lsc86
XS650 Member
Picked up a clean 1 owner '79 xs650-SP2 earlier this summer (even got the original bill of sale with it). Solid bike, around 13k miles, all stock, not hacked or altered.
Not sure if the tires were stock or not, but they were quite old and hard/greasy. Not wanting to spend a fortune on tires and tubes, shopped around and bought a matched set of Shinkos and while it was apart, figured to go ahead and put new chain & sprockets on there as well.
With the stock 17/34 gearing, she turned a lot of RPM over 60 mph and vibrated like a cheap bed in some roadside motel. With the XS being so light and torquey, I wasn't concerned with losing too much down low or around town and definitely wanted lower cruising RPM from it. 17/32 seemed to make the most sense to me on paper.
After taking a nearly 500 mile loop Sunday, I can definitely confirm that the change in gearing was absolutely the best mod for anyone that rides often at or above 55 mph for sustained periods of time. The Shinkos worked well, predictable, solid & smooth. For the relatively low miles I'll put on them, definitely a great value as well.
Not sure if the tires were stock or not, but they were quite old and hard/greasy. Not wanting to spend a fortune on tires and tubes, shopped around and bought a matched set of Shinkos and while it was apart, figured to go ahead and put new chain & sprockets on there as well.
With the stock 17/34 gearing, she turned a lot of RPM over 60 mph and vibrated like a cheap bed in some roadside motel. With the XS being so light and torquey, I wasn't concerned with losing too much down low or around town and definitely wanted lower cruising RPM from it. 17/32 seemed to make the most sense to me on paper.
After taking a nearly 500 mile loop Sunday, I can definitely confirm that the change in gearing was absolutely the best mod for anyone that rides often at or above 55 mph for sustained periods of time. The Shinkos worked well, predictable, solid & smooth. For the relatively low miles I'll put on them, definitely a great value as well.