pilninggas

A good friend of mine had one of these. They rev quite highly and are very complex for a 250cc machine. I would say only buy it if it is for part-time leisure use. Cycle parts are interchangeable on many Yamahas, but the engine is only shared with one other machine (the Zeal?). Look for something a little more mainstream if you want a daily driver. Also ensure it has had regular oil changes - remember it has all of the complexity of some big bikes, but none of the performance and parts may be very difficult to track down.

Yeah a Q-bert clone, but actually a lot better.

I loved that game, it was properly addictive - spent many wasted hours running away from flashing springs.....

Emulsion tubes are needle-jets in the carbs. They wear out on big, mikuni-carbed yamahas and cause loads of misery. As for header nuts, try graphite-based penetrating fluid and heat [run the engine]

@25,000miles you might want to check the state of the emulsion tubes - if they're worn then performance will be very poor and economy useless. Keep us posted.

Yam seem to getting better at this, as do Kwak. My 11 Fazer doesn't clunk at all and has a box that could grace a zook.

That footage is incredibly poignant, what with the sad events of last week. That London is gone and will never be seen again, and I wouldn't call the changes progress.

Don't forget to up the rear preload if you can and if doing high, sustained speed whack a couple of extra psi in the back tyre. Personally i'd say give the pillion a job to do - navigation, as it gives them a focus and will let them relax. Agree a communication system like taps on the shoulder etc.

why not send SC project an email?

Bare in mind the XJ6 tank is a couple of litres smaller than most bandit tanks; iirc my XJ6 would do more than 35miles with a flashy fuel indicator with moderate riding.

i've ran the bristol half; 1hr50mins - enjoyed it.

My mate's bike was taken in the first service (the free labour, just pay for the parts @600miles/1000km). Part of the service was to balance the throttle bodies [if needed]. When it went in it was fine, when he picked it up it was vibey - he got it home and did balance again, they set them all wrong!!!! He phoned them up and gave them a right rollocking. I bet they've done the balance wrong.

Soft luggage leaks, there is no getting away from it. When i have used it, the contents have been put in bin-bags first. As they have told you they are not waterproof they have covered themselves. Small consolation, I know. Even a lot of hard luggage isn't totally water-ingress proofed. Personally hard-luggage is the only way forward. Once you've used it, you'd never have soft luggage again (maybe a small bag on the seat or rucksack for away-days). I'd be gutted if i spent a grand on them though. See if they'll refund you [credit note] and sell you some hard luggage?

This is a great forum - amongst the very best. For local rides try googling: 4counties and wiltshirebikers I ride with both (and with my long time mates). WB went down to West Bay today [superb ride 5*], 4counties are riding to Brecon next sunday. There are always tons of rideouts round this way and people are friendly. Notable rides within shooting distance of Bristol for me are: Fish Hill, Malvern-British Camp, Gospel Pass, Hirwaun-Treochy-Ogmore, Abergavenny-Hereford, ZigZag hill, Taunton to Minehead, A35 (all the way), A39 Bath to Devon and A30 start to London.

Also remember 125cc bikes have a price premium, as they are in far more demand. Don't limit yourself to 'just' 250cc as there have not been that many to choose from since the early 80s. Just look out for bikes that are recommended for novices. A couple of grand will get you something reliable - but get quotes from insurance companies before you buy any bike (use an online search), a R125 is quite steep on insurance as loads have been crashed/pinched and the insurers aren't too keen. More CCs does not mean more expensive.

looks like the A38 at Star - i know this road well.

Keep the swingarm clean. It's steel and box-section and older yamahas have a history of these rusting through, where they are fitted.

I rode my old RXS100 round for a whole month without the clutch, as I couldn't afford a new cable. paddle away from a stop, straight upto second. overall, you have some iffy luck.

plenty of haynes thundercat manuals on ebay - they usually have all the stock settings for the carbs specified. An air leak will kill power dead (and the engine potentially), so that needs looking at. I have ran bikes with hacked airboxes, in my opinion it is what happens from the mouths of the carbs onwards that affects power and mixture, As long as the airbox filters air it should be okay. you're going to need to look at whether the main jets are original, whether the emulsion tubes are worn or have been drilled, whether the float heights are right. I have been here before, and I would say pull the carbs off, get them clean and tear them down one at a time. Replace float bowl screws (they chew up) with allen socket bolts. make a float height gauge (i use sheet ally) and get stuck into it. Do one carb at a time. Good luck.

if you mean starter solenoid, pretty much any starter solenoid, for any bike can be made to work.

Don't assume anything about 'services' done by the supplying dealer. Have you checked the OIL LEVEL? unlike a car the clutch rides in a bath of oil, if the oil level is low it will make the bike (a) have a clutch that feels awful, juddery, slipping etc ( make the engine torque break the clutch, if the low oil level doesn't break the engine or gearbox first. Check this before you drop the oil to get at the clutch, as parts are expensive, a top up of oil is a few quid.

The poor running is probably not related to the battery - if the bike runs, the electrical system is probably reasonably good (although as i said in a previous post coils [or plugs] could be going down under load. Things like the CDI and pickup either work or they don't. looks like your fuelling is off, but don't discount blocked breathers, blocked fuel filters, blocked air filters etc. If someone has taken the carbs apart they may be all over the place.

Simple checks: Trapped petrol pipes [pinching when the tank is refitted?]. Blocked fuel tank breathers. Coils knackered -check impedances and check for arcing to the frame. Does the bike have fresh fuel - stale fuel can do give these symptoms with bigger four cylinder engines. For me it's likely one or both of the first two, particularly as the bike has a non-standard tank position. HTH

Both of my XJ6s got 45-55mpg. With 70mpg @ 70mph on the motorway [did dover to bristol on one tank].