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I find myself more as a utilitarian, or an explorer. I have a 52 mi one way commute, part of which is highway, and the speed that general traffic goes at -- the 650 just seemed like IT was a chore to keep up. Here's what I did in 2015: BMW R1200GS 9637mi BMW R850R 1576mi HD Sportster...

This bike has a sticking front caliper. I've replaced the front brake lever setup, and the lines, and rebuilt the caliper, but clearly the caliper is still sticking due to some of the minor pitting or something. No big deal, needs a front caliper. With that said, I rode this bike 43 miles...

Looking for a front Master Cylinder for my 78 special. Anyone have one in good working order? Dave Located in Northeast CT

You have a battery problem. If it read 12.11 -- it was near to dead. A good battery should read 12.5 minimum, up to 12.80 -- I bet if this is put on a load tester it dies right out. For what it's worth, I too suffered with a weak battery from autozone, an AGM as well. Hell, probably the...

I'm attempting to not modify anything from stock that's not bolted on. I'd like this bike to be able to be restored to original someday in the future, so I've decided not to chop it. With that said, I'm still having fun tinkering around with things, obviously. I put on some new handlebars...

Well, a few updates for you folks! I've been riding my '78 around a bit lately as the weather is warming up. She's running pretty good. The old megaphone mufflers had been needing replacement. One of the baffles was completely missing, another was rattling. Well, I yanked the rattling...

Check your hoses. Mine looked fine but were collapsing internally. After careful inspection, I found they were... original. I was chasing a front caliper draging situation -- didn't always do it -- turned out to be restriction in one of the hoses. I put on about 120 miles on Memorial Day...

Yep, I've had a few orders with MikesXS and zero issues with inventory out of stock. They ship out of FL and it usually goes out within a day of my ordering (Sunday order, monday I get a tracking number) Dave

I did a rebuild on my '78 -- Worked good, but would occasionally drag. Found out it wasn't the caliper but one of the lines collapsing internally. Interestingly enough, they have date markings on them .... 5/78. Just keep it in mind you may want to look at your master cyl and lines while...

I'd experimented a ton with dynamic balancing like this. The only thing I've ever had success with was Dynabeads, specifically. I've tried Dynabeads, Airsoft pellets, and even environment safe antifreeze... The only thing that's worked are the Dynabeads. Dynabeads are very small...

While I haven't used one on my XS650, I picked up one of these for my '97 BMW. http://batterytender.com/news/lithiumgraphicvids/ Note that these are Lithium IRON phosphate, not Lithium ION (Fire hazards) FAQs Right out of the box, I knew this thing was going to be a game changer. I...

I can personally vouch for the blue flame helmets from HF. I've got 3 of them in the garage. Better response time than many of the $300+ millers I looked at originally. I still have the very first one I bought probably 5 years ago now, still works perfectly. Can't say enough good things...

This is what I use: ATE Super Blue I started using it after a friend who's big into rally suggested I use it... Looks like I'll need to find an alternative once I run out! Dave

I'm considering letting mine go. '78 XS650. It's more than you're looking to spend, but I'm in NE CT. PM me if you're interested. I'll probably be posting it here soon. Dave

This discussion could go on forever. Points do work. There's no question you could set them and ride for the whole season with no issue. Here's what it comes down to for me. Points: 2 gaps that require using a feeler gauge to set, subject to corrosion. 2 coils and a condenser. Pamco...

I replaced the points system in my '78 SE, and it ran very good. I replaced the points system with the Pamco and it runs better than it ever has. To me, the pamco was worth the price of admission for never having to do the points gap dance again. I put about 200 miles on mine over this...

Ok, found it. It's the yellow wire near the starter solenoid thingie. If I give this 12v the headlight works. So, I gave it 12v with the key... but now there's another issue -- this also must enable the starter disable so you can't bump the starter button while it's riding? Dave

I put about 100 miles on today, just bombing around. Only hiccups I had were bumping the vac lines off the carbs that run to the fuel tank petcocks. popping and snapping when that was dangling. :) So, I've got one more thing that's got to be fixed - headlight is no worky. I'm guessing this...

Country – U.S.A State – Connecticut (CT) City – Woodstock First Name – Dave Screen Name – Ghaniba Phone# to reach – 860 four81 fourfour2four *best* Email address –dave at stabme followed by a dot com Comments - I live in the sticks, have a spare bedroom and a large garage. Capabilities...

So, I've got an update. I rechecked all my wiring, all looked good, proper connections tested for continuity with a multimeter, everything was perfect. Still made no difference. Unplugged the coil and the electronic ignition system and ran to a separate battery. No difference. Found out...