rivergypsy

It ain't about what you're about to ride young bro..it's about how you're going to cut you're teeth, rack up your survival skills and hone your two wheeled edge. I passed my test and-for reasons more to with the contents of my piggie bank than wishes- I could just about afford an old Honda CB500T from a mate. If you've never heard of it, Google it and you'll understand when I say 'Jurassic' classic! Let me tell you, however, that I rode the ass of that old bucket, rode it in fact way beyond its design capability and of course mine at the time..but I sure learned how to ride, both into and then out of all kinds of trouble on it! My 'coming of age and road craft' moment eventually came, I guess, when rippin' the shit (as much as you can on such an old heap) out of the Isle of Man TT circuit one sunny 'mad Sunday'. A group of five of the then latest hotshot bikes- GPZ900's- were lining up on a sharp right hand corner when along I came on the 500T, rode right on past them, late (single disc) braked to perfection and got on back on the tap and out of the exit way ahead of them!! Of course, these big bore hero types blew me into the grass verge and became dots in the distance mere seconds later naturally enough, but that didn't alter the fact that I'd gloriously stuffed them whilst on an old nail of a bike. The fact is though that I managed to pull that particular moment off simply because I'd learned how to push the edge with hard and well earned road experience on an ancient middle of the road plodder. The moral of this ripping yarn (for what it's worth) is take your time and learn how to ride the edge on your own terms before you choose a weapon that'll take you to it before you're ready to be there

You simply acknowledge their recognition by riding past slowly, gracefully and with head looking ahead as though oblivious to their obvious awe and singularly focused attention... ...then you wake up and face another day back in reality bro

Yo Yoda. Thank you for that. I have wondered about earth problems as it goes. The real reason for posting my woe, however, was to see if similar/the same- problems had been experienced by previous 660 owners, thus cunningly offering me a shortcut to the possible crux of a familiar tenere niggle rather than taking the long (read-try it and see) way around the 'electrical' block, as it were You're right in your advice though, and it will be heeded/explored at the first available. Take good care m'man. Rivergypsy.

Can anyone offer a starting point for a mainbeam headlight problem on my (U.K based) XT660 Tenere. If I run her with the sidelights only..I don't have a problem. If, however, I go to main beam then I have a problem...they keep flickering between dim, next to nothing at all and then suddenly very bright (and not strictly in that sequence each time)...noticeably depending upon the speed/revs and resulting amount of vibration caused... because curiously if I hold a steady 50mph, then they don't play up but if I either drop below or go above this speed then I get the problem? Also when this headlight flickering begins, the clock lights do likewise and the turn signal lamps begin playing up for good measure as well!! I've had a new regulator/rectifier and new stator-plate fitted by the way! My guess would obvioulsy be a loose connection on the main beam circuit? Any assistance here would be mighty welcome along with any pointers towards obtaining a service manual as both Haynes and Clymer seem to have stopped either printing or distributing books for this particular machine?