mrriggs
XS650 Junkie
You don't truly appreciate what you have until it's gone. I recently switched back to a standard firing order after riding the re-phase for a couple years. The bottom end of the re-phase was tired, wrist pins crying to get out. I had a stock bottom end that I could drop in while I rebuilt the re-phase.
This was a great opportunity to see how much difference just a re-phase can make. When I originally built the re-phase, it was replacing a worn out stock engine. I also upgraded to a 256 cam and flatslide carbs so it was impossible to compare. This time I used the same pistons, jugs, head, cam grind, and carbs. Cam timing, ignition timing, and carb jetting all the same. For all accounts, this is the same motor but with a stock firing order.
I honestly didn't expect such a huge difference.
To be quite frank, I hate it. The 360 is completely soulless. It sounds like a damn thumper. It doesn't excite me like the re-phase. Exhaust notes are like music, everyone has their favorite tune. To me, a 90° v-twin is audible perfection.
Speaking of sound... The 360 seems much quieter. When I switched to the re-phase originally, I noticed it was louder but assumed that was because of the bigger cam. This time I am running the same cam as the 277 and it doesn't sound as loud. This is simply an observation, I really have no opinion either way on which is better.
The 360 doesn't seem to rev up as fast as the 277 but this may only be perception. It still gets up and boogies but the lifeless drone of the 360 firing order doesn't evoke the same feeling of brutal acceleration as the growl from the 277.
The one characteristic of the 360 that I welcome back is the vibration. I learned to get used to the buzzy vibe of the 277 because I liked the sound of it so much. The throbbing vibe of the 360 does make the bike jump around a bit when parked, but going down the road it [to me] is more pleasant than the re-phase.
I will live with this motor until my re-phased [big bore
] motor is done, but this will be the last 360 ever to go into my bike. It's funny, I had no complaints about this bike before I re-phased it. If I hadn't tried the re-phase, I would still be motoring along merrily with even firing intervals. But now that I've experienced it, I just can't go back.
This was a great opportunity to see how much difference just a re-phase can make. When I originally built the re-phase, it was replacing a worn out stock engine. I also upgraded to a 256 cam and flatslide carbs so it was impossible to compare. This time I used the same pistons, jugs, head, cam grind, and carbs. Cam timing, ignition timing, and carb jetting all the same. For all accounts, this is the same motor but with a stock firing order.
I honestly didn't expect such a huge difference.
To be quite frank, I hate it. The 360 is completely soulless. It sounds like a damn thumper. It doesn't excite me like the re-phase. Exhaust notes are like music, everyone has their favorite tune. To me, a 90° v-twin is audible perfection.
Speaking of sound... The 360 seems much quieter. When I switched to the re-phase originally, I noticed it was louder but assumed that was because of the bigger cam. This time I am running the same cam as the 277 and it doesn't sound as loud. This is simply an observation, I really have no opinion either way on which is better.
The 360 doesn't seem to rev up as fast as the 277 but this may only be perception. It still gets up and boogies but the lifeless drone of the 360 firing order doesn't evoke the same feeling of brutal acceleration as the growl from the 277.
The one characteristic of the 360 that I welcome back is the vibration. I learned to get used to the buzzy vibe of the 277 because I liked the sound of it so much. The throbbing vibe of the 360 does make the bike jump around a bit when parked, but going down the road it [to me] is more pleasant than the re-phase.
I will live with this motor until my re-phased [big bore
] motor is done, but this will be the last 360 ever to go into my bike. It's funny, I had no complaints about this bike before I re-phased it. If I hadn't tried the re-phase, I would still be motoring along merrily with even firing intervals. But now that I've experienced it, I just can't go back.
