cros36
thread killer
im pry gonna get mine along with wheel bearings from all balls. less rubber from mikes seems to be the best idea.
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Review of some parts purchases from MikesXS
- Thread starter Chuck
- Start date
im pry gonna get mine along with wheel bearings from all balls. less rubber from mikes seems to be the best idea.
Q Tip
mad bomber
My latest tale of poor quality from Mike's involves the black/round rear view mirrors. Two for $15.00 should have been a red flag. I installed the lefthand one and went for a lap...less than 600 yards from my door the glass falls out of the mirror and hits the road at 55mph. Back to house, dig out super glue, carefully pry glass out of unused righthand mirror, glue into lefthand mirror. So far so good have about 20 miles on this one.
Sale price on his tanks have gone up from $119 to $159 without petcocks.
$249.00 With petcocks and fuel cap. When Mike L owned the bussiness
$263.00, 2/23/11. A 10% price rise after new bussiness owners took over,
$119.00. 6/12/11. sale price without petcocks and has fuel cap A claim of 55% price
reduction when in fact it is less them 23% when factoring in the 10% rise and no
petcocks
$159.00. 8/7/11. A $40.00 Price rise but still classed as "On Sale" no petcocks Still stating a sale price reduction from $263 to $159 on their site.
$86.00 for 2 petcocks
$245.00 If the petcocks were included or you want to buy them
Take into account the 10% price rise on the petcocks, (after the bussiness sale), then you are paying more for the tank on sale now than when Mike L owned the bussiness 6 months ago yet they are claiming you are saving $104.00
Tank is $263.00 full price no petcocks. A 6% price rise since buying out Mike L but without the Petcocks that used to be with the tank when Mike l sold them
$249.00 With petcocks and fuel cap. When Mike L owned the bussiness
$263.00, 2/23/11. A 10% price rise after new bussiness owners took over,
$119.00. 6/12/11. sale price without petcocks and has fuel cap A claim of 55% price
reduction when in fact it is less them 23% when factoring in the 10% rise and no
petcocks
$159.00. 8/7/11. A $40.00 Price rise but still classed as "On Sale" no petcocks Still stating a sale price reduction from $263 to $159 on their site.
$86.00 for 2 petcocks
$245.00 If the petcocks were included or you want to buy them
Take into account the 10% price rise on the petcocks, (after the bussiness sale), then you are paying more for the tank on sale now than when Mike L owned the bussiness 6 months ago yet they are claiming you are saving $104.00
Tank is $263.00 full price no petcocks. A 6% price rise since buying out Mike L but without the Petcocks that used to be with the tank when Mike l sold them
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No doubt their prices are going up....performance oil filter/cooler kit has gone up $4.70 just in the past few weeks. But last week I ordered new fuel tank badges as well as the "Big Foot" gear lever. I am fairly pleased with the badges, and I love the gear lever. No issues so far.
cros36
thread killer
hey, whats the length of that big foot lever? if you would be kind enough to check it. was thinking about getting one some day.
I'm not the best at measuring but looks like it's just over 8 inches long.
PatDoody
XS650 Enthusiast
I am a new 650 owner but so far have bought from him
IZUMI Rear Drive Chain - High Tensile 530 :: Seems like good quality, came with both a standard click link and a rivet style link. I didnt realize this and orderd another link so now I have 2 spare. [it does say on there the chains come with a main link I just missed it]
bronze swing arm bushing and rubber seals :: seem like good quality, The fit was nice when I pressed them in and seems to really have improved the handling of the bike. although my old ones were so worn when I got there was like 1/2 of side to side play. and someone on ebay I found after buying them from mike is selling them almost 1/3 cheaper.
Air Filter - 54mm. XS performance Pod Filter :: I recently ordered the xs pod filters he sells after ordering a cheap set off ebay and finding them to be the wrong size, and such poor quality I didn't want to run them anyway. I haven't received Mikes yet but alot of people seem to run them that they must be good.
IZUMI Rear Drive Chain - High Tensile 530 :: Seems like good quality, came with both a standard click link and a rivet style link. I didnt realize this and orderd another link so now I have 2 spare. [it does say on there the chains come with a main link I just missed it]
bronze swing arm bushing and rubber seals :: seem like good quality, The fit was nice when I pressed them in and seems to really have improved the handling of the bike. although my old ones were so worn when I got there was like 1/2 of side to side play. and someone on ebay I found after buying them from mike is selling them almost 1/3 cheaper.
Air Filter - 54mm. XS performance Pod Filter :: I recently ordered the xs pod filters he sells after ordering a cheap set off ebay and finding them to be the wrong size, and such poor quality I didn't want to run them anyway. I haven't received Mikes yet but alot of people seem to run them that they must be good.
1974jh5
Curmudgeon.
Bought a set of 1.9" instruments, about a week ago the tach started making a ratcheting sound and the cable broke. Haven't had a chance to adress this with them. Generally the quality of what I have bought has been in the acceptable to excellent range.
I ordered a heavy duty kickstart lever and they sent me a 'bigfoot' shift lever by mistake. I Emailed them and they immediately sent me a kickstarter at no charge for freight or the part. This was back in, IIRC, April of this year.
I ordered a heavy duty kickstart lever and they sent me a 'bigfoot' shift lever by mistake. I Emailed them and they immediately sent me a kickstarter at no charge for freight or the part. This was back in, IIRC, April of this year.
I just finished putting one of Mike's front cam chain sliders in and I'm afraid to ask what the quality, or lack of, is on those. The rubber seemed mighty soft.
Most of the stuff I get is okay except for Chinese rubber pieces. Chinese rubber is not worth messing with.
His piston wrist pin keepers are a much smaller gauge than OEM.
His, so called "superior", sump filter will self-destruct in less than a 1000 miles.
I would NEVER trust one of his cables. A broken cable can get you killed in a hurry!
However, his RIK (Japanese made) piston rings are 1st class.
Most of the stuff I get is okay except for Chinese rubber pieces. Chinese rubber is not worth messing with.
His piston wrist pin keepers are a much smaller gauge than OEM.
His, so called "superior", sump filter will self-destruct in less than a 1000 miles.
I would NEVER trust one of his cables. A broken cable can get you killed in a hurry!
However, his RIK (Japanese made) piston rings are 1st class.
CDNTX650
XS650 Guru
new part complaint....
Oil feed tube for top end. Nice finish on it, terrible fit....It is on, but they holes on it were about 1/4 inch out for both banjo bolts.. I will run it for the bench test of my finished motor....but ebay will provide an NOS one.
still always have the good stuff that i need though.
Oil feed tube for top end. Nice finish on it, terrible fit....It is on, but they holes on it were about 1/4 inch out for both banjo bolts.. I will run it for the bench test of my finished motor....but ebay will provide an NOS one.
still always have the good stuff that i need though.
angus67
Welder's penetrate deeper!!
if you meen that the upper bolt holes didnt line up, with the oil holesinto the head, mine didnt either. my bike sat in peices against a garage since 99, so im sure its the stock one.
a guy i know baught a clutch perch, installed it, and yes , the shoulderbolt was too short, so he put in the old oem one, a few pulls on the clutch, and the perch broke off.
he put his old one back on. he wanted one without a mirror hole.
a guy i know baught a clutch perch, installed it, and yes , the shoulderbolt was too short, so he put in the old oem one, a few pulls on the clutch, and the perch broke off.
he put his old one back on. he wanted one without a mirror hole.
FLEA
XS650 Guru
just recived a tank from mikes it looked like the tank had been droped at factorywith the rear tank mount bent up about 50/60 degrees and then was painted.so to rebend the mount to fit im going to have to brake the paint. emailed mikes and the gave me a $120 refund,2 days later they had them on sale as blemished tanks $50 cheaper.trouble is the petcocks i ordered turned out to be both for the right hand side which i didnt bother to tell them.you would think someone in the shipping department would use their eyesight or brains while packing.other wise have found them good so long as you stayed away from their rubbers and cheap chinies chrome
BrookieDC
XS650 breaker
Carb boots - total crap. Carbs pop off with kickstart backfire, and there is a crack in them in less than a year of use. Very soft, and cranking down on the clamp only makes the crack bigger. The old ones (OEM) were better. I have since bought new ones from http://jbmindustries.com/ and they are top-notch.
Clutch cable - also total crap. Two have broken on me in less than a year. Do I need to explain how much of a pain in the ass it is when a clutch cable breaks? Luckily, before the second one broke I could feel the strands snapping so I was able to ease it home. Motion Pro solved the problem. Huge, sturdy cable.
Oil sump filter - the screen is all cracked apart - hopefully it isn't lodged in the oil delivery system or ...
I have bought some good items from Mike's, though, including:
Bearings - wheel, steering, trailing arm.
Rear gas shocks (although they were not a swap fit - I had to make spacers so they wouldn't rub against the frame).
Carb jets
AGM battery
Has anyone had experience with the fork seals? Judging by the response to the rubber parts, it looks like something to avoid. Any good sources out there?
Clutch cable - also total crap. Two have broken on me in less than a year. Do I need to explain how much of a pain in the ass it is when a clutch cable breaks? Luckily, before the second one broke I could feel the strands snapping so I was able to ease it home. Motion Pro solved the problem. Huge, sturdy cable.
Oil sump filter - the screen is all cracked apart - hopefully it isn't lodged in the oil delivery system or ...
I have bought some good items from Mike's, though, including:
Bearings - wheel, steering, trailing arm.
Rear gas shocks (although they were not a swap fit - I had to make spacers so they wouldn't rub against the frame).
Carb jets
AGM battery
Has anyone had experience with the fork seals? Judging by the response to the rubber parts, it looks like something to avoid. Any good sources out there?
I've bought a ton of stuff from Mikes, mostly little bits and pieces. had problems with only a few:
* clutch lever - didn't fit with 650central cable, does not have enough pull/adjustment to properly disengage clutch. stock lever worked fine.
* stainless brake lines - they claim some degree of swivel on the end for fitment, but they do not swivel at all, which means you have some funky angles and twist involved and they are hard to put on. this was before I knew aluminum fittings were bad to use, so I'll be ditching them all together now.
* brake master cylinder/lever - this one has a standard thread hole for mirror, not LH thread like most yamaha right side levers. if you have yamaha mirrors already, the site recommends a thread adapter set, which I ordered. however, the adapter set is for putting a standard mirror on a LH thread lever, not a LH thread mirror on a standard lever, so it doesn't work. he took the return back after I explained, but the site still has the wrong recommendation last I checked. the brake lever itself works fine as far as I can tell.
i've mostly had problems with ordering parts that won't work together, like the levers/mirrors or spark plugs with the wrong plug caps and such. my fault for not knowing ultimately, but probably easy for someone who sells this stuff to spot when they fill the orders.
* clutch lever - didn't fit with 650central cable, does not have enough pull/adjustment to properly disengage clutch. stock lever worked fine.
* stainless brake lines - they claim some degree of swivel on the end for fitment, but they do not swivel at all, which means you have some funky angles and twist involved and they are hard to put on. this was before I knew aluminum fittings were bad to use, so I'll be ditching them all together now.
* brake master cylinder/lever - this one has a standard thread hole for mirror, not LH thread like most yamaha right side levers. if you have yamaha mirrors already, the site recommends a thread adapter set, which I ordered. however, the adapter set is for putting a standard mirror on a LH thread lever, not a LH thread mirror on a standard lever, so it doesn't work. he took the return back after I explained, but the site still has the wrong recommendation last I checked. the brake lever itself works fine as far as I can tell.
i've mostly had problems with ordering parts that won't work together, like the levers/mirrors or spark plugs with the wrong plug caps and such. my fault for not knowing ultimately, but probably easy for someone who sells this stuff to spot when they fill the orders.
Chuck
Useful idiot
Based on some posts here I decided to try 650 Central. A few months back I called and talked about changing the chain and gears on my 650. At the last minute i decided to hold off and after thinking decided to keep stock gearing. 3 weeks ago I place an order with them for a few items. They never shipped. I called and asked why. the owner said had a note not to do business with me. He said I wasted his time way back on the chain and gears. So he wasted his time twice in the mean time. I suggest don't do business with 650 central. He knows a lot but is unreliable and way too thin skinned. I was nothing but nice and treated him well. He treated me poorly because I had second thoughts on an order a long time ago. You can't trust a guy like this, what if you need to talk common sense with the guy. Its out the window from the get go. If I wanted to deal with nonsense I would talk to my wife.
Chuck
Useful idiot
Update, I just used Amazon.com and another motorcycle outfit on the web that I Goggled for parts. I will have the stuff I need faster and cheaper. I wanted to support the businesses that support the XS650, but its really not working out.
BTW I did get good advice from the guy at 650 central on testing my stator. He said it will go some time or another as I was trying to order alternator brushes. I checked it out and it tests like new. Maybe the PO had it replaced. He did seem a little PO'd when I did not order just on his suggestion. I am glad I didn't order from him. Stators are all over the web too. He wouldn't have sent it anyway LOL!
BTW I did get good advice from the guy at 650 central on testing my stator. He said it will go some time or another as I was trying to order alternator brushes. I checked it out and it tests like new. Maybe the PO had it replaced. He did seem a little PO'd when I did not order just on his suggestion. I am glad I didn't order from him. Stators are all over the web too. He wouldn't have sent it anyway LOL!
FLEA
XS650 Guru
wasnt knocking mikes xs, in a lot of ways they are livesavers with the parts but a few things are dodgy. hopefully as time goes on they will sort their suppliers out as they havent had the compeny long and a few of the problems and inventory go back a while. s--t we are dealing with old bikes and just getting any one to remanufacture some of the parts is just amazing let a lone the amount they have done. so between the new owners and the old ones thanks and keep up the good work and get your s--t together
Just received my "Blemished" Tank and am surprisingly pleased! Minor scuffs just in front of the bung, should buff out easily. Came with cap/keys (have not installed anything yet) and a bonus not mentioned: 2 gold "Yamaha" decals to put below the stripe! Considering what I've seen used tanks going for on ughBay, I consider this a heckuva deal @ $195.00 for a "New" inside/out Tank! No rubbers or petcocks/not expected.
Previous orders have been stock acc. cables, float valves and advance Springs/Clips with no issues.
Previous orders have been stock acc. cables, float valves and advance Springs/Clips with no issues.
drewfunk
Purveyor of fine flannels
Monza Shocks: Absolute shit. They dont move. I would get more dampening out of a wooden bat.
Throttle cable: It works, but is pretty flimsy.
Fork seals: havent installed them yet.
Fork gaitors: They fit around the fork leg, but at the fork tube they just hang open, they dont wrap around the tube.
Throttle cable: It works, but is pretty flimsy.
Fork seals: havent installed them yet.
Fork gaitors: They fit around the fork leg, but at the fork tube they just hang open, they dont wrap around the tube.
