Mr Fro

I'm struggling to see what you mean... If you mean the four slits that go around the sleve (under the clamp) then don't worry, these are suppose to be there! They allow the joint to close up when you tighten it. If the can and pipe are in otherwise good nick then all you'll probably need to do is disassemble, clean and reassemble using a new gasket or some sealant. Cheers, Fro

... Which makes you sweat and therefore soggy and smelly.

www.msvtrackdays.com/bike-home/event-de ... uctid=2089 If it's dry I'm already there!

Sounds like you've got a great winter ahead of you! Maybe hone off the rust in the bore before you run it otherwise it'll probably make it's way in to the crank and bollocks the main bearings. Definitely add small end bearings to the wish list and try not to drop too many down the cylinder when you swap then out!

I've got an old set of RAF wet weather gear which goes over the top of everything when it really throws it down - only down side is it's not breathable.

Weak spark? Either that or fuelling - might want to check the air filter then the carbs, fuel filter and whatnot.

Yep, you need a bit of back pressure or you will have a drop off in power. To say all Chinese bikes are shit is a little short sighted, I spent a few months on Asia last year and there are loads of them - pretty much all kept going with back street garages with few quality tools! Spend a bit of time going over your bike and I'm sure you'll be able to nurse it back to health. Cheers, Fro

More internet statistics...

Yeah, it'll never stay alight with all this rain.

Just a thought - how about some ski gear with some strap on armour underneath?

You have a fuel gauge? Luxury. Oh, and welcome to the 7 club!

Fabsil is the best I've tried. I use it on my touring gear and the doris uses it on the roof of her Lotus. Pain a couple of coats on your stuff and you're set!

Perish the though! I would just be making sure everything was hunky-dorey!

I can help you shorten your stand if needed but I will probably need to have your bike for a couple of weeks...

Tea for help? Good deal! You can stick some "fuel drier" in to the tank but seeing as you've got such a small volume it's a bit of a waste of time. The easiest thing to do is to take the fuel line off the carb and drain a bit of fuel in to a jam jar or something - you'll easily see if there's water in there as it'll separate out (water on the bottom). Run fuel through the tap until no more water is seen then reconnect the carb, connect a pipe to the carb drain port and run some fuel through that - again, any water will separate out. This procedure is best carried out after the bike has been sat for a few hours to let any water settle to the bottom of the tank/carb. If you've got a black plug then you're over fuelling so it'd be worth changing the air filter before you start any further diagnostics. Let us know how you go!

The engine breather pipe just vents the crank in to the inlet to stop oil vapour and therefore oil being deposited all over your bike! If your breather is cracked it could cause a lean condition in the engine which isn't great. Replace it or bung a bit of gaffa tape round it for a quick fix and see how you go. Has it only just started smelling of fuel or has it been like that since you got it?

Yep, see how it feels with the back dropped. In theory, the front should be dropped to maintain the wheelbase - it's dead easy to lower and raise the front through the yolks so if it handles like a dog to start with you cam just pop it down a bit and see how you go!

Wise man Dimmers says it all.

Weirdly Halfords tools are pretty good - the 150 piece sets are always on offer! Teng and Facom are also quality brands but can be a bit pricey... See if you can dangle yourself a Halfords trade card as you can get quite hefty discounts on workshop stuff.

I'd check the feed to the coils first then the pickup if that's ok. Otherwise I'd be looking at the ignition swich side of things.

Can you get fully road leagal tinted visors? You can get visors with BS numbers and kitemarks which have "Daytime Use Only" on them. These are fine but cease to be legal when it's not daytime (funnily enough) so technically you should swap it to a clear one in the evening/at night. Pinlocks are the same story but obviously it's easier to whip one of those out than bugger about swapping visors. OR... You could wear sunnies. Are these the tinted pinlocks that nobody makes by the way? http://www.racevisors.co.uk/product/agv-k3-pinlock-inserts

YES! Like everyone else says, just go and try a load out and see what fits best and gives you the features you want and buy the best you can afford!

Quality bodge!

Are they legal?

Indeed. Question 1: What is the weight of the bike? Question 2: Are you able to use a flat platform to lift - i.e. directly on the sump. Question 3: How far are you going to want to move it. Question 5: What surface are you likely to be moving it around on? Cheers, Fro