illvibetip

cheers. Ill get on to it tomorrow see if I cant fix it...

cheers. so you mean i should check it over to make sure the cable is straight? ok, i'll start there. actually, he did say he'd changed the cable too...

basically, my speedometer doesnt seem to know what my wheels are doing. Its ok up to 100 kmph (it has km in bigger numbers on the face so I tend to pay more attention to that). After that its doubtful and seems to get stuck around 110/120 kmph. At first I thought there was something wrong with the engine or it was too windy or something because I couldnt make it go any faster. So I took it into a tunnel (as there doesnt seem to be any wind resistance) and hammered it. I know I must have been going at least around 90/100 mph and the needle/pointer started swinging wildly up and down . I just had my speedo/rpm clocks changed (as I crashed and smashed the casing on the speedo) with second hand ones. I can easily go back to where i got this done and ask them to sort it out for free. Truth is, Im trying to get into the habit of fixing things myself because Im a bit green and dont know much about repairs. Question Is this an easy job or should I leave this one alone? (If it is - how do you fix it?) thanks v.much

thanks. I didnt take too many because my fingers were frozen (hehe). But here's some more...

Its not that exotic (and it wasnt very warm either) but i just finished my first longer-distance road trip (compared to what ive done up till now) on my bike . I rode from Koreas East coast across the South coast and onto to the West to visit and see their islands. I took a more mountainous route on the way back so that I could enjoy the corners and quieter roads. I did just over 1100 kms in total. I have to say, it was more tiring/colder than i expected it would be and if I learned one thing - is that a hot bath is very underrated!

been busy the last couple of days - so apologies for not reponding Thanks for the advice everyone. Ill digest some of that info and get out and buy some tools next week. Ive had a look at the internet links. Some good stuff on there. Actually, i used my foot last time it went wrong. It cost me 200 quid for a new piece of plastic (the problem was 5 quids worth of wiring. Hindsight...). Im a bit wary about taking my bike apart incase i do it more damage. Ill start with the break pads or something. I can pick up a second hand 125cc chopper type here for around 1 or 200 quid. Maybe less if its knackered. No chance of getting a haynes here, especially not for my Hyosung. Ive got the service manual (tnks to a link on this site), i just need to upload it onto my ebook reader or print it . In the immortal words of mario 'here we go...'

happy new year. Im wanting to learn how to fix/maintain a bike myself. I live somewhere where its difficult to get a mechanic to do routine maintenance/diagnostics on my bike and I dont know any other riders/mechanics here (in a small town in south korea) so this is part of the motivation. But mostly Id like to know a bit more what Im doing so i can spend more time on fixing it up/running it properly. Ive noticed a lot of you fellas seem to know ho to do stuff like clean the carbs etc. How can I get started on being a better mechanic? Obviously, i cant go to night school. I brought a haynes basic motorcycle maintenance manual with me, but its like reading a 1992 video recorder programming booklet. I thought about buying an old 125cc cruiser bike and stripping it down. Is this a bad idea? What about recommended reading? Is there anywhere on the net that would be a good starting point or any good books? And I need to buy some tools. What should I start with?. As you can see, I really dont know where to start. It seems most people have learned from others. I have this forum - so Im turning to you. Whats your advice? Thanks in advance

thanks folks. No, I definately used bike oil. Ok, ill fiddle around and see if I can tighten it up this morning. ill do what you said and wait until it warms up so Im sure before buying a new clutch. I have to ride to my new flat to get the keys this morning and its 120 km each way, that will give me time to play with it. Its a bit warmer today (minus 3) so it may be ok. cheers

ive gone off my tank bag since for my model, I have to remove the tank to get it on. Ill spring a leak one of these days .

they are called 'humpback'. I cant find a no., but heres some images I found on the net. http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q= ... 24&bih=580

Here I go agin… Last earlier this week I posted that I was losing power on my clutch and etc. etc. Ill just recap and state the problem at the same time to keep it simple. Last weekend, it was very cold and I got an oil change on my way home from a 120km ride. After about 20 mins, I noticed the clutch was slipping at around 8000 rpm (usually the rpm that I use when I’m over taking/cruising speed on the motorway). I posted for advice. I changed the oil and the bike seemed to be working fine again (I put quite expensive oil in too!). In retrospect, maybe it wasnt. Today, I was out riding again (it was really cold last night, so cold I couldn’t get the key in the ignition!), and I noticed the problem, again. I did a few tests, 1st, 2nd are fine. 3rd, 4th, 5th – around 7500 the clutch starts to slip and keeps going until I stop accelerating, then it catches again slowly. Buuuuuuut, it doesn’t always happen. I managed to get up to 100mph without any problems on the way home(???!?). At first, I thought it may have just been the cold, so I haven’t touched anything (like I say, it stopped happening on the way home). But I got home tonight and Im reading though another posters thread further down ‘pitstop’ who seems to have had a similar problem. Someone answered and said that if this keeps happening (clutch slip), its time to have your clutch plates changed. Could it just be the cold or should I start fiddling around (with the cable for example) or should I just get the clutch changed of its been slipping? Did I forget anything? Probably… Thanks again.

I just bought some oxford panniers for my bike (as its uncomfortable wearing a back pack sometimes). Not only do they make my bike look cool as hel,l they have loads of features that make them perfect for day trips and long journeys (such as straps to make them into a bag and easy on/off velcro etc.). My rating - they are awesome! (well done again british made, Jeremy clarkson would be proud if he rode a bike).

how much would the outside temp. effect the performance/carbs? I was riding for around 40 mins when this happened, but it was minus 5 outside plus the drop in temp with movement/wind.

changed the oil - running as good as ever now. for future reference, its good to know how to adjust the clutch if I have similar problems again. Thanks

thanks, i think i know what youre talking about (the nut). Ill have a look this morning. But first, Im going to change the oil. If it is the oil, is the clutch irreparably screwed?

thanks chris. What do you mean 'check free play'? (complete novice here). How would I adjust it, with the clutch cable thing near the engine? ta

do you think I should change the oil again? it will only cost pennies. cheers btw

Hello, My bike rev meter goes up to 13,000 and I usually cruise on the motorway (at 80/90mph with pillion) at about 8000 rpm without pushing it too hard ('red' is 12,000 rpm) since this afternoon, when my bike gets up to 7,500/8,000, it seems to have no more power and the revs go up past 8,000 and the bike looses all power. Its as if I knocked it into neutral and am just reving it. Ive been riding it all weekend (around 300km) and never had any problems (apart from it wouldnt start when cold and makes an awful knocking sound until its warm). There are 3 things worth mentioning though as I am a complete novice, I dont know what Im talking about or if this is remotely relevant... 1/ it was minus 5 today and windy (so it was bloody cold and id been riding for over an hour when this started. 2/ I got the oil changed about 30 mins before I noticed this happening. 3/ my bike always did this when I first bought it until a guy i knew fiddled around with it and it stopped. Ive no idea what he did (i think he just played with the idle, not sure). any advice would be great as I dont want to take it to the garage and they say theres nothing wrong with it, i get annoyed, etc. Bike is the Hyosung 250cc 'piece of crap - soon to be traded in on a real make' comet. It has a choke. Four stroke DOHC (air and oil cooled), V2 cylinder engine. Mileage unknown. thanks very much

no idea (youll have to wait for someone else to answer) but... I solved my cold hand problem. I bought some of those tea cosy things that go over your grips/end of handle bars. I covered the lot with aluminium foil and then wrapped cling film around them to keep it on. I then duct taped a black plastic bag over the top for water proofing and fashion purposes. It looks like shit but last night I was riding with just a thin pair of woolen gloves and my hands were fine! (zero degrees). whole lot cost me about 6 quid.

it was the electrics. Theres a small, black box sitting under the seat - it needed to be replaced. A tow truck for that...

ive tried using throttle/choke etc. The plugs are sparking. the engine isnt catching - even when i bumped/jumped it. Ive double checked the kill switches. The other poster mentioned the side stand - but ive checked and theres no wires attached to it. its an oldish bike and i dont think it has that safety feature. theres a bit of fuel/gunk in the tank with the airfilter - i thought it may have been that. I need to get the carburetors checked i think thanks for your suggestions. itll give me food for thought next time something happens. But ive only got a few tools at home. so, i think ill have to take it in tomorrow im again defeated with my limited knowledge! thanks anyhow

hi. Yeah, sorry, I realised just now that i was a bit vague. It makes a noise like the starter motor is going (chur chur chur chur chur chur) but doensnt sound like the engine is firing. The neutral light is on, yes. The lights dont usually come on until the engine is running but the indicators are running as are the lights on the dash. cheers

Bike - 250cc Hyosung comet, Four stroke DOHC (air and oil cooled) V2 cylinder. 2002. Miles - unknown. To try to help in eliminating potential problems, heres a list of what Ive had done recently and some history. New battery (4 weeks ago) new plugs (4 weeks ago) carbs cleaned 4 weeks ago. I rode my bike 150 kms yesterday with no problems. Last night, I tried to start my engine (around 5 degrees outside). I tried to bump start it in first and second - nothing. I tried to use jump leads - nothing. (The lights were working ok all the while) I opened it up to look at the plugs and noticed that the air filter had detached and must have been sitting loose before I parked it up. Im guessing it cant have been like that for more than 20 minutes but I wouldnt have noticed if there was a problem anyway becasue I had free wheeled it for 20-ish minutes before putting it away (because I was in the mountains and hadnt used the engine to get it home). I couldnt tell if there was anything wrong with the plugs or not cos I dont know what Im looking for. _ i thought I might have just flooded the engine but a 'jump' would have fixed that wouldnt it? Any ideas what might be the problem? Id like to have a crack at fixing it muyself before taking it to a garage but Im no mechanic. Im tearing my hair out here, I just had to pay some guy to bring it back to my home on his truck. He didnt have a ramp and it was 1 and a half metres off the floor - so it was fun trying to get it off ( I think the muffler must be shagged now too after that...). Thanks in advance

'Mighty Mariner' That advice for storage is quite simply, fecking awesome. Can I just ask you one more thing? Supposing I followed your advice to the 't', how long would you say I could leave my bike standing like that? a year? more?

This is going to sound like a really stupid question. But sometimes, you’ve known someone for so long, its embarrassing asking them what their name is because you forgot. Well it’s a bit like that… I’ve never used the emergency reserve on a bike – ever. How does it work and what setting should it be left on? And one more stupid question please, I heard that changing gears causes higher consumption of fuel. Does that still apply if you keep the revs at an almost constant? Or skip a gear or two? Would it make a difference? Ta