Bulldog2

"...or you could just get some foam earplugs." True but I already have moulded ones and they weren't enough! and I have a screen. I'm just getting old. Anyway, the Cobra is now sold along with the engine bars so there is no going back.

Has anyone changed the standard bars for straights? I'd like to reduce the distance the bar ends travel for slow riding such as U-turns. Or does anyone have any other bright ideas?

The trouble is Clarke that riding my FJR is so good that it exposes the shortcomings of the XVS. Not that I dislike the XVS, it is a great bike and if you forgive the big gap between 1st and 2nd, the gearbox is actually very good. But it isn't the most manoeverable bike (and nor is the FJR in reality). However, the reason I first bought it is that it is low and comfortable and I could go touring on it if needed and that hasn't changed. The bars have come off because I really haven't liked them since fitted, this is just my personal taste, many others like them. The Cobra I'm afraid is off because I just can't take the noise anymore! It is a really good sound, quite mellow really with the baffle, but on a long day's ride-out (200 miles plus) I've had enough. I couldn't see me going touring over 5 days (just been to the Black Forest on the FJR) as it would kill my ears. Great for town where people hear you coming but not for touring. Will I replace it; I don't know. If I could find something like an Explorer or even a GS that had a seat height of 800 then maybe but I can't see that happening so I think it will stay with me.

I have advertised on EBay my Cobra 4" slip on pipe (with HardKore quiet baffle) and my genuine Yamaha engine bars if anyone is interested. This is for information only not a for sale post. It is for the benefit of like minded custom owners.

Thanks Clarke. I've got most of the manuals already and I can't find any reference to checking the CO levels. I think you may have to plug into the ECU. Never mind, it's running ok anyway but I thought I might just check them and possibly have a play since I fitted the Cobra exhaust.

Does anyone know if you can get to these on this bike. I've followed the normal procedure that worked on my TDM and on the FJR but all I can get on the XVS is the DIAG fields. Thanks

My answer to the saddlebag issue was found in the Hepco & Becker catalogue (they also have photos of the 950 with saddlebags). The below cost me £747 all in from a UK supplier (motobins). It really depends on what look you want for your bike. If you like leather then the good thing about mine is that the bags themselves are lockable and also lock onto the bike using the same key. If you want to go touring you can take off the bags with one key turn and take them into your room. Obviously with hard cases they won't come off the bike so are secure but you would also need to use an inside bag to be able to remove things from the bike easily which will waist space. Lastest catalogue (read at your own risk) http://neu.hepco-becker.de/Downloads/Englisch_2013.pdf

I use this. If you use it at the rear of the frame you lift the rear tyre and vice versa. Very simple, very stable and much less than a full centre lift. You can get them at toolbox.co.uk http://www.toolbox.co.uk/sealey-mps2-two-arm-centre-7203-109954 Its a Sealey two arm centre stand

It's a matter of personal taste isn't it. I probably wouldn't go with the white sidewalls but then my bike is black. Actually I do now recall seeing a photo of the bike on an earlier post with Clarkegray where you mentioned the new hooter. I presume that you have had to install a relay for it, and do you just remove the plastic cover at that location and bolt on the horn?

Great looking bike, this is the first time I've seen a photo of it although I have read lots about it. I struggle to understand the logic of the exhausts passing the MOT! Pleased I am for sure despite having spent good money on quiet baffles however, I do get a little self-conscious rocking up in town making too much noise. Shame Clarkegray has had to sell his 950.

What a great idea - Get a Cobra then you can buy my spare Hard Kore quiet'ish baffle for it!!

What a really great colour. I love black but your blue runs it very close. The bike doesn't look as though it would benefit from any fancy extras other than maybe a luggage rack - which will be of benefit to the pocket. I sat on one of these in the shop. The bars really seem wide - wider than the 1300. In fact I do struggle going between my 1300 and the FJR. Good buy

Where do the pegs fit - in place of the boards or further forwards somewhere?

I was doing Freewheelers fundraising today and went on my 1300. Lovely day and so nice to hear my new exhaust sound! Look forward to hearing your 950 views.

Re-reading what I wrote I see that it is confusing. I actually removed the O2 sensor eliminator and remade the original connection. I don't fully understand how fitting an eliminator affects the mixture but I think cutting out the sensor just richens the mixture at low revs. Maybe someone else can expand on this?

Finally got to give the bike a run out yesterday and I couldn't have wished for a better result. Yes the rasping top end has gone as has the loudness that makes you grit your teeth in town. However the most pleasing change is that the sound is so mellow - it's a real pleasure to hear and really makes you want to gun it. I did reconnect the O2 sensor eliminator before I took it out and to be honest I think it's just fine as there is no back-firing on the run down although I will try it again without at some point.

For anyone with a Cobra 4" slip-on exhaust fitted to their XVS1300A I have measured the sound level as it comes out of the box and also with a Smartpartz Hard Kore quiet baffle fitted. Apologies to Clarkegray for reminding him of the joys of this bike and for not purchasing his pipe when I had the chance but I didn't know about this quiet baffle. I based my measurements on the American spec J2825 (you can find a Youtube clip on a guy doing the measurement - How to Perform a SAE J2825 Motorcycle Sound Test ). Whether this has any weight in the UK I doubt but it at least gave me a basis for measuring. I used an iPhone 4S with the app SPL Meter which is probably not accurate but again it provides relative readings. I measured 3 bikes; BMW 1200RT, Yamaha FJR1300A and the Yamaha XVS1300A. Readings were taken at idle for all and at 2krpm for the beemer and XVS, and at 5krpm for the FJR as specified in the J spec. This spec says max 92dBA at idle and 96dBA for twins (100dBA for more cylinders). The results were (readings in dBA with slow response setting): BMW idle 66 @2k 75 FJR idle 70 @5k 82 XVS with Cobra idle 85 @2k 95 I then fitted the Smartpartz Hard Kore quiet baffle into the Cobra and the result was idle 79 @2k 91 So, a 6dB reduction at idle and 4dB at what I estimate to be around 2krpm (as we don't have a tacho on this bike). A 3dB reduction is half the power and 6dB is a quarter of the power so yes, the baffle does reduce the sound level reasonably at idle and over half at 2krpm. Still much louder than standard exhausts but not so much that the exhaust is neutered. And, subject to the accuracy of my measurements, it would appear that the Cobra is legal - which I somehow doubt. It certainly doesn't have any markings such as E or BS so it would probably fail the UK MOT but not annoy anyone as much. I posted a youtube video XVS with cobra by Bulldog 5714 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf5E8CPwE40 which has the above XVS sounds. Again it was done on an iPhone so don't expect a professional movie! As the baffles come as a pair I do have one to sell - let me know if you are interested. They cost me around £100 for the pair including import VAT and handling - not cheap I know but worth it. Bob

I bought the Yamaha bars as I reckoned that they would be designed so that they don't touch down before the boards - not tested them that far though! The only problem I had was extracting the original engine-to-frame bolt on the RHS above the engine. The bike is 2009 but bought unregistered with zero miles. The Yamaha factory must have emptied a whole tube of thread lock into it. After stripping the allen key socket trying to remove the bolt I ended up drilling through the centre of the bolt, hammering a small Torx key attachment (for an electric screwdriver) into the hole where the metal is softer and I finally managed to get it moving and out. With all the plastic around and it being just below the tank, heat wasn't an option. That was the only problem and everything else went well. Still not really sure about them though, as from the front, with the weird shaped headlight, the bike doesn't look that good with bars (in my opinion). However, I'm not about to take them off again as no doubt they must add some protection to the legs. Mine are below but don't have a pic from the front. The bags are Hepco & Becker that lock to the bike as well as being lockable themselves. I have added a small MRA winglet to the top of the screen which creates a good sized hole in the wind blast (although some might say it looks bad). I have also tilted the bars up very slightly and also, although not shown in the photo, turned the mirrors 180 degs. The visibility is still good but the bike is narrower for filtering and going around right handers - sometimes a little too close to the white line! With the addition of a Yamaha sissy bar and rack I had a slightly smaller rear plate made up by 'Motorshowplates' measuring 9" x 5"

I am in full agreement with the speed/gear figures from Clarkegray: I've found gear ranges are roughly: 1st = 15-20mph 2nd = 20-35/40 3rd = 35/40-50 4th = 50-65 5th = 65+ I have fitted the O2 sensor eliminator but can't say I really noticed the difference. I think we just have to make the best of the gears as they are and accept that 3rd is a touch too high in 30 limits and clutch slipping is sometimes necessary in 2nd going around tight corners. On the plus side it's a good stable bike provided you think about corners earlier than on shorter/lighter bikes, choose your line early and stick to it, and don't get flustered when the boards touch down - which they will frequently! I did 224 miles on Sunday from Wiltshire to Ilfracombe and back across Exmoor and I really enjoyed it. The bike returned 53mpg which I can't think is bad for a 304kg bike.

Earlier this year I bought a "new" 2009 1300A, unregistered and zero miles for £6500 against a current list price of 8-8.5k so yes, a discount should be expected. A Yamaha dealer can tell the date of manufacture from the VIN number so ask him to be sure.

I chose to fit a gear indicator but as it is electronic rather than mechanical (I had a mechanical one from Ledgear on my TDM) it doesn't always tell you the truth. I'd say clip a tacho onto the bars either side of the display. When you do this let us know type and wiring. Bob

Give the number to your local official yamaha man and he can tell you the manufacturing date from the yamaha database. UK VIN format doesn't provide the casual user with the information you want whereas the US format has the date of manufacture on the steering head.

When I chose the 2 arm it was because I wasn't sure about the distance between the two arms and the 1300 has the engine bottom slightly below the frame - which renders the normal bike lift unusable. With the 2 arm you can choose your spot (provided you only want one end lifted of course).

The lift is adjustable. On the 1300, with the lowest lift setting, the rear wheel is only an inch off the ground and the bike is rock solid as both the lift and the frame are fairly wide. However this bike is 304kg. With a lighter bike using a higher lift setting the risk would of course rise. However, if it's just to get the wheel off the ground then this is a very good solution. The other plus point is that there are no working parts and the length of the operating bar is such that the effort to raise the bike is very low.