back on 2 motorized wheels BMW f650 st

Yea, you had mentioned tall. I had to go back to your pictures to see the faring... I bet you could find a good sale for that online. I think a lot of folks like it. Albeit, prolly shorter guys! The best BMW site I found, or had recommended to me actually, is IBMWR.org. Great folks, if ya haven't been there yet. And there is a guy down in mid FL that deals in used parts, that is highly spoken of by some friends of mine. Goes by Gator,  big surprise! I could prolly find his e-mail, if I looked hard enough.

Yea, you had mentioned tall. I had to go back to your pictures to see the faring... I bet you could find a good sale for that online. I think a lot of folks like it. Albeit, prolly shorter guys! The best BMW site I found, or had recommended to me actually, is IBMWR.org. Great folks, if ya haven't been there yet. And there is a guy down in mid FL that deals in used parts, that is highly spoken of by some friends of mine. Goes by Gator,  big surprise! I could prolly find his e-mail, if I looked hard enough.

Thats why I suggested cutting it, its the cheapest possible solution 

Justjim75 said:

Thats why I suggested cutting it, its the cheapest possible solution 

cheapest for now... but not if down the road I decide I would prefer something else lol... honestly the noise is the only issue I have with the windscreen height... I don't notice it moving my head around so I'll prob just stick with earplugs for a while... and I can get the clip on spoiler tops for about $30 so that is a close 2nd for price.

a few more days of riding... the more I ride it the more I think my speedo is WAY off... I know stock they are off for most of the ST bikes... seems they didn't bother adjusting anything for the ST with the 18" wheel vs the 19" on the funduro version...

so maybe a GPS speedo is in the future... there are a few that look like they should be drop ins for the stock gauge location... while I'm at it I'll swap the clock that doesn't work for a coolant temp gauge instead of relying on the temp dummy light... there are a few gauges that also have USB and voltage so that may be what I go with.

and lastly... this one may be grown out of but I'd like a gear indicator... there has been a few times at stops that I thought I was down to 1st but was in 2nd... stalling feels so dumb lol... also went into a turn at an intersection thinking I was in 2nd and I was down in 1st... 

the more and more I'm riding it the more I'm enjoying it... it seems to really like clutchless shifting

before any of that happens I'll also be adding a trunk... I prob won't go full KLR 650 ghetto with a milk crate on it (mostly because I can't find any for free lol) but KLR upscale using a harbor freight pelecan type case bolted to the rear luggage mount... no more backpack on my back that way and water proof 

I kept the givi case off of mine when I sold it... the way it mounted didn't impress me much (may have been home made by someone) I could be talked out of it.

I've felt smoother doing clutchless shifts on a lot of bikes. My F650 liked the clutch for 1-2, but the rest without.

Glad you are enjoying it!

In reply to 03Panther :

you've got mail lol.

I think 1-2 will be def the preferable one, I've caught neutral a few too many times lol.... the others seem fine as well... a little quick drop on throttle as I kick it and up it goes...

my next "upgrade" came in... going to go on the swingarm, key places on the frame and fork... please don't run into me lol.

I really got attached to the gear indicator on the K75, and it was a hard transition into my next bikes. After a few hundred miles of getting used to the bike, I don't miss it one bit now. It's like anything: you get accustomed to the RPM against the speed you're going and gain a feel for what gear you're in. Especially passing neutral. Neutral feels different and you'll likely get a better feel for it soon. Even riding in big boots I can still feel the difference. 

ya I'm still feeling out where the gearing likes to be... 4th up to about 55 seems the happy space which is strange to me considering how much time I seem to recall spending in 5th and 6th on my old katana... but 600cc i4 vs 650cc thumper is kinda different haha.

also still getting used to the clutch friction zone location... it's stiffer than I'd like (and shockingly stiff after sitting on a friends ninja 400 lol)...

new brake pads prob need to be my next thing... the ones on there just don't grab like I think they should and anything quick requires a fist full of power... for rear I've only managed to lock the rear up once even after trying... 

been busy and raining a lot so haven't gotten my safety stickers on lol... but I did get my mirror extensions on the other day... on a quick test sit it looks like the mirrors should have gone from about less than 1/4 usable to about 3/4 usable... I had to take a little bit of material off the choke leaver with a file to fit under the extension.

I also got some feedback on the funduro groups about the stoppers so I'm going to pull them and check all the pins and stuff are nice and free/lubed up and re bleed everything before going with new pads... but I may add pads as long as it's all pulled apart.

also I'm debating on what cell phone mount I want to use on it... the quadlock is tempting

In reply to donalson :

I have a RAM knock off and it works great

another minor thing done to the bike... a cheap windscreen adapter/riser from amazon costs about $22 if it'll moves the air up a little bit when i'm doing 50mph or so I'll be happy with it... I hate the buffeting it gives as it sits... if this doesn't work I'll likely end up cutting down the windscreen a little bit.

... I do wonder how much flopping around the windscreen will do considering how soft/flexible it is.

rain stopped long enough for me to ride some more while running some errands... bike started sputtering and I figured I'd just run out of fuel... flipped the petcock and it wouldn't rev up past 2500rpm and then would die... I spent enough time doing that till my battery died... 

I ended up waiting less than 1hr for AAA to come give me a ride home... which worked out nicely as the old bike was the primary reason I picked up AAA (add that my daughter will be going off to school starting next year)... 

I ended up replacing the voltage regulator based on suggestions from the forums and some testing which showed early signs of mine going out (apparently a super common thing)... I'll relocate it later in the year to get it into the air flow while riding which is supposed to help them last a lot longer... there is also options of upgrading to a switching regulator so I need to look into that I suppose...  

I also removed the inline filter from the tank to the carbs as there is allegedly two other filters already in the system and the inline filter was pretty clogged up (prob the real issue)

it did take a bit of starter fluid/ether to get it to properly start up and idling well... likely had some crap in the carbs (man I hate carbs).... also 2 carbs for a thumper... silly stuff haha

I didn't get it fixed till right after Christmas but I did find that the windscreen is about perfect for the speeds I'm riding... I also picked up a quadlock phone case/mount and was able to compare GPS speeds to the speedo and was shocked at how close the speedo was (-2mph @60mph)... just felt so much slower then the indicated speedlimit doh...

and 2nd picture was some of my Christmas gift haul... i work at an axe throwing house as a coach/manager... I ware a kilt hence the new kilt, a sweet/purdy 2hawks tomahawk... and then a silly helmet cover... in the winter I don't need the air flow on the helmet and don't notice it... although I can see an argument against them for sliding and adding extra friction on the helmet... but I'll rock it for the few months of the year that I can... mostly because it makes me laugh when I see the helmet on the shelf lol.

I had a k75 for a year. Definitely smooth and comfy, wife liked riding it 2 up. I just couldn't click with it, not quite my style. I think it had 75k miles when I bought it, put 5k on it, sold it for $100 more than I paid. Way too quiet for me, fuel pump was the loudest thing on it. I found a 70s NOS cocktail shaker type muffler for like $30 that made it sound much better. 

Those 650 beemers kind of intrigue me. There's a cheapish 650 Xchallenge on FB that looks cool. First thing I'd do would be to delete that big ass charcoal canister they did a piss poor job of locating.

fatallightning said:

Those 650 beemers kind of intrigue me. There's a cheapish 650 Xchallenge on FB that looks cool. First thing I'd do would be to delete that big ass charcoal canister they did a piss poor job of locating.

you mean this big honker? lol... I've seen a lot of KLR guys using PVC tubing similar dia to store tools and such... a bit longer obviously...it doesn't really bother me and it'll stay as stockish as I can manage without...

also I did 2 up for just a few blocks with my son who is taller than I am (think he's over 6'6 now) but only 140ish lbs lol... the bike didn't like the extra weight over my 300# haha 

Yep, that thing haha. A lot of tw200 guys do the same thing for storage. It bothered me so much, I looked up how to delete it for bike I don't even own. This was the 650 that caught my eye. Asking 3k. I hate yellow though.

wow that looks really pretty awesome... also I like where they put that voltage reg pack... mine has it under the seat... it's a common upgrade to relocate it near the charcoal canister to get it out into some air flow... and I'd happily rock that yellow... the only reason my main jacket isn't hiViz is because it wasn't avl in the size I needed... apparently either companies don't make as many of them in hi viz for the big size... or the big guys want to be super seen so they are the ones that buy them leaving the smaller sizes easily avl lol...

 

well I got it running again... replaced the voltage regulator which was out of spec but did take some work to get it running again... a bit of starter spray/ether helped it come back alive which I think was more just trying to get some of the crappy gas and trash though the carbs... I rode it to work again without issue but I ended up getting another motorcycle shortly after that...

the new boy is a 2020 kawi versys 650... it's SOOO much smoother than the BMW at every rev range and just outright feels more powerful across the rev range but still not scary fast (only about 12hp more and same tq)... but the top end of the twin vs the thumper is just crazy.... the versys is easy to push right up to 3 digit speeds... the thumper isn't really very comfortable at the 70-80mph range... the hand guards amaze me at how well it helps keep the hands warm even in my sumer mesh gloves in 40ish *f weather... also wind coverage is so much better... for interstate speed long rides I will want a different or modified windscreen... also came with luggage and the windscreen is adjustable which is a nice tidbit...


anyway back to the BWM... after getting home after riding the kawi one day I took the BMW out just to give it some love... about 1 mile from the house it decided it didn't want to rev over 2-3k... and then died... I was able to baby it most of the way home although I did have to push it for a few blocks... based on the issue the carbs need cleaned so I picked up a rebuild kit and will get it fixed when I have the time... I'm still debating if i'm keeping it or not with the new bike... that might depend on how much I can get for it and I know bike buying season is getting close... so I need to decide soon.

in the mean time I also picked up a harbor freight knock of pelecan case that will make a perfect trunk for it... if it sticks around it'll go on... if not it'll go on the versys... if it was the funduro model and not the ST i'd prob just keep it... but it's not really a dual sport so :-/... and I still always have my eyes open for a KLR650... less refined but more offroad oriented which would be a better complement to the quiver... 

also on the way to check out the versys and test ride it I noticed the fork needs new seals... it looks like a simple enough job... just need to pick up a seal driver... 

so we'll see if it sticks around.

The Versys has always been one of my favorite looking bikes! Nice score!

LMK if you decide to sell.  I may or may not have the funds when you're ready tho, lol.

The new bike is NICE

talking with my son today over lunch and it may get kept... not sure if he was joking or not but seems he actually might be interested in learning to ride... we still need to get his drivers licence driving hrs finished up so he can be a licenced driver first but that is the first time he's actually mentioned interest after me talking about it a few times... I did get him to ride pilion a while back which was fun (only a few blocks)... he'll be heading off to college in a few years so it might not be a bad idea for around town/campus... we'll see what happens... I wouldn't mind an excuse to keep it around and would give me a build in riding partner for some trips I'd like to do.

Versys is an excellent choice. I sometimes toy with the idea of replacing my Tiger 800 with one but know I'd miss my triple.

Seal driver:  if you can't borrow one (and I'd bet you could) just buy a good one, use, and put it back on Ebay when you're done. You'll get most of your money back if not all of it.

In reply to ddavidv :

there are times I can see that I'd appreciate more power... not that I need it but it's still fun... it's a great bike for what I need/want... as was the BMW lol...

thanks for the tip on the seal driver... 

so some updates finally...

I picked up the versys and was seriously considering just getting the BMW up and running and selling it as spring hit... but for whatever reason I've decided I want to keep it lol...

my plan with keeping it was to add some funduro bits and make it so I could hit some light off pavement riding stuff... then I started seeing some interesting modified bikes... some cafe style, some scrambler type bikes etc etc...  having the versys setup for solid commuting and longer rides I decided I'd like something more naked for lots of air flow... I ride the motorcycle as much as possible but I know as it gets deeper and deeper into summer... I won't go without gear so naked sounds like a good option haha.


this was the beginning of concept... I've removed the   front and lower side fairing, removed the fuel tank cover, and the huge rear fender and chain/brake cover stuff... I haven't decided if i'm worried about the exposed chain or not... but i've got a while before that matters.... the harbor freight pelican case will be mounted pretty much like shown just to have some luggage to make it a practical daily rider.

I plan on painting the remaining plastics either flat black or more likely using some truck bed liner, I've seen a few bikes with it including a guy I rode with a few weeks ago on his harley and even after a few years his still looked pretty good...



here I removed the gauge cluster from the prior picture... I was thinking about using the stock gauges just to keep things cheap... I even considered just running just the speedo with no other gauges... but I've decided I'm going to use a trailtech vapor, super compact and easy to wire up and with 3d printing it should be easy enough to keep the dummy lights (neutral, high beams, and oil pressure)

 ... also I'm going to ditch the crash bars... it seems the parts for this bike are gold so I should be able to sell some of the stuff I remove to offset cost of things...

I'd like to change the exhaust at some point... but what is avl is pretty meh or expensive... at some point I'll prb try to weld up a cross over pipe and use a generic slip-on muffler of some sort... I need to figure out the size of the stock muffler and I'll find something similar sized... but that isn't high on the list right now.

these next to pictures you can see the amazing quality work whoever rebuilt the bike did... I'm not sure what happend to this thing, part of me thinks it was stolen hence the lack of an ignition (and broken ignition fork locks)... but the broken off fork stop tab and (poorly) welded on gauge cluster mounts make me wonder if it was a crash or something...

here you can see the cheap bar end mirrors... we'll see if they work decently once it's running... but the obvious point of this was a visual for the 4x7 led light... this light was originally going to be used with the stock body work... I was thinking about a 6 or 7" round light but thinking about it I already have this thing so I picked up some light mount brackets and I'm going to make a bracket to mount the light... 

not pictured was the carb rebuild... the stock has a twin carb setup instead of a single carb setup... I know it's not super uncommon with the large thumpers but I dont fully understand why they went that route... I'm guessing to keep low end throttle response while not choking up top... but in a moment of weakness I picked this up from ebay... it's from a can-am bombarier ds650 which uses the same rotax engine/head... it may never get used but somewhere in my brain I keep thinking about a megasquirt install... or maybe just a single carb for simplicity? apparently the DS650 carbs are easy to get because they used a few variants some of which where used on harleys... who knows where this will end up... but I do want to get it riding again before I deal with that... haha.



also with no pictures...  I found the clutch was overly worn... I can't setup the clutch leaver with freeplay and still get the clutch to fully release... I've got a used complete clutch in the mail that'll get to be installed 

also I've got a early 2ks f650 GS rear shock which should raise the rear end a bit more than even the funduro shock would but it's a bolt in... 

also the prior owner really did some screwy ghetto fixes wo the stock wire harness... so I'll be going though it to clean/fix everything up... I will likely partly rewire things to remove the unused wires