Snod Blatter

Wet clutches can take a lot of abuse because the oil cools them, and it'll also keep the smoke in so you don't notice it I'd suggest it's just something getting hotter than normal because you're revving it while almost stationary, exhaust perhaps?

£200 though?

It flashed me too, I was busily faffing with the fairing to try and find out why it was rattling so much and when I looked up it flashed.. D'oh. I can only hope they see it's a TRX and let me off for being mega cool

Do you mean the brake lever just flaps about with no resistance or does the caliper not try to squeeze the disc?

Also you'd be far away on holiday in another country so it wouldn't matter

Sump plugs are the usual victim, the spec in the book will be for brand new clean threads in the factory before the engine has seen any oil (unless explicitly stated otherwise i.e. coat thread in engine oil) but most people blindly chase the number. See also spark plugs, bleed nipples, rocker cover bolts. Axle nuts are also amusing, again the spec is for new and perfectly clean threads but people insist on aiming for the ludicrous torque in the book even though the axle and the nut are covered in grease, grime and rust. And then new bikes have a split pin to thread through the castellated nut anyway so you have to go a bit more to get the holes to line up. I even saw a bloke on reddit insisting on torquing the adjuster nut on his steering stem to book spec despite having replaced the original ball bearings and cups with a tapered roller, a completely different kind of bearing with lots more surface area.. How do you even begin to reason with such a person? He had previously insisted on torquing the sump plug to spec despite helicoiling it so the thread is now steel instead of aluminium. Argh. As stated - engine parts are about all I use a torque wrench for (head bolts, cam caps, clutch centre nut, flywheel bolt) and the rear wheel bolts on the K100 because they're supposed to be 110Nm or something silly so I use the wrench as a guide to keep going until it's mega tight (I usually aim for 90Nm, 110 is surely strippy time).

I don't notice it being any more slippery than normal? Now when the leaves start falling and making a slimy mess, that can be slippery..

Supposedly it is the same as the XLR125 but those are rare as well. What's completely busted about the old engine?

I always sit on the bike and use the jaws of an open-ended spanner to wiggle the chain up and down with as much of my weight on the seat as I can get. As the suspension wears it'll sag more and you may find the specs in the book don't work any more because the further it sags the tighter the chain will be. You could also be far fatter/heavier than the engineers expected, or the suspension might not be original front or back.. Also check the tension and then wheel the bike along, then check again - many chains have tighter and looser areas, you have to make sure the chain isn't drum tight at the tighter area.

When did you last change the oil and what did you put in it?

Did you find the head of the valve inside? Since you appear to have smashed the inlet valve it will have likely rattled around in the chamber and mullered everything, what does the head look like? How marked is the valve seat? Can you provide pictures of everything?

Smoke time is actually quite old-skool though it's usually more surreptitious. Hmm, highlights.. -Watching blue smoke pour out of the VFR750's exhaust on overrun after definitely not racing -Watching a VFR750 get taken to bits in the shade on the pavement (reminds me of Spain) -Easily outpacing a VFR750 and being able to call the owner a little girl with actual legitimacy while he desperately adjusted tyre pressures -Larger than average cake intake -Much larger than average schnitzel intake -Putting 140 on the clock on the autobahn (I didn't think she had it in her!) -Getting home to find a text from The Big Man saying he was headed for the Blackwall tunnel (big lols) Lowlights: -Being laughed at by some awful VFR750 owner while I faff about putting on my oversuit -Being laughed at by some awful VFR750 owner while the TRX refused to start first thing Saturday morning (eeeeep, she went eventually thank goodness) -Losing a fairing bolt on the French motorway somewhere -Knowing the fully synthetic 10w60 was a waste of money because it disappeared almost as fast as the cheap stuff Right, how much prep do I need to do to make it ready for 10 days. I've seen a mention of a filter I've never cleaned, that should be a good faff.

Don't worry about that, everyone from the Internet is a right weirdo anyway

I bought mine used, it has been stored badly (probably screwed up in a bin liner or something?) and smells of fish when it gets warm, just a bit of rot I guess but it depends how picky you are. I am considering sending it for dry cleaning because it's a decent Akito and fits perfectly so worth keeping unless I go on too many more trips to Germany and eat too much cake and schnitzel.. I also wear the gloves that came with it, I try not to to think about that too much!

I beg your pardon?? I think you'll find it's a full-on red-blooded 850, not some girly 750. Also there was a VFR400 that came once upon a time.. And a K100RS.. And the VFRs were 800s.. Where's everyone pictures then? Guess I'll start, psh. Start as you mean to go on, wee time: Germany, it's quite spaced out.. A bit like the knobber who owns this VFR. Ah look the seat is off! And a bit more besides.. Further testing revealed it actually wasn't any of the wiring in there or anything, just the front brake light switch was duffed which happened to coincide with the rear brake light switch and the horn also being duffed. Bizarre. Anyway, this was also spotted and a picture was obviously required: As discussed, every time is lie down time: A picture taken of a picture being taken because I have pictures of this from 2012 and various points after.. Every time is smoke time. The eagle eyed among you may notice the Mosel is at the bottom. Rare evidence of the 'frowne standing up: It was a wet morning, no point in lying.. "Oh good, time to eat again!" Or was it just time to take the seat off again..? (Piles of food were soon ingested, hnnnggg) After eating the sun came out and it was time to get the seat off again. Every time is lie down time. Every time is smoke time. Every time is lie down time. At the tunnel for the return there were 3 125s loaded up with kit, turned out they'd been to the Nurburgring and had stayed not far from Neuerburg! Nice to see some proper machinery in use, reminds me of my CB250 Overall yet another excellent year though looking back it lacked a little jeopardy - no one broke down, the trains ran on time getting there and coming back, I didn't have the sat nav on so I wasn't constantly stressing about it falling off.. It's all a bit too easy?? I knew I shouldn't have changed that rear tyre Also people who have been on this trip before may enjoy this post more than most

I'd be all over the rubber boots on either side of the carbs first, have you tried spraying WD40 at them while it's running? If the revs rise you've got a leak.

Guys guys!! I just went out for a run on my 24 year old hack and I went out and turned the key and it all switched on straight away, am I doing it wrong?? Also the Benediktiner is alright but a poor substitute for the Paulaner they used to have. Still better than lager though, pfff.

Many people seem to struggle with this, you're supposed to click (or start clicking) when the hazard is developing i.e. some kind of reaction is needed from you the driver. You don't click at every perceivable hazard. Woman walking a dog along the pavement? No click. Dog runs out into the road right in front of you? Click, wait ~1.5 seconds (until the dog is metres away) and click again. It's a good way to score points but don't spam it with clicks or they won't count (or maybe even count against you, I can't remember exactly).

I have long understood that you're not supposed to use sintered pads on cast iron discs though people still do and seem to get away with it, the only problem being if you park the bike up when wet and then find you can't get it to move until you've attacked the calipers with a rubber mallet to break the rust!

Smaller carbs? Doing it wrong. A cable tie will sort out the idle speed adjuster shirley?

There are a couple for sale on ebay, one in the UK - this one. Good enough for you? If not there's this one in good ol' USA which is actually only slightly more expensive but looks in better condition.

Impossible to tell without pictures, one man's basket case is another's ride to work bike. If the engine is still good then find a good bike with a dead motor and swap them around, this will likely make economic sense when you start adding up the price of parts even if the frame is basically sound.

Same, I'll be picking mine up from Tui of all places on Friday after work. Though I will have to get a new rear tyre fitted after using the bike a fair bit recently, and the chain has just started creaking around the front sprocket so I guess I can do that at the same time.. At least it turns on reliably though

Yep. The bike won't be quite as flickable because of the fatter tyre but you do get a choice of much nicer tyres so overall I'd go that way every time. In 90/90-18 I can personally vouch for the Michelin Pilot Activ being excellent, with the Metzeler ME22 being a bit rubbish in the wet and Pirelli City Demons/Heidenau K44 being outright awful. In 3.00-18 I like the Metzeler ME77 and Heidenau K65 very much. Proper aftermarket ContiGo!'s are also worth a look, far superior to the terrible things that come on new Hondas - I have tried both and know they are not the same animal at all despite having the same name.

Are you pedalling it?