Ricco1

I ride an old Suzuki GN125, I live on a narrowboat. When cruising my bike lives on a rack I had purpose built, on the back of my boat. This all works fine but the boat is 6'10" wide. I need to remove the rear light cover, bulb and its carrier in order to bring the boat down to around 6'2" long. This prevents potential disaster, if the bike came in contact with lock walls. I've toyed with the idea of getting another, slightly shorter bike but it seems daft spending money when the elements are going to destroy its value. So, in order to save time and messing I've thought about adapting the rear mudguard. The idea is to cut through it forward of where the rear light assembly fits to it. It should then be a simple task to move it out of the way when approaching a lock. I thought about fitting a couple of hinges to join the cut sections and then a slide bolt or two, possibly under the mudguard rather than on top of it (aesthetics) to lock it in place while riding. I need to check if there's enough flexibility in the wiring of course. Before I go ahead I wonder if this might lead to an mot failure (sharp edges). If so it's not really a problem, I can buy a new mudguard for thirty quid. I was also wondering if anyone has any other idea how I might go about cutting, then piecing together the mudguard? Thanks for any replies.

I've had 2 doses of erratic starting with my GN125. The first one was some light corrosion on the starter button contact. A quick scrape with a small screwdriver sorted that one. The second time was due to another bad contact that was solved by spraying wd40 down the keyhole with the key in, wiggle it backwards and forwards a bit, sorted. Very easy fixes, might be worth a try.

I fitted a new chain 12 months ago, I've done 3000 miles since. Didn't change the sprockets as they were fine. The chain was on the long side, it was half way along the adjuster when I tightened it up. I didn't shorten it at that time because I didn't have the tool. Now, the adjustment is all used up. I was wondering whether it would be safe to take a link or two out, maybe to take it back to around half way along the adjuster, rather than buy another new chain. What do you guys think? If it's OK do I need one of those chain breaker tools, are they easy to use? Cheers.

Assuming there's compression it must be a fuel problem. Is there a fuel filter somewhere? sometimes they are in a little chamber that screws off under the fuel. If so unscrew it, having switched the fuel tap off, check if it's locked with gunge. Is there a fuel pipe to the carb you could take off, make sure the petrol is flowing there freely?

My GN125 lives on a rack on the back of my narrowboat. This works quite well but every time I go through a lock I need to remove the rear light assembly to make sure it doesn't catch the lock walls. This is a bit of a pain. Ideally I'd like a faster system. I was wondering about removing the rear mudguard then cutting through it, above the light assembly, and fitting some kind of hinge and locking mechanism. Maybe a central hinge on top of the mudguard, holes drilled and nuts and bolts, then a slide bolt each side. The idea is to quickly and easily swing the lower bit out of the way so I can go though a lock without risking hanging up. I think it will need to be fairly secure to pass an MOT. I'm not too bothered about wrecking the mudguard in an attempt to do this. It's pretty well rusted up and cheap as chips to replace. Any other ideas? Cheers

I bought this bike 5 and a half years ago for 900 quid. It had 8000km on the clock when I bought it, 42000 now. Good points: Fuel consumption. Perhaps I have a light wrist but I always get in excess of 110 miles to a gallon. Reliability. It's never broken down. The worst that happened was the engine getting noisy at 9000 rpm, ended up being a worn rocker. Fairly comfortable and relaxed riding position. Very cheap parts. I get the oil filters for a couple of quid each. Bad points: Chinese finished, chrome is rubbish, loads of rust. Lots of vibration above 55mph Lack of power, but that's to be expected. Cornering doesn't inspire confidence, a slightly uneven road, cat's eye or something, has it jumping around. Overall this is a decent bike. Anyone who just wants a bike for short commutes and values economy and reliability wouldn't go far wrong with this.

I live on a narrow boat, keep my bike on the back of it. Because of this I regularly push my bike along the towpath until there's a gap in the hedge, so I can get it on a road. Towpaths are often hedged with hawthorn. They cut it back from time to time. The thorns from this bush are like nails! Several times now I've had flats, had to take the wheel in question to a shop to get it fixed. They do this by removing the thorns and putting an inner tube in. I'm wondering whether tyre weld or something similar might be a solution to this, at least so I can ride the bike to the shop rather than having to carry the wheel for a mile or more. Does it work with tyres that have tubes in them? Might it be worth using in a preventative way i.e. use it on tyres without punctures so if a thorn goes in, the air stays in? Cheers

I'm in Indonesia at the moment. There are lots of CB125's here which sell for between 200 and 500 quid depending on condition and originality. I've been quoted around 300 quid to have it shipped to the U.K. I suppose I'm wondering what one in good condition might be worth at home? Also, what might it cost in customs and clearances when it arrives? I should add, most of the bikes seem to be 1975 models. Cheers.

Update on this: I took it to another shop. He had a quick listen and said it was almost certainly either the cam or rocker or combination of. These engines are Chinese, he says the quality of metal used is poor, these going is a common problem. Does this sound plausible?

Thanks, I tried that, it wasn't conclusive. Does anyone know a rough figure of how much it might cost to have the engine rebuilt? If a bike shop isn't competitive, are there places you can send the engine to who specialise in this type of work? Thanks again

I'd like a second opinion but short of stripping it down, how can anyone form one? And of course the stripping down takes so long...

Right I'll update that but in the meantime: I live on a narrowboat (bike on the back) in north east Cheshire. Macclesfield/ Poynton/ Marple most of the time. Can travel but on a narrowboat, it's never fast!

Although I like to have a go at things I'd be right outside my comfort zone if I had a go. And my tools are limited. Is it worth taking it to another shop to get a second opinion? Anyone know an enthusiast who might like to do this work? Or any other options?

First, apologies for the length of this post, thought I'd give as much information as possible. My bike is a Suzuki GN125 2006. It's done 15,000 miles, I change the oil and filter every 1500 miles. Last week my bike developed an engine noise. The best way I can describe it is a clicking or rattling sound. The higher the revs the faster the sound, if that makes any sense. I took it to my local bike shop. I've used him before, he's helpful and reasonable. He suspected either tappets needed adjustment or otherwise, loose cam chain. I left it with him, he called someone else for a second opinion. He said tappets and cam chain are fine therefore it's a lower engine problem, very likely to be the big end bearing. He suggested that the cost of fixing this would be very high, I'm better off getting a complete engine off a write off rather than having the work done. There are a couple on Ebay for £330. These have short warranties. £50 to fit it so we're close to £400.00 I'm hesitating to do this, I'd like other opinions if possible. If I buy another engine I won't know its condition or whether it's been regularly maintained. I could buy a pig that could pack in in a few months or whatever. So what should I do, what are my options? Many thanks

It seems I had the right screw then. It's different from that picture though, in that the screw goes through the carb itself (probably 8mm of metal) rather than just a thin bracket. I've got some mole grips, I'll have a go with them when I've wd40'd it a few times. There's about 20mm of the bolt to get a grip on, it snapped off at the head. Anything else I can try if it remains stubborn?

No it's not that one. It's a bolt that runs upwards and to the right at 45 degrees. It pushes on a metal thingy that's also operated by the throttle. So it seems to be a simple affair that holds the throttle slightly on, in order to increase idle speed. Hope that makes sense!

I've taken a picture and tried to upload it but I'm getting a message that it's invalid. I'm not so hot on technology either, so I'm not sure how to fix this!

Thanks for that. Had a go at it, got it to turn a little then the bolt/screw snapped! Any tips for getting it out so I can get a replacement?

First I should say that I'm very inexperienced when it comes to fixing bikes (as will probably become apparent later in my post!), but very keen to learn. My bike is Chinese built, 2006, 18,000 km. I recently spent a bit of time on the bike. Changed the oil and filter, lubricated and adjusted the chain, cables etc. The choke lever was very sticky so wd40'd that, it turns smoothly now. Before I lubricated the choke lever the bike would often idle at high rpm (2500-3500) when warm. Now it idles very slowly and often cuts out without throttle. I suspect the choke may have been always on (just a little), a previous owner might have adjusted the idle speed down to compensate for this. Now the choke is off, the idle speed isn't enough... So it seems I have the simple task of increasing the idle speed. Simple for many, but not for me! A friend suggested I find the idle speed screw and simply turn it. There is a screw/ bolt on the left hand side of the carb that appears to go through to where the throttle cable ends. Not a great description this, but it's the best I can do! The screw/bolt has a spring around it. Anyway, it's impossible to turn this screw. When I try the whole carb moves and rather than break anything I gave up. I've managed a workaround by tightening the throttle cable at the handlebar end. By taking the small amount of slack out of the cable the bike now idles at 1300. However it's not ideal, revs take a long time to drop, I'm pretty sure this isn't the right way to do this. Sorry about the very poor description of this, can anyone help? Thanks.

I need to replace the exhaust on my Suzuki GN125. I'm having difficulty removing one of the bolts that attaches the exhaust to the engine. There's not much room to work in as the bolt is very close to the front of the bike frame. The bolt is an allen key type. My efforts so far have only resulted in slightly rounding the allen key slot. Any idea/ tips how I might get this thing off? Thanks.

I've recently noticed a smell of petrol when I've opened the garage where I store my bike. I've checked the underside of the tank and the fuel line to the carb, seems OK. I've pinned it down to the breather/ overflow tube that comes off the bottom of the carb. An odd drip or 2 is coming from here. Is this an easy fix? It's a Suzuki GN125 bythe way. Thanks for any replies.

It's an 06 model. When I say nothing happens when I push the starter, I mean exactly that. No click, no dimming of neutral light. Just nothing. That led me to think that the problem is with the contact, as at other times, it works perfectly.

Sometimes my GN125 turns over and starts starts first time I touch the button. Other times I have to push it several times. The abortive attempts result in nothing happening at all. This used to happen very occasionally but more recently it's happening more often. Seems that the contact inside the button mechanism might be at fault. Corroded maybe? I was thinking of squirting some wd40 around the button. Could that cause a problem at all? Otherwise, does anyone know where I might be able to download a manual for this bike (2006 model), so I can take the device apart and have a good look. Thanks.

Thanks for the replies. I'm doing this on my own, without an instructor, otherwise I would ask him/ her!

Well after failing in FAILsworth 2 and a half weeks ago my test is looming again, just 5 days away. It's in Bredbury this time, more local to me, know many of the roads, which is good. I failed last time on not observing a 20 limit sign, hopefully I'll be a bit more aware next week. I didn't have this problem in my last test but I've been thinking... If the examiner asks you to turn right at the t junction ahead, and there are one or more other roads to the right before the junction, when should you perform your mirror/ signal/lifesaver/ move to close to centre of the road? I can think of 2 options: 1/ Mirror/signal/ lifesaver/ move to close to centre of the road immediately but cancel the indicator very quickly, thereby avoiding confusing other road users as to your actions. 2/ Delay the aforementioned process until after passing the last road on the right before the junction. I prefer 2/, and would do this during my everyday riding/ driving. But if the last road before the junction was very close to the junction I would tend to do 1/. What do you guys think, or any other ideas? Cheers p.s. anyone ridden the Bredbury test recently, maybe give me some pointers as to what the route might be?