fastbob

Definitely need to see a picture of this. It can't have just happened so as other members have said either the lever is bent or the bolt isn't where it should be. Surely its not too difficult to work out what's happened.

Eh? He's venting to the outside but there is no air box. I've run several bikes with pod filters and a little K&N vent filter fitted directly to the crankcase. Never had an issue with stray oil, this would only happen if it was over filled or in extreme conditions like racing or drag racing.

Well no , its to vent oil vapour and prevent excess pressure caused by moving parts. It's normally vented into the air box so it can be burned off. If you remove the air box you need to put something in place to stop dust and dirt finding its way back in.

Whatever looks best , its only to stop dirt getting in.

Also, and I know loads will disagree with me here, don't go to a shop, try on, find the fit and then buy online the exact same thing for cheaper. Like I said, I'll get shouted at for saying not to do that but.... shops play an important role and if we were all just to buy from the discounters online, our high street shops would disappear. I don't buy everything at a shop but if I go there and try stuff on, or get help and advice for an item, using the knowledge of the assistant etc then I feel it's only fair and, most importantly, stops them from dying out. This has been a serious problem with bicycle shops, not just motorcycle shops and it's now really hard to find good local bicycle shops throughout the continent as a result. Motorcycle gear shops are already a bit of a rare commodity so don't contribute to making it worse! well said indeed ! That's one reason I'm no longer working in the motorcycle industry. I used to spend all day demonstrating the features of helmets and clothing to customers who all promised to be back next week never to be seen again .

A longer cable that follows the least bendy route from lever to clutch could not do any harm but I reckon you've got a bit of clutch drag going on there so some adjustments might sort it. If you jump over to the Pit stop section and see the recent thread" bike stalls in first gear" you will a similar but more extreme clutch drag problem and a bit on how to adjust a typical cable clutch. Good luck.

Don't buy a helmet without trying it on. Go to a good shop , try on helmets , get the best fit then see if they will price match or throw in some extras before you buy on line. All brands have a different fit and every head is a different shape so buying blind is not a good idea. As for sellers who take helmets back and re sell to other customers that's just wrong.

To stop your clutch dragging you could try loosening the two nuts in the picture (2x 10mm spanners required) then turn them so that they move towards the left of the picture. Do it a bit at a time to see what the effect is . If this improves things then hold the left hand nut still and tighten the other one against it to keep it from moving. http://i.imgur.com/OkYKuo7.png

Not being funny here but if it's got one it will be on the side stand.

The rear will spin freely for ever provided I don't apply the brake after that its stiff but not actually locked up until I gently pull the pads off the disk a fraction of an inch. So the pistons are very easy to move but the seals are just not pulling them back that tiny distance to fully release their grip on the disk. Just been for a 45 mile ride with no issues but I didn't touch the rear brake . A dreadful habit I know and a whole topic in itself ( on other forums ) anyway the weekend's over so I'll order some new seals and have a fresh look at it next week. In the meantime all suggestions are still most welcome.

Thanks Tim , no I haven't ridden it yet . I've just had a fiddle with it . Its really odd , if I press the pedal the brake works fine but the pistons don't fully pull back afterwards. If I gently wiggle the pads with nothing but firm finger pressure it frees the disk immediately. Apply the brake and effort is required to rock the bike backwards and forwards after the pedal is released. Wiggle the pads again and its back to normal. As you say , it might sort itself out but I don't fancy sitting around waiting for a smoking caliper to cool down. I think new seals are in order and fitted exactly as Suzuki describe using brake fluid only and leave out the caliper grease.

Right then , my front calipers on the GSXR 1100 are still working better than I can ever remember them working and I've had the bike since 4000m . So today I thought I might as well whip my rear caliper off , split it , clean behind the seals ( if necessary) change all the fluid and put it all back together again. So everything went well, the pistons and seals were in surprisingly good nick so no issues until I filled the system and bled out all the air. The rear brake has always been a bit spongy but now the lever action is much firmer. So what's wrong? The pads won't come away from the disk that's what. I can turn the wheel by hand ( on paddock stand ) but its an effort. What worries me it that this is quickly going to get red hot and jam on . The lever does have free play so it isn't that . I'm just baffled. The only thing I can think of is that I shouldn't have used Red Rubber Grease on the seals and they are not gripping the pistons to pull them back in. Ideas / similar experiences eagerly awaited please.

When you say full throttle I guess you mean full speed which means lots of air swirling around the exposed pod filter. This turbulence can create differences in pressure that can have a negative effect on the carburetor. This is why the manufacturers surround the air filter in a carefully designed plastic box. Don't get me wrong,pod filters do look great but if bike makers could save a few quid by not fitting an air box they probably would.You will just have keep experimenting in the hope of getting it right. Worth bearing in mind that K&N filters can cause problems if you don't put the correct amount of oil them. An alternative to a pod filter is a foam filter that might be less susceptible to turbulence.good luck.

From everything you say it sounds just fine,happy days.

The thing about small cc single cylinder four stroke bikes is that they either work or they don't. There isn't really much you can do to tune them other than compensate for any modifications to the exhaust or air box. I used to buy and sell cg125s which are fairly similar to a gn125. All I know is that they were extremely sensitive to air box / filter modifications. There is a little plastic shroud about the size of a fag packet that sits around the air intake. Leave this off and the bike will only run at speed with the choke half on. SO ...fitting a pod filter to a gn might not be a great idea whatever jet size or carb settings you use. Let us know how things turn out.

I wouldn't put a metal scraper of any kind anywhere near mating surfaces. I use a solvent such as brake cleaner , wooden scrapers,a cloth and even fingernails plus hours of frustrating hard work. Petrol works well just don't tell the HSE.

Well it must be possible because its just happened to your bike. It's a bit surprising, you would never get away with this on a CG125 . So,happy days and on with the rest of your project. Could be a different story in heavy rain though.

Clown ? do you mean clone ?

So is it actually very hot?

You definitely need to fit a complete new shaft BUT don't assume that you have to split the whole engine. There is a chance that it can be withdrawn and pushed through from the other side . Can't be sure though so please study the manual first. Good luck.

I just took the pads out and put the calipers back on the bike . Pumped the lever until all 12 pistons were on the disk ( top up fluid ) then took the calipers off and drained and split them. finally I pulled and twisted each piston out using pliers and a piece of rubber .

With opposed piston calipers the pistons can't fly out because the other half of the caliper is in the way. No but they come out with a force that will split skin and crush misplaced fingers Young yts in daihatsu garage i worked in learnt the hard way .. fingers curled in the caliper ... applied the air .lost the tips of two fingers due to the damage the pistons created Ouch! Point taken.

I always use an airline! Never had one fly out or hurt someone But then I know to place something in the calipers to stop them coming all the way out With opposed piston calipers the pistons can't fly out because the other half of the caliper is in the way.

Nice notion but its reusable.

Yep, this is all great advice. What I recently did to grip the more stubborn pistons was use a folded up piece of rubber inner tube and ordinary pliers. You only need to protect the outer surface of the pistons and this only works if everything is absolutely grease and brake fluid free so a blast of brake cleaner beforehand should help. If you flick back to the recent thread "Brake lever travel" you will find loads of brilliant advice that was a great help to me when I stripped-down my calipers a couple of weeks ago. You might want to get a tube of Red Rubber Grease before you reassemble . Good luck..