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xs650 > > Stock Bikes > > Original Equipment Restoration Projects > > 650cc Ascot TT |
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650cc Ascot TT
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650skull Support Staff
Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 1186
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 7:28 am Post subject: 650cc Ascot TT |
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I came across this article, wasn't sure what to put it under, so thought i would post it here..............
Last edited by 650skull on March 25, 2009, 7:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
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650skull Support Staff
Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 1186
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 7:30 am Post subject: Re: 650 Ascot TT |
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The rest of the article
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gs1327 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Feb 20, 2007 Posts: 170
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 8:05 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Wow. That is to me by far the nicest looking XS I have ever seen.
_________________ Tom |
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yamaman Support Staff
Joined: Jan 04, 2007 Posts: 1638 Location: Perth Western Australia
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 8:37 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Cheers Skull, awesome! Another nomination to a read only forum!!!!
_________________ Its not enough to have an aim in life, you have to pull the trigger! |
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650skull Support Staff
Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 1186
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 10:51 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Kinda makes you wounder why it was never taken up......Has style............Yamaha lost it on the XS650
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jayel 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Apr 16, 2006 Posts: 3417 Location: SE Iowa 1974 TX650A
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 11:20 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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650skull wrote: |
Kinda makes you wounder why it was never taken up......Has style............Yamaha lost it on the XS650 |
Yamaha lost it on the XS650 Special.... they went with that late 70's faux chopper look
_________________ all it takes is time and money -- Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket? |
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Retiredgentleman 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Mar 03, 2007 Posts: 2258 Location: Calgary, Alberta 1978 XS650 SE
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 11:41 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Beautiful bike. You could sell that type of bike to-day!
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woodman Full Member
Joined: Oct 12, 2008 Posts: 256
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 11:56 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Thats from an old issue of Classic Bike isnt it ?
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Barbara Full Member
Joined: Feb 17, 2008 Posts: 812 Location: Washington State
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 1:48 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Cool! A unit twin Commando---they even slanted the engine forward like the original Norton.
So is it a Nortaha, or a Yamaton? Either way, I'd buy one, and if I could find a Commando rolling frame, I might even try mounting my spare XS engine in it.
It really is too bad Yamaha didn't manufacture that bike--it might have given the XS engine several more years of life. A slightly smaller version would have been great with the SR500 engine, too....
Very nice!
_________________ Barb
Jaelith the XS650 with sidecar
Britney the BSA
Gemini the BSA
Baby B. the BSA
Big John the BSA
The unnamed Triumph T-140
and the 1979 XS650....with "potential"
illie the 1980 airhead BMW |
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Barbara Full Member
Joined: Feb 17, 2008 Posts: 812 Location: Washington State
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 1:51 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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I just noticed the small shot of Bob Trigg---yup, it's a Commando with the XS engine, all right. Trigg was a moving force behind the Isolastic suspension on the Commando....one of NVT's "Bright young Men" in those days.
Beautiful bike.....I want one.
_________________ Barb
Jaelith the XS650 with sidecar
Britney the BSA
Gemini the BSA
Baby B. the BSA
Big John the BSA
The unnamed Triumph T-140
and the 1979 XS650....with "potential"
illie the 1980 airhead BMW |
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jayel 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Apr 16, 2006 Posts: 3417 Location: SE Iowa 1974 TX650A
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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someone should make up a kit... always like to watch those Norton engines jumping around in the frame while the bike was at idle
_________________ all it takes is time and money -- Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket? |
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xs1961 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Apr 23, 2007 Posts: 1808 Location: uk
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 4:59 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Tony Hall at HALCO used to sell the whole kit (minus the rubber mountings) and ready built Ascotts for a few years..Thers plenty around here..Had one myself.. I dont agree its the best looking XS ever though.
_________________ 1 running 650
2.5 bikes in bits,
no time,
gradually losing intrest... God help me... |
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oldskoolcool Full Member
Joined: Sep 08, 2007 Posts: 372
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 7:17 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Quote:: |
Yamaha lost it on the XS650 Special.... they went with that late 70's faux chopper look |
GIVE THIS MAN THE PRIZE!!!!
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xs1961 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Apr 23, 2007 Posts: 1808 Location: uk
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 7:42 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Ever ridden an isolastic norton? Pain in the arse they are..You either set 'em so they vibrate at low speed & enjoy smooth flat-out riding ,in which case the motor leaks & gives in after 500 miles , or set it to be comfortable at sub 50MPH pottering & shake your bollocks out of your sack everytime you hit an A road & the motor gives in at 100 miles..(take your pick)
Im glad Yamaha didnt go that route, there was no need, they vibrate far less than any Brit twin Ive ever owned.. besides - the mountings would just add more clutter & spoil the 'clean' look of the chassis..
_________________ 1 running 650
2.5 bikes in bits,
no time,
gradually losing intrest... God help me... |
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drifter 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Mar 25, 2008 Posts: 469 Location: Wilmington NC
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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>>Im glad Yamaha didnt go that route, there was no need, they vibrate far less than any Brit twin Ive ever owned.. <<
Agreed xs1961. I think that the new multis have spoiled people regarding vibration. Try riding a Honda 150 Dream (vert twin) at 70mph for 200 miles! Vibration!!?? Your teeth rattle for a day afterward!
Harley!!?? Shake your ancestors!
Norton 650 Atlas (pre isolastic)!!?? Rattle your bones!
Triumph 500 Daytona and Tiger!!?? See Norton Atlas above!
Yamaha XS650!!?? Comparatively smooth as a babies arse!
Dave
_________________ Drifter
Ace of Clubs
1978 XS650SE
"Never mind the track. The track is for punks. We are Road People. We are Cafe Racers." Hunter S. Thompson |
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xs1961 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Apr 23, 2007 Posts: 1808 Location: uk
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 7:51 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Hear Hear ! Well put Drifter
_________________ 1 running 650
2.5 bikes in bits,
no time,
gradually losing intrest... God help me... |
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penn71911 Full Member
Joined: Feb 07, 2008 Posts: 282 Location: Baltimore, Md
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 8:42 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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So what you're saying is... I can rubber mount my motor and NOT have the frame fold in half when I hit the twisties hard?... Hummm... I was afraid it would weaken the frame... guess who's about to start fabricating?
_________________ --Chris
'82 XS650 - Daily rider
'77 Honda CB750 - Recently adopted
'70 Yamaha CS3 - Saved from the junk pile... |
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Barbara Full Member
Joined: Feb 17, 2008 Posts: 812 Location: Washington State
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 9:11 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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C'mon, guys,
I've had a Norton 650SS (Not an Atlas--the Atlas was a 750 and a major vibrator!), a P11-A Norton (G80 Matchless frame and Atlas engine) before owning several Commandos.
The Isolastics need attention, and the early ones (pre-vernier adjustment) took an hour or so to shim, but if one took the time to do it right, the ride is amazing, even by today's standards. I've put 1300 miles on a Commando over two days in my youth, traveling between where I live (50 miles south of the Canadian border) to visit my parents in San Diego, and haven't been as tired as when I would put 500 miles on a Bonneville or TR6 Triumph.
That said, I freely admit that below about 1400 rpm, the front end bounced around, and the engine was always shaking like a spastic frog, but the ride was glass-smooth and I loved it. I'd Iso-mount my XS engine in a skinny minute if I knew how.
So....can ya tell I like Nortons?
_________________ Barb
Jaelith the XS650 with sidecar
Britney the BSA
Gemini the BSA
Baby B. the BSA
Big John the BSA
The unnamed Triumph T-140
and the 1979 XS650....with "potential"
illie the 1980 airhead BMW |
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drifter 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Mar 25, 2008 Posts: 469 Location: Wilmington NC
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 9:18 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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So....can ya tell I like Nortons?
Don't get me wrong Barbara, I dearly love Nortons and would own another if I had the money. That being said, I will still agree that they were real vibrators.
Dave
_________________ Drifter
Ace of Clubs
1978 XS650SE
"Never mind the track. The track is for punks. We are Road People. We are Cafe Racers." Hunter S. Thompson |
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jimmythetrucker Full Member
Joined: Mar 12, 2008 Posts: 1283
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Posted: March 25, 2009, 11:16 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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I once rode a customized BSA 650 Lightning from Yuma, AZ, to Los Angeles. The thing had pull-back bars on it and the vibration from the engine -- already enough to shake your teeth loose -- was amplified at the end of those long pull-backs. My wrists were asleep after 25 miles or so. It was the longest goddam 280-mile ride I ever took. I thought then and still think those British twins were vastly overrated, especially by today's standards.
It's like the legendary argument between the two old truckers: The one says "I don't care what anybody says, I'm tellin' ya they don't build trucks today like they used to." The other old trucker just grins and says: "Thank f***in' God!"
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650skull Support Staff
Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 1186
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Posted: March 26, 2009, 8:49 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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jayel wrote: |
650skull wrote: |
Kinda makes you wounder why it was never taken up......Has style............Yamaha lost it on the XS650 |
Yamaha lost it on the XS650 Special.... they went with that late 70's faux chopper look |
jayal what i meant was Yamaha lost it by not pursuing the development of the XS.............. And It was the US market that was the catalyst for those SPECIALS............Maybe we should write to Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper and complain
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650skull Support Staff
Joined: Jul 19, 2007 Posts: 1186
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Posted: March 26, 2009, 9:05 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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oldskoolcool wrote: |
Quote:: |
Yamaha lost it on the XS650 Special.... they went with that late 70's faux chopper look |
GIVE THIS MAN THE PRIZE!!!! |
standard /stan-duhd/ - n Object, quality,example or principle to which others conform or should conform.
special /spesh-uhl/ -adj Exceptional, out of the ordinary.
I guess you have one of those duhd's oldschoolcool
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jayel 650Rider Supporter
Joined: Apr 16, 2006 Posts: 3417 Location: SE Iowa 1974 TX650A
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Posted: March 26, 2009, 9:10 am Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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I agree, think what could have been if they had improved the charging system to bring it up to the same level as the TCI ignition, solid state no pissing around with brushes,
some work on the clutch to straighten it out, don't really care about pumpng up displacment, it's enough to get you arrested as is,
now for a cross country run larger bike would be nice but the 650 is good for a couple hundred miles a day so that works for me
_________________ all it takes is time and money -- Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket? |
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Barbara Full Member
Joined: Feb 17, 2008 Posts: 812 Location: Washington State
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Posted: March 26, 2009, 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: 650cc Ascot TT |
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Jimmy,
Couldn't agree more about the BSA unit twins! Vibrators with bad brakes! But---that's precisely why NVT designed the Isolastic system. They hadn't the money to build a multi, so they isolated the vibration.....well, most of the vibration.
On a rally ride of over 200 miles in 2007, I had a chance to ride a nicely built BSA Lightning, with the timing-side conversion. It was a beautiful bike, and at the end of 100 miles, my hands were numb. My feet weren't far behind. I traded with a friend for the remaining 100 or so miles, and he rode the BSA, and I got to ride his Commando Interstate. OMG! What a difference. There really are two classes of British bikes: pre-Commando and Commando. The XS, in my opinion, isn't as smooth as a well set-up Commando, but much more smooth than a Triumph, BSA or pre-Commando Norton. That's why I bought mine in 1978. I could have gotten a T140 Triumph brand new, but the way that Yam ran, and the bright lights--new in my world!--convinced me. And I've never been sorry! I love my Brits, but when I go to Montana or California or wherever, I take the XS650.
Just, as ever, my opinion....
_________________ Barb
Jaelith the XS650 with sidecar
Britney the BSA
Gemini the BSA
Baby B. the BSA
Big John the BSA
The unnamed Triumph T-140
and the 1979 XS650....with "potential"
illie the 1980 airhead BMW |
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