my first road trip

[Anonymous]

Hey all i got my bike on the road finnally, at the end of summer i spent the first couple of weeks in town (ottawa) to get used to the feels of it ('82 GS650L). I booked a week off of work for my vacation and planned my first raod trip with it, although it wasn't a very long one, but how many first raod trips are> I left ottawa on sat night to go down to Cornwall for a few day to spend with my imidiate family. Now since this was my first road trip i didn't take any of the major highways so it was all back roads. While i was in cornwall my brother and i went over the the local Harley dealership and i was able to pick up a used aggressor windscreen, it's scratched and has a purple fade to it but it only cost me 40$c so i'm happy with it, well after a few days on in Cornwall i had a distinct desire to get the hades away from there so on to my next leg which was going down to Bethany, this is a small town between Peterbourough and Lyndsay so i prepped my bike checked all the electricals and started the ride, i was very happy on this trip it felt great the ride was smooth my seat was compfortable and the scenery was great, and with the new windscreen on i wasn't doing one heck of a long pull-up anylonger, i probably shouldn't have but on one long and empty section of the road i opened the bike up and with me tucked begind the windscreen and with the saddlebages full and my gearbag behind me the bike got to about 145k, i let it stay there for about 30 seconds and let her back down to 100, it's nice to know it's got the speed but also there really isn't much power at the higher speeds for quick passing, which means i have to get used to it a little more. On the way back i took the same road to ottawa and did the trip in 3.5 hours which is the standard time, the trip from cornwall to bethany took me about 5.5 hours so that was a little sore on the rear but i figure i'll get used to it in the next season

well i like to think of this as a positive towards this now 22 year old bike that's never had an engine rebuild onto it, hmm i wonder how much power it would have if i did have the engine rebuilt..............oh well maybe next winter

well i'm thinking about my next road trip will be to Wassaga beach for Canada day, maybe not really sure yet, i know i'll be going to a few more paintball tournaments though even just to be a spectator

ride well

dave

[Anonymous]

Great. Do it again and again Dave

[argonsagas]

Nice story, Dave.

As Scotty said, do it again......and again...
That's what a bike is for!

If you have friends towards Peterborough, then getting there can be a great deal of fun and enjoyment, as that area lets you drive some of the best bike roads Ontario has to offer.

On the mechanical side, it sounds like your bike may need a good check as 145kph is a bit low for a 650 to top out.

[Anonymous]

re:top speed

i think the speed was due to the full saddles and about 4 pounds in my extra bag i was carying, and i do have to have the bike looked at seriosly and hopefully be able to find the parts i need to fix it up, i know i'v got some engine problems because it want to stall out if i'm at a stop, unless i'm running more than an hour then it's fine

[Hoomgar]

Great ride Dave. Get it looked at for sure. These bikes are worth any money you put into them. They are lifelong companions.

[argonsagas]

Dave, with an '82 model, you should have electronic ignition. I would suggest you do a few basics on the bike, such as pulling the spark plugs and checking the compression (do the compression check with the throttle OPEN). Check the condition of your air filter.

Mark down the condition of each plug as it comes out, and mark it against its respective cylinder.

Get a multi-meter and check the voltage at the battery

You need three readings:
1-before starting ,
2- at idle speed and
3- at 5000RPM)

There is not enough to go on so far, but poor spark seems likely, so be sure you check the voltage at BOTH of your coils while the engine is running, and then check the actual spark at your plugs.

(Warm the engine up, then pull out one plug, attach the wire and lay the plug on the engine. Start it and look for spark colour and quality. Repeat this with all plugs.)

Take all your results over to the Technical Forum on this site and post away, giving all the details about how the bike is working.