caretaker

If its warming up after 3/4 k it doesnt sound too slow in getting warm really Obviously now the block/ engine/oil are colder it will take a bit longer to reach runing temp.... in winter Thats often why any thermostats fitted do not open until the engine has reached temp to allow the engine to reach temp as soon as possible without excessive revving causing extra wear. Good thing is it probably means you have a nice tight engine when cold..obviously as it gets hotter and up to run temp the metal engine block will expand somewhat and everything can run more freely. point to think about- I'm not familiar with the cooling system of your bike but generally speaking if any temp thermostat is permanently open , or even non existent, it will take longer for an engine to get warm and this will be more noticable in winter

yes, good point it'd work okay like that for sure...and good to remember for an out of the way roadside repair too- but to allow room for me 'forgetting to look at my temp gauge every now and then' I think I'll go for the genuine one..don't want to risk damage from overheating the engine because I'd been daft and forgot about it..... Now that would make me choke and overheat!

yes, the CBT has to include 2hrs minimum riding on the road. Thing is if you are taking DAS with him once you have done your first mornings tuition you will have exceeded the 2 hrs cbt requirements anyway... so he's just being flexible with your training to get you up and running on the 500c bike as soon as poss...to take mod 1 and 2 on the 500cc you can ride a 500cc accompanied as part of your das training before the mod 1 or how could you practice on a 500cc to take and pass it

Just to give a little feedback to those that kindly helped- Well I've now had chance to look a little closer and removed L Hand rad cover and located the fan switch or more precisely the thermostatic fan switch. (it has one wire from it which switches to earth within the switch and when it does so at the apropriate temp the fan starts.) My aim was to check the fan motor okay by proving the switch faullty so I removed the wire connected to the switch and bypassed the switch to earth and the fan runs okay when I turn the ignition on. so I'm now assuming the switch faulty and not switching to earth/neutral when it reaches the required temp .... and the fan to be okay- next job get a switch! only a little switch but they seem to be about £35.00 (ouch)

Yes, your spot on- I've just got some more details online and apparently its on left side of the rad. Well thats my 'job to do' for tomorrow sorted out..and keep my fingers crossed its not the fan motor itself as that looks a little more involved Thank your for your advice

Thanks for that- I located the fuse and checked it/replaced it just in case. I have also located the fan and it spins freely when i spin it so its not seized. I then topped up the water ran the bike and the temp got to past Medium and heading to the red without the fan coming on. I assume now there must be a temp sensor/switch somewhere that could be failty or the fan motor itself has had it. If i can locate the switch it might be worth bypassing it- to test the fan motor Have you any idea where the 'fan temp sensor switch' would be located? I have tried downloading a couple of pdf manuals as reccomended but my pc isnt too keen and it locked me up a couple of times..so may need to get haynes manual

Is it possible to fit them to the carbs first (even if they didnt come off that way) and then onto airbox ie other way around sometimes helps with these things especially if its in order of likely manufacturing procedure

Thanks again for that Dan i'll have a look at it I tried a couple of times but it always provided the italian version for some reason....Mama Mia!

Thanks again for that Dan i'll have a look at it

As far as i know there isnt a fan fitted on the bike. Also I'm not sure if the purpose of the water cooling system is to cool the oil only ie heat exchange or directly via the engine/head itself

Thanks for your thoughts Dan. It would be good if thats all it was. I have never filled/topped the water up whilst I have had it. Not having the chance to take it for a run I can't test it as I would like. Maybe the best thing now is to run the engine as it is and see if it holds temp on the temp gauge. Do you know if any of these water cooled bikes have a tendency to overheat if airflow isnt going through the grill ? ie stationary for a while with the engine running?and do you know if the water flow is controlled by a thermostat as in a car?

Hi, I wonder if anyone can tell me what may be the cause of water coming from the overflow of my cooling system. The history is I have had this bike about 6months but unable to ride it has I have not passed my mod 2 yet. I have started it every week and run the engine and warmed it up to keep the battery charged.Its also had a couple of trips out to the garage for fuel and air in tyres. about 20 miles thats all and all this has been without any problems. Last time I went to run it it started okay as usual and I ran it for a while 10 mins- I then noticed hot water coming out of the overfow pipe. The temp gauge was on medium. Could this be purely down to the fact that I didnt have airflow through the radiator grill or is it likely that i have a sticking thermostat or some other problem..any ideas

I'm pleased the DVD'S helped -wel done!........ I found them useful so its also good to see them passed on to help someone else

Well done.......thats that one out of the way- feels good doesn't it

I saw a guy lock his back wheel on a MOd 1 and stil pass because he had the sense to let the rear brake off as soon as he felt it... and hence "maintained control of the bike" I can only suggest the minimum of rear brake and keep your emphasis on using the front brake also I know it sounds daft but during the avoidance manourvre once you straighten up and are heading for the speed trap look through and beyond it early to seek out the blue cone that you will be swerving around..dont dwell on looking at the trap- good luck

This is what I would reccomend too and by the time you have more experience and take your test you will know if you want to buy a restricted bike or the 250

Air filter is always worth a check or even removing it temporarily to see if there is any difference Good luck

Just cover the postage whatever that is pm me your address if you want it or email me..Ive just emailed you details Just to let you know I've posted them today.....don't worry about the postage..when you have done with them you can probably post them onto someone else on here As someone said earlier just practice getting the sweet clicking spot! Good luck

Just cover the postage whatever that is pm me your address if you want it or email me..Ive just emailed you details

Ive got a hazhard trainng dvd if its of any use to you...it let you practice and saves your score etc

Yeh, I know that schools do book loads of tests in advance. I've put together a list of every single bike school in Bristol and am going to ring around them all tomorrow to ask them to let me know when they cancel some bookings. or could you contact the local dsa test centre ans ask them to put you down for any any cancelations.... cos the bike schools will only be contacting the dsa anyway

When he mentioned that he hadnt seen the oil..its also possible he was 'giving you the hint that if he was a car driver behind you that also didnt see oil' they wouldnt be expecting you to do anything or do what you did..so indeed you may have missed the oil but been at risk from following traffic because you slowed. I don't particularly totally agree with the logic etc but they do seem to assume you shouldnt do anything to interfere/upset car drivers cos you'd come off worse and in that they are right. in this instance your examiner was a car driver I remember I got a minor for slowing down in advance for a couple of roundabouts. i did it so that i didnt need to brake suddenly at last minute if something quickly appeared but it seem they prefer the speed to be carried upto the roundabout as fast as a car would so that a car doesnt 'come onto you from behind' this is despite me thinking 'it was safer and that its more unstable (at low speed - 20/25 mph)to stop suddenly when approaching a roundabout on a bike than it is for a car'

Probably called something like 'chain tensioner plate' No shouldnt really fall off and as mentioned vibration has probably loosened the nuts The reason for having two nuts is so that once the first nut has tensioned the chain to the correct aligned position the second nut is then tightenened against the first as its held in place in order to lock it.

Sorry to hear that it never worked out.... I know its so disapointing especially on the day! Re getting another test early ...often they do have cancellations a couple of days before a booked test date so it may be worth contacting a local training school or asking the test centre to keep you informed of cancellations........cos a lot of them (training schools) pre book a number of tests a month in advance, hence the waiting lists....but don't always use them all so cancel at last chance ie 3days before

Just because your paranoid - it doesnt mean "they arent out to get you really"