McVick's NX650!
- Thread starter Brian McVickers
- Start date
Hltoppr
El Gringo Spectacular!
Stock jets were in it from the PO. Only difference is the K&N air filter for more airflow.
PO was running a "hot" spark plug for the altitude, as well as not running highway too much. Maybe try going to a cooler plug?
...or maybe someone with some thumper experience could ride it and tell you if it's running "normally."
-H-
PO was running a "hot" spark plug for the altitude, as well as not running highway too much. Maybe try going to a cooler plug?
...or maybe someone with some thumper experience could ride it and tell you if it's running "normally."
-H-
Thanks Andrew.
Great info, especially on the spark plug, I would have never thought.
I bought a new, stock spec, spark plug the other day just to have in my spares/tool kit. I'll install it and see how things go.
At this point I am on hold waiting for a new gasket for the carb fuel bowl cover, the old one is very compressed from age. I'll probably just renew all the rubber bits in the carb while I have it out.
Thanks again,
Brian
Great info, especially on the spark plug, I would have never thought.
I bought a new, stock spec, spark plug the other day just to have in my spares/tool kit. I'll install it and see how things go.
At this point I am on hold waiting for a new gasket for the carb fuel bowl cover, the old one is very compressed from age. I'll probably just renew all the rubber bits in the carb while I have it out.
Thanks again,
Brian
goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
Andrew just shed some light on it.
Almost guaranteed you are running lean (and therefor running hot)...for the same reason my Honda was: You increased the airflow with an aftermarket filter, but didn't change the amount of fuel you are dumping into the plenum.
Put the OEM air filter back in it (assuming you have the OEM airbox), and it will make a significant difference. Also, I wouldn't run a oiled filter on a dual sport, for the same reasons I won't run one in my jeep (or other vehicle frequently used on dirt roads). Or, change the jets &/or metering rod height, as you previously considered.
I use oiled filters on my Honda, but it doesn't see the dirt (plus, I needed the space where the air box was for a battery and some electrical junk...).
Almost guaranteed you are running lean (and therefor running hot)...for the same reason my Honda was: You increased the airflow with an aftermarket filter, but didn't change the amount of fuel you are dumping into the plenum.
Put the OEM air filter back in it (assuming you have the OEM airbox), and it will make a significant difference. Also, I wouldn't run a oiled filter on a dual sport, for the same reasons I won't run one in my jeep (or other vehicle frequently used on dirt roads). Or, change the jets &/or metering rod height, as you previously considered.
I use oiled filters on my Honda, but it doesn't see the dirt (plus, I needed the space where the air box was for a battery and some electrical junk...).
Ok, the bike, which needs a name come to think of it!, is all back together.
I replaced the hot plug with the standard spe spark plug, I shimmed the needle up about 1/32 or 1/16 of an inch and I installed a new idle jet that is one size larger than standard spec, from 48 to 50. I also kept the K&N filter althought I heard some solid reasons to move away from it. To be honest I just wanted to get the bike back together and use it, I was sick of deliberating and figured I can make more changes later as I become more comforatble with it and learn more about the bike. On top of that I am much more comfortable with taking it apart and putting it back together, to a point, so working on the carb should take a fraction of the time if I need to again.
During this work i took the time to fix some of the cowlings and fairings on the bike. 22 years of use had broken a few of the plastic mounting tabs and the bumps made things rattle.
Unfortunately no pictures of the process but I used a combination of super glue, baking soda, fiberglass cloth, two-part plastic epoxy and some similar plastic cut from a storage tub.
The super glue and baking soda mixture is truly amazing! lay down a bead of super glue, sprinkle it with baking soda and you get an instantly hardened filler which is rock hard from what I can tell. You can then sand it and even drill it. I had one void where the material was lost. I laid a bead on the edge and then used the baking soda. I did this multiple times until the void was completely full, and this void was about the size of a dime! I then covered the area with two-part epoxy and fiberglass cloth. When that was cured I put on another layer of "supersoda", sanded and then drilled the hole where I needed it to be. A little paint and good as new!
Brian
I replaced the hot plug with the standard spe spark plug, I shimmed the needle up about 1/32 or 1/16 of an inch and I installed a new idle jet that is one size larger than standard spec, from 48 to 50. I also kept the K&N filter althought I heard some solid reasons to move away from it. To be honest I just wanted to get the bike back together and use it, I was sick of deliberating and figured I can make more changes later as I become more comforatble with it and learn more about the bike. On top of that I am much more comfortable with taking it apart and putting it back together, to a point, so working on the carb should take a fraction of the time if I need to again.
During this work i took the time to fix some of the cowlings and fairings on the bike. 22 years of use had broken a few of the plastic mounting tabs and the bumps made things rattle.
Unfortunately no pictures of the process but I used a combination of super glue, baking soda, fiberglass cloth, two-part plastic epoxy and some similar plastic cut from a storage tub.
The super glue and baking soda mixture is truly amazing! lay down a bead of super glue, sprinkle it with baking soda and you get an instantly hardened filler which is rock hard from what I can tell. You can then sand it and even drill it. I had one void where the material was lost. I laid a bead on the edge and then used the baking soda. I did this multiple times until the void was completely full, and this void was about the size of a dime! I then covered the area with two-part epoxy and fiberglass cloth. When that was cured I put on another layer of "supersoda", sanded and then drilled the hole where I needed it to be. A little paint and good as new!
Brian
Temporary storage solution.
I have some long term plans for storage, at this point I am planning on Packsafe tail and tank bags along with Ortlieb soft panniers.
But for now I have added a Pelican 1550 to the rear rack!
This will hold a small first aid kit, some water and a pair of street shoes with a bit of space to spare.
Brian
I have some long term plans for storage, at this point I am planning on Packsafe tail and tank bags along with Ortlieb soft panniers.
But for now I have added a Pelican 1550 to the rear rack!
This will hold a small first aid kit, some water and a pair of street shoes with a bit of space to spare.
Brian
In the last two weeks I have had some pretty good saddle time, about 600 miles with 100 miles of that being on dirt. The dirt riding has primaryily been on maintained and unmaintained forest roads of varying condition along with a little bit of challenging single-track and some practice on a deep sand dune.
The bike is running very well and i changed the front sprocket to 14 teeth from 15 to go from a gear ratio of 3 to 3.26.
Here is a pick taken while airing our tires up after a ride just west of Lake Pleasant in AZ. Jason Strengel and I rode took a sunday morning and put in about 50 miles.
Here is Jasons new BMW F650, the back tire on that thing looks like it just came off of a tractor, almost twice as wide as mine.
Here is a shot from taking the backway up to the Overland Journal office in prescott! :victory:
The bike is running very well and i changed the front sprocket to 14 teeth from 15 to go from a gear ratio of 3 to 3.26.
Here is a pick taken while airing our tires up after a ride just west of Lake Pleasant in AZ. Jason Strengel and I rode took a sunday morning and put in about 50 miles.
Here is Jasons new BMW F650, the back tire on that thing looks like it just came off of a tractor, almost twice as wide as mine.
Here is a shot from taking the backway up to the Overland Journal office in prescott! :victory:
And here is a pick taken at the bottom of the sandy area off of Table Mesa just north of Phoenix, great place to practice with good shade in the afternoon!
Brian
Brian
Next, I've been able to work my way down my list pretty well so far.
I'll soon be installing:
- New handlebars (Easton EXP)
- Hand guard set with shield and barkbuster (Acerbis)
- New tires (Dunlop D606)
- Heavy duty tubes (Fly and Bridgestone)
- New chain
- New rear sprocket (JT Sprockets)
- New clutch cable (Honda Stock)
- New throttle cables (Honda Stock and MSR)
- I'm also getting a miniature 12v Aerostich air compressor that only weighs 16oz. I won't know until I get it but I am thinking of trying to hard wire and hard mount it somewhere on the bike.
After this upcoming round of changes and installations I'm considering:
- New brake pads front and rear
- Repacking the wheel bearings front and rear (no sign that it is needed I just want it to be good as new) - Any advice on this is welcome!
- Servicing the front shocks if needed -- is this needed? I have heard about people carrying spare fork seals, how often do the front shocks/forks need to be serviced and what happens to fork seals to require spares?
I'm also trying to figure out any of the most common issues that can happen with this particular bike and develop a spares kit to take on long trips.
Brian
I'll soon be installing:
- New handlebars (Easton EXP)
- Hand guard set with shield and barkbuster (Acerbis)
- New tires (Dunlop D606)
- Heavy duty tubes (Fly and Bridgestone)
- New chain
- New rear sprocket (JT Sprockets)
- New clutch cable (Honda Stock)
- New throttle cables (Honda Stock and MSR)
- I'm also getting a miniature 12v Aerostich air compressor that only weighs 16oz. I won't know until I get it but I am thinking of trying to hard wire and hard mount it somewhere on the bike.
After this upcoming round of changes and installations I'm considering:
- New brake pads front and rear
- Repacking the wheel bearings front and rear (no sign that it is needed I just want it to be good as new) - Any advice on this is welcome!
- Servicing the front shocks if needed -- is this needed? I have heard about people carrying spare fork seals, how often do the front shocks/forks need to be serviced and what happens to fork seals to require spares?
I'm also trying to figure out any of the most common issues that can happen with this particular bike and develop a spares kit to take on long trips.
Brian
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adventureduo
Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Late the party... but congrats dude. That's a sweet bike. I want a bike so bad.
Cabrito
I come in Peace
One of the most significant changes I have made to the bike recently was new handlebars. The stock steel handlebars were too short to allow comfortable and effective standing and they transfered an uncomfortable amount of vibration which would cause noticeable fatigue and made the sideview mirrors shake uselessly.
I considered swapping out the stock bars for taller steel bars but then I found the Easton EXP handlebar system and I was thoroughly impressed by the engineering that went into their taperwall design. It absorbs vibration and whithstands greater impact than the stock bars so if I set the bike down they are less likely to bend.
These bars are fat in the middle, a solid 35mm fat, and they feel strong - like you have a direct connection to the bike.
You can see the significant difference from stock
In order to use these bars you need to also use thier clamps which accomodate the fat bar. They also use four bolts per side to help distribute fatigue and stress better than the traditional two bolts per side.
Installation was straight forward, with several lengths of clamp mounting bolts to choose from they should fit just about any dual sport or dirt bike.
They also have measurements marked on the top of the bars along with indicating arrows to help in adjustment.
I have been very pleased with these new bars. I can now stand comfortably while riding and still have control of the bike. I was a bit concerned with being able to fit accessory clamps on to the tapered areas of the bars but so far I have not found any limitations. I've added a GPS mount and some Acerbis handguards with no issues.
I considered swapping out the stock bars for taller steel bars but then I found the Easton EXP handlebar system and I was thoroughly impressed by the engineering that went into their taperwall design. It absorbs vibration and whithstands greater impact than the stock bars so if I set the bike down they are less likely to bend.
These bars are fat in the middle, a solid 35mm fat, and they feel strong - like you have a direct connection to the bike.
You can see the significant difference from stock
In order to use these bars you need to also use thier clamps which accomodate the fat bar. They also use four bolts per side to help distribute fatigue and stress better than the traditional two bolts per side.
Installation was straight forward, with several lengths of clamp mounting bolts to choose from they should fit just about any dual sport or dirt bike.
They also have measurements marked on the top of the bars along with indicating arrows to help in adjustment.
I have been very pleased with these new bars. I can now stand comfortably while riding and still have control of the bike. I was a bit concerned with being able to fit accessory clamps on to the tapered areas of the bars but so far I have not found any limitations. I've added a GPS mount and some Acerbis handguards with no issues.
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Scott Brady
Founder
good detail and nice write-up. Get'in ready for Baja!
Very excited :wings:
Baja is going to be an amazing trip. 10 days on moto! :bike_rider:
One of the first bits of advice that I heard by many people was "you need to get some handguards". Sure, great, I'll put them on the list.
Then while on a tight bit of washed-out up-hill singletrack I decided to see what it would be like to ride this bike while lying on my side. While carefully getting myself into position I noticed that my guard-less handle bar end could have easily impaled my hand had it slipped off.
On another ocasion I began to notice that tree branches don't feel so good when hitting your knuckles.
Then there was the joy of having to replace a bent brake lever which actually became a broken brake lever after I ingeniously tried to bend it back to straight only to eventually ride 80 miles home with a duct-tapped lever.
Somewhere along the way handguards moved to the top of my list! If you don't have them, get them.
After searching a bit I decided to go with the Acerbis Multiconcept "T" Touring handguards.
They use a solid aluminum hoop as the guard, which Acerbis refers to as a "BarkBuster". This is the part that protects your levers and your hands from impacts. The large plastic shield of the Touring model deflects branches and provides a reletively calm pocket of air for your hands to escape the windchill.
First step was to cut a hole in the end of the handlebar grip to accommodate the mounting bolt which expands inside the handlebar when tigntened.
Before fully tightening the handlebar bolt you need to position the support on the inside end of the guard. To make this easy Acerbis has a swivel mount that can rotate to fit just about any bar thickness and angle. If you just can't find space on your bars they also make a bracket to connect to your fork mounts.
I'll post some detailed daylight shots soon.
Then while on a tight bit of washed-out up-hill singletrack I decided to see what it would be like to ride this bike while lying on my side. While carefully getting myself into position I noticed that my guard-less handle bar end could have easily impaled my hand had it slipped off.
On another ocasion I began to notice that tree branches don't feel so good when hitting your knuckles.
Then there was the joy of having to replace a bent brake lever which actually became a broken brake lever after I ingeniously tried to bend it back to straight only to eventually ride 80 miles home with a duct-tapped lever.
Somewhere along the way handguards moved to the top of my list! If you don't have them, get them.
After searching a bit I decided to go with the Acerbis Multiconcept "T" Touring handguards.
They use a solid aluminum hoop as the guard, which Acerbis refers to as a "BarkBuster". This is the part that protects your levers and your hands from impacts. The large plastic shield of the Touring model deflects branches and provides a reletively calm pocket of air for your hands to escape the windchill.
First step was to cut a hole in the end of the handlebar grip to accommodate the mounting bolt which expands inside the handlebar when tigntened.
Before fully tightening the handlebar bolt you need to position the support on the inside end of the guard. To make this easy Acerbis has a swivel mount that can rotate to fit just about any bar thickness and angle. If you just can't find space on your bars they also make a bracket to connect to your fork mounts.
I'll post some detailed daylight shots soon.
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