My seat height is higher than stock, but with a 32" inseam I can touch the ground with both feet on the balls of my feet. You get used to the height pretty quickly and adapt. No way I would go back now.
IDK but they have to be better than stock. http://www.hagon-shocks.co.uk/catalog/partdetail.aspx?partno=400-160-02
Those probably wont work because the bike they list has a different fork. The XL600LM and XL600RM have 41mm forks instead of that stupid 39mm front end that we got.
Lol, Indeed. The US version and I know Italy, maybe a handful of other countries got shafted with this 39mm front end. It's obviously a weak front fork setup for a dual sport bike, which I'm willing to deal with because I'm not that interested in mucking about with a fork swap, but realizing that it's such an odd ball front end that you can't find aftermarket parts to improve it, or even service it with things like new bushings etc, I'm almost ready to throw in the towel on these forks. With a XR600 front end you can get all the parts in the world, everyone sells a service kit, springs, etc. Even the 41mm XR250R forks are about the same length as stock XL and you can get a bunch parts for them as well. TL;DR A fork swap on the XL600R is almost a decision of necessity out of practicality, rather than a performance upgrade.
So I'm thinking about buying a local XL600R. The bike has under 5k miles claimed, and looks like new. What things should I look for on the bike before buying it. Is $1,500 a good price for a bike like this? If I buy it, do you recommend I take the entire bike apart, including the engine and inspect it before a long trip, or just take off and wing it? I need to make a 2,500 mile trip soon, lightly packed. It's an '83 model.
So I got some time to mess with my brakes last night, bleed it out no problem right? I spent 2 hour trying and trying, but still have nothing. Worked fine before the brake line swap. The only thing I can think of is that the inner diameter of the banjo I used for the master cylinder is bigger than the threaded fitting of the stock line. I used a vacuum pump and must have put half a bottle through the system and absolutely no pressure...none The only thing I can think of doing is getting a new banjo for an xr650 or 400 and see if that works suggestions?
Open the master cylinder and take the fluid out of it. At the bottom of the master should be a clear plastic cover. Get an ice pick and pop it out. Now you should see two very small holes. Operate the brake lever and see if both are open. If not get a needle and poke the holes to remove the debris. Refill the master and see if pressure returns.
Hi Steve- Sorry I've taken so long to answer your question... I've wanted to take a special picture to illustrate the answer, but I keep forgetting to bring my camera to the shop. Now, I am on a little family-visit-vacation (in San Fran!), so I have time to answer, but of course being here, I REALLY can't take a picture! So anyway.... what I did was take a piece of 1" x 1" angle and cut off one of the "legs" of the angle material everywhere except the middle six inches or so (the remaining 6 inches of "leg" material is where the cooler actually attaches). I then put gentle bends in the "single-leg" sections of material in order to reach the two mounting points that I'd selected, which are the upper bolt-hole of the lower-front engine mount, and the mounting point for the wire-clip that holds the main wiring bundle as it passes from the steering stem area under the tank towards the CDI. I know that's a mouthful, and hopefully this picture (which I am recycling from my build thread) illustrates it a bit better than a bunch of words: If you look, you can see the mount bracket I am talking about. I used Stainless Steel, as I usually do, because I think it is the king of metals (well, the king of the common metals anyway). Steel rusts, paint is temporary; aluminum definitely has it's place, but it's weak. I love stainless. Cheers, Christian
Hello, just putthe new stator on. The bike started, but what a bad noise under the valves cover. I posted the following video on you tube. Any Advice? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfMganPUD0E
LOL, only an xl600 owner could type those words. Spot on. I pulled mine out of the garage today after sitting for 5 months. Gas on, choke in. Spun through to compression, pull de-comp and bump it a little more. Deep breath and kick the thing to China and it fired up on the first try. Put a smile on my face but we all know it isn't always like that!
If it's really nice and clean then $1500 is a good price. Go for it. Don't take the motor apart either, just do a compression test and make sure the oil is clean.
Done. Valves were a bit tight. But the bad noise is still there. Maybe lookfar is right: timing chain. Is there a way to be sure for that before remove the engine?
Just shareing, so happy, after being in a non-running state for over a year, I finally got my 85 XL600R back up and running again. I've upgraded to a big fin head with a custom mid cam from CycleWizard, and only had to take the carbs apart three times to get it close enough to run. Need to do a nut and bolt check and change the oil then go for a long missed long ride. While I had the engine out, really should have repainted the frame but too late now, it's time to ride.
