Must admit that puzzled me too, but I certainly use more than three litres when I change the oil so maybe the manual assumes you leave it on the centrestand and screw the drain plug back in as soon as the flow slows.


Like most people, I try to get as much of the old oil out as possible.
Either way, a 4 or 5 litre can of oil is usually a far more economical way of buying the stuff than individual one litre bottles. Beyond that, it doesn't really matter... just fill it until it is at the top of the sight glass, run the engine for a bit to fill the filter, wait a bit and check/top-up the level again.

From the fact that the problem occurs in all gears, but is OK at higher revs it sounds as if the next thing to do is balance the carbs. If that doesn't help, take a look at the spark plugs to see if there's any sign of a cylinder misfiring.


If the carbs are out of balance, that will make low-speed riding jerky.
Another possible cause of a sloppy throttle response when riding is loose throttle cables. Lift the tank and have a look at the amount of free play, there are adjusters where they attach to the centre of the carb assembly.


Another cause of snatchy throttle response could be a knackered clutch, the friction and drive plates could possibly cause enough wear on the basket to become sloppy, though in my experience it's a pretty reliable unit.


Riding style may be a factor. There will always be some slop in the drive train which you feel as you as the throttle is opened and closed, this can be overcome by gentle use of the back brake to keep the upper run of the chain taut before you apply power. This technique makes a huge difference in slow corners.

A direct non-combi replacment should be cheaper since all the other bits are already present.
If you're shorter of space than money, then changing to a combi will free up a bit of room in the airing cupboard (no need for a hot water tank) and if the header tank is in the loft (sometimes they're on top of the HWT) then that could go too.
It would also mean your hot water is at mains pressure which makes for better showers, though if the existing tank is high enough or you've a shower pump or an electric shower running off mains pressure already then there isn't much advantage to changing.

Taken at the Southampton Boat Show a few years ago.





Aside from the "Thundercat", the lifeboats on the vessel in the background caught my eye... looks like deployment would be an even more exciting ride than the speedboat.

If you're suggesting installing a TRX850 linkage, I think that would be the start of a lot of difficulties.
It's hard to say for sure without all the measurements to hand, but I think you'd find the lower shock mount would be so far back the shock would foul the swingarm.

You're right, the sensor is on the thermostat block so it stays nice and cool if there's a leak.
My radiator developed a hole last winter... felt the bike was running a bit rough during the morning thrash through traffic to work, but it was only when I parked up that I noticed the engine seemed a bit hot and it stank of evaporated coolant. The warning light, of course, remained off. 

I had this exact problem a while ago and repaired the tank.
After cleaning the tank very thoroughly I braised a steel patch over the hole. I then lined the tank with a two part resin called Restom to try to stop the problem recurring. Four years on and it's still good, so I can recommend it.
The resin came as a kit with degreaser and an anti-rust treatment which you use to prepare the inside of the tank before applying the sealant compound itself. It's French, and doesn't advertise a distributor over here, but I found it on eBay from a chap going by the username hotsun314. He's not currently listing the stuff, but I see from his feedback that he did sell some last year so it might be worth an enquiry. Alternatively, you can get it direct from the manufacturer.

how much is postage on that oil?

£0.00

Figure at that price it's worth stocking up and just ordered 3 on their PITA website to get the free delivery deal as well.
I can't see how they're making a profit by selling at that price, I suspect it's all an administrative cock-up... as soon as the order was placed they sent no fewer than four order confirmation emails.

I usually get by with undoing the two bolts and wriggling the caliper off the disc. Free the pads, then you can get in there with an old toothbrush and WD40 and I normally find that, with a bit of pushing pistons in and out, that I can get it moving smoothly again without actually removing pistons.. this saves the hassle of bleeding air out of the system.
Replacement (OE) pistons and seals looks like about £45, seals alone a good bit cheaper.
A blue spot will be around £50 s/h, of course you'll need pads too... and since it's bound to be a bit of unknown quality, you'll probably want to change the seals on it. Advantage is, of course, you can do all that work in advance without having the bike out of action.

At first sight I can't see anything suggesting a duff regulator there, but it depends what your engine revs were.
The output of the generator rises with rpm and the excess power is dissipated by the regulator- if it's faulty the voltage can get too high.  14V is OK, but what is it at 10,000 rpm?

I've realised the likely cause of my unexpectedly good tankful: I didn't fill up at my usual place and the forecourt was on slope.
It may be that I was able to get a full 18 litres in because it didn't reach the neck quite so soon with more of the wide front part of the tank available. It would have probably only been a 17 litre fill at my normal place, so the tank was fuller than normal on account of the previous (gentler riding) tankful being more economical than I'd thought.
There are just too many ways to cock up the measurements for an accurate figure to be found from an individual tankful. I guess the rolling figure on Fuelly is the best way to gauge consumption as that way the inaccuracies will average out. It does require patience though, I struggled to change my riding style for one tankful... I don't think I'd attempt it for ten.