oldguzziguy Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Hello everyone, new member here from the US. I just got a 1978 XS500 up and running again that I purchased as a basket case several years ago. My issue is with the speed that the speedometer indicates at various RPM's. It seems to me (comparing to some of my other bikes) that it's reading slow. I have several mid-to late 70's/80's singles (both Yamaha & Honda) and geared the way I like them at 4,000 RPM they are all running in the 60 mph to 62 mph range. As it stands right now the XS500 is reading roughly 10 mph slower at 4000 rpm's. At 4000 rpm's it's just barley reading 55 mph. I am running the original OEM speedometer and drive. The front tire is a 110/90/19 (probably a bit larger than stock) which could account for some of the difference. The rear tire is a 120/90/18 and final gearing is 16/40 (down 2 teeth from stock). I had the same issue with my 1978 SR500 when I first got it running again; 10 mph slow. I wound up changing the spedometer to correct the speed issue with that bike. Anyone have any experience with the XS500? Is the higher rpm's normal for this bike? Thoughts, opinoins, ect. much appreciated!! oldguzziguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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