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81 gs550 highway speed?

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    #16
    Originally posted by tkent02 View Post
    If you stop before it gets close to the power band, you're lugging it. It's not a truck.
    Hey, pull up an old truck thread sometime! Guys who have never driven anything but late-model cars/trucks with overdrive transmissions often proclaim the "top speed" where "the engine is screaming" to be something like 50MPH...lol. Some people honestly don't think a SBC will cruise at 3,000RPM without the rods coming out. I feel like I'm one of a withering number of people contently motoring down the road at 70 listening to the sound of a 350 turning 3,200...

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      #17
      Ok so I'm back and I only half agree about the high rmp's. After warming up to the redline I banged through all the gears between 7k and 10k at every stop that was safe to do so. I noticed after 9- 9 1/2k the power starts to dwindle and you lose that pop of power. I will agree smuggishly that I was lugging it around. the bike really does come to life in higher rmp's just not at the redline.

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        #18
        Each bike is a little bit different, but you might have some small tuning issue that is preventing full power at redline.

        Even so, there is no need to worry about "highway speeds for 45 minutes" as you stated in your first post.

        .
        sigpic
        mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
        Family Portrait
        Siblings and Spouses
        Mom's first ride
        Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
        (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

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          #19
          Its feels ike it topped out or "floating" because its running like it should at that power range. Stop worrying about it and drive the helllz out of it.
          MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
          1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

          NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


          I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

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            #20
            Originally posted by chuck hahn View Post
            Its feels ike it topped out or "floating" because its running like it should at that power range. Stop worrying about it and drive the helllz out of it.
            Amen to that. I learned to open mine up too. If it a'int screamin' it a'int in the zone. That wee 30 or so ft lbs is way up in the red.

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              #21
              Thanks all for the feedback it's much appreciated

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                #22
                One really dumb question what's the thing on the left side of the bike right below the seat it has a key hole

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                  #23
                  I would assume its a helmet lock.
                  MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                  1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                  NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                  I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

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                    #24
                    I don't know how much they changed the 550L from '80 to '81, but I just went out to my shop and snapped a picture of something that is on the RIGHT side, just under the seat. Is this it?


                    If that's it, that is the helmet lock.

                    .
                    sigpic
                    mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                    hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                    #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                    #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                    Family Portrait
                    Siblings and Spouses
                    Mom's first ride
                    Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                    (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                    Comment


                      #25
                      ha ha I said it's a dumb question.

                      I removed the weathered saddle bags from the previous owner today and saw this little gem. I thought to myself do I just put the key in and see what happens? I quickly told myself don't F?!$ up one of the last few rides of the season by messing around.

                      Thanks again no more walking around like an ass carrying my helmet.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by Steve View Post
                        Each bike is a little bit different, but you might have some small tuning issue that is preventing full power at redline.

                        Even so, there is no need to worry about "highway speeds for 45 minutes" as you stated in your first post.

                        .
                        35-year-old mechanical tachometers are also of somewhat dubious accuracy.

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                          #27
                          Is there a special tool to adjust the rear suspension?

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by Chaz View Post
                            35-year-old mechanical tachometers are also of somewhat dubious accuracy.
                            Mine routinely tells me I'm turning somewhere between 0 and 10,000+.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Huh, mine shows 12,000 a lot.


                              Life is too short to ride an L.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Originally posted by 81gs550l View Post
                                ha ha I said it's a dumb question.
                                Dumb questions are a LOT easier to handle than dumb mistakes.

                                .
                                sigpic
                                mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                                hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                                #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                                #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                                Family Portrait
                                Siblings and Spouses
                                Mom's first ride
                                Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                                (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                                Comment

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