midnight61

thanks graham, I stand corrected...i'll probably go back to a 170 next time, just to make things right, I never contacted insurance, the rest of the bike is so non standard any way I didn't see the point in hearing the inevitable from them. The fact that my rear tyre is the recommended fitment by a leading UK tyre manufacturer is my only defence...

my bike came with the bridgestone exedra from new, got 7000 miles out of that, then I put a Dunlop in, cant remember what make though, summat like a d406 ? , I think it was made for the valkyrie, as I was struggling to get ANY rear tyre at that time and it was all that was available ... that was worse ...6000 miles, I now have avon cobras front and rear, the rear is 180/65/16 (as recommended by avon, they don't make our bikes original rear size)), and I like the tyre,... paid 150 quid for the rear, 103 for the front, front is white wall, rear I painted white wall, with hindsight I wish id took a closer look at the Michelin commander, by all accounts that tyre lasts an awful long time, and ive personally never known a Michelin that didn't have grip (but its expensive)...So far ive done 1300 miles on the avons, with no discernible sign of wear, time will tell. so, for a while I had the radial Dunlop in the back with a bias belted bridgestone in the front, I couldn't tell any difference even when dragging the boards, having a radial front with a bias in the back is a no no, but if you have a radial rear you can have what you like in the front, that's what I was told and it passed its first mot with that combination, I defy any average road rider to even notice anyway. that's my tyre history and thoughts anyway ...lol

The horn had to be through a relay or it a would have toasted the switch, it comes in its own casing and I've made a hefty bracket and bolted it to the side of the engine in place of the dummy chrome cover on the left side of the engine...here it is

The horn had to be through a relay or it a would have toasted the switch, it comes in its own casing and I've made a hefty bracket and bolted it to the side of the engine in place of the dummy chrome cover on the left side of the engine I'm sure there is a photo of it on here somewhere in one of my other posts

many thanks bulldog, where have you read lots about my bike ?, lol, my latest additions this year are those highway pegs you can see, national cycle clear handguards that are more difficult to see in the photo, a full length black mesh radiator guard that you cannot see, that actually looks pretty nice, and those avon cobra whitewalls, the front is a factory whitewall, the rear is a 180/65/16 that doesnt come whitewall, i had to paint it with the proper paint that was £14 for quarter of a litre. the only thing missing in this photo is my touring screen that i only put on for long journeys, the next one being to the Netherlands in 3 weeks time. theres quite a few other bits and bobs ive added and changed , CWI (custom world international) luggage rack, front fender tip, throttle lock, pro pad mini beast 5, a rear light conversion that gives me additional sidelights and brake lights in my rear indicators.....and other stuff i cant remember that has been added over the last 4 years. She is starting to look a little cluttered now for my taste. Good luck with whatever you decide to do graham

keep us posted on the outcome sheepy please... would be interested to know the outcome

im running cobra speedster shorts, no baffles, this bike is loud, graham (clarkegray) would testify to this, the exhaust doesnt say 'not for road use', and it is down to the testers discretion, 3 of them crowded round the bike looking at it as lets face it , this isnt a common bike and all commented how nice it sounded ... lol, and yes, it passed, i have my second MOT coming up in june ...four years old, 16,000 miles, how time flies

sorry to hear that graham, your return is short lived...hopefully we will speak again soon

hi graham, glad your back on an XVS, looking good, still got my 1300, latest additions are 'national cycle' clear handguards, a radiator protector (black alloy mesh screen) and white wall tyres. Hope you are keeping well. rather than hijack your thread, ive sent you a pm

totally agree with your comments bulldog2, ive just done 1500 miles in 5 days touring scotland, and i averaged 58 mpg, with cobra shorts, cobra processor and kn filter. when i was running her in she managed 65mpg on motorways, not any more though...lol. mines now done 12000 miles

oh dear, sorry to hear that graham, hope you enjoy the SV... i personally wouldnt after an xvs1300. however if it makes her indoors happy who are we to argue ?, interesting comment about mileage as mine is '09' plate with similar mileage on it, how can they say a 3 year old bike should have 5K on the clock ?, that s about 1700 miles a year ? thats ridiculous, bikes are meant to be ridden surely ?

jerry, if/when i go for a trumpet it will be the 1700 storm in gloss black, not for a while though, 2 more years on this i think, dont think i dont like this bike i do...its great value and you can ride around the gearing, ive just mentioned all the negatives...these are more than outweighed by the positives

Jerry, i think were stuck with the gearing mate... i cant imagine there are any sprockets other than standard in existence (hope someone can prove me wrong), but then there is the potential problem of belt tension afterwards. I also enjoy my bike...but i cannot understand why this gearing was 'signed off' by the manufacturer...presumably test riders must have complained ?...dont tell me it was only tested on tracks ...?, and also why it was 'signed off' with 'that clunk' in the front forks ...??? i've already decided my next cruiser will be a triumph thunderbird....the rear tyre farce last year did it for me...

ive had my 1300 from new (3 years old in june, 9000 miles)...and for a big twin it isnt torquey at all, dont kid yourself it'll loosen up because mine hasnt...the first biggest pain for me is it wont hold 3rd gear at 30mph, it 'lugs' badly, cobra speedster shorts and the cobra fuel processor helped, but its still difficult to hold it at 30 in 3rd, it doesnt like it. I ride 30's in 2nd gear, and 40's in 3rd gear, into 4th at 50, and over 55-60 for top, very similar to clarkegray (graham). The second biggest pain for me, is turning typically left into a side street in suburbia, on every other bike ive ever owned that would be a 2nd gear turn, but on this it 'lugs' badly again, comiing out of the turn and accelerating up the side street... and i have to slightly slip the clutch to keep the motor sweet, you could obviously change down into first but that'sd just ridiculous, the gearing leaves a lot to be desired. As for the whine you describe...have you checked the drive belt is running true ?, and isn't too tight...? ...oh, and one last thing, the rubbish rear tyre size, not a lot of choice out there as others on this forum have found, ive now got a dunlop D206 radial in the back as i simply could NOT get a bias belted rear tyre anywhere at that time, my next rear will be a 180 bias belted Avon, the 170 rear tyre is a bit of an 'oddball' size from my experiences

quite agree mate