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Ok, I'm game!

Now, that's a really nice machine...classy!!!

This one isn't mine, but a good friend has been working on it for the last couple of years. I helped him out with the finishing touches and looked after the last few things to get it on the road...The engine was done by Heiden Tuning almost 20 years ago and was never run. After getting the carbs...

How many times have I wished I had one of these...yes, count me in please!

Capacitors can last a very, very, very long time as long as they are kept clean and dry...I only change mine when they are really suspect...never changed the ones in my old '75 XS650 and some of my 40's and 50's bikes are still running the originals. In my experience almost any ignition...

My old '75 ran an halogen H4 no problem at all. I recommend you follow the before mentioned suggestions and check for voltage drop across the main switch as well. Most of these bikes suffer form some degree to voltage drop. I cured my troubles by installing a small relay between the coil wiring...

Don't laugh, I used to carry a piece of black rubber gasket material cut to look like an 'oil stain' around in my pocket to put under it to complete the illusion.

Thanks, I was pretty proud of it. Surprised the boy with it almost two weeks ago now...he wasn't expecting it at all, so was pretty gob-smacked. Sold his little bike three days later to a good friend who gave it to his wife to ride...she's only 5ft tall so she fits it better. Your bike looks...

Ha! No bash, just a surprise... Thought I'd add this...various incarnations since 1979....

Finished getting her ready for my boy...going to deliver it to him in a few days. New paint on new/old gas tank, new rear tire, fixed a few little oddities that I had simply learned to live with...33 years of fun and enjoyment, I sure hope he takes good care of ol' Bessy.

Your're good to go, I have seen guys race with ones that were way, way, WAY further out than than 2mm.

Chopped? Its already been done. Before he was born it was chopped six ways from Sunday...rigid frame, girder forks, prism tank, you name it. Drove it like that in various incarnations for over 12 years until I had a really scarey accident with it and gradually started heading back toward semi...

Daily rider?...all of 'em, no favorites. I take 'em out on turns; don't believe in hiding them away in the rec room.

Well, over the years I have held out the hope that if everything went as I dreamed that someday I would pass the old XS650 along to my son. That day is rapidly approaching. Spoke with the ex this morning and we agreed that the little cafe racer I built for him two years ago is just too small for...

Sounds like you've done your best to eliminate an ignition timing issue. You've had the engine all apart, right?....are you sure you timed the cam correctly? A quick check will confirm this: your exhaust valve should be just closing and the intake valve just beginning to open at TDC on the...

Yep, the road signs and measures up here are metric, but my brain still works on the old Imperial system.

Running points ignition, std bore, std carbs, std gearing. Mikes XS air filters and mufflers. Has returned a constant 65mpg since I got it in '79 ...keep in mind that's an Imperial gallon, not a US gallon.

Higher gearing = higher top end (maybe) or more accurately, lower RPM per a given speed. However it decreases torque at the rear wheel and hence "it takes you longer to get there" in other words 'at the expense of acceleration'. In hilly areas, or hauling a heavy load, you might need to use the...

I don't mean to sound like a smart-ass here, but Good God man! Why have people gotten it into their heads that you need a wallowing big monster bike to go touring? In the sixties, Robert Persig made an epic journey (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) on a 305 Honda Dream, loaded to the...

Try a Lucas capacitor for a Norton.