I was told that that the little light below the windscreen is the pilot light. Something to do with WWII and blackouts. Like you I thought we were way past 1945 but it is something carried over from the past. That was from the dealership.

 

This is what I have for you, when the two sprockets are on the same plane as the swingarm this puts the sprockets furthest apart. knowing this look at the angle of the swingarm it is angled downward. this is to offset acceleration or, so that the bike does not "squat" too much under heavy acceleration. In short (and I can go more in depth but not now), the movment of the swingarm does not rotate in perfect orbit around the front sprocket so when it is higher or lower, or in effect not on the same plane as the sprockets it creates slack, when you sit on your bike it gets the swingarm closer to the level plane which tightens up the chain.(sag should be around 18mm-33mm depending on the riders preference and bike setup),this is not enough to level the swingarm. A a certain point, this swingarm passes this plane the chain will begin to loosen because the sprockets are in fact getting closer together again.
This is a pendulum effect and the pivot point is different at the front spocket and than it is at the swingarm pivot. Here is a link for setting and caring for your chain it is not very high teck but it'll help anyone that needs assistance on chain care and adjustments. Also here is a number to contact actual people for question on your bike suspension and setup

http://canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/chain.php
You need slack because as your swingarm moves up to compress for a bump, the chain gets tighter. When a chain is too tight, it will bind on the sprockets, causing quicker wear of both chain and sprockets. A tight chain will also, over time, ruin your countershaft and your countershaft seal (the seal around the shaft that carries the front sprocket) and may even bend the countershaft. Also, a tight chain is more likely to develop tight spots. Tight spots are portions of the chain that stretch at different rates and cause binding between links. So, why not just run the chain really loose? Well, too loose and the chain runs the risk of flying off the sprockets. Bad news! Also, too loose causes a lot of slop in the driveline.

FMF Racing, Inc.
18033 South Santa Fe Avenue
Rancho Dominguez, CA 90221
(310) 631-4363
(310) 900-5699 fax
www.fmfracing.com

 

thanks everyone for there input! you guys are awesome. looks like i have a few things to do this week.

two things though,
1) can most dealerships adjust the suspension according to the riders weight, or is this service something specific that i should call around for?
2) when using the different waxes, is it okay to go over the vinyl on the bike (it might not be vinyl, but the graphics on the side) or should i just clean the painted portions?

 

in addition (sorry guys for all of these questions.) its got a fender eliminator kit on it, and i'm just wondering how you take the seat off. the rear cowl unlocks by key, i just don't know how to take the actual seat off. thanks

 

front seat lift up the corners and there are bolts with allen heads,
rear seat goes in place of cowl,
the graphics and stickers are ok with wax I wax over mine and no problem.
What are you asking bout the seat looks like you might mean rear cowling,
the suspension look here set the ***** as follows and adjust later when you know what all this stuff means (I assume you know little bout suspension no offence)

http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_...sion_settings/

1. Top large bolt looking things that come out of the top (Pre load adjusment) should show three lines.(you turn this with wrench)
2. Top screw looking thing (rebound dampning) turn all the way in and then out 1 full turn
3. Bottom screw (lower end of forks) compression dampning) screw all the way in and then out 1.5 turns
4. Rear pre load (large spring on back turn to 6 of 8 or position 6 (this is because if you are my size you need a little more)
5. Just near the gold mettal thing (gas tube for shock or reservoir) turn the screw all the way in then out .5 (one half) turns.
6 the other side of shock find the other screw and turn it in all the way then out six clicks.

7. now send me 140.00 cause this is what the dealers would do









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NotSoMellowYellow you are awesome! thanks for the tip, i sent your money in cash through the united states postal service, unfortunately due to some unforseen accident, they lost it within the first 5 minutes. thankyou once again