Bob Jones Navy bike thread

[motoman]

If you want better off the line response, put the stock type FD back on Ben, they are a dime a dozen.

+1........stock final WILL give you the response the XS!! has ALWAYS been notorious for. Example: My Venturer 1100 WILL flat run off and leave the ST1100 to the tip end of third gear, from a dead stop or a rolling clutch start.

[trbig]

4000 RPMs @ 70 mph in 5th gear hardly feels like a 6th gear...

That's a 1k rpm drop.. more than you'll get in any other gear. So how many rpm does it have to drop to seem like another gear?

This final drive mod seems to have become the new tire and oil thread. You like your stock setup? Great.. keep it. You keep pulling up on the shifter on the highway while in 5th looking for another gear? Get an 850 FD. For the ones saying they'll "Blow people away with their stock FD".. obviously have not run up against people that can actually ride or operate a clutch correctly or are comparing to some poorly tuned bikes.

If your whole riding style is stoplight to stoplight, you're on the wrong bike with a 35 year disadvantage and about 200+ pounds too much. A modern bike with 1/2 the CC's ridden by a pimple faced kid with his learners permit is going to smoke you 99% of the time in 1/4 mile, roll on, top speed.... everywhere. Most of us just ride the things and the difference stoplight to stoplight on an equal bike will simply come down to the rider, no matter which final drive.

These bikes were designed when speed limits were 55. Now with most interstates at 70mph where you better be in the right lane if doing less than 80, or down south where some speed limits are 85 and you need to do at least 100 to not get run over, this final drive mod is the best thing to do for these motors and bikes since they came out, in my opinion.

[BA80]

These bikes were designed when speed limits were 55. Now with most interstates at 70mph where you better be in the right lane if doing less than 80, or down south where some speed limits are 85 and you need to do at least 100 to not get run over, this final drive mod is the best thing to do for these motors and bikes since they came out, in my opinion.

Our opinions don't mean diddly. We ride our bikes too much to really know anything. We need to work on them more and anal-ize more and ride them less.

[motoman]

This final drive mod seems to have become the new tire and oil thread. You like your stock setup? Great.. keep it. You keep pulling up on the shifter on the highway while in 5th looking for another gear? Get an 850 FD. For the ones saying they'll "Blow people away with their stock FD".. obviously have not run up against people that can actually ride or operate a clutch correctly or are comparing to some poorly tuned bikes.

Don't forget about our short 'duel; with thr rolling start down at the intersection of sawpit. A heads up gear for gear till mid third........knew what was fixin' to happen once the ST showed its 100 ponies a tthe rear wheel.(torque to get cha' goin..........horsepower on the big end to keep it going).........just sayin' buddy.......BTDT, my ST against my Venturer. That rated 100ponies at the rear wheel was just fixin' at 5K to take you to school of losing, /that's why I backed off in third as the neck and neck, gear for gear was fixin' to end with the XJ getting WAY small in the mirror. Already tried that, me on the Venurer and oldest son {also an x=moto-cross ride) on the STeed. A rolling start and ckutch when your ready to go. Rsult left him REALLY tiny in the mirror........till yhe redline in third on the Venturer(third gear), is when that 100hp at the rear wheel of the STeed kicked in snd walked right by me.That was a test comparision with you,,,,,,,,,,told me by third gear the XJ getting byme wasn't happening.

[madmax-im]

I dont ride stop light to stop light...out here its all country and I avoid the city as much as posssible...that said I do ride in all conditions...but once were talking above 85 then I am not in your league...i do feel like 3000 RPMs would feel like an extra gear..But yeah i ride at the lower to middle RPMs and dont pretend to be as extreme as you all...not even close... And I know how to use a friggin clutch... I can make my shift points at 5000 rpms if I want...but I dont except when I really want to leave someone behind..usually a cager...so WTF do I know...compared to you all...I havent been riding 50 yrs like Brant...but 39 is a good number....and I have never been extreme even when I was younger...and how many times have you been burned by your extremes??? Me ? Zero times...y'all have a nice day and stay off FB from 8:45 til 10 sumthin to honor 9/11/01...

[trbig]

Don't forget about our short 'duel; with thr rolling start down at the intersection of sawpit. A heads up gear for gear till mid third........knew what was fixin' to happen once the ST showed its 100 ponies a tthe rear wheel.(torque to get cha' goin..........horsepower on the big end to keep it going).........just sayin' buddy.......BTDT, my ST against my Venturer. That rated 100ponies at the rear wheel was just fixin' at 5K to take you to school of losing, /that's why I backed off in third as the neck and neck, gear for gear was fixin' to end with the XJ getting WAY small in the mirror. Already tried that, me on the Venurer and oldest son {also an x=moto-cross ride) on the STeed. A rolling start and ckutch when your ready to go. Rsult left him REALLY tiny in the mirror........till yhe redline in third on the Venturer(third gear), is when that 100hp at the rear wheel of the STeed kicked in snd walked right by me.That was a test comparision with you,,,,,,,,,,told me by third gear the XJ getting byme wasn't happening.

Brant, since I've never raced you anywhere at any time, I'm glad this seems to be a happy dream to you.

[trbig]

And Ben,

And I know how to use a friggin clutch... I can make my shift points at 5000 rpms if I want

I was referring to being able to use the clutch while racing stoplight to stoplight. If a shift point of 5k rpm, where you've just barely got into the main jets seems extreme to you, then I'm guessing you've never launched from a stop at 7-7500 rpm WOT feathering your clutch to hold it there until fully engaged. Also, your 3k rpm change you want for a gear... that's like shifting from 2nd, straight to 5th, if it even drops that much. Watch your rpm drop sometime from gear to gear. Not cracking on you Ben, and I apologize if it was taken that way.

[madmax-im]

Its fine Tod...you're correct that I have never shifted at the rpms you state...Brant is rhe one busting my chops about knowing how to use a clutch...I dont think in the 30+ yrs of XJ/XS ownership have I ever shifted gears at any rpms above 5000...maybe once way back in the 80s but I just dont recall... So perhaps the 1100 FD would be better as I live at the lower end of the RPMs range...I was dissappointed in the off rhe line acceleration of this bike from the get go....however I am planning an experiment today on more extreme shifting and acceleration just to see how much of a limitation the bike really is or is it really nust my own limits...

[madmax-im]

Interesting to note that motorcycle engines operate at higher rpms than do cars...My 03 Pontiac Grand Prix with its 200 hp transverse mounted 6 cyl.engine cruises along at 70 mph and 2000 rpms...the first time i saw that i thought the tach.was broken...

[madmax-im]

Recantation...

Well I have found the problem with the FD...its the nut holding the handlebars... So I took her out onto the main 4 lane hwy...at the beginning of the on ramp I stopped completely for a standing start...I revved the engine to 6000 RPMs and let out the clutch keeping the revs at 6000-7000 as my shift points by the time i entered the main roadway in 3rd gear I was already @80 mph and shifting again into 4th at 7000 rpms I hit 100+ in 4th gear as I shifted into 5th @100+ the bike started to weave so I did back off to 90 mph...while this still isnt the most extreme shifting it was nonetheless enough to see that I need to recant my earlier statements about the 750 FD. I never thought I could rev 1st and 2nd gear as high as i just did so in essence it is me and not the bike...the acceleration was linear and it blew me away...I still had more in 4th gear but I didnt push it to the very limit...still I have a new found knowledge and further respect for this bike...in addition there are no tuning issues this bike screams..Tod...you'd like this one forsure...anyways it was me all along...so y'all are right and i was wrong...there ya go...

[BA80]

The 78 - 79 engines really don't have a lot of poop until about 4K but you better be hanging on when it hits.

[madmax-im]

The 78 - 79 engines really don't have a lot of poop until about 4K but you better be hanging on when it hits.

I was and dang it ...I was blown away by the acceleration...not going to make a habit of doing this but it is good to know what the capabilities of my bike are...now i need to figure out why the bike started weaving...it could have gotten out of control but I backed off the throttle...I'm thinking that maybe the plexistar windscreen and perhaps my airshocks needed more air...gonna play around with it and try again another day...

[BA80]

Mine was doing that at about 100 when I was up in Michigan. Since I swapped out the swing arm I haven't noticed it.

Did some research on it and it is a harmonic weave caused by 1 or more components not working in harmony with the others. I.E. wheel bearings, wheel alignment, steering head bearings even incompatible . Any or all of those things can cause it.

[madmax-im]

wow it is complicated and i can only guess at the causes...and yes it was a harmonic type of weave...dunno if theres any other kind...but I'm sure it would have gotten worse had i persisted...but self preservation kicked in first...LOL I dont want to kill the bike or myself...2 weeks out from the XSEast rally

[BA80]

Meant to say incompatible tires................