K-A-T-E  : is my Kawasaki / Triumph W-650

So , as most of you know Kate spent several years in a lean-too collecting dust and dirt before I rescued her .
That was about the first of August this year.

Now three months later I felt confident enough in her to take a 300 mile ride on her.    That would be 150 miles away from home .  

Spending a 6 hour day together is a good way to get to know more of those little quirks about anything I believe.

This first thing goes back to the new chain and sprockets Kate got.  Turns out Kate is long-legged .  Speedo (drives off F/sprocket) says 70 while the GPS says 76-77.   That would be at 4000 rpm.    At that gearing - going up a steep Interstate mountain grade in 5th gear at said 76mph while pushing a full size windshield leaves very little power for accelerating.    
That's not to say that 4th gear is catching its breath , it still has plenty of jump and speed left.   Fourth gear has a RED-LINE speed of 110 mph or so.

Next thing :  Giving a speedo error of 8% to the mile counter the MPG comes out to the high side of 50mpg at 75-77 mph.  That's about right with the other bikes I've ridden.

I've come to think the W650 has more " get-up-and-go " than the Savage motor does once the RPM's get to going , but at lower RPM where most folks ride the difference is very little.    At 5,000rpm where the LS650 is tapering off  - is about where the W650 is coming alive good.  So at 5,000rpm in 4th gear Kate is in the mid-70's mph getting ready to make a leap of some sort.

The standard seating position on Kate is more conductive to long periods in the saddle than ridding on the Savage.   The Guzzi (Lucky) has the same sitting position going on and has a Corbin to sit on , I would recommend  one of them to anybody , and if I keep Kate I'll get her a Corbin too.   But those seat are $$$ and Lucky and Kate are close to serving the same function.

I did have a guy come in the gas station where I was today ,he was asking , "who's Triumph is that outside."  

picture of Kate after her first bath at my house , no recent pictures yet , I'll work on that.

There are a couple of old BSA models I wouldn’t mind having.  😎 🏍 👍

Who knows, maybe someday.

ohiomoto

If only ultra Classics came in 400# packages ???  

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I've got about $3500 , in Kate - and only got about 800 miles of JOY out of her .    Ask me again in the spring ?    

I'll have to admit I enjoyed playing with getter her in top shape ,  .

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The bore and stroke is like the 1960's Triumph's  with a longer stroke than bore.   She can get down really low in the RPM's and still smoothly pull off "slick as a button"     Its easy to like !  

Ohiomoto

If me and Kate ever get up your way , I'll be glad to come by and introduce you to her proper , if your in a position to take her for a ride .  

Do you know a guy that goes by ohiorider ?  He lives in Cleveland also .  

LANCER wrote on 12/12/20 at 08:46:14:

I have couple [img][/img]

She is called "Sarah" for my first love from high school lost to cancer

Don't know ohiorider...

I had a mildly customized 71 Triumph back in the mid/late 90s...the HD boom years.

I use to go bar hopping with it and it would end up parked between a bunch  $50k-$70k custom HDs and there would always be an old guy who would  walk in and ask "who's Trumpet is that?"

Love the BSA Matchless, my 71 had the same ram air intake on front brake and right side shifting.  So cool!  haha

ohiomoto wrote on 12/13/20 at 06:53:07:

 
The only problem with the right side shifter is the shift pattern is backwards to my Matchless.
So the Bsa is one down rest up and the Matchless is one up and rest down.

I prefer the shift on the Matchless.  

I just have to keep thinking when I ride it .