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marksmith

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  1. It's good enough for Hondas. Why not Suzukis?
  2. Yes I do it automatically too most of the time. The issue is when I'm holding something (e.g. helmet) which happens surprisingly often. Load on the starter did cross my mind... but I reckon it's worth it. I'll give it a try when I get a chance.
  3. If you unplug the connector it's as if the clutch is always out - i.e. won't start at all. I know this because a few years ago I broke it and had to fiddle around shorting it with a key to get the thing to start - which required all three hands. I don't want the switch shorted permanently - then it would be possible to start it in gear (when the stand is up) but I can't see much benefit in having to pull the clutch in when the thing is in neutral...
  4. Hi folks, Does anyone know of a reason why Bandits (and possibly others) require you to pull the clutch in to start? The Hondas I've ridden don't, and it's a bit of a pain to be honest, needing both hands free. I'm contemplating fitting a relay, in parallel with the neutral light, to short the clutch switch - that way when the bike is in neutral it will be as if the clutch were pulled in, and will start with just a press of the button. Anyone foresee any problems? Thanks! -Mark
  5. Possibly worth reading a bit about how to check the chain too. How will you know it's knackered (before it snaps or ruins the gearbox bearings)? Here's my brief version, but I'd encourage you to read up a bit, I'm no expert, just a person with a bike. The "stretch" in the chain is due to the links wearing - the holes elongate a tiny bit. This doesn't always happen evenly, and you might find that 99 of the links are fine and one is stretched. This stretched one won't sit properly on either sprocket, and you'll end up with a "tight spot", meaning the (otherwise correctly-tensioned) chain is too tight when in a particular position. You need to do at least one full rotation of the chain, checking tensions every 10cm or so. Only if the tension is acceptable in all chain positions, is the chain good. Hope that helps!
  6. I've got... whatever carbs came on a 1999 Bandit 600. What would you like to know about them?
  7. Thanks, I might give that a try. 25p a litre on top of fuel costs though - ouch. Still, I don't get throught much fuel at 4 miles a day...
  8. Hi folks, I have an ageing Bandit 600, which I use when it's too cold and/or wet to cycle to work - just a couple of miles. It suits this task perfectly - it's tatty, dirty and reliable - except for one problem: the carbs ice up when it's too cold and wet. This is quite a problem, as that's basically when I use it. For some reason it doesn't have the carb heaters. There are little blanks in where they would be - they've clearly never been there. Perhaps it's an import, although not declared as such. On warm and/or dry days it runs really amazingly well for a 15 year old, 36k mile machine. I've been thinking about replacing it, but I hardly use it for pleasure any more and it seems a shame to get a lovely shiny new bike to leave the rain, so I wonder if there's a way I can retro-fit carb heaters. The looms are available on eBay etc. but I haven't been able to find the heaters themselves. Any ideas? Thanks! -Mark
  9. Your maths is way off there John933 but the point stands I think.
  10. That's an excellent photo - did you take it?
  11. You can get tools to remove them - I have a chain one. I put duct tape around the filter to give it some grip and then get the chain tool on it. A long while back I did one by spiking a long screwdriver right through it and using it as a lever.
  12. Well sorry to keep banging on about this - but it played up again yesterday and today. Started fine and ran well for about five minutes - then started missing and eventually gave up. Long story short, I know what the problem is now. The fuel tap is intermittent on the "on" setting. Prime and reserve work fine but fuel isn't always getting through on the main setting. Anyone know if that's a common problem? Do the tap repair kits have the bits to repair it?
  13. Got the bike back from the garage yesterday, all working nicely. We're not really sure what the final problem was - possibly the fuel hose I put on to replace the old perforated one was a bit too long and was kinking, possibly (ridiculously) I just didn't put enough fuel in the tank after emptying it out. Anyway it's running really nicely now - better than it has done for a long time, so I guess it was grateful for some maintenance. Thanks all for the advice! Now just need to get the screen back on. Those rubber nut things are an abomination.
  14. Latest update... mechanic suggested replacing the spark plugs, so got some new ones, gapped them (0.65mm) and fitted them. Bike started, hurrah. However it would immediately stall if I gave it ANY gas. I was able to keep it running by messing with the choke. It's always been a bit tempermental when cold, so I left it to idle - but after about 30s rather than starting to clear, it just slowed down and stalled. It restarted, but got progressively worse until after 5 or 10 goes it now won't start at all. This is exactly the behaviour I saw when I first tried starting it after Christmas. Come full circle, bike still unsuable. Grrrr.
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