I was looking at these at the Barber Vintage Festival. SW MOTECH Legend Gear I really liked what I saw. The mounting appears to be able to work on the 650. They get good reviews. But, like most quality products, they aren't giving them away.
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Long distance trips
- Thread starter 80650xs
- Start date
I was looking at these at the Barber Vintage Festival. SW MOTECH Legend Gear I really liked what I saw. The mounting appears to be able to work on the 650. They get good reviews. But, like most quality products, they aren't giving them away.
gggary had a recent post about how he just used some aluminum stock from the hardware store to hold the bags up and away from the exhaust
It was in his post about his latest trip on his 650 (Ill keep looking)
just a bolt on piece of aluminum stock bent at a 90 degree angle on the bottom
stinky78
XS650 Addict
I highly recommend carrying a spare set of butt cheeks, I bought my 650 in Michigan and rode 5,500 miles all the way to Los Angeles, by the time I got to LA my butt had toughened up a bit but earlier on in the trip on longer days it was killing me.
I need a spare set, can you post a link?
stinky78
XS650 Addict
maybe we could do a group buy? save some money.
It never ceases to amaze me how people can take something and do what it wasnt designed to do...That said it is also amazing what people can do pushing the design limitations of their machine(s)... In this case taking a bike that isnt really suited for a LD haul and doing it anyway...personally about 120 miles is prolly all i could stand on my 650..a nice day trip, but not on the superslabs..no thanks...My bike has a wooden suspension and wooden brakes...I'm only 5'9" and i feel like I'm way too big for this thing...
Good luck with your LD endeavor...
Good luck with your LD endeavor...
JAX71224
jax71224
Need a righ knee, for a 240 lb. old man!
That sounds like an idea. I would like to see how he did it but I'm going to try and sort something out.
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Noone seems to believe this. I was 21 and two friends and I left New Jersey for Colorado and did some hiking and drinking in the Rockies. On consecutive days, we did 250, 450 and 650 miles. Two days later, I left them and headed 450 miles straight to Santa Fe to visit my girlfriend who was in her cousin's wedding. She went by plane with the wedding party. Two weeks later, I headed home and was running out of money, so I drove 950 miles on the last day, from Terra Haute to Paramus in 19 1/2 hours on my ' 71 650. The thing I remember most was the last few hours. My tail bone was screamin' Jesus at me and the only thing that would ease the pain was for me to stand up on the pegs and scream at the top of my lungs right back at it. That would last for a half hour before I had to repeat to quell the nerves in that tiny finger of bone that you sit on. Three weeks ago, my friend in Wisconson who is 61, called to say that he was planning a trip with his friend in Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains. He wanted to drive his Harley to the lake, and meet up with his friend and cruise, together on their Harleys, south to the Blue Ridge Mountain Trail, through the Smokey Mountains and hit the Dragon's Tail and head south from there to Tennesee and visit some motorcycle events and museums. I said,"OK, but before you just head out, see what you can do. Try doing 450 miles in a day." He called me back, the following Monday and said,"You were right. Yesterday, I went 81 miles and my ass was killing me. That seat is not good for travelling. And neither is the bike. It's really loud. I need a better road bike." By the looks of it though, and taking away the noise, it's more bike under you for a trip like that, than a 650 would be.
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I believe it. When I was about 30, I rode an XS from N. Mex to Florida. About 1200 miles just stopping for gas and food. Took just under 24 hrs. Couldn't sit for 3 days after.... and had to stand over the toilet to drink a cup of coffee.
If your traveling anywhere like where I live, most of the coast and hills are without cell reception. Satellite phone is a must.
they are pretty cheap and you can get a plan that you just pay for when you plan on traveling.
I have mine all year round because I work in a lot of out of the way places.
they are pretty cheap and you can get a plan that you just pay for when you plan on traveling.
I have mine all year round because I work in a lot of out of the way places.
A bit over 400 miles in one day on the 70 was plenty.
Did round bout 1,000 miles last year on madness, about 5AM to 10:30PM walked funny for several weeks after. (used the same brackets on that trip) Glad THAT is checked off the bucket list.
Big bikes or at least compliant suspension, room to assume a couple positions, and cruise control make 7-800 doable if not a joy.
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Yeah, my haunches were vibrating for days afterwards. And going that fast for so many miles gives you a thousand mile stare and a deep desire for more wind in your face. No matter how fast you go, the average is 50 mph. You have to stop for food, gas and a bathrooms with a 3 gal. tank.I believe it. When I was about 30, I rode an XS from N. Mex to Florida. About 1200 miles just stopping for gas and food. Took just under 24 hrs. Couldn't sit for 3 days after.... and had to stand over the toilet to drink a cup of coffee.
Fairings are pretty essential when going 450/ day. Fatigue can put you to sleep. I didn't have cruise, which used to be a set screw on some bikes. With even that little amount of twisting resistance from throttle return springs, over time, your forearm will cramp up, so I wrapped a piece of aluminum band strap around the twist grip and formed a lever to put weight on it with the heel of my hand. But if you wanted, for the trip, you could disable the return springs and have a dead man's throttle. Also, I found that I could lay back on the duffel bag on the front of my sissy rail, which was sitting where a passenger would, and bring my feet up on both sides of the tank and into the back of the JC Whitney Bates fairing and push on the throttle cables with my right foot to give it gas. I found that out by accident- that changing the bend of the cables in that way would control the throttle while I was changing to a reclining position and getting out of the wind. I also had to turn the duffel bag, so my sneakers were not against my back. (These are technical issues when you are flying by the seat of your pants. I'm glad to still be alive,,,) Another thing we all did was to tape extra cables to the sissy rail in case of failure.
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It never ceases to amaze me how people can take something and do what it wasnt designed to do...That said it is also amazing what people can do pushing the design limitations of their machine(s)... In this case taking a bike that isnt really suited for a LD haul and doing it anyway...personally about 120 miles is prolly all i could stand on my 650..a nice day trip, but not on the superslabs..no thanks...My bike has a wooden suspension and wooden brakes...I'm only 5'9" and i feel like I'm way too big for this thing...
Good luck with your LD endeavor...
I once did a 650 mile day on an XS650. I may have done it a couple of times. I've taken it distances over 1,000 miles several times. You can drive an XS650 to the end of the Earth at 50-60 mph. Loud pipes and buckboard seats can be dealt with and should be, before a trip. There is a plethora of windshields that will install perfectly on the XS650.
I have also done a lot of trips on my XS1100 Special. That bike is also less than ideal for touring, though it is bigger, faster, smoother and heavier that the XS650. It's all part of the adventure!
Hi marty,
and don't forget thirstier, eh?
The most difficult part of touring on an XS11Special is having enough gas in it's pathetically small fuel tank to reach the next filling station.
After all this time, I finally fixed the fuel economy problem. The Eleven Special would be out of gas in as little as 100 miles. Today, it goes 140 to 160 miles on a tank, about a match to the 650 Special. So, it still has terrible range, but not as bad as a Sportster with a peanut tank. Thanks again to those of you here that diagnosed my carburetor issue!
I've decided to replace the valve seals and reinstall the engine. Let it keep on keepin' on. I would rather start on project XS650E.Now Marty, if you could only get your 650 to burn less oil than gasoline....
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