Intruders-Alert

Always wanted an air cooled middleweight. Now I have one.

Gonna make her pretty, run a little better and have a little fun. Not sure if I'm gonna keep her yet. That all depends on whether my wife will ride her or not.

98VS1400 wrote:Should be fun. Drum brakes are funny to see these days. What's the final drive on those?

Shaft

That motor has been around a long time.They really look good.The Royal Star 1300 started the really good looking fenders that so many of the stare got after that.Good looking ride [emoji106] .The dinky little stick in oil filter is one of the few nit-pic things on some of my Yamahas.Both my SR,500s and my Virago had them.My 1700 has a nice spin on.Some of the old 1100 twin the worse with having to lossen the ex pipe to get the oil fliter cover off.Thats just dumb IMO.

old time rider wrote:That motor has been around a long time.They really look good.The Royal Star 1300 started the really good looking fenders that so many of the stare got after that.Good looking ride [emoji106] .The dinky little stick in oil filter is one of the few nit-pic things on some of my Yamahas.Both my SR,500s and my Virago had them.My 1700 has a nice spin on.Some of the old 1100 twin the worse with having to lossen the ex pipe to get the oil fliter cover off.Thats just dumb IMO.

Tell me about it. I looked at an 1100 and once I found that out, I just thought WTF. This 650 seems like a solid little bike. Much more fun in the twisty stuff than the Harley.

98VS1400 wrote:That's good then! Although you may now prefer a belt since you've gone to the dark side!

This is just a toy, for now. Fix the little issues, touch up some cosmetic stuff, ride it like I stole it. If I like it, keep it. If not, sell for a profit, pick up something else.

That's the name of the game.

What's the perfect number of bikes?

One more than you currently own

Them are reliable bikes, might run forever with a little care.

After cleaning it up a bit, and making it look nicer, the only thing I have yet to do in the looks department is remove the crappy pin stripes. They're on top of the clear coat. The only thing I keep finding says oven cleaner. Anyone else have any ideas?

And, yet again, something I really like about this bike. No tank removal and only one screw to adjust the sync. Too bad Suzuki couldn't have accomplished that. But then they have to route the exhaust or run it on the same side. That would really mess with those of you who like it on the left and right. I could take it or leave it.

Things I already like better about the XVS over the smaller VS

Air/oil cooled
Easier sync
Easier valve adjustment
Single sided exhaust
Easier access to the plugs
Larger tank
Better stock foot position
Larger inverted forks
Mono shock rear suspension
More comfortable seat
Lower passenger pegs
More aftermarket parts available off the shelf
Easier bar changes without having to worry about hitting the tank
Larger headlight
Better highway revs
Lighter/lower center of gravity

Things I don't like

AIS
Smaller carbs
Taller gearing/slower acceleration
Clutch friction zone

AIS can be removed if one desires.

I really like our 2001. It could be a nice daily Rider if it didn't feel as if it was lacking torque. It rides smooth. It likes the higher Rpms. Which, to me, is odd for a v-twin. I will say that the best thing I like about it is the stretched out comfort. It was more comfortable than a stock VS1400. At least until I installed fwd controls on the VS.

enforcer wrote:After cleaning it up a bit, and making it look nicer, the only thing I have yet to do in the looks department is remove the crappy pin stripes. They're on top of the clear coat. The only thing I keep finding says oven cleaner. Anyone else have any ideas?

Is the pinstriping the tape kind, or is it painted on?

If they are tape, they can be removed with a heat gun/ or even a hair dryer. If paint, depending on the type, you might get it off with a wax.



This video shows using oven cleaner to take off pinstriping.