My new project.

[Chronos101172]

Ok i finally got my first bike. a gilera cougar off of ebay. bought as a project so i was expecting it to need work. i have been tinkering this morning and found a couple of things wrong. i have a bit of an idea about them but wanted to run them past you guys.

1. Clutch drags when lever is pulled to the point where it wont go back into neutral and wants to creep ever so slightly, jumps to either first or second whenever i try to select neutral. if i wind the adjustment out it comes out all the way and seemingly doesn't stop it dragging. also is a bit violent when let out. I'm thinking it may need a thrust bearing and or new plates.

2. It has had a digital speedo fitted, a really nice one as it goes with a icy blue glow to it, but it only comes on when the lights are turned on. now I'm thinking that when the old one was replaced whoever did it took the power for it from what was originally the power feed to the speedo lighting hence it only working when the lights are on. plan is to change the connection so it runs from the ignition barrel.

3. Handlebar risers are loose at both ends i.e. where they bolt into the top yoke and also the base plates for the clamps at the other end. I plan to try to tighten them up as much as possible but it didn't seem to make much difference when i tried it last night. probably going to mill some of my own from billet or buy some universal ones, I've been thinking of apehangars or some bars with a little more sweep to them anyways so it might be a good idea.

4. refuses to accelerate. with or without choke if i open the throttle beyond about 1/4 of a turn it goes burrrr and slows down, I'm thinking i have an air leak somewhere, need to service the carb and probably the air filter needs changing. i read somewhere that a leaking exhaust gasket can also have this effect but i checked that and it isn't leaking. does anyone else have any ideas?

Apart from that its the usual story, italian build quality (crap) paper thin chrome (flaky) and plastic bodywork (shonky). the plan is to cut it about a bit, make it more like a bobber style chop, get a nice matte or satin black paint job and then some nice fifties hotrod style flames and mebe a pinup on the tank (Bettie Paige for anyone who wants to know). now i know some will be thinking why bother its just a 125 and a gilera at that but you see i have no plans to do a CBT (I'm old enough to have acquired my moped/small bike licence without any need for one) and no wish to go faster than 70 (which im told on a cougar is pretty much the limit). so this is probably going to be with me for some time to come and so i want it to be exactly how i want it.
besides which you don't get many chopped 125's about, home done ones i mean, those AJS regal raptor eos'es don't count, and so i thought id do something a little different.

Finally does anyone else have a cougar and have any advice or things to watch out for.?

[petemell]

Can you adjust the clutch cable so there is only a small amount of play at the end?

Perhaps the handlebar risers are rubber mounted to the yoke and the rubbers need replacing.

[Ichy]

Slow down a bit, way to many questions in one go

1, A clutch tends to slip when it wears out. Always go for the easy option first. Check the adjusters, there is usually two sets, change the cable.

2, sounds about right.

3, Not 100% sure what you mean on this one. Assuming the bike is a cruiser then a fair few have rubber bushes in the yolks to dampen the vibes. On my XV1000 its possible to move the bars about with very little effort although it steers just fine. If the bar clamp isn't tightening then just file a bit off the flats on the clamps.

4, could be the choke isn't working. Thats a whole thread to itself

As for the rest of it, you sound like a real old git just like me! Do your CBT get a 1000000000000000cc bike and annoy the rest of 'em with how cheap the insurance is.
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[petemell]

If the bike isn't accelerating as it should there may be a split in the inlet manifold rubber.

[Chronos101172]

k will try to give more info.
it will tickover for a while and as the engine heats up it slows till it eventualy dies. ive looked at the filter and yes it may need a new one. while it is ticking over it sounds smooth enough. the woman i bought it of had bought it as a project herself and then never did anythinng to it so it has been sat in her garage for a couple of months only being started now and then. i brought it home in a van and got it running in around 20 mins but it was like this at the time. it doesnt appear to have been messed about with, still has standard filter/pipe etc. i dont think its been run into the ground as such or been neglected too badly just not cared for if that makes sense. i paid 350 quid for it.

it unfortunately has just one clutch cable adjuster on the lever. perhaps finding a longer one will help. ill have to look for a new cable.
yes it is a cruiser. the risers are mounted thru rubber bushes to the yokes but arent stable in their holes. at the bar end of the risers the bar clamps are bolted and then the caps bolt over the bars to the clamp base. these bases are the bits that are loose. the bars tighten in the clamps but the clamp bases are not tight on the end of the risers. once the weathers a bit better here im going to strip it all out and mebe see if a couple of large washers will pack the gap out. it may help the rubber mounts to hold their own a bit too once the clamp bases are tight on the risers.
choke works fine so far. little bit for cold starts and once warm flick it off. it runs for a bit then revs slow and it dies. if i do keep it running by gunning it every now and then try riding it it will not accelerate past about 15mph (and i know it should go faster even though it is only a 125... lol).
im going to spend the next dry day trying to sort these things out.

And yes to some i may be an old git (only if you count 35 old) and if im honest i dont want anything bigger cos i find them scary. i once bought an RD250 on a whim and damn near shat my pants the one and only time i rode it. pootling along seemed ok but the first time i opened it up i nearly came off the back, power band cut in and it was away. since then i have become a fan of a more sedate mode of transport .

[Pete.]

Nearly all cable clutches have adjuster at the engine. Follow the cable down and if it disappears into a cover then either remov that cover of look for a cap that might be hiding an adjuster. A dragging clutch could also mean warped clutch steels or a worn basket or hub.

As a general rule, if an engine has a nice idle it's basically in good condition, as the idle is usually the first thing that suffers. I would get into the carb to look for your fault.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good