Ingah

Would it not be simply known as "clutch". I suppose you could call the unit a cage... But i just call it the clutch* * = Providing i haven't totally misunderstood you

Does it not require a plug though? 12 volt and comes with crocodile clips and cig lighter plug Awesome, i'm definitely getting one. Which shop sells the £20 one?!

Does it not require a plug though?

Or impact driver for the poor among us

Have just ordered myself a new set but for future reference - is it always a bad idea to re-use brake caliper seals? Reason being that the ones i'm going to be replacing are only about 9 months old and as far as i'm aware are working just fine (am just switching the innards of my old brake caliper to a new/spare caliper i got off evilbay a while back so that i can avoid being forced to deal with a stuffed screw).

Are you wearing the right gear though? Will admit that i can see your argument as i've been feeling the heat lately, but in my case i feel that the reason it's annoying me is that my gear isn't appropriate - i.e. i should be wearing something like a mesh jacket and Hood jeans instead of my current textiles top and bottom.

The same way "they" justify allowing people to buy and fit hundreds of after-market parts on ebay, often with no experience etc blah blah.... And having read some of the horror stories about "dealers"... and having had personal experience of a "dealer" refitting my back wheel such that it failed the MOT a day later due to the way he had fitted it, do you really think a "dealer" is any better at bolting bikes together? If you're that worried about novices working on safety critical components, do you feel they should stop selling brake pads over the counter? +1. Apart the "dealer messed up my bike" thing, hasn't happened to me yet. That may be because i do all the work to my bikes myself. Without a mechanics qualification ( ) And if anyone ever tries to tell me that the work i have done on my own bike needs outside approval at my cost and inconvenience they can STFU (just to point out that's not a personal dig, that's simply my attitude to needless red tape). I'm happy that this type approval exists as it implies a degree of personal responsibility (i.e. if you want to bolt together a collection of parts that together make up a bike that is fit for purpose, by yourself to save paying someone else to spanner it for you, go ahead). It's the sort of thing that i'd considert to save costs. Would buy something as hideous as a scooter of course, but if i put my bike together myself, i'll know it was built perfectly. Locktite and copper grease everywhere

And find all the (expensive) faults that were nicely hidden away out and sight and mind? I'd almost prefer not to know

There is one way you can fight back: "Forget" to tell them, (and of course forgo the theft etc elements of your insurance). However, be aware this is a breach of contract (you've agreed in the small print to tell them and bend over if you move house) and that as far as any civil court would go you've probably already potentially dropped yourself in it though by ringing them up and saying "i am moving". However, to my understanding (please do correct me if i'm wrong...) you won't get prosecuted in a criminal court to fail to notify an insurer of a change of circumstances unless you are a complete idiot, but it can drop you in a heap of crap if things go wrong. You can also keep your licence registered to the same address temporarily to help you get away with this lapse of memory at the stressful time of moving, but be warned that this is an actual crime (yep, a bad memory is punishable in a criminal court ) and is punishable by fines etc.

Cheers guys, i had them shortened by a garage in the end as i would've had to buy tools/spend a disproportionate amount of time on the job with the tools i have. And i wouldnt've done such a clean job. Am also having bar ends made to fit the thinner Renthal ends that allow me to use lever protectors (some cool looking ones came on the bike with it's standard bars).

Thing is, if it's running lean (sounds very much like it is) and you only change the main jets, then you're only sorting out the problem at medium to high throttle openings. Id've thought you'd also need to use a bigger pilot/idle jet too, so that when you shut the throttle/use only a little throttle at higher speeds you're not going to kill it.

Pros: * The only cheap boot that fits me. * Waterproof at first. Cons: * Allows the ankle far too much movement (previously sprained an ankle in them at low speed to prove it). * Very irritating velcro as it doesn't stay properly closed at the lower part of the boot (see above point for downside to this). * Doesn't remain waterproof. * If you have a centre-stand, you will wear through the sole after a while. * Don't last very long. Overall: Don't buy them new, they're not worth the money for anything more than occassional use. I've had 3 different pairs of them, so i've given them more than enough chance. RRP ~£70.

Having got home from another late finish at work in the pouring rain to find my entire crotch region, and both feet wet (again) i was wondering if any other commuter-riders cared to share how they manage to retain their sanity remain dry, consistently and long-term. I use textiles and wear my work clothes underneath, but they just don't seem to remain waterproof for a reasonable length of time - it seems like every other week i'm coming home wet somewhere, and needing a new piece of kit. I've become tempted by goretex as i imagine this will solve the problem, but i'm offended at the amount of money we're expected to pay for it, especially when considered it'll probably shred straight through in a minor tumble. As my commute is pretty short (~10 miles each way), i've considered using a set of decent budget leathers with base layers to solve the other problem (that is, sweating my balls off in textiles while faffing with the bike/chain etc), and hope that the leathers are 'showerproof' enough for the short commute. Bad/good/mediocre idea? (i'm sure someone's tried it) I'm looking for ideas from anyone who does the bike-only commute - how do you get it done with a minimum of faff (i.e. waterproof oversuits, as if we don't have enough gear to put on!), a minimum of expense (i.e. avoiding goretex), and a minimum of unwanted wetness (that is to mean both rain and sweat!). And regarding re-waterproofing textiles, anyone found anything to work well, as last time i tried Nixwax wash-in it didn't do the job.

Just to complete the story: Fitted the new carb, gave it a test ride, got 4 miles down the road and just as i was filtering past a bus that was setting off from a set of traffic lights, the engine died. Have you guessed what the symptoms were? Oh yes, the same! (engine will start but use ANY throttle and it'll die). I may have sworn a little this time Anyway, decided to call the AA out because i didn't have all the tools required to strip the carb at the side of the road (was missing a screwdriver). That and there was a pub nearby, and i needed a strong drink Anyway, with the help of the AA man's toolbox, we got it running. THIS time, it was possibly/probably my fault this happened, as the bend of the U-shaped clip (which goes directly on-top of the "butterfly" shaped washer that holds the jet needle up) was in throttle-cable-side gap, so as the cable moved up and down, it probably rubbed against/knocked it, releasing the "butterfly" washer! (the carb came with the U-clip orientated like this; i'd been orientating it the other/more sensible way on previous occassions, but because i'd been having problems.. and it came like that.. i figured it would be safer to leave it as it was... Never trust the breaker to have it right!) Anyway, cut a long story short (as it wasn't a simple task even then, we lost the U-clip and were looking for it for over half an hour! - and we also had to take the carb off again as the throttle wasn't returning...), AA man had liquid steel, the "butterfly" washer is not distorted/damaged and so clipped back into the groove nicely (groove number 4, as per the manual ) and now also has liquid steel holding it in place - forever! So SOLVED (and the bike now runs just fine). And i've ordered me some liquid steel as the guy was really raving about how good it is (known as chemical metal in the UK).

usually noticeable from the fuel spilling onto the floor from the overflow pipe That happened too the previous time i'd put it together before this more recent issue. But i knew what it was and took it apart again and sorted it.

Thanks for the offer, gold might even go with the gold wheels and brake calipers, but i'd prefer to use the original OEM bars that came on this new bike if it came to not being able to use my Renthals (the OEMs have some sort of lever protectors that i think are pretty funky and useful). Only reason i'm not using the OEMs as a first choice is that they vibrate noticeably more (don't seem to have any weights inside them) and feel quite short now that i've become (semi-)used to holding full-length Renthals. The only reason i even want to cut the Renthals down is because i was stretching all of the cables on the old CB500 using them (so want to move it all "inwards" a little). Maybe i'm being abit daft here, maybe i should just poke the 'red things' to see if they'll push in that way...

Cheers, was aware of that, and it was precisely because i'm aware of the fact the reg/rect keeps the battery from being provided with too high a voltage that i was wary, because i'm not sure exactly where abouts in the electrical system the alarm connects to/with. The bit i was a little unsure of was if it also had the function of keeping the battery from frying other electrical components in the bike. Better safe than sorry, and didn't trust myself to read the wiring diagram correctly

Got a quick question as i'm sure someone's done this before. Having bought Renthal road bars (medium), i am wanting to shorten them by cutting off about 2cm off the ends as they are quite abit larger than OEM bars. However, i have noticed there is this 'red thing' (technical term ) inside the bars (i can see it if i look in), that i assume is there for the bar ends to brace up against/be held in place by. Can i move this 'red thing' further into the bars, otherwise by cutting the 2cm off the ends i imagine the bar ends will no longer fit in properly / will stick out by 2cm?

*Sigh* That bloody jet needle had fallen in, AGAIN. The "butterfly-shaped" washer holding it up had distorted and let it drop in. Grrrr @ the bad design. Have a spare butterfly shaped washer that i can use, but i've already ordered a new 2nd hand carb and plan to use that instead, because there was clearly an underlying problem (judder judder) even before this happened. First thing i plan to do with the new carb is take it apart and compare vs my existing carb, i really want to know what's wrong! I too would bet on it being the carb, as the CG is so simple there's very little else it could be

Cheers guys, feel much better for leaving the alarm enabled

Just a quickie - can anyone tell me if its safe to leave my bike's battery connected so I can use the alarm, having taken the regulator/rectifier out of the bike. The ignition switch is disconnected to prevent mishaps, but i'm just looking for reassurance i'm not going to burn my garage down overnight

Do a Direct Access Scheme (DAS). This will involve taking the test on a middleweight bike (e.g. 500cc), and allow you to ride bikes of any size and power when you pass. It's only available to people over 21 years old currently, hence you can do it.

Cheers. It seems i have it one groove too low (i.e. a little too rich).

Interesting you bring this up as it was something i was quite unsure about so i put it back on a 'middle' setting, and have been thinking it might be the reason it's been juddering etc. Didn't know this setting would be in the manual, thanks! I think in the Haynes manual they would say which groove it should go on.....otherwise it may be a case of trial and error......or ask on a Honda forum.. But if it's not in the correct groove it'll mess up your fuelling at anything over tickover. As a matter of interest can you remember how many grooves are on it....from the dark recesses of what's left of my brain I seem to remember it having 4 or 5 grooves..... EDITED: 5.

Interesting you bring this up as it was something i was quite unsure about so i put it back on a 'middle' setting, and have been thinking it might be the reason it's been juddering etc. Didn't know this setting would be in the manual, thanks!