Dan

Cheers guys

Hey All, hopefully someone out there can help with this. For a little while now the starter button on my bike has been clicking when i press it, just a single very loud click and the engine doesn't start. Usually it only takes a handful of presses before the bike eventually starts but it's getting worse. The other day i probably pressed it twenty odd times before the bike finally started. It doesn't matter if the engine is hot or cold and it doesn't always do it but it does more often than not. Google tells me it's either a faulty solenoid or a weak battery but what do you thinks more likely? I'm going to have to pay for either a new solenoid or one of those battery charge/test things either way by the looks of things. Just thought i'd see if i could avoid buying the wrong one first.

They need some decent competition. They charge so much because they can. I'll never use them to sell again. Gumtree is ok but there are alot of fraudsters and con artists using it. When i sold my scooter, two more adverts popped up for different scooters but using all the pictures i'd posted! I still can't work out what they were trying to achieve but it doesn't exactly breed confidence.

I'm 30 and in the last 5 or 6 years i've gone from being a risk taking speed demon with a devil may care attitiude to being sensible and responsible, and i dont mind. It's all becuse of what i have to lose now compared to back then, i have three kids, a wife, a mortgage, a career, car payments, etc etc. If i die or i'm seriously injured it is going to catastrophically f**k up alot of people/things in my life. Wanting to get a few kicks from going fast just simply isn't justification enough for me to risk that happening. Plus for every year older i get my body seems to get injured more easily, I twinged my back whilst folding a fleece blanket the other day. Can't imagine what i'd damage if i crashed.

It came with one already fitted. It's this one from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/UltimateAddons- ... B005HGWGM2 If you scroll down to the questions you will see the one i asked before i bought it. I wanted to know whether or not it drains the battery. Basically as long as it's not left idle for a long period of time with a charger or something with an led plugged in you'll be alright. When i get a 'proper' bike i might rig up something a bit more flashy but for now on my YBR this is doing the job fine.

Thanks guys that's useful. It's all hooked up and working fine. I don't have the know how for installing a relay so was careful to get one that doesn't have an LED. Would be nice to have one that comes on and off with the ignition though, it's only a matter of time until I forget to unplug my charger and wake up to a flat battery

Hey guys, I bought a fused 12v power socket for the bike which I'm planning on hooking up later. One question. When it comes to connecting directly to the battery, do I connect the black or red wire first, or does it not matter? I'm not being lazy, I tried Google but the results were inconclusive.

So I had a look at the tensioner and its absolutely fine, looks and works as good as new as far as I can tell. I spent ages going around checking for any looseness in the bolts, panels, wiring etc and they were fine to. I'm starting to think its coming from the exhaust now, can exhausts make a clicking noise if they have a leak?

Cheers guys. I checked the oil and its spot on so tomorrow I'll have a go at the tensioner.I just hope its nothing serious but its only done 11k miles and has a FSH so I think that would be very bad luck. That service manual will be very handy!

So on the way to work yesterday I noticed a new noise coming from the engine. It sounds to me like a fast clicking or ticking (not plinking or tapping) which speeds up and slows down when the bike does. I can also hear it when idling. It's not massively loud but it's there in the background and I’m fairly sure it gets louder as the engine gets hotter. There is no noticeable drop in the bikes performance. After inspection I’m fairly sure it's coming from the lower right hand side of the engine but it's hard to pinpoint even with the old screwdriver as stethoscope method. I'm thinking cam chain tension but i don't know where it is or how to check it. What are your thoughts?

I voted Cavalier as those guys had a bit more pizzazz about them.

Ah man i wish i'd seen this the other day. Instead in my infinite wisdom i ordered a £2 waterproof digital watch and a £1.70 pack of 100 cable ties from amazon. I was planning on tearing the straps off the watch and rigging it to the dash with the ties. This would have been a whole lot easier. And wouldn't have taken 3 weeks to ship from Hong Kong.

Regal is a legend, should be very interesting. Him and Foley are both lucky to be alive for very different reasons.

Had a blast! I know the storylines are scripted but the action is real. When you see them close up you can hear and feel the impact of them throwing eachother around.

I'm going to watch WWE Raw at the O2 later. Well looking forward to it. In the pub now getting warmed up with a pint or seven. Its gonna be good. Any other fans about or am I the only nerd in these parts?

What model was it? Yamaha YBR 125 / 2010 / Silver / 11k miles When did you buy it and how much did it cost? I bought it in May 2014 for £1,295. That was with 1 previous owner and a full service history from a main Dealer plus 1 years MOT and tax. Good points? - The styling. Ok It is a totally inoffensive looking naked commuter, yet it still looks modern and sporty enough to draw the very occasional appreciative glance. Personally I think a 125 with full fairings, a belly pan and garish paintwork is like a sheep in wolfs clothing. Under all that gear its still only got a 125 tiddler, the parts are still basic and cheap. The YBR is a bike that knows what it is and is trying to do it with just a dash of style, nothing more. This is entirely subjective though. - They hold their value very well. If you’re mainly using it just to get some wheel time in between CBT and DAS and providing you keep it in good condition. You will likely get most of money back when you sell it on. - Unless this is somehow the first review of a YBR you’ve read, you would have been told that its fuel economy is phenomenal. Well it’s true, you ride and ride and the needle just never moves. So much so you may actually start to think it’s broken. But no, this thing runs on fresh air. - It’s Cheap to service and repair and easy to work on yourself. Since I’ve had it, I have cleaned, tightened and lubed the chain, replaced the headlight bulb and cleaned the air filter. Even with no previous experience I found these tasks very easy indeed. - The ride. I find it very comfortable to ride. The sitting position is very upright and the seat is long and wide and reasonably padded. The foot pegs, clutch and brake levers are well situated and the same can be said about all the buttons, switches and levers on the handlebars. Put it this way, during the few hundred miles I’ve covered since I’ve had it, I haven’t had to give my riding position a second thought, it just feels fine. You can just get on and ride it. The engine on my model ticks over with a spritely purr and gives a wee bit of grunt on acceleration. Don’t expect much more than 60-65mph out of it but I’d say up to 50mph it’s got decent enough pull and isn’t too sluggish. Fine for the purpose it was built anyway– commuting. The bikes light and turns well with reassuring grip and balance. The brakes do their job, so do the front and adjustable rear suspension. I’m a big guy and the the mirrors are big enough for me to have a perfect view behind me. The side stand has a fuel cut off if you try and put it down whilst still in gear, which is a nice safety feature. Mine came with a chrome carrier rack that will fit almost every top box. None of this stuff is unique or of superior quality or anything like that but it all works and works well. Bad points? - Rust. The stringent and regular servicing this bike has had and the great condition it’s in for its age tells me the previous owner took care of it. So it surprises me to see little rust patches mottling the chrome parts, exhaust, frame and the stands. It seems to be the utmost surface level that’s effected so it’s not like the bike’s being eaten away but it’s happening in the centre of the surfaces not in the usual nooks, crevices and soldering joints where water gets trapped and you would expect it. And this is a bike that’s been cared for remember, who knows how bad it would get if left. So I guess the paint work could have been a bit thicker and the chrome better. Lather the bike in water repellent as I plan to and I’m sure it will be fine. - The gears change well generally and slip into place with nice satisfying clicks but every now and then it slips into neutral. Usually when around gears 1 or/and 2. Very odd and more of a quirk then a fault. It has happened to me twice in a hundred or so miles. - Headlight may as well be a match. If you drive at night as I intend to, change the bulb to something better. - Overall feel. As much as I like the bike the general quality and feel of everything makes it hard for you to forget it’s basically a cheap 125 learner. It rattles a bit as you ride and the suspension is not great and the plastics tend to creak or groan if you press them. And the black rubber sleeve around the clutch lever has faded to almost white and has split in places after only 4 years. It seems to get scratched very easily to. Ultimately it is what it is, most of the annoyances and quirks are easily remedied and none of this stuff detracts too much from the overall joy of owning it. Would you get another? If it broke down tomorrow I would not hesitate in replacing it with another YBR Any other comments? They YBR is a reliable, hardworking and forgiving fit-for-purpose commuter, that does what it’s told without any fuss, drama or making a scene. What more were you expecting? As a learner you could maybe get something a little bit better but you could definitely do a whole lot worse!

Honda because if your only keeping it for a year and providing you keep it in good nick, you will probably be able to sell it for more or less what you paid. Also its more reliable, easier to get parts etc etc.

I know, its strange. I've already called them as ive only had the bike 3 days. They're going to come and pick it up, fit a new Tyre and then drop it back all for free so at least there is that. And they were really helpful and sympathetic. I just wondered if there was a legit reason. Ill ask them all about it when i see them and report back.

Takes guts I wish I could do that almost everyday! Good luck mate.

So one of my first threads on this forum was about a peice of Stanley knife blade getting into my rear tyre. First day commuting on new bike and kablammo!! Rear tyre goes to rubber heaven. It was a Michelin sporty so pretty decent and fairly new. It looks like I went over at least two objects but that's not the problem. The AA guy who came and rescued me was a biker with a Norton tattoo on his forearm and was all like 'bikers gotta stick together' so I knew I was in good hands. And he was super helpful. Ended up fixing it with a bottle of slime. The side of the tyre says tubeless but when he started tinkering he realised there was an inner tube in there and seemed genuinely surprised as to why. So that's what I'm wondering, is that normal? He said there might have been something wrong with tyre and the tube had been put in to kind of make up for it. What do you think, do people put tubes in tubeless tyres?

The whole purpose of a Sunday is for you to carry out menial tasks like washing your bike and mowing the lawn in an effort to distract yourself from the encroaching thought that it's Monday tomorrow and the sense of impending doom that comes with it. If you can't do that and all the shops are closed what the hell are you supposed to do all day? Spend time with the family? I don't think so. I wash my cars/bikes in my drive and always have, so do loads of people down my road if it's sunny. If there any laws in this country about it i've never heard of them.

Recently ive had Soundgarden's newish track live to rise on repeat. And a band called Lonely The Brave have a track called Trick of the light which I'm liking a lot.

Do you mean trickle charging? I don't know if it's possible to get something which is permantly attached, where would it get it's power from? When i was cleaning my bike recently one of my kids must have turned the key when they were pretending to ride it and stuck the lights on. I didn't notice and sure enough i went out to find the battery flat. Pesky kids! I went to Halfords spent a load of money on a charger, charged the battery and then took it back for a full refund.

What a kerfuffle! My Scooter failed it's MOT on head bearings aswell and i was quoted around the £200 mark also, so it appears thats the going rate. Rip off merchants! The guy i spoke to said it's an easy job but time consuming as they have to dismantle alot of the front of the bike and it's a bit fiddly and takes around 2 hours minimum. To be honest i got the impression he didn't want to do the work and was pricing me out. Maybe it's a pain in the arse job that mechanics hate doing or something. If you got the tools already you can do the job for just £20, it can't be that hard.

Cheers for the advice, decided it's worth a look so im going to see it after work. Hope it's fine, been looking for two months and im bored of dealing with small time bike dealers on the fringes of London and their hilariously inflated prices and shoddy stock. £1.5k for a 2008 17k miles cat C write off anyone? anyone? No thought not. i just can't bring myself to spend more on what is essentially a practice bike. if i can get at least two years troublefree riding from something that costs £800 i'll be well chuffed.