Good afternoon

[iansoady]

I've (re?)* joined this forum as I'm thinking about replacing my Suzuki Wee-Strom with an XBR500.

I had an NX650 some years ago and liked it, and have had many British big singles over the years including Norton Model 18, Velo Venom, Matchless G80, BSA B31 etc etc as well as an SP400 and an XT500 - and am currently restoring a 1931 Sunbeam 350.

So am looking forward to popping in and renewing my acquaintanceship with the Honda singles.

* I think I was a member of an earlier incarnation some years ago......

[Andy M]

Hello,

Think we know each other from the Weestrom forum? Welcome back to the nut house.

Can't help much on the Jap singles. Enfield or nice 2 smoke is what you need 

Andy

[iansoady]

Not an Enfield - I used to ride one in pre-65 trials and it would just bring back unhappy memories of lying in the mud being used as a traction aid by the likes of Sammy Miller.

As for 2 strokes the less said the better.

I had a test ride on a Mash 400 yesterday which I quite liked but thought it overpriced and of somewhat questionable quality. Its engine is based on the XBR which is why I'm now moving in that direction.

[timbo]

Welcome back Ian. Can you tell us a bit more about the Mash, as I really like the look of them. Is the finish really that poor?

[Andy M]

I was fancying the MASH too. Not to SR400 standards? Now they are overpriced.

Andy

[Dave#22]

I'm curious as well.....I went to the Wheels & Waves event in Biarritz last month and Mash had a stand there, but one thing I noticed is the models they were selling were 500's. The design and quality looked okay, but a British winter would prove that, one way or the other.
Dave.

[SteveC#222]

Welcome!

Can't go far wrong with an XBR as long as it's been looked after. Easy to live with, plenty of spares, strong motor ( as long as you do regular oil changes) Still plenty around at reasonable prices but they are going up. Not as pretty as the GB but then the GB costs £3 grand more!!.  Watch out for noisy top ends and pulsing rear brakes.

[iansoady]

This is what I posted elsewhere.....

Having returned from my test run on the MASH 400 – many thanks to Ian at Chas Mann Motorcycles in Kings Norton. I took the bikes for about 20 miles of mixed going excluding motorways.

Good points:
The engine is very lively and responsive. It goes better than I expected from 400cc, sounds good and is without doubt the best feature of the bike.

The gearbox changes easily and smoothly although it was reluctant to engage neutral.

The bike looks very nice (although you can't see much of it when riding) and the finish was good.

It has a comfortable riding position with raised bars. All controls "fell readily to hand" – or would do when properly adjusted. Brakes worked well and handling was fine at the modest speeds I achieved. It always seemed to be going faster than indicated which may be good or bad!

The frame looked well made and robust.

Two year parts & labour warranty is useful.

Less good points:
The build quality is not brilliant – for example, the gear lever is steel rather than alloy and its weld looked rough. Apparently another owner had experienced a stripped thread in the timing cover which raised questions to me about the materials used.

The suspension was quite crude – bouncy and harsh – although having just stepped off the V-Strom which is magic-carpet like this may not be fair of me.

I feel the price of just under £4,000 is rather steep especially considering what is likely to be dramatic depreciation in the first couple of years.

Conclusion.
I don't think it's for me – at least at present. It may be something I would consider when used bikes come on the market in a year or so when someone else has taken the depreciation hit.

ps Why do we need to do the captcha every time we post? It's driving me slightly berserk........

[iansoady]

Following on....

I'm slightly concerned that the XBR may have a slightly cramped riding position for me as I had a knee replacement a couple of years ago limiting the flexing of my left knee. I've never actually even sat on one and that when I do come to take the plunge I'll probably be travelling some distance. Is there an owner in the Midlands who would be kind enough to let me try theirs for size? Not ride it or anything......

[SteveC#222]

The riding position isn't actually as 'sporty' as it may look, knees sit nicely in the tank recesses and 'drop' bars aren't that low. You can easily swap the clip-ons for upright bars, the bars from the CBX550 are more or less a straight swap. I'm sure someone would let you have a try if you are near - where are you exactly?

[guest564]

A stock XBR is relatively large for a single, it certainly makes an SRX look tiny.


I don't get a captcha?

[iansoady]

I'm in Hall Green, Brum.

Maybe I get the captcha cos I is new?

[CrazyFrog]

Ian,

I've seen your posts on IKBA. It's not an XBR, but you are welcome to come and sit on my SLR650 any time you want, or even just to pop in for a coffee and a chat as I'm only just down the road from you in Shirley.

Regards,

Pete.

[iansoady]

Hi Pete, seen your posts too.

That would probably be helpful. As I mentioned I did have a Dominator about 10 years ago but increasing age coupled with decreasing flexibility probably means that (and maybe the SLR) would be on the high side.

Next week sometime maybe?

Struggling a bit to get shot of the V-Strom at the moment. It's always the same - when I'm looking for a bike they're thin on the ground & expensive, when it comes to sell nobody wants them. When I bought the Suzuki 2 years ago the cheapest I found was £2,200 - looking at sold ones on ebay they're now well below £2,000 so I'll probably have to adjust my price.

Oh well.....

[CrazyFrog]

Yes, next week's fine with me Ian. I'll send you a PM with my mobile number.

I echo the sentiments on selling too. Having recently acquired the MZ SilverStar, I really do have to get rid of my DR350 as I just don't have room in the garage. When I bought it last year, it was the best one I could find for £1500.  Having spent a couple of hundred licking it into shape, I now find I'm struggling to sell it for £1,000!

C'est la vie.....