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awa355

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Everything posted by awa355

  1. i saw this on the http://www.650ccnd.com/ht.htm website. Made it in about an hour, using the squab off the pillion sissy bar as a tempary pad. What a difference. Did 200miles yesterday and no 'numb bum' at the end. It seems to support my back and gets me off my tailbone. I love the look of the bike without the plastic barn door ( givi) and this back rest negates the effect of the windblast on my chest. I can cruise easily at 60mph without having to 'grip' the handlebar. Cant seem to load up my pics. http://www.650ccnd.com/back.htm
  2. Most of you have probably seen this website. The link is under the performance section. The ratios are for a xvs650 but you can put in all the figures from the 1300 manual. http://www.650ccnd.com/calc.htm
  3. We have non licenced asians here in new zealand. They drive Mercs. Apparently Mercs have big bumpers, so indicators aren't required.
  4. Has anyone tried a brighter bulb in their 650? I have an allnighter coming up and would like to upgrade the Original headlight bulb. I haven't checked yet, but presume it will be a 60/55W bulb. The bike has no extra lights or electrical fittings apart from the OE. I did consider fitting an additional tail light to the rear of the sissy bar backrest to give a bit higher view of the tail/brake lights. The original light is okay, but I thought a bit brighter beam wouldn't go astray. Have thought about extra driving lights, but dont want to go over loading the electrics. Years ago, we would fit a 90/80W bulb without any problems.
  5. It's to bolt the trainer wheels to. Should be one on the other side as well. Seriously tho', The motor has been used in other models so will have threaded mounting points for various frame attachments used on other models such as the 535 Virago.
  6. Dont worry about it, Brakes only slow ya down :eusa_shifty: I find the end of the garage is quite useful for coming to a stop at the end of a ride. The mountings are something most of us never look at. One thing I have found on a regular basis, is a loose speedo cable nut at the front wheel hub.
  7. From what I have read, its easier to simply upgrade to a larger bike. The hassles with re-jetting, airboxes, etc, for what little increase in hp you get, make me wonder if its worth the effort to drag more power out of a mid size cruiser.
  8. Has anyone done their own valve clearances? I had bought my bike with 12,100 miles on the clock, At 17,000 I had done all the basic serviceing, not knowing when the previous owner had done the work. Valves were one job I didn't want to tackle, after reading that the fuel system had to come off. I strip the tank, false head covers etc off myself. My mobile mechanic called in and he checked the valve clearances They were within the tolerances, . so no adjustments were necassary. Mechanic said if adjustments were needed, then we would've had to remove the carbs, Has anyone had to remove the carbs as part of serviceing the valves? Also, what mileage do you do the valve checks? And if I ever find the slope eyed bastard that designed those plastic "chromed" head covers that sit between the frame and engine,!!! i'll shove his head through the same space he left for me to remove them. What ever happened to simple home maitainance??
  9. I have a simple answer to scrapping the floorboards. Learn a better cornering technique. I can corner reasonably quick with my Dragstar and rarely ever have anything other than the tyes in contact with the road. And I'm no expert,( 45 yrs riding), just ride within the bike and my ability. A lot of peg scrapping etc, is leaning to the 'Max', Not the same as fast cornering. . Re exhaust, In NZ the law requires any aftermarket system not be louder than the original noise. Thankfully, most Garages put their own interpretation on that law. I thought about drilling out the original mufflers, but dont like the sound of similar efforts on You Tube. Once drilled, the mufflers are buggared,
  10. Has anyone fitted a rev counter to their XVS650? I read on here that at 100kph the 650 is doing 4,000 revs in top gear. Can anyone tell me what revs the bike would be running at 50kph in 3rd and 4th?. With the rumbling and growling from the transmission, it's hard to tell whether the engine is staggering, or pulling freely. It does seem to pull away in top from 50kph ( 2,000 rpm? ) smoothly, without any hesitation.
  11. If the cables have been working ok and not been interfered with ie; left alone, they shouldn't suddenly develop a kink.
  12. A new sidecar in NZ will set you back about $3-3500nz before fitting. Expensive in relation to the average wage. A local chap imports and sells Ural sidecar units. I have to admit, they look the part. Especially in the military colours. I would imagine the wear on the front tyre would be horrendous, with the added forces under load.
  13. It is the same in NZ. The current vogue is for 17" tyres. The selection choice for 16" , 18" and 19inch tyres is abismal. The only 16" front tyre to fit the FJ1200 in NZ is a Shinko. It is almost the case, you grab what ever you can find irrespective of whether it is compatible . Surely, the manufactures could standardise sizes for any particular any style ( cruiser, tourer, etc).
  14. The luggage support racks are the same as mine except for the piece off the back that wraps around the rear indicator. My beast has the genuine Yamaha saddle bags that screw to the strap. I prefer the look of the bike without the screen and bags, but winter riding here, is a lot easier with the screen in place. My bike was purchased new from Cross street Sales, Cheshire. The 1st buyer imported the bike to NZ about 2006. Re; rust, When I removed the rear wheel for a tyre change, I found the front of the swingarm with surface rust due to the road chips etc probably sandblasting the frame as it flies off the tyre. Primed and painted now, but rust is a problem here when under going the 6monthly road warrant checks.
  15. I bought a CT1 175 new back in 1971. In NZ, they were only sold in the red colour, The DT2 250 was the Yellow/gold as was the 125. $242 NZ back then , It was a damn good alround bike. The first of many sold, that I should've kept.
  16. Yea ... Nice lines....but some dumb women are blocking the view of the bike!! Inconsiderate. There are some nice setups on you tube.
  17. Has anyone ever seen or heard of a sidecar being fitted to a cruiser? I reckon the XVS650 would loan itself quite well to a sidecar. Low gearing, engine torque at the right end of the revs, heavy enough in the frame to handle the forces of the additional loading.
  18. I have found my speedo cable at the front hub loose during a routine check. Well worth undoing the instrument facia and checking that end as well. I was a bit unsure about disturbing everything at first. but its quite a simple operation to pull apart. Just tie a piece of string around the cable and electrical wires so they dont drop down under the tank.
  19. The original exhaust has the lower muffler fixed to the rear header pipe via a balance pipe. Is there a particular reason for the existence of the balance pipe? I had wondered if this was essential to maintain the correct back pressure of the exhaust gases? Do after market exhausts bother with this?
  20. Got the genuine Yammy filter and the Yamalube 20w50. Engine sounds fine, What a rigmarole changing the filter! Eight bolts. The mechanic at the dealership told me, that because the Dragstar is only pulling between 2500 to 5000 revs at the range of speeds 30-60mph, I wouldn't gain much by using the synthetic oils. He said, where you have maybe four pistons running at 10-14,000plus revs, then the properties of the synthetic oils would be superior. Said the main focus is on regular oil changes, at the correct mileage. He reckons not to stretch out the changes when using synthetic oils anyway but stick to the factory recommendations.
  21. I have just drained my oil today, The plug took a wee bit of foot power to loosen. I borrowed a fancy hydralic bike lift to support the bike while doing the oil change. Would you believe it, the cradle is a fraction narrower than the lower chassis rails. I had to make up an adaption to reach across the frame. Got that made and found I only just have enough clearance under the frame to slide the lift into place. All worked out okay, I made a secondary support from the handlebars to the garage roof to add a bit of security to the bike's stability. I have to whip the rear wheel off for a tyre change as well, so will give the rear/underside a good clean up while the wheel is out. Do I need to remove the left side cover over the front of the driveshaft? I believe the shaft comes away from the gearbox when the wheel is slid back and out. Is this correct?
  22. About to give my 650 its 1st oil change since buying. I'm not sure what grade or brand the previous ( original) owner used. Has anyone found that diferent brands make any difference to the gearbox rumblings, noise, gear shifting, and to general engine performance? I'll probably go with a semi synthetic. Also, has anyone heard of engine failures due to aftermarket oil filters as opposed to OE. filters?
  23. Hang onto the original handgrips. I have had my right side end cap unscrew itself and lost it somewhere. $46nz for a new one.
  24. Hi, If I went from a 170/80/15 rear to a 150/80/15, could I expect any different handling characteristics? Cant see why I would as the bike never gets right over onto the edge of the tread. I am about to replace the rear, and choices are not great, nor cheap.
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