A 1200 Sporty is by no means slow. It's about as fast a Harley
platform as there is. /--- In W650riders@..., "Alexander
Ward" <award@...> wrote:

I've been lurking on this list for years, but now I have to chime

in

on this topic.

I think the Sportster is a great partner to the W650. I have both

a

2000 W650 and a 1996 Sportster XL1200S Sport. The Sport has
adjustable Showa forks and dual front discs. If you add rearsets

and

clipons and a decent seat, then it becomes a really fun scoot. '

No, it is not particularly fast, but the wide flat powerband
and more than ample torque combine with decent handling and

braking

to make it easy to ride without requiring a lot of work. If you
switch to 17" wheels and sticky tires it gets even better. Don't
worry about the vibration if you buy an older one with a solid-

mount

engine, just install BalanceMasters active vibration dampers and
fiddle with the final drive ratios (or even switch to chain drive)
and once it is dialed in, then just enjoy it.

Although any Japanese 600 can run rings around it, that is

balanced

out by the double-takes from all of the head-to-toe leather-clad
dumplings on their cool Harleys who are cruising along at 30mph

when

you pass them on the outside of a curve.

You do have to think about it though. One of the classic

disparaging

comments about Harleys is that they vibrate so much that parts

fall

off. It is true, too. the first time I rode the Sporty any
distance, both mirrors, the taillight, and one turn signal fell

off.

I felt like I had finally gained admittance to a long and proud
tradition!

At any rate, keep the W650, get a Sportster too.

Alex

--- In W650riders@..., "Larry Botheras"
<larry.botheras@> wrote:

Think long and hard. unless it's tricked up the 1200 sporty

will

feel

slower than the W IMHO, it's not that much more powerful (HD

never

quote)

but it is a lot heavier



From: W650riders@...

[mailto:W650riders@...] On

Behalf Of John
Sent: 11 July 2007 06:39
To: W650riders@...
Subject: [W650riders] Thinking about getting rid of my w650



I found a sportster 1200r that's tempting me to get rid of the

w.

What

are your thoughts on the 2006 sportster 1200 roadster?

Actually, that quote attributed to me, was not from me, don't know where it came from, but was probably a reply to what I had written earlier about the CMC



James Franklin
2411 Pine Summit DR. E
Jacksonville, Florida 32211

808-225-0994 (cell)





From: "john gary simpson" <eustisgary@...>
Reply-To: W650riders@...
To: W650riders@...
Subject: [W650riders] Re: 95, 295, 495 Highways, all.... nwc
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:42:43 -0000

Excelsior-Henderson bit the dust when the dotcoms took off. They
needed money to ramp up production, and most of their investors
pulled out and started putting their money in dotcoms instead. Too
bad. My 11 second EH was one of the most satisfying bikes I ever
owned!--- In W650riders@..., "James Franklin"
<jimw650@...> wrote:

The Excelsior/Henderson people screwed that up even though they

had huge

backing money. Indian (California Motorcycle Company version, not

the

Springfield company original) sold really poor quality motorcycles

in the

beginning, some of it was bad suppliers...the bike was a

composite, and some

of it of course, was trying to build too many, too soon. In their

last

couple of years the product was better quality, but the bike had a

limited

market, and those really interested probably bought the original

bikes and

got burned.



James Franklin
P.O. Box 289
Waimanalo, HI 96795-0289
USA
808-225-0994 (cell)




----Original Message Follows----
From: "kevin_cooklin" <kcooklin@...>
Reply-To: W650riders@...
To: W650riders@...
Subject: [W650riders] Re: 95, 295, 495 Highways, all.... nwc
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 02:00:38 -0000

Hey, Den--

If I remember our goodly Gene had a GB? They are not cheap

anymore.

Distant memories
tell me my own papa (I'm not Italian but am using this for

literary effect

only) bought one,
then lost it in a poker game. The dog. He could have waited for

me to take

it for a spin.
But it's a gorgeous bike. To. Be. Sure.

Ninja. I probably just need to hop on one sometime and go crazy.

In all

honesty, I've had
this anti-crotch-rocket mentality all my life, and I don't know

why.

There's no reason for
it. I graduated from high school in 1980. There's absolutely no

sense to

it. So I need to
overcome the prejudice and give it a go. Come on out and let me

take yours

for a spin. I
still would sell off my house for a 750 Norton Roadster, though.

It be in

the blood.

Don't completely rule out the new Norton, although all bets are

most likely

on failure.
Huge undertaking, and underfunding is always the killer. [The

attempt to

bring back the
Indian is an architypal model on the subject, and they had BIG

funding].

Still, I like a guy
or gal who is so passionate about what he does that he/she f____s

up the

funding, doesn't
get it right, and yet..... had to do it. Artists, creative folk,

so rarely

get the accounting, but
they get everything else. Let's hope he gets through it.

Did you sell the W because you were tired of it or because you

wanted to

gain a couple of
other cool bikes?

kev




--- In W650riders@..., "Dennis J. Guggemos"

<djguggms@>

wrote:
>
> Kev
>
> The GB is buckets of fun, and a sure conversation starter just

like the

W. The Ninja isn't
a 114hp 600 four, just a lowly 65 hp twin. Tops out around 130 I

hear but

I'll never find
out for myself. It does get to the ton in a hurry though. It has a

pretty

fair power band,
kind of like a super W, useable low end, comes on the cam about 6k

and pulls

like a m-f-
r. Red line at 11k but max power at around 8800. They cheaped out

on the

suspension,
the only adjustment is rear spring preload. The forks are just

beefier W

forks. However
that frame is super stiff, the racers love it.
>
> Sold the W to a guy that walked into the local dealer where I

had left

word. Seems like a
nice kid, said that's they way he would have wanted to fix it up

so I saved

him a lot of
trouble. He does a lot of 2-up with his gf and they like it.

They're not

really near here so
not likely I'll see it again.
>
> I read a bike tabloid a month or so ago that told of the demise

of the

Norton. I suppose
if they can find another bunch of money it could still be a go. I

don't

trust everything I read
on their website now as the $ meltdown happened months ago but the

website

didn't say
anything about it.
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: kevin_cooklin
> To: W650riders@...
> Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 5:29 AM
> Subject: [W650riders] Re: 95, 295, 495 Highways, all....
>
>
> Dennis--
>
> Wow, two other bikes.... and sold your W. Hey, the GB500 has

to be a

blast, as does the
> Ninja. I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself with a Ninja. Of

course, now

that you've sold the W,
> you must resign your office! Kidding, of course. Did you sell

the W to

a pal, or on Ebay,
> or.... just curious.
>
> Did the new Norton just call it quits recently? I was

checking them as

recently as a
month
> ago; at that time they indicated they'd quit their factory

and were in

search for another.
> They were also seeking more money, of course. But they had

not formally

thrown in
the
> towel. What a shame. But heck, that new Ducati Sport Classic,

the GT,

sure looks nice.
> Haven't seen one for real yet.
>
> Yes, need to get out there more on the bike. It's already

feeling like

fall here in PA.
>
> Best,
>
> kev
> Recent Activity
> a.. 16New Members
> b.. 1New Files
> Visit Your Group
> SPONSORED LINKS
> a.. Kawasaki motorcycles
> b.. Kawasaki vulcan
> c.. Kawasaki motorcycle accessory
> d.. Kawasaki motorcycle exhaust
> e.. Kawasaki motorcycle part
> Yahoo! News
> Space News
>
> Get the latest
>
> space related news
>
> Y! Toolbar
> Get it Free!
>
> easy 1-click access
>
> to your groups.
>
> Yahoo! Groups
> Start a group
>
> in 3 easy steps.
>
> Connect with others.
> .
>

_________________________________________________________________

开云体育

The AMA is contesting this.

Dennis

I appreciate it much Kirk

Jim, I would consider your bike, even at that price, if you were
closer. But Cal is a LONG way from Florida!--- In
W650riders@..., "jim_seagle" <jim_seagle@...> wrote:

Excelsior-Henderson bit the dust when the dotcoms took off. They
needed money to ramp up production, and most of their investors
pulled out and started putting their money in dotcoms instead. Too
bad. My 11 second EH was one of the most satisfying bikes I ever
owned!--- In W650riders@..., "James Franklin"
<jimw650@...> wrote:

The Excelsior/Henderson people screwed that up even though they

had huge

backing money. Indian (California Motorcycle Company version, not

the

Springfield company original) sold really poor quality motorcycles

in the

beginning, some of it was bad suppliers...the bike was a

composite, and some

of it of course, was trying to build too many, too soon. In their

last

couple of years the product was better quality, but the bike had a

limited

market, and those really interested probably bought the original

bikes and

got burned.



James Franklin
P.O. Box 289
Waimanalo, HI 96795-0289
USA
808-225-0994 (cell)




----Original Message Follows----
From: "kevin_cooklin" <kcooklin@...>
Reply-To: W650riders@...
To: W650riders@...
Subject: [W650riders] Re: 95, 295, 495 Highways, all.... nwc
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 02:00:38 -0000

Hey, Den--

If I remember our goodly Gene had a GB? They are not cheap

anymore.

Distant memories
tell me my own papa (I'm not Italian but am using this for

literary effect

only) bought one,
then lost it in a poker game. The dog. He could have waited for

me to take

it for a spin.
But it's a gorgeous bike. To. Be. Sure.

Ninja. I probably just need to hop on one sometime and go crazy.

In all

honesty, I've had
this anti-crotch-rocket mentality all my life, and I don't know

why.

There's no reason for
it. I graduated from high school in 1980. There's absolutely no

sense to

it. So I need to
overcome the prejudice and give it a go. Come on out and let me

take yours

for a spin. I
still would sell off my house for a 750 Norton Roadster, though.

It be in

the blood.

Don't completely rule out the new Norton, although all bets are

most likely

on failure.
Huge undertaking, and underfunding is always the killer. [The

attempt to

bring back the
Indian is an architypal model on the subject, and they had BIG

funding].

Still, I like a guy
or gal who is so passionate about what he does that he/she f____s

up the

funding, doesn't
get it right, and yet..... had to do it. Artists, creative folk,

so rarely

get the accounting, but
they get everything else. Let's hope he gets through it.

Did you sell the W because you were tired of it or because you

wanted to

gain a couple of
other cool bikes?

kev




--- In W650riders@..., "Dennis J. Guggemos"

<djguggms@>

wrote:
>
> Kev
>
> The GB is buckets of fun, and a sure conversation starter just

like the

W. The Ninja isn't
a 114hp 600 four, just a lowly 65 hp twin. Tops out around 130 I

hear but

I'll never find
out for myself. It does get to the ton in a hurry though. It has a

pretty

fair power band,
kind of like a super W, useable low end, comes on the cam about 6k

and pulls

like a m-f-
r. Red line at 11k but max power at around 8800. They cheaped out

on the

suspension,
the only adjustment is rear spring preload. The forks are just

beefier W

forks. However
that frame is super stiff, the racers love it.
>
> Sold the W to a guy that walked into the local dealer where I

had left

word. Seems like a
nice kid, said that's they way he would have wanted to fix it up

so I saved

him a lot of
trouble. He does a lot of 2-up with his gf and they like it.

They're not

really near here so
not likely I'll see it again.
>
> I read a bike tabloid a month or so ago that told of the demise

of the

Norton. I suppose
if they can find another bunch of money it could still be a go. I

don't

trust everything I read
on their website now as the $ meltdown happened months ago but the

website

didn't say
anything about it.
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: kevin_cooklin
> To: W650riders@...
> Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 5:29 AM
> Subject: [W650riders] Re: 95, 295, 495 Highways, all....
>
>
> Dennis--
>
> Wow, two other bikes.... and sold your W. Hey, the GB500 has

to be a

blast, as does the
> Ninja. I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself with a Ninja. Of

course, now

that you've sold the W,
> you must resign your office! Kidding, of course. Did you sell

the W to

a pal, or on Ebay,
> or.... just curious.
>
> Did the new Norton just call it quits recently? I was

checking them as

recently as a
month
> ago; at that time they indicated they'd quit their factory

and were in

search for another.
> They were also seeking more money, of course. But they had

not formally

thrown in
the
> towel. What a shame. But heck, that new Ducati Sport Classic,

the GT,

sure looks nice.
> Haven't seen one for real yet.
>
> Yes, need to get out there more on the bike. It's already

feeling like

fall here in PA.
>
> Best,
>
> kev
> Recent Activity
> a.. 16New Members
> b.. 1New Files
> Visit Your Group
> SPONSORED LINKS
> a.. Kawasaki motorcycles
> b.. Kawasaki vulcan
> c.. Kawasaki motorcycle accessory
> d.. Kawasaki motorcycle exhaust
> e.. Kawasaki motorcycle part
> Yahoo! News
> Space News
>
> Get the latest
>
> space related news
>
> Y! Toolbar
> Get it Free!
>
> easy 1-click access
>
> to your groups.
>
> Yahoo! Groups
> Start a group
>
> in 3 easy steps.
>
> Connect with others.
> .
>

I signed his petition and some time ago and have had
absolutly no problems.
Kirk

--- Ruari McLennan <r.mclennan@...> wrote:

开云体育

Do you have a long tail?..Do you have?glossy black fur?, do you hide in trees and eat monkeys by jumping up on their backs and ripping the tops of their heads off?

?

No....I though not...

?

Humph indeed

?

Jon

?

Oh yeah? Looks who's talking! Hmph.

?

Jake in the Shed

----- Original Message -----

From: Hazel Clarke

Panthers are GORGEOUS!!!

?

----- Original Message -----

From: Jonhaddock@...

?

If anyone is wondering, the bike is a late '50's or early '60's Panther 500cc or 600cc single known by many as 'Slopers'. They were built in Cleckeaton in Yorkshire and basically stayed the same from about 1920 until the mid '60's. Not the fastest motorcycle ever made but?epitomised the 'one beat per lamp-post' slow revving Brit single...

?

?

I nearly bought a combo like this aged 16 ( there were no engine capacity restrictions if a chair was attached) but got a Puch ( Sears Allstate) moped instead...which was possibly faster and definitely more reliable in the hands of a gormless lad....

?

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.6/900 - Release Date: 14/07/2007 15:36

Thanks all for the suggestions & links. The front sprocket was just
starting to hook (slightly concave on one side), so I replaced it with
the chain. The bike runs sooo much smoother now - it's like it's
young again.

I ended up getting a DID O-ring because that's all that I could find
locally and I didn't want to wait for mail-order. The dealer markup
was huge ($150 for a 130-link DID-O-ring). That impatience taught me
a lesson, though: order online next time - get what I want at a better
price.

开云体育

It was running a bit rich.....

开云体育

开云体育

Like it...An SR500 lump.......:-)

Spotted in Belgium - it might upset the British Bike purists but I think it works very well.

?

Haze

---

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.6/900 - Release Date: 14/07/2007 15:36

开云体育

As I remember they were ideally suited for sidehack service and didn't feel right geometry -wise solo.? Seems like I remember the cylinder head had the stering head mounted on it.? It WAS the front downtube.? 85 mph uphill,downhill, and off a cliff.? Pretty tho.???? Cheers? ?Keith Williams

Hazel Clarke wrote:

That motor looks right at home there. Very neat (finished) job.

Pete C

--- In W650riders@..., "Hazel Clarke" <hazel@...> wrote:

Spotted in Belgium - it might upset the British Bike purists but I

think it works very well.

Haze