rollazuki

my CCM only does a ton. Id check power valve is opening fully, assuming the carburation etc is ok, Id guess piston damage. You have got a good spark plug in there havent you??

Could be the star selector, thats why I wondered if the gear selector lever felt'normal' going up and down, the little sprung detent can get slack, the star can come loose or wear, and these can cause the issues reported, if it is the case, its an easy fix, but if the bike is ridden, then every 'jump' is gonna cause dog wear, so try to avoid until its repaired eh.

What revs is the motor at, when youre doing 80 mph? Sit on the stand and open her up to the same revs, the vibration wont be there!!! Itll be a rotating part, ie tyre, wheel out of balance etc, maybe even a chain/sprocket issue. It wont be carb balance, at those revs/speed, the carbs are about 3/4 throttle, youll never notice carb imbalance at that point, as the carbs are well on their way on the vac circuit. As for 150 quid for a carb balance, its acceptable at a main dealers, after removing bodywork, tank etc, and using 'specialist tools', its not out of this world, but Id bet its nowt to do with the vibration issue. Spin the tyres on the stand, is there any mishapeness? Get the wheels balanced, Id expect that to be the issue. If its some kinda carb based misfire at speed, (which it could be) a carb balance wouldnt cure it anyway. My thoughts Rolla.

If you put a bike on the stand , engine running, in gear, and clutch in, the rear wheel will spin.......... its due to the clutch dragging slightly, and that,plus the oil drag causes the wheel to spin......... With the clutch adjusted properly, was the bike unable to pull away? was it actually slipping under acceleration?

bent or worn selectors, or the dogs that select the individual gears are worn or chipped, allowing it to pop out. Thats assuming the gearchange is ok, and the selector mech springs arent broken etc, it does feel like the same stifness up and down. Also check the gear selector shaft is free, and not siezed into the engine casings or sprocket cover if it passas thru it.

Oh yeah Forgot about that. I used to take the pee out of Bulli for wearing running tights under his leathers(to be fair his ample-ness was his downfall lol) but after I tried it Id never go back to undies or commando under leathers. I bought lycra running tights, I put em on, and admired my sleek black legs, then I put my gear on and went for a ride. After the slight perverted fantasies had faded.... I realised they allowed you to move fully in your bike gear, they feel nice, sweat doesnt stick your leathers to your legs, and you dont try to tear out your linings when you take your gear off after a sweaty ride. You can also wash em and keep your bike gear smelling fresh!! Recommended

Dog the big nut up good and tight, the spec is usually about 75lb/ft for most bigger bikes. Make sure that as you tighten it, you dont accidentally pull the spindle back away from the chain adjusters. If the split pin is missing, you are 99% gonna be safe without it, but to be sure Id use something until you replace it. Like its been said, a nail, thick wire etc popped thru will do, but best bet is to get a big ass R clip. They are infinitely reuseable and look the dogs danglies. As far as torque is concerned, use a 1/2 inch ratchet driver and pull pretty much as tight as you can. Unless you are either ill, spindly, or built like a muscle bound god, you are in the right ballpark for tightness. That is to tighten the big wheel spindle nut up. Remember, dont adjust the chain tension too tight. Follow the manufacturers spec, but always check again after tightening the spindle up, you should still have about 3/4 inch play on the chain run, NOT stretch as you tug back and forth, but free play, ie slack. Some bikes need more, motoX etc, and wierdly ZX9's have more than you would imagine.

I did that, got a plain red arai quantum. Cheaper than the race reps, and doesnt go out of style. A good point made is to make sure the gear fits well. Helmets are a no brainer(get it), but clothing also is important. I initially bought Akito desert gear, and found the armour could easily slide round on me, so swapped it for FT kit which had straps to tighten the legs and arms to help locate the armour. Im a funny shape, quite long arms and short legs, so maybe Thats why, but make sure the gear fits/suits you.

Leathers do leak , a lot. The other problem is that they also get a bit ruined if they get wet lots, and the stitching falls apart. Until recently, I always swore by leathers, and a one piece waterproof, works well, keeps you safe and dry, but since I recently re-kitted with armoured, breathable textiles, Id say they are the future. I prefer em to leather, and you no longer need to carry waterproofs. As for gloves, get leather/kevlar/carbon. Buy good ones, and helmets, Id say buy the best you can afford. Make sure its got the highest spec test/sticker on it, dont pay extra for pretty colours, pay extra for safety.

To apply a little common sense to this thread, any of you owned a chinese bike? I bought a Jialing125 at auction, just wanted a runner/hack for winter so I didnt have to polish the nitro bottle on the bandit quite so often. Its a chinese version of the early Honda XL125. It was fantastic. It was run to death(including a 13.8bhp dyno run!!), sold to a mate, who sold it to another mate, then another. It was like a pool bike, whoever needed a hack to run to work seemed to buy it and run round until another mate needed it more. I maintained it(a bit), and once decided to have the camcover off to check internals. To my surprise, the chinese had improved the Honda design. The original had the usual cam that ran in the head, eventually eating the ally away, and thats the end of that. The cheap ass bag 'o' poo Jialing had a hardened steel insert, and a roller bearing in its place!!! I loved that bike, it never let me down, and I dont remember it ever actually using any petrol. So a bolt has come loose on your chinese bike, so what, fix it, ya recon bolts never came loose on jap bikes? Its a bike, China and korea could well soon become the new Japan, who the heck are we gonna slag off then? Most Suzuki engines are now assembled in korea, I dunno about the rest of them, so there ya go, my 20 cents worth. Enjoy the bike, no reason not to. Rolla

link to the jacket. https://www.jsaccessories.co.uk/view_de ... r%20Jacket Like I said, its well armoured, and the fabric is like ....well.....denim, but made with nylon, if you can imagine that. Like I said, Id sooner crash in it than my Dainese. I like it that much. The trousers are similar, but not quite so tough. Both are very waterproof, all zips etc look good, and are in current everyday use, on 25 mile round trip to work, rain or shine. I was gonna buy some new leather jeans, changed my mind now, just gonna wear these.

Frank thomas aquafore jacket and trousers. Armoured, jacket is VERY heavy duty, Id sooner crash in that than my dainese leather jacket, and very waterproof. cost for both about 300 from J&S

Reply from the horses mouth is as follows: So as long as the chain is lubed using generic chain lube type stuff, all appears to be good. There ya go folks, the power of the internet and email!!

Id make sure the travel dates coincide with the Isle of Man TT races. Its the best trip you will ever make. Maybe you have been I dont know, but Id recommend a week there. Pretty much no speed limits, bikes and madness everywhere. After that, places like Matlock Bath,Ace cafe etc are all good. They tell me the Motorcycle museum in Birmingham is good, and Maybe you can arrange a Triumph factory visit. Ive been and its worth a look. All the best with the trip Rolla

Just do yourself a favour and dont get the chrome oil cooler cover/trim. They look really bad. Bigger motocross renthals or similar make the bandit feel very purposefull, as does a noisy can. The oil cooled gixer engine series always sound good thru open filters and a nice end can.

Agreed with what has been said already. If you can live without it for a week or so, strip it and get the frame coated/painted. While the engine is out you can fettle it and clean the hard to reach bits, then she'll look like a new un when its back together. Oh yeah, while the motor is out, source a 750 lump and fit that instead, OR, go for gold and get a gixer 1100 lump and bung that in. You think you are happy now, you would be REALLY happy with 1100cc. Good choice tho, I recon the bandit is just about the finest bike ever designed/made. My fave.

each carb will have a float which controls the fuel height. This float will act upon a needle valve, which directly affects the petrol feed into each float bowl. Remove the carbs, tip em over, remove the float bowls, and see the floats. The needle is at the hinge end of the float. There are several issues here. 1 there is a leaking float which has taken on petrol, and is not closing the needle. remove floats and shake to hear for liquid inside. 2 the needles are worn or damaged, and as such leak fuel into the chamber. 3 the float heights are out(usually blamed, but often not to blame) after all, they never get knocked or tapped, so why would they suddenly be 'out' As a rule of thumb on a multi carb bike, check the float heights on each carb, if one is adrift, make it the same as the others, or check against factory spec if you have it. When that is sorted, bung em back on the bike. NOTE!!! If fuel finds its way outa the overflow, there is also a good chance its found its way into the cylinders. This can hydraulic lock the engine and cause massive damage, or sneak past the piston rings and dilute the engine oil, again causing excessive wear. Dip the oil, if it smells petrolly, bin it and change oil+filter.

OK, Ive emailed wd40, Ill post their reply!!

Forged piston. Useful for making extra horsepower, increasing compression, and outlasting standard piston(OEM, original equipment) when tuninf engines, or running nitrous.

straight from wd40's own webpage. told ya

Ive used it for years and had no problems. As far as Im aware, WD is rubber friendly, but I may be wrong. I usually spray some on all over the chain, then wipe residue off with a rag. Ive never had any issues, but I cant guarantee it. My Regina chain on my old Nitro'd bandit did approx 25k plus miles(never did have an accurate odometer) and was on over 3 years. Including run what ya brung drag racing and road riding. I still do it, and dont aim to stop. After all, what the heck is in the chain lube that sprays on a thin liquid, then evaporates to leave grease/wax/teflon or whatever. Some kinda solvent? cant see wd40 being worse for it.

If its been run so slack its jumped the sprocket, then Id say its had it! make sure the chain adjusters are ok, no stripped threads etc, and fit a new chain and sprocket kit. Before it snaps and damages you or the engine casing. Oh yeah, for someone who claims to check , adjust, and lube every Sunday, then how did it get so worn it jumped off????? Keep an eye on it, itll last ages when maintained. Dont forget to clean it from time to time eh.

Dont get diesel near plastics(or rubber) It soaks in and makes them swell massively. Its a real problem. Dunno if paraffin and similar things do the same, but keep diesel off plastic.

Diesel petrol mix I get from work, when muppets cant fathom out what their car runs on. There have been times when we have more of this stuff than we can cope with, and I tell ya, it shifts all known greasy marks and stains!!

Arse to the naysayers. Im gonna stick to my arai or simpson, wether it wins stars or not. Ill look at the racers, Ill look at the build quality, and Ill ignore the daft tests the government have devised. They rarely get owt right do they. Buy the best you can afford. If you think a 60quid lid is the best, then buy it. I recon itll help loads in a spill. Ill stick to my arai, cos I recon itll do a lot better. Hopefully we will never find out, but I recon we all know which lid we would plump for................