My 60th birthday present

[DanielBlack]

That's great, Mailman. You're getting closer and closer! I'm glad you enjoyed doing business with MotoTire, and I hope you like how they ride.

I'm enjoying watching your very thorough refurb. Having the space, time, tools, prior experience... All beneficial to the final product.

 

[Mailman]

Thanks Daniel, you know, it was you who inspired me! Yours was the first resto project I followed when I joined this forum.

Looking good Mailman. You're pictures are worth framing. Don't suppose your planning on doing the front brakes as well or having the rotor drilled? Even if only for instructional purposes, if you take my drift.

David, I bought new front pads that I plan to install at some point. The front brakes actually work pretty good already. However I thought that when I get around to it , I would like to take the caliper apart and go through it.
And the drilled rotor? They are pretty cool, if I went that way I would probably just buy one. Believe it or not I sold my drill press right before I bought this bike! Doh!

 

[MaxPete]

Thanks Pete, you know I did a couple of restorations before, ( a 1976 Triumph Bonneville and a 1977 BMW R100/7) and on both bikes I reached a point where I had as much invested in them as they were worth, and that's where I stopped. I always regretted that I never really felt like I finished them or gave them the amount of detail they deserved. This one , I'm not thinking about resale value. This one is for me to keep and I plan to do it right.

THAT is exactly how I feel (these are keepers), but I expect that I'll have my bikes together for ride for a while, and then apart to make improvements and back together to ride etc etc.

Pete

 

[David Toll]

Ah hindsight! If only I'd known at 17 what I've forgotten now! At $157 USD + postage from Mikes, I might look at getting my discs drilled. Economy versus aesthetics. Think I'll be keeping mine too but hopefully in one piece.

 

[MaxPete]

Yup, too soon old, too late smart.

 

[vsop-dk]

Thats a great thread and what a nice bike... A little late following it from the start so a great read through. Color the white one I think looks really nice.

 

[5twins]

A note on your rear tire width choice. You've gone a little wider than stock. It will work but is going to slow down the steering and handling a bit. The bike won't as readily flick through corners. Mine came to me with a 120 on the back. I used it up but then replaced it with a more proper 110 (metric equivalent of the original 4.00). The difference was quite noticeable and for the better. I will never put a 120 on again unless maybe someone gave me one for free.

 

[Mailman]

A note on your rear tire width choice. You've gone a little wider than stock.

Yeah I had a little mental debate about that , prior to selection. In the end I kind of thought the little bit wider tire might ride a little nicer and I like the look of it. I don't plan on pushing this bike with regards to performance. This will be just a fun , go for little cruise kind of bike for me.

 

[5twins]

Like I said, the 120 will work fine, but I do urge you to try the stock size next time around. The bike will be much more nimble. Honest, it was like I just bought mine new dancing shoes, lol.

 

[DanielBlack]

Having settled on the Mich Pilot Activs, I debated my choice of size as well.

It was a question of a V-rated 120 vs. an H-rated 110. In the end, I went with the shop's recommended V-rated 120. My bike came to me with a 120(Shinko).

That said, given the opportunity for an A/B comparison I have no doubt I may like the 110 better. Next time.

5twins, any comment toward V vs. H rating?

 

[5twins]

I don't think these bikes go fast enough for that to really matter, lol. Those are sustained high speed ratings. You may break the ton occasionally on your 650 but believe me, you won't be there long. That's really fast on a 650.

 

[DanielBlack]

That's understood, but the shop spoke toward a difference in sidewall suppleness, etc. Hogwash?

 

[5twins]

I'm thinking "sales pitch". I'll bet the V-rated cost more so they made more. I'm sure the side walls are more robust to handle the higher loads/speeds, but you're just paying for something you really don't need. I consider the 650 a "budget" bike. I don't see the need for really expensive tires, chains, oil, etc. It's not a 100 HP fire breathing performance monster, just an old mid-line production bike. Mid-line servicing products fulfill and fit it's needs well. Just do keep it serviced is all. With regular service, it will treat you well and last a long time. Fix all it's little short comings over the course of a few years and you will have a wonderful bike.

 

[DanielBlack]

Fair enough. I guess my perspective is a bit different than yours. My only prior motored two wheel vehicle was my 9HP 150cc. The XS is, in my amateur eyes, a 40HP fire breathing performance monster!

 

[5twins]

Don't get me wrong, I don't feel the 650 is under powered. In fact, I think it is about perfect for it's size. It's easy enough to deliver all the power it makes to the road without having to worry about breaking the tire loose. After that, going fast is mostly dependent on the rider's skill level. And I think the 650 is a good bike to hone those skills on. It helps to fix the handling short comings first though, lol. Nobody's going fast on one with worn out steering bearings, swingarm bushings, shocks, and tired forks. But all this stuff is pretty easy to remedy and the parts are readily available.

 

[retiredgentleman]

Yeah, 5twins is telling you the real story about these bikes. You will likely never reach 100 mph, as the governor on the seat will back off before you reach the Ton. Don't ever believe a word that a bike shop or tire dealer tells you. They will always tell you that you need a high performance tire, which is just marketing hype BS for these bikes. They are in the business of maximizing their profit. These are only medium performance bikes, and only require medium performance parts.

I've been using Dunlop D404 tires for about 10 years now. They are rated as just very ordinary, economy tires. If you ask most guys on this site, they will say they are not good tires, but I have found them to work just great for me. I've been caught in the rain on some long trips I take, and those tires worked very well in the rain. They last me about 6 years or 12,000 kms.

 

[MaxPete]

Yup - I agree with 5Twins and RtdG. The 650 is a really nice riding bike, but in stock trim, it simply isn't competitive now with even some 400s these days - and so what? If I really wanted to GLH - I would be riding one of those little buzz-bombs. I did get my '76 up to north of 80 mph (130+ km/hr) this past summer (it was an off-road situation, I can assure you) - and that was plenty for me. She had more - and I have done more many times before (I certainly hit the ton many times on my 1975 XS650B back in the 1970's), but she and I were having a nice day and I didn't see any need to flog her beyond her comfort level.

As for the tires, yeah, I certainly went for the high end V-rated stuff on my ST1300, but it will do 245 km/hr (NOT with me on it though), it weighs 730 lbs plus it has linked ABS brakes - so it is much harder on tires and can generate MUCH higher accelerations (both speeding up and slowing down) than the 650 just putt-putting around.

Anyhow - more tire rather than less tire is not necessarily a bad thing.

Pete

 

[DanielBlack]

Thanks gents. I assure you, speed is not my thing. All along, the goal for my refurb has been a solid, reliably capable commuter. Sure, I want the capability to cruise our desert highways at 75+mph, but I know my skill and risk limits.

I think Pete hit it. With not much (near zero) experience, my choice leaned toward 'more tire rather than less tire is not necessarily a bad thing'. I'm comfortable having spent a bit more than necessary on an overly high performance tire. Better than the other way around, I think.

Back to you, Mailman. My apologies for hijacking your thread with a tangent.

 

[jetmechmarty]

That's understood, but the shop spoke toward a difference in sidewall suppleness, etc. Hogwash?

No, I don't believe so. V rated tires have stiffer sidewalls than the H rated ones. I believe you'll hit other shortcomings on the XS650 before you notice any inferiority of H rated tires. I've ridden both on my XS1100 with modified suspension and drive it peg dragging hard. I can not honestly say that I can tell the difference on that motorcycle at my skill level. I need to slow it down a bit anyway. I'm not getting younger and I'd like to get older. I'd go 110 on the 650.

Back to 60th birthday present!

 

[retiredgentleman]

No, I don't believe so. V rated tires have stiffer sidewalls than the H rated ones. I believe you'll hit other shortcomings on the XS650 before you notice any inferiority of H rated tires. I've ridden both on my XS1100 with modified suspension and drive it peg dragging hard. I can not honestly say that I can tell the difference on that motorcycle at my skill level. I need to slow it down a bit anyway. I'm not getting younger and I'd like to get older. I'd go 110 on the 650.

Back to 60th birthday present!

You bet Marty.......................110 km/hr is good for me as well