Guide: Checks To Make Before Getting Started...

[Fozzie]

I've noticed in so many of these threads there is a great deal of problems coming from people who have simply missed some scheduled for service, have made a modification and something has gone wrong and so on. My Dad taught this to me, things to check before you resort to pulling bits apart and poking around. And I thought I'd share...

The Service Manual

It's good to resort to your bikes service manual, or even a Haynes manual, which displays more info than you need in a clear manner easy to understand. Before resorting to the Haynes manual that talks (EAB) you need to first check your service manual. You get back from a ride and theres an odd vibration coming from the engine after 30 minutes of riding, and it happens repeatedly. That is the clue something has happened and needs adjusting or fixing.

But before coming on the forum and saying "Hi I have a yamaha blah blah with this vibration problem" always just have a quick read of your manual. If its a Haynes all the better. Check what mileage the bike is at and then cross check it with things that need servicing at that mileage or nearby, or even things that have previously been missed. Once the bike is up to date with its servicing you can go from there as it rules out quite a lot.

Made Any Modifications Recently?

Has an issue cropped up on the bike after you recently made a modification. Anything at all. We had a Fazer1000, with a new 12 volt adapter placed on the battery, which due to its simple location under the seat managed to block the airbox and limit revs to 5000rpm or so. Small things can make a big difference so if you did anything at all to modify the bike just set it back to the way it was before and see if that cures it. If it does then you know and you can simply then ask what you need to do so that you can properly modify the bike without causing any adverse effects.

How Well You Know Your Bike

It has been said already that it's hard to diagnose a bike over the internet. Be happy you get a useful reply at all with vague information. But consider how accurately we can get your problems solved if you tell us everything. If you have a problem I want to know the bike model, age, mileage, service history, and any repair history.

Referring to the case before it was a YZF-R125 that had a vibration problem after 30 minutes of riding when it was warm. He just told me that it was that bike and vibrated... So it could be fuelling issue, perhaps there is an electrical issue... It stumps you...

Then I asked more pressing details and got, YZF-R125, 2 years old, 9000 miles, Oil and filter changes every 2000 miles and no repairs needed. Checked against the service manual and it was due a valve clearance at 4000 miles. It got the valve clearance and hey presto. No more vibration.

So to sum up, please have a read and digest whats here. There are things you can do yourself before asking for help that may save you the time and effort of going through and getting your hands dirty with things that dont require it. You could even make your bike worse if you get something wrong! So, stop, be logical and if you can't fix it then, feel free to to post here BUT give as much detail as possible so that a valid and good responce can be given to your problems.