been turned. The engine still will not start and the battery is now too flat to keep on trying. I've organised for my mechanic to pick up the bike tomorrow (actually, my Dad is calling him in the morning for me, because I've got work at 6am) so if he does pick it up, and if he has found the cause, I'll post on here to let you all know what was wrong. At the moment I'm anticipating the worst, that the CDI unit is fried, in which case I've got my eye on one on ebay. I did notice that, when I tried to bump start it, pushing it in gear with the clutch in, there was a lot of resistance. Could this be the oil?

Hi everyone, Okay so bit of a dilemma, came home from work on my dragstar Friday afternoon with some rattle cans. I put some new handlebars on her recently, some Z mini apes, because the bars I had previously contacted the tank at full lock (instant MOT fail). Bars were just bare metal, so I wanted to prime them - took them off, sanded them down, couple coats of primer. Same story with the battery box covers/side panels, sanded and primed. Put it all back together and the bike won't start. In total, I'd spent roughly 1 and a half hours working on it. It was working fine before that. The lights work, horn works, starter motor works, and the engine turns over on the button, but it does not "catch". Here's what I've checked so far: Fuel lines fine, nothing touched or changed between parking it up and attempting to start it again. Definitely fuel in tank, flows freely from petcock, and definitely fuel in lines. Carb is properly seated onto air box, which is properly seated onto air filter. Engine is not flooded. Killswitch is in correct position, sidestand tried in different positions, bike is in neutral. Battery is fine and cranks the engine fine. Removed tank, did visual inspection of wiring harness and connections to coils etc. and all looks fine. Checked inside battery box, visual inspection of fuses shows them to be fine. Put screwdriver in HT lead cap, to check for spark against engine, couldn't see any spark when pressing starter button. Disassembled and checked handlebar controls for internal wiring issues - couldn't see any. The starter relay clicks on and works, obviously, because the engine turns over on the starter. So basically it seems like it has randomly lost it's spark, but I honestly can't see how it could've done this simply by having the side panels off and the handlebars off for an hour. I have recently fitted a new solo seat pan on springs, which required welding a plate just below so that the electricals were not exposed to the elements. This plate is obviously bare steel, so perhaps it's possible that there's a bare wire somewhere in the battery box touching this? I'm going to try covering the inside with insulating tape to see if that makes a difference. One thing I have noticed, is that in the past when I turned the ignition key to "on", the engine light would come on for a few seconds and then go off - now however it no longer does this. I'm thinking this might be indicative of a problem in the circuit, but I'm really not sure. Just so you know, by the way, I don't have an electrical tester, and the spark plugs are pretty much brand new, having been fitted only a few months ago - however I don't have a spark plug socket to remove them. But I somehow doubt they'd both suddenly fail at once, same with both coils. Other than that, does anyone have any ideas? I've looked through the service manual, and all I can see is it's either the CDI unit, pickup coil, or wiring harness.

I read somewhere that 20-30 minute ride is sufficient time to boil off the water in the oil, but would love to know some of the variables. Is this something I'd have to do EVERY time I use the bike? Or is once daily sufficient? For instance, could I ride to work, ride home, and then go out for a half hour/hour ride in the afternoon/evening? Can I get away with doing it less often than that? I basically just want to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

When I get it back from the mechanic I'll check those over. Problem is, I live to ride, so I go out daily in all conditions. Freezing cold, heavy rain, you name it. So if anyone has any suggestions to prevent this from happening, I'm all ears. Unfortunately I don't have access to a garage, so I have to keep it covered. My bike is my only vehicle, so I also use it to commute to work - this is only 4.5 miles each way, and I normally leave around 05:30am! Would I be able to prevent this problem by warming the bike up for longer in the mornings?

Hi all, been a long time since I posted on these forums but I figured I'd come back to share some recent experiences I had. I know a lot of people think that the XVS 125 isn't really capable of much more than 55-60mph. There were some slightly restricted imports due to laws in their country of origin, but most of them out there are just unrestricted 125s. Some have a lot of "optional extras" that add a fair bit of weight. And that's fair enough. I used to agree to an extent. I own a bobbed dragstar, which has had a lot of excess weight removed and drilled out baffles. I was getting 55 up steep hills, and cruising around at 60-70 no problem on dual carriageways. I myself am 5'11 and about 12.5 stone ish. When I bought the bike, it wasn't even roadworthy. It had no indicators, no tail light, an illegal number plate, the ugliest side mount bracket I've ever seen, a mudguard that was trying to destroy the rear tyre, no indicators, and a bunch of other crap wrong with it. When it went in for it's MOT service, the mechanic (if you can call him that) found that the oil had gone white and had stuck the clutch plates. Eventually the bike ended up on the road. I've ridden it nearly every day since I've owned it, in all weathers. I did all the usual maintenance and kept the bike in better condition than the previous owner did. It never ran fantastically, the battery would go flat a lot, it hated being in the rain, it didn't idle particularly well unless it was very warm. It got to a point where we had a cold snap recently and it wouldn't start. I had to hook it up to external power, and a lot of cranking eventually got it started up. It was really not very well this time. Front pot gave a cold exhaust with plenty of velocity, back pot gave a very hot slow moving exhaust. I'd spent pretty much the entire time I'd owned this bike trying to diagnose what was wrong with it. I'd figured out that it wasn't the electrics, fuel, or air. The oil had been changed recently so I'd ruled that out too. The only thing I'd never checked or changed were the spark plugs. I took it up to a local garage that I'd never used before, but knew one of the mechanics there as a "biker friend". This was the best decision I ever made with this bike. The spark plugs were KNACKERED. Taking them out destroyed the threads. Before I knew it, I was waiting on gaskets so that the threads could be taken off and fitted with a heli-coil insert. Taking off the heads and side covers the mechanic discovered TONS of emulsified oil, like a sludge, covering the inside surfaces of the engine. It covered the rockers, timing chain, it was just everywhere. He spent a good part of the day just scooping it all out. Putting it all back together, the bike now runs, but won't idle very well. The carb is going to be cleaned tomorrow which hopefully will get it back to normal. List of things that have been/are being done to the bike so far: -New spark plugs. -Corroded bolts replaced with new. -Engine flushed, and all new oil and filter. -Timing re-set. -Valve clearances set. -Carb cleaned. So if my 125 can get a confirmed 70 on a dual carriageway with spark plugs so bad that the mechanic said it's a miracle it even started, let alone run, and oil so bad that he said it's a wonder the engine never seized, then yours can too. None of the problems with my bike are through any of my fault. It's through the neglect and ignorance of the previous learner owners that this has happened. Here's a photo of the cr*p in my engine!

I found the beginnings of some corrosion on mine, which left untreated would've become quite serious. I sanded it back and sprayed it with hammerite, but it's since started to come back so I'm currently trying to find a more permanent fix. I'm guessing from what you've said that the majority of your serious corrosion is on the bottom of the frame. If so I'd say you probably have nothing to worry about in the sense that there's not going to be any corrosion hidden from view that can screw you later on. It's all going to be down low where the kicked up stones and water are doing their worst. Welding it will have sorted it but obviously the heat of the weld will make that part of the frame more vulnerable to rust in future. You just have to be vigilant in future I think, and just keep rust to a minimum. So long as you keep wire brushing it back to bare steel and painting it over you should be fine. The only worry I'd have is if the frame was rusting from inside out, given that the tubes are hollow. I'm not sure how likely that is, and I've certainly never heard of it, so that might be for someone else to clarify.

Check the bulb, it should say on it what type it is. If you're not sure, take the bulb into a vehicle parts shop and ask them to find you a xenon that will fit the same socket.

If it's got air, fuel, compression, a spark, correct valve timing and oil, it HAS to run. Have you checked through the carb? Made sure that it's pulling fuel, that the choke and throttle are all as they should be, and the air filter etc. are good? Idle and main jets good? You've established that the valve timing is fine, so it's not that. It's sparking fine. Compression is obviously fine because that's down to the valve timings and opening and closing properly, and it sounds like it ignited something at least if there was a puff of smoke I'd say by process of elimination that it must be fuel. Sounds like it's not getting enough.

What's this "fender" creature you speak of? In all fairness, I don't think you can compare bobbers and cruisers. The whole point of a bobber is to remove stuff. Cruisers are all about attaching extras. It's just that to us, it looks a lot like you've somehow made your bike magnetic and then ridden it through the highway hawk parts warehouse. And I suppose to cruiser fans, bobbers look like they were stolen from half way down the production line.

That is exceptionally tidy. I was under the apparently mistaken impression that yam stopped making the xvs in 04? I like the fork covers. That's a nice extra. Perhaps it's just me but your front indicator bar looks a bit wonky, lol. I think it might be the angle of the photo. You gonna get some open pipes on that bad boy?

Re side casing, you referring to the crankcase covers? If so there's usually some on ebay as spare parts, and sometimes you'll find someone breaking an old bike for parts. Best way to do it. Or go hardcore and just spray it all black.