Reed's Ride

Reed,

I'm just curious what sort of trouble you've had with the SR? I have a
1979 SR500 and I really, really love it. I've got a larger carb and a
SuperTrapp pipe on mine. Otherwise it's stock.

I'd like to know if the following happens to you, too. Virtually anyone
who knows anything about the bike and sees it comes up and says
something similar to, "she suuuuuure does wheelie, don't she?". Does
this happen to you?

One more thing - the bike has a little over 25K on the original mill
right now. I've been told that White Brothers are the absolute experts
on these bikes and, if I'm going to rebuild the motor, I should send it
to them. I was looking at the Big Bore kit.

Ari

 

I built mine with a WB top-end oil line, 90mm h.c. forged piston (542cc, iirc),
WB-1 street cam, 36mm WB 'kit' Mikuni, K&N air filter, 3-angle valve job, hd
valve springs, Kerker big bore header pipe and Ducati 750GT Conti rolled
megaphone exhaust pipe. Went like stink and sounded like heaven!

 

D'ja do all the work yourself, or did you farm any out to White
Brothers? (I'm perfectly comfortable changing a clutch, brakes, water
pump, blah, blah, blah, but I *know* I don't want any engine I built.
I'm just too sloppy.) I'm looking for an opinion on the quality of
their shop, or a recommendation on a better one.

 

Yep, I did it all myself *except* the cylinder head work. Now that I think
about it, in addition to the valves, cam, and springs, I had the head ported and
flowed by WB as well.

BTW, the contemporary road tests of the SR500 listed a measured top speed of 89
or 90 mph, depending on source. The *only* speeding ticker I *ever* got on a
motorcycle was when I was testing the top speed of my SR500 after completing the
break-in of the modified motor. 115 radar-certified mph.

Tim

 

Oooch!

Sounds like you were satisfied with White Brothers?

Ari

 

Very much. Of course, upgrading the motor like that required the installation
of Koni adjustable shocks, Progressive Suspension fork springs, pre-load
adjustable fork caps from a Yamaha XS650, braided steel brake lines, a drilled
front disk brake, tapered roller steering head bearings, Honda CB400F european
handlebars, a pre-1980 Yamaha XS650 standard speedometer to replace the 85mph
federally mandated stock speedo, EBC HH brake pads, Daytona steering damper, S&W
oil cooler, Telefix fork brace, and a bunch of both major and minor cosmetic
changes.

Tim

 

Deja vu. Didn't we just discuss this, Dem?
Mag

 

Yes but then my tinfoil hat fell off and I had to terminate the
conversation because the satellites were locking onto my brainwaves
again. Sorry for the terse goodbye.

 

Bwa?

egh.

I'm awake, I'm awake.

Andy, to answer your question:

Up until a week ago, I wasn't posting because I wasn't riding.

I know, I know, those sans bike are welcome to post (making me as welcome
as I ever was, I suppose), but frankly, that's just not quite my way.
It's not so much a "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy! I'm scum! I suck!"
kinda thing, as a "salt in the ol' wounds" kinda thing. My desire to
talk about something I very much want to be doing but cannot do is
virtually nil.

Thankfully, thats all past.

So I've had the bike a week, why haven't I been posting?

'Cause I just got a bike for the first time in about a year. I'm not the
sort to get a bike and then sit online and talk about it for a week, as
typing precludes riding.

Ah, I suppose I should say "I'm not the sort to get a bike and then sit
online and talk about it for a week -anymore-."

Oh, and 'cause I didn't insurance until this afternoon, and wanted to
spare y'all the mothering.

Anyway, here I am again. Circumstances shall keep me from ever again
reaching my previous level of verbosity (ok, stop cheering), but I've
been lurking for a bit, and shall even post occasionally now.

So, Hey everybody.

Reed.
'98 EX500

 

(Brandon High) wrote in

Everybody go "Yay" with me now.

I don't hear you.

Oh. That's intentional?

Didn't you say something about pictures? They couldn't have come out that
bad.

Meaning what, I can't run into things as hard with only 50hp?

Glad I could be of service.

Reed

 

P&S, if memory serves.

Beware.

Reed.

 

(Brandon High) wrote in

Thank you. I really, -really- wasn't looking forward to explaining all
that myself. Again.

Cliffs Notes:
My own damn fault.
But that doesn't mean it doesn't suck.

Reed.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure this one falls under the 5th. I was riding it
without current registration or insurance on public roads. You could
make a nice libertarian case for it being unreasonable to require
registration and insurance, and I might agree, but under the legal system
where I choose to live, I feel while I was obviously "...deprived of...
property", it was not done "without due process of law."

One way we can all go about defending our basic rights is to make sure
that they apply to the given case before yelling "Bill of Rights!"
Otherwise, it just turns into crying wolf.

(All the same, thanks for the support, RUB, and hi.)

Reed.

 

Interesting advice. Anyone here in the BA have any lawyer recomendations
for me?

I sure wouldn't mind seeing the tow yard get screwed. Or, for that
matter, getting paid for my bike.

Anybody been through anything like this before?

It probably would have been wise to post for advice when it happened.

Reed.

 

This bike has been modified to hell and back. It's beautiful (or was,
before I left it out in the rain...) but is miserable to ride. It's kick
start only, and the engine has been tweaked so hard it runs horribly. It
vibrates so hard it's detroyed two exhausts. I ran out.

It was the second bike I bought (discounting the Buell) and I thought the
problem was me, at the time, and that I'd learn to ride that bike too.
The problem wasn't me.

Honestly? It's so heavily modified it's not recognizable as a SR500
unless you really know your bikes.

http://flatrabbit.org/newbike/

Mine has the Big Bore kit. I hate mine. I seriously suspect I would
enjoy mine if it were stock. I am uncertain if the big bore kit is the
problem.

Then again, I could sell my kit. You just have to take the bike wrapped
around it.

Reed.

 

Don't talk about me like I'm not in the room.

How yah been, Jenner? Drop me an email, should you get the chance.

Reed.

 

Hey Reed. I can help you wake up that EX, y'know....

 

You know around here that's an excuse to confiscate yer bike!
<nyuknyuknyuk>

Not to mention get arrested.

Welcome back. Without missing a beat in my verbosity, I put 2.5k miles
during the first month on the Triumph. Learn to keep up sonny!

 

Go on. What would you propose?

Reed.

 

Dude! Welcome back!

Wanna buy a sidehack?