New (to Me) 2000 Kawasaki W650

I put Metzler Lasertec's on. Seem to work fine.

My headlight buzzed also so I took a little electrical tape and wrapped the lip that holds the light at the top of the housing. No more buzz.

Thanks for the tip. I figured it would probably be something like that; I'll try and get in there this weekend.

I had taken mine apart to do some mods to it, but I miss riding it so much I put it back together before getting much done. I was going to paint it but that can be done any time. I was bobing the rear fender and changing the tail light and signals as well as new pipes. Oh well, I guess if I gather up all the parts needed first it won't take as long to do. I am going to take it to be inspected tomorrow.

Hey guys,
Researching tires a bit and looking at the Bridgestone BT-45. The original rear tire size according to the owner's manual is 130/80-18. Apparently the BT-45 doesn't come in this size (or motorcycle superstore just doesn't carry it). So what are people going with? The 120/80-18 looks like the closest option even though by my calculations it would cut sidewall height by 8mm.

EDIT: Im dumb. I didn't even look at the V-rated version of the tire. They do have the 130/80-18 size in the V-rated version. I certainly don't need V-rated rubber on a W650 but it's only a couple bucks more to get the right size so I'll probably just do that.

That is what I have on mine. At one time I did use the 120 and it made a big difference in how the bike stood on the side stand. Too straight up. :eek1 Didn't notice too much of a difference while riding though.

Oooh that's a good point, I didn't even think about that. I already think it stands too straight when on the sidestand with the stock tires.

I know on car tires the ratings do make a big difference in handling.

The higher the speed rating, generally the stiffer the sidewall, so better handling.

Probably the same for bike tires.

I added even more to that when I put a set of Progressive shocks on it. They are about a half inch shorter than stock.:huh

Many people (like me) use a 120/90 rear. Feels a little nimbler but not unstable. Also the speedo will be less off (people say, haven't checked mine but plan to).

My Progressives are a little higher than stock. Maybe I should switch to the 120s since it now seems to flop over on the sidestand. I need some new tires anyway.

Though mostly I use the center stand, so it is not much of an issue normally.

Love it so far. showed up with 2067 miles on the odo took it for shake down cruise and noticed after a mile or two the speedo quit working. now have ridden the bike for a few days and see the odo works and then not works and then works again. anybody got any suggestions?

kind of a semi-educated guess, but the speedometer and odometer are electronic so the symptoms would suggest a problem with the speed sensor or its wiring. I don't have the service manual with me so I can't point you right to it but it's probably on the transmission somewhere near the output shaft.

Could also be a problem with the gauge itself but I would check out the speed sensor first because it's cheaper/easier and because the fact that both displays quit points to a speed sensor problem as the likely cause.

EDIT: Now that I do have the service manual in front of me, I can confirm that the speed sensor is located on the output shaft near the front sprocket. Might want to pull the sprocket cover and check the sensor and wiring for physical damage. You can electrically test it but seeing as it's a solid state item it would be unlikely to be bad itself (I think). More likely damage to wiring or something.

The other thing would be if the power supply to the speed sensor from the speedometer is faulty. You can test that as well by removing the clocks, connecting pin 5 on the back to +12V and pin 1 on the back to the - terminal of the battery, then use your VOM to test the voltage between pins 6 and 1. If it's less than 8V, you have to replace the clocks. They also make it a point to tell you not to short pins 1 and 6 or 4 and 6.

They also have a more detailed test that can be done with an oscilloscope if you have one.

There was a set a set of clocks on Ebay this afternoon, haven't checked to see if they're still there.

Thanks for the circuitry insight Mr The Jerk
I relized after a quick look that this bike wasn't so old school that it would have a mechanical speedo/odo off the front hub, and I have yet to order a service manual. I'll check the speed sensor thing ASAP.

Check mine out again on Flea market;

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12755664#post12755664

Price dropped $4000 firm (a steal)

Putting it on E-Bay Monday.....

Considering they sell for no less than $8000AUD down under - Ive seen them for sale for $10,000 sometimes (about $99000 of your pathetic pesos!!!) I can't believe the prices Ive seen for W650s!!!

Today's tweaks:

Opened up the headlight shell and strategically placed electrical tape on some key points....looks like the buzzing has stopped!

Finally got around to properly blocking the air injection system. Found some marbles at the local dollar store (do you know how hard it is to find marbles these days?) and blocked the hose from the airbox to the air injection valve and also the hose from the air injection valve to the exhaust ports. NO MORE POPPING/BACKFIRING ON DECEL. BRILLIANT!!!!!! And the bag of 101 Chinese-made marbles was only $1 (and really shitty quality too). Now I have 99 marbles to find a use for.

Was noticing a bit of leanness in cooler weather when the choke came off but before the bike had really warmed up. Tweaked the pilot screws out another 1/2 turn. Man that did the trick, feels like that's the sweet spot. Had a great ride today and she was running sweet and smooth.

I love this bike. I love it even more when I get rid of the annoying things.

Had you done the Capt. Jake shim mod?

http://www.captainjakes.com/w650/shimming/shimming.shtml

Yeah, that was one of the first things I did along with upgrading the pilot jets to 38 (previous owner had punched the baffles out of the mufflers so it was showing symptoms of lean running with the stock setup).

Just dialed it in a bit more yesterday and the improvement was dramatic.