gday from australia

Burns, I thought Australia was quite big (I've seen the backdrop to Skippy and The magic Boomerang), but nearly as big as France then, hmmm! bigger than I thought.

Anlaf
 
davexs650 - those little round covers on the cylinder head (both sides) under them sit the contact breaker points (left side) hence cb housing, and its twin on the right side. I have the covers, but the aluminium housings are shot at.

Anlaf
 
davexs650 said:
,i still have my 550 four,ive had it about seven years,it has boyer micro power and first oversize bore,new internal chains and head ports cleaned up and 4-1 yoshi pipe,sun alloy rims its a nice old bike,its a 500 with the 550 motor,they had a better clutch action mechanism and improved shift fork design.
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thats a gorgeous looking bike mate .Of course it would look a whole lot better if it was fitted with a twin :D:thumbsup:

I love the Honda tanks... they look great on a cafe racer.

Welcome to the forum mate....... just need to get yourself a proper bike :D
 
I like it, xs650dave, I like it. Made me laugh, and nearly spilt my cup of tea onto the cucumber sandwiches. What are those big long-legged, rabbit-type creatures again? no! wait - that's a big Skippy saying someone has fallen over a cliff and broken their leg...

Anlaf
 
ANLAF said:
Burns, I thought Australia was quite big (I've seen the backdrop to Skippy and The magic Boomerang), but nearly as big as France then, hmmm! bigger than I thought.

Anlaf
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Yep, it's nearly as big as France and Texas is nearly as big as New Jersey!
 
davexs650 said:
ha!you wish,youd love it here,especially in the gold coast hinterland where the riding is world class,i dont have to pass a stop sign or red light from my house when i ride,yeah you can travel to see bikes,when i was chasing down 500/550 fours i travelled to see rubbish and went home empty a lot of the time,i still have my 550 four,ive had it about seven years,it has boyer micro power and first oversize bore,new internal chains and head ports cleaned up and 4-1 yoshi pipe,sun alloy rims its a nice old bike,its a 500 with the 550 motor,they had a better clutch action mechanism and improved shift fork design.
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It's certainly a fine example of the marque. You might enjoy this piece about its younger brother: http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/b...m_source=iPost&utm_medium=email#axzz2Y75Zh77T
 
ANLAF said:
davexs650 - those little round covers on the cylinder head (both sides) under them sit the contact breaker points (left side) hence cb housing, and its twin on the right side. I have the covers, but the aluminium housings are shot at.

Anlaf
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shot at?whoa,thanks burns,yeah ive had a couple of 500s,this is a 500 with a 550 motor,,the first 550s were the same thing,a 500 frame with 550 motor,anyway i still dont have an xs but hope something will fall into my lap thats mostly complete and up to 1000 bucks,,im not looking to buy a trailer queen or something chopped/bobbed or otherwise fooled with in that way,,ill take engines and parts aswell though,i probably wont post at all until i come across something,i frequent the sohc fours forum aswell.
 
Hey guys,
a few years ago I saw a couple on a motorcycle on highway 412 in Arkansas, When I got close I saw that the license plate was from Queensland. I flagged them into a restaurant parking lot and bought them lunch.
I told them that when I was in N.S.W. decades ago I was treated wonderfully, just trying to pay back. :)
 
xs650's are not rare. We just think so because not many are for sale and when they do appear online etc for sale they can be expensive or are getting stupidly expensive. There are a few reasons for this...

1. They are LAM's approved. For you non-Australians, it means you can ride them as your first bike power/weight ratio. I know in the states you can ride 650cc as your first bike or something. Not the case here.

2. Popularity of them rising thanks to the internet, meaning everyone can see what the humble xs650 can be turned into.

3. Supply/demand. I saw a hardtail, spoked wheeled, peanut tanked, vintage tyred, (although who cares about that) xs650 go for 8k in Syd. Thats with the disclaimer that the mods may not be approved in other states ie non engineered. As a case in point, I bought my xs650 from a bloke who had 2 in his shed, for 1.8k non running but completed, registered (titled as you guys in the states call it).

In my states there are at least 6 xs650's I know of and owners who ride them.
 
Over here in England it looks like the internet has done the same supply and demand thing, which is okay by me, the phase will pass, and eventullay people will want to get rid of stuff they hoarded - but some of the horrible bikes that are being thrown together defy description. They seem to be going for sticking on fancy bits around an XS650, but the engines are rarely upgraded changed beyond electronic ignition.

Such is life.

Anlaf
 
One thing about being in the forum is that you learn a thing or two, and what to look for, what to change, how to keep the bike running - and just as importantly, what not to ignore.

Anlaf
 
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