TheBoltons

Cant see it being slack - youre completely right, its a preference thing - yamaha says you should have 5mm of free play on the clutch handle, but I dont like any free play if I can help it. So as long as the clutch can fully engage, slack is not an issue. If youve put car engine oil in it, I would personally drain entire system, change oil filter, leave it open for an hour or two and hopefully dry it out A LITTLE... then 1.0-1.1l of motorbike oil if you DONT change filter, 1.3 if you DO. What you have to remember is in a car, engine oil serves just that one purpose, the engine. In a motorbike crank case, it serves the engine, the clutch and gearbox, and tends to stay thicker than car oil, therefore also maintaining friction in the transmission. I would hazard a guess that your transmission is fine, but it also depends how long you have been using car oil as it can cause damage to your gears if used for a while :-S.

Hi there. As quite a newbie myself, I can't be certain, but what is the top speed you can comfortably hit? It just seems maybe if youre reaching 70 and staying there for some time each morning/evening, your engine probably wont love you for it. I've just picked up an SR125, and after discovering a couple of minor flaws, am now in the middle of a complete engine overhaul - if you have a manual I would at least go through the inspections and adjustments in there. Most of them should be done regularly anyway. Good luck!

Would have to agree - do a complete oil change, inc. Filter, ensure you have motorbike oil, not standard engine oil and remember when you drain the crankcase and change the filter you need 1.3l of oil, no more. Failing that, check friction plates maybe?

I am most definitely sticking to the plan after seeing them... Will post pics when its done.

Wow! Thats awesome!

The key to the chrome paint, sprayed or not, is to buff it like it wont reach climax ;-) IYKWIM with a chamois or duster cloth as soon as its dry throughout. If you do that, then any dirt it gathers can be washed off and then buff it up to a nice shine everytime. Of course, it needs to be a decent brand, Hycote being one of them. As for the roll stuff, also very easy to maintain, easier than you think to apply, even on curved surfaces, BUT... one stone chip and it needs replacing as it is essentially paper so it tears. On the subject, anyone ever covered their bike with fabric of some kind? Seen a few with leather covered faring but thinking of doing something more... unique... One major con would be rain obviously, but I only want to use my bike in the sun B-)

Thankyou Cynic. I am looking for the part, but its hard to find one that is model specific. May have to get a generic part. As I said, in the meantime the bike isnt running anyway. The frame is in the garage, the engine is in the shed, and the fuek tank and carb are in my kitchen. Your answer to the caliper question makes perfect sense, I just thought it was a littke odd, and there WAS an uneven wear on the old pads. Quite significantly uneven - nonexistent at one side and a good 2.5mm on the other :-S Have replaced seals now anyway so will see how the new pads fare. And with regards to the float needle, will see how it gets on now its all cleaned, if need be ill take a little wet/dry to it. Unrelated, im finding it impossible to get the crank case (clutchside) off!!! Not one screw will budge! Am intending to replace them all with hex bolts anyway so if all else fails ill drill em lol

thats genius... If you like that you should check out Cookie Monster's cover of that awful song by Carly Rae Jepsen...

Wow... Ok firstly, I have a manual. Secondly, I am hardly risking my life here nor am I "cheaping out." Thirdly the part in question costs about £4, Fourthly its not like I am "making do" with faulty brakes or anything like that, the bike was running without it, and I am just wanting to know how much if at all it is contributing to the few issues I have. And lastly, if you have nothing useful to say, STFU. I have every intention of replacing the said part, the bike is not in use at present, nor is it taxed or MOTd, the question was can I continue works on engine and carb etc, without that part UNTIL IT ARRIVES, working around it FOR THE TIME BEING by adjusting the fuel mix... Jeeez...

So... the speedo on my SR looks really lonely... Anyone know where I can get hold of maybe an instrument cluster that would bulk it up a bit?

So I have just stripped my carb off my SR125 down, and found the remains of the main jet in the main jet nozzle :S Wondered if anyone could tell me if this is 100% a needed part, or whether it can function without for the time being. Obviously it will be affecting the fuel mix, but can I just adjust the screw to compensate? Also, although everything in the carb seemed clean, I cleaned it anyway, but I am not sure whether or not there should be any rubber washer or anything in the float needle seat - the only carbs I have opened up before all had an o ring thingy to ensure a tight shut off, but this one hasn't, and the reason I stripped it down in the first place is because I suspected that there was a problem with the float or needle which was causing an occasional fuel leak. Also, unrelated, my front brake caliper has one cylinder larger than the other... is this normal? And could this result in uneven wear on the pads? Thank you muchly,

I just dismantled my carb because of a similar problem - have a good check of the pin and where it sits - mine was dry as a bone for one, but also ever so slightly worn. It is also missing the screw on the end of the main jet (grr) so Im sure that was contributing to my problem as well. So my advice - strip the carb down and cross check all parts and calibrations with the manual.

Ok so I have taken the carb out, stripped, cleaned and rebuilt, but there seems to be a part missing... I know it wasnt there to start with, and woukd like someones advice on whether I need it or not - it is the little screw on the main jet, the one which closes the aperture up a little. the remains of it was still in the nozzle. Hope this explains it well enough - probably should have taken a pic. Thanks

Basically I would just need someone to cut, stitch, line and insert armour. The rest I can do myself.

I do mean the very long last one, but I am able to provide templates for each part of the leathers, and a full design with all relevant measurements.

So yes, it was just the cable, it now shifts (dare I say it) perfectly. New problem - fuel leak :-( but it was dark last night so couldnt see where it was coming from. Thinking its probably the run off from the carb, gonna check float in a bit.

Just wondered, does anyone know anywhere that does decent, but cheap custom leathers? like the idea of having fully customised leathers, but only found one or two sites that do that and one of them is UBER expensive. I know you pay for quality etc, but this was slightly over that. Cheers guys

Figured you were yanking my chain to start with, then I thought that to be perfectly honest, it wouldn't surprise me at all with today's "punishment" system. After all, the EU apparently made internet access a "basic human right" in 2009 lol.

With internet access? wow... guess crime pays lol. A family member was recently a resident of high point - he had no such luxuries lol.

Okidokes - ! The copy I have is the Yamaha Supplementary Service Manual - SR125 '99 It doesnt appear to go into very much detail, more a handful of knowledge on a handful of things I did try using it to rewire the front lights, but even the exploded diagram is not clear enough. Hence why i wondered if anyone had the other. Your opinion on the clutch matter is good to hear - Less work for me for one, and two, I was right! go me! Have also been told I should strip down the carb - quite happy to do so, but is there any dos and donts? a few pointers would be appreciated.

So... I've been wanting a bike for so ridiculously long i cant even remember. When I had the money to get one, I had a wife to tell me no But... I finally won the argument, and am now the owner of a '99 SR125. It needs a bit of TLC as its has been standing idle for a LONG time. So far I have cleaned it up, drained the oil, changed the brake fluid, checked brake pistons and seals, fitted a new fuel line, rewired front lighting (It originally had side spots on it but one was broken so previous owner removed them but never rewired) and thats about it. There are a few cosmetic bits and bobs needed, and there are a few problems I am hoping to get some help with here . Firstly, the clutch... previous owner told me that the clutch plates will need changing as it was only biting and the end of the lever and sometimes slipping during gear change. However, upon inspection, the cable broke into two pieces pretty much in my hand - from what I can make out, it was the rubber that was holding the cable together and therefore I am HOPING that this means the plates wont need to be touched. Any thoughts on this would be great! Also if they do still need doing - I am a complete noob, but want to do all the work myself. I have a little know how - my recent googling has assured me of that, with some people posting things in other forums like "where's the battery?" or "where does the oil go?" - I know enough to get by, but some things id rather have an experienced biker's direction incase i do something silly like pump the brake fluid out with the pads off and off the disc so the pistons pretty much pop out.... again :S The battery is fine, it was new-ish, basically bought new then left idle for a year plus, but once i was able to fill her up and give it a good charge, it starts! It only starts with some choke, and currently cant idle without choke either, which is a little annoying as the two stage choke no longer works properly, it has to be held out, which I am told is a common problem. Am hoping that once i have run it a few times it will eventually sit idle quite happily? Anyone who does have any spares laying around that are no longer needed, that would be great, and also if anyone has a **edit**l, id greatly appreciate it. All i could find was the Yamaha service manual. My plan of action is to fix this up, get on the road properly with it, have a few miles out of it (its currently only done 25k) and then sell it on and buy a bigger fixer-upper, with the ultimate goal of a Harley. Thanks for reading, and happy riding! Matt

Thanks guys, will do that straight away - will ctrl c+v into the workshop an DirtyDT - are you really in her majesty's house at the mo? Or just a witty remark on your info lol. Looking forward to using the forum regularly - who knows, not too far from now I'll be uploading pics of my Custom Harley Matt

So... I've been wanting a bike for so ridiculously long i cant even remember. When I had the money to get one, I had a wife to tell me no But... I finally won the argument, and am now the owner of a '99 SR125. It needs a bit of TLC as its has been standing idle for a LONG time. So far I have cleaned it up, drained the oil, changed the brake fluid, checked brake pistons and seals, fitted a new fuel line, rewired front lighting (It originally had side spots on it but one was broken so previous owner removed them but never rewired) and thats about it. There are a few cosmetic bits and bobs needed, and there are a few problems I am hoping to get some help with here . Firstly, the clutch... previous owner told me that the clutch plates will need changing as it was only biting and the end of the lever and sometimes slipping during gear change. However, upon inspection, the cable broke into two pieces pretty much in my hand - from what I can make out, it was the rubber that was holding the cable together and therefore I am HOPING that this means the plates wont need to be touched. Any thoughts on this would be great! Also if they do still need doing - I am a complete noob, but want to do all the work myself. The battery is fine, it was new-ish, basically bought new then left idle for a year plus, but once i was able to fill her up and give it a good charge, it starts! It only starts with some choke, and currently cant idle without choke either, which is a little annoying as the two stage choke no longer works properly, it has to be held out, which I am told is a common problem. Am hoping that once i have run it a few times it will eventually sit idle quite happily? Anyone who does have any spares laying around that are no longer needed, that would be great, and also if anyone has a pdf of the Haynes manual, id greatly appreciate it. All i could find was the Yamaha service manual. My plan of action is to fix this up, get on the road properly with it, have a few miles out of it (its currently only done 25k) and then sell it on and buy a bigger fixer-upper, with the ultimate goal of a Harley. Thanks for reading, and happy riding! Matt