Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Oh, absolutely! I've gone out at lunch to "just make sure the bike's ok." It turns into "I'll just ride around the hospital once," which turns into "poop, I'm 15 miles away and have 10 minutes left in my lunch."

Hey! I'm a little bit north of Grand Rapids...um...like...um... two hours or so north, I guess. More like Traverse City, really. :blushing: Since I've had kids I seem to get the bike on the road about every other year...and this is looking like the "off" year. I got it running, and I've zi...

I can chime in on a couple of points... 1. Parking close: At my job there's a "cool" parking garage and an "uncool" parking lot that's farther out. 90% of everyone will take 15minutes motoring around the garage for a parking spot on the 5th floor roof, out in the weather anyway. ...

Hey, glad you and the bike are ok. That "shiny=slippery" rule got me once -- except it was my tires. I got a new set of tires put on at the Yamaha dealership way back when, and they were shiny-new. So I pulled out on the road, gave it the usual (moderate) amount of throttle and *bang* I wa...

Ride on pretty much any highway or major road anywhere near Detroit...It will give you a new appreciation for the term 'dangerous'. Poorly maintained, complete with giant tire swallowing potholes, expansion cracks that have definitly 'expanded', and a lovely assortment of: retread 'speed bumps', ro...

I think the best way to convince your parents is to have lived the last 16 years in a way that makes them believe you're responsible. You've done that, right? Your parents don't know if you'll be a responsible driver or bike rider, all they can look at is how responsible you've been so far -- things...

I think gaining experience makes one experienced. That sounds like a cop-out...what I mean is that the more different things you do, the more experience you gain. I rode a little bike in the woods for years before I ever got a road-bike. Taught me bike control more than anything on flat pavement eve...

Hey Nemo! My XS650 kept up pretty well with a new Kawasaki 750 Zephyr a few years ago... If you're having charging problems, I'd check the brushes. I'd also take off the battery cables and wirebrush/sandpaper both them and the battery terminals to make sure you have a good connection -- my bike's to...

That '77 is gorgeous.

I ride a '79 XS650F. All stock, mostly original parts. It's starting to get pretty tired, really...it's getting older, and I'm getting heavier!

Have to agree with everyone so far. I got my XS650 after it had sat idle for several years....all I did was clean the plugs, add fresh gas, and kick it until it started. That was then, though. I think 9000 is right about the brushes. They're a really easy replacement inside the right-side engine cas...