Hello, all. I figured I should move from the introductions thread. This is my new, and first, motorcycle; a 2001 LS650 that I bought for $400 from a guy that had let it sit, uncovered, in the parking lot at his apartments. He said it sat for a year, but the registration sticker expired Jan '12.
I got her running and moving using info from the forum. I haven't had to ask a question yet, but when I do I'll do it under the appropriate topic. Here I just wanted to offer up what I've done for the inspection and criticism of those more experienced than me. I'm not even a motorcycle noob, yet, and I appreciate any suggestions or advice.
Once I got it started and sat on it to ride around the parking lot a couple of times, I noticed the handlebars hit me in the knees when I turn. There was a riser made of 2" steel pipe nipples from any hardware store. I replaced those with 3" sockets and some longer bolts.
I wanted to bring the seat up a couple of inches, too. I'm 6'3", and I feel like I'm squatting down on it. I was only able to get about an inch above stock with some sway bar bushings and 45mm bolts from autozone.
I don't think I did that right. I just wanted to raise the seat, not the tank. I'll see if I can reconfigure it in the morning.
Before it's ready to ride I need to replace the intake boot/manifold thingy that has a crack in it, and the rear brake light cable that has rusted through and snapped right behind the knobby thing that clips into the brake pedal, and get some new mounts and bulbs for those front turn signals. Someone got mad and kicked those because a derelict motorcycle was hogging a prime parking space for a year or two. Once it's doing it's job getting me from A to B I can start thinking about longer shocks and higher handlebars and extended forward controls and putting a train horn on that thing. The horn on it now sounds like the Roadrunner. Meep-meep.
This seems to be as good a place to stop as any.