My girlfriend was right; this just got expensive

tzimmerm

tzimmerm

XS650 Junkie
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God, I should have known better. I Bought this bike for 1900.00 a week after my divorce/custody
Decree was finalized (it didn't go my way). She was upset because she’s responsible and didnt think I should be spending so much money when I need to be saving. I said “it’s only 2 grand, and I’m giving myself one of my dreams.” After that, it was 200.00 for the BRC course to get my license, 450.00 for a year’s insurance, 400.00 for new tires mounted, 150.00 for a helmet, already spent about 200.00 at mikes for gaskets/filters/etc, and I just got done reading the thread on sticking front brakes since mine is sticking, so I went ahead and just placed a 175.00 order at TC bros for lane splitter bars, new brake line, pads, and throttle/clutch cables, since those are shot too. Oh, and the speedometer doesnt work. I’m already in waaay too deep to give up on it. Don’t tell my girlfriend.
 
Is that all? Ha! If you had bought one of those Hardly Danielson motorcycles you could put another zero after that total. I remember 'Click & Clack - The Tappet Bros.' saying something like "...it's the cheap man who pays the most..." But seriously, are you having fun?
 
A Cheap motorcycle is about as common as a free horse. There is NO such thing as a free horse. Getting away from a high maintenance woman? priceless.
 
$450 for insurance..Yikers !
Enjoy your time on this big blue marble. Most of what you spent is are considered " disposables ".. normal wear items... The $350 for the BRC and brain bucket is the best investment you made. Unfortuanly far too many introductory riders skip this.
 
Yes, I’m definitely having fun. And yes, 450.00 is a lot for insurance. I got 3 moving violations last year (after a 7 year clean record) and had to take a “last chance” driving class. Now I’m on probation for a year, Which is why I actually need to replace the speedometer. And don’t get me wrong about my lady; she is awesome and steers me in the “right direction” (most of the time), and is NOT high maintenance. I’m mostly surprised at myself for forgetting AGAIN that there are in fact, no free horses. At 34, I’m wondering if I’ll ever learn.
 
tzimmerm said:
Yes, I’m definitely having fun. And yes, 450.00 is a lot for insurance. I got 3 moving violations last year (after a 7 year clean record) and had to take a “last chance” driving class. Now I’m on probation for a year, Which is why I actually need to replace the speedometer. And don’t get me wrong about my lady; she is awesome and steers me in the “right direction” (most of the time), and is NOT high maintenance. I’m mostly surprised at myself for forgetting AGAIN that there are in fact, no free horses. At 34, I’m wondering if I’ll ever learn.
Click to expand...

Hi tzimmerm,
move to Saskatchewan! $450 for a year's bike insurance would be considered a bargain in this Province.
(Although the "antique" (30 years or older vehicle) registration is way less and it's use limits don't bother someone my age)
A good place to find a speedo is in this list's classifieds. Meanwhile, you could put some stickers on your
tachometer's glass face to give an indication of how fast you are going.
And I think Gary's "high maintenance" was referring to your ex-wife, not your current GF.
 
Ha! Yeah, I am learning to remind myself that even though 350 a month to her (my ex) seems like a lot, it’s a small price to pay for my freedom and happiness. If I was still with her, She’d be spending 100% of what I earn, BEFORE I earned it, and I wouldn't own a bike, period. I’d probably still be suicidal/homicidal on a weekly basis as well. Leaving was the hardest/best decision I’ve made in my life so far.
 
You're dealing with a 40 year old bike so you have to expect it to need some things. It's actually pretty amazing that much of the stuff still on it is original and functioning (to a certain extent). There are many sources for parts so if you shop around, you can save some money. One place you may not have even considered is Amazon.com. If they have the particular part in question, often their prices are better than both eBay or a dedicated 650 parts place.

You have one of the most desirable 650 models out there, a '77 Standard. I really hope you don't intend to take a sawzall to it. But I noticed those semi ape hanger bars you just blew $54 on so I'm not getting a good feeling about this.
 
Haha. No, trust me, this isnt easy, because my dream bike is and always has been an xs650 chopper. That’s how I came to realize the xs650 was my dream bike; seeing them over and over again in “The horse” and online. That’s how I found this forum, actually. I think I had read probably 15-20 threads before I bought the chopper, and that’s what gave me the confidence that it was a project that I could handle on a budget in my basement with my skillset and knowledge. I am a purist at heart though, and I appreciate and respect history. I believe Old vehicles that are in good original shape need to be left the fuck alone and preserved, and she is way too clean to mess with; I have to leave her alone. As you can see from my chopper, I have always had a thing for apes. And after riding this bike around town stock just a few times since I got my license, I know for sure I hate the stock bars and riding position, so these mini apes seemed like a good compromise with the rest of the bike stock. I also chose them because they say they can be used with the stock cables. Any changes I make to the bike, like the bars and maybe a cafe or brat seat for example, will be bolt on changes. Building the chopper was fun, and I’ll no doubt build another one some day, but it also gave me some perspective,
Now that I have a nice stock bike. For example, I now know that not having a front brake is literally a death wish, and would make riding around town practically impossible. I also REALLY love using the centertand; my chop had everything cut off, and my side stand was starting to bend. Rest assured, aside from bolt on stuff, This bike will remain basically stock. I do plan on eventually upgrading to Hugh’s PMA and Pete’s high output ignition, like I had on the chop, but I think those are generally considered much needed improvements over stock charging junk.
 
What? Am I wrong on those? I thought both of those were generally considered upgrades and that a PMA was more dependable than the stock parts.
 
My wife collects cats ,namely Maine Coon ,we have 3 at £500 a cat ,in 15 years or less they will be dead but I will still have my bike !
 
All PMAs for the xs650 are junk, and HV ignitions only exist to make money. Not a thing wrong with stock or equivalent to stock, and it's least expensive. That's general agreement, not just me. Don't know of an experienced guy here who'd want either.

But there are certain equivalent to stock parts that you also want to avoid, because of junkiness.
 
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A stock charging system in good shape is every bit as good as those PMAs, in fact, many of us feel it's better. The stock system is a 3 phase alternator similar to the systems used on cars. That means you can (and should) upgrade some of the components (regulator, rectifier) with low cost, very dependable automotive parts. Many of the PMA kits come with cheap Chinese reg/rec units and many of those burn up in short order. They do now make good reg/rec units for the PMAs but they cost up to $200. You can get the good auto replacement regulator for your stock system for $30 or less. So, you drop $300 to $500 on the new PMA, then many times need a new reg/rec in a few months for another couple hundred. You be the judge here, but it doesn't make a lot of financial sense to me, not when I can renovate and upgrade my stock system usually for $50 or less (new brushes, new regulator, new rectifier).
 
tzimmerm said:
What? Am I wrong on those? I thought both of those were generally considered upgrades and that a PMA was more dependable than the stock parts.
Click to expand...

Hi tzimmerm.
while PamcoPete's ignition works OK and saves you from adjusting ignition points a PMA is a giant step into the past.
Do NOT drink the PMA koolade.
 
Ok! Well, I stand corrected! That’s what this forum is all about, I guess. With that being said, would someone be kind enough to specify these “auto part store” replacements so I can have them on hand BEFORE I need them?
 

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