Good day Inspired by posts about motorcycle purchases, I decided to also tell my story. A story about choosing a motorcycle, purchasing and maintenance, which turned into a full-fledged repair. Suzuki Freewind XF 650 motorcycle is quite rare; there is almost nothing about it on the bike post (probably because it has not been produced for 15 years - forever yours, Cap). Year of release: 1998. If suddenly anyone is interested in this necro-Japanese, click you know what.
Let me make a reservation right away that there will not be any crash, enduron, or just tests, or even more or less adequate comparisons with other equipment. But a lot of text awaits you, flavored with a selection of photos of terrible quality. In general, you have been warned
Becoming a tourist guide
First I wanted to be a metalhead, then a musician, then a motorcyclist... Why this is so and in that order - who knows, but I can definitely say that without the first and second points there would be no last one. In general, it all started with an idea to buy a motorcycle that was completely unreasonable and, for some unknown reason, firmly stuck in my head. Why exactly a motorcycle - I still can’t guess. The idea appeared in my head just as suddenly and also greatly influenced my future life, like the idea of buying an album by Metallica (RE-Load, as I remember now), after the then interesting E-Type. The first was the Chinese Zongshen ZS250-5, naturally a la chopper and of course black. Then there was the Yamaha DragStar XVS400. With him I learned to love and maintain equipment, with him I learned that my hands are not from where I thought before. Well, with it I broke my stereotypes about what color a motorcycle should be. Not black - it's too boring. But time passed, the kilometers rolled in, the roads worsened, and then something went wrong. Maybe I’m tired of catching holes with my lower back, maybe I’m tired of almost daily waste after driving at least 300 km. It's time to change something...
Purchase and selection
It was far from 2015. There is either a crisis in the country, or a war, or insanity. Either the tanks will arrive, or the president. After a long period of beating my own money from the bank, it suddenly turned out that exchange rates had somehow risen slightly, and if at the beginning of the year I could even look closely at all sorts of BeMeVe, then by the end of the summer I no longer really hoped that I would be able to buy at all something. Of course, no one wanted to buy my drag, which is understandable with such misunderstandings in the country... Therefore, I didn’t have much choice - I had money, I had to spend it urgently before it depreciated. I heard that there is such a motorcycle, very economical, unpretentious, with spoked wheels (19 wheels in front) and a well-proven engine. I also heard about Pegaso and KLE, but I didn’t like the first one for some reason (probably because of its origin), and the second one had a very rich appetite; also Africa is too old and, accordingly, terribly shabby (naturally, we are not talking about a new motorcycle), and Transalp is expensive or old, like Africa. And then I came across an advertisement for the sale of a device, which I still own today. The price was quite significantly reduced, and the mileage was quite high - 55 thousand, the condition of the engine, according to the owner, is simply excellent - even tomorrow we’ll go around the world, well, the plastic is just tired. In general, a call to the seller, a call to a friend, a train, a meeting, a purchase and a journey home of 1200 km. Photo from the ad
Way home
The motorcycle has been purchased, all the documents have been submitted to the MREO, I have a 1200 km journey home ahead of me on a new class of motorcycle for me. Well, what can I say, after a 400cc drag, an increase in power of one and a half times (and the bike has 48 horsepower), the turdurs feel very good. And the soft suspension is just a fairy tale. At the same time, all the way I was constantly looking for steps far ahead, well, an unusual landing. Still, seven years on chopper-like equipment is somewhat addictive. But there were some adventures. First, on one of the many bumps, the saddlebag mount broke off. Of course, I put the case back in place, but it popped out again on the first bump that came along. Therefore, I drove at a speed of no more than 40 km/h... and drove like this for 200 kilometers... until (face palm) I remembered that I had a spider net with me. It was the longest and most confusing 5 hours of all my trips. The second problem was more serious. Inspired by the increased cross-country ability along our specialized interregional highway Zaporozhye-Mariupol (who knows, he will understand the sarcasm), among the variety of holes and swells, I lately noticed a hole that was all over the road and probably 20 cm deep. Brake, shock and ejection case. Stopping, assessing the consequences - the rear brake mounting bolt jumped out and was lost without compensation. We fasten the caliper to the pendulum with electrical tape (now we can’t do without electrical tape), slow down and drive the remaining couple of hundred kilometers with only one front brake. The third one may be a small thing, but it made me sweat. At the next checkpoint, I accidentally pressed that red engine stop button, which I was warned not to press. That's all. The button is jammed. I'm standing. The military (checkpoint guards) do not have pliers. Night. I drink Fanta and slow everyone down. About half an hour later the pliers were found and the jammed button was pulled out. As a result, on the first day I walked about 800 km (of which 200 km was crawling), which for me at that time was the longest daily run. And in the morning there were no negative thoughts like “to go again”, “how you’ve already got me”, “how long will it take to go there”, no fatigue and back pain. And upon arrival home, an expander was purchased with the goal of pumping up the forearm of the left hand over the winter (for training in squeezing the clutch with a cut off handle).
Technical condition of the motorcycle
I’ll write it down point by point, similar to the manual. We talked a lot with the seller, especially after the purchase, especially on the topic of which of us is the bigger handyman. There were standard answers to basic questions about the condition of this or that node: “I don’t know, everything worked for me”, “that’s how it should be”... I never got an unambiguous answer from him: did he service it in any way. 1. General condition. 1.1 Plastic. The plastic is tired. It can be seen that it was used more in enduro mode than in touring mode. There are a couple of broken fasteners that won't cause much trouble. The plastic on the tank was repainted, in one place it was painted over with an ordinary brush with ordinary paint (the owner said that he tried to wash it with a Karcher and the paint began to peel off, which indirectly indicates the quality of the painting). The turn signals were broken and somehow glued, both of them. One did break off when the spendthrift was gently placed on the sand in the photo below. After the first disassembly of the plastic on the tank, I still couldn’t put it in place without gaps - well, it doesn’t fit into place unless you tighten it on one side. How the owner managed to assemble it without gaps is beyond me. The front fender is simply terrible: crooked and scratched, it resembled Frankenstein, because... was glued together from 3+ parts. That's why it's crooked. Once it cracked at the bolted location and was repaired with a nailed aluminum cover. Most likely it will remain this way forever. I was asked to send a wing from IZH - you can see this monstrosity in the photo from the ad above... it didn’t work out to my joy. The rear mudguard is almost completely missing - only a stub remains for shielding the chain. The biggest pity is his absence. I really like the appearance of the motorcycle along with it. Although I had already gone to help out a friend on the same moto, when this same mud scavenger fell apart on the move. Photo with a mud vent from the internet. The vent is homemade, short and scratched (the one in the photo from the ad was also promised to be sent... it didn’t work out). It was not particularly windproof. I tried to extract what was promised from the former owner and received a piece of plexiglass (well, so as not to bark), which still had to be bent and cut. In general, I improved my skill in bending and shaped cutting of plexiglass from scratch... it turned out a bit crappy, but with this it was better than before. Photos of the first and second, as well as the last one on a motorcycle: And then I freaked out and bought a Polish windshield from Loster. The view became more interesting and here my skills in working with plexiglass came in handy, because... This glass did not fit my steering wheel (although I am still inclined that the Poles did not take something into account somewhere). I had to cut it. Something happened there, photo before: Shad central case, apparently 45 liters (can fit two helmets). Constantly torn out of the standard platform, at first I came up with quick-release mounts - using a seatpost from a bicycle. It turned out well, but then I vomited again along with the meat. In general, I got tired of it and gave it to my friend. 1.2 Controls. The mirrors are different, according to the words, from Aprilia Pegaso, and from different models/years. In principle, tolerable, although the left one did not hold its position at first - it swayed in the wind like a weather vane. I hit it with a hammer and the problem was gone. But the craving for beauty that remained after owning a dragstar was there, and I still bought a set of mirrors on Lewis. The mirrors, by the way, are so-so: the reflection is not reduced, which greatly reduces visibility and increases the blind spot. It took me a long time to get used to it. The driver's footpegs are toothy metal, by the way, very comfortable, only the sole is torn (old ones cut off with a grinder - received as a bonus). The running boards are mounted with M10 bolts and all of these mounting bolts were bent. I can’t even imagine what they went through. Now I'm thinking about installing regular original footrests, because... The sole on the boots is running out. The clutch lever is tuned - i.e. circumcised This is how it should be, or it was done on purpose - I don’t remember, most likely it was just broken. I pumped my forearms with an expander all winter, and in the spring I bought a new lever. For some reason, the brake foot is also not original - with a small platform for the foot (the original one was included). Pretty soon it broke off and replaced it with my original one - heaven and earth. The brake has become more informative and we can easily find why that tuning was needed - no idea. The clutch foot is not original again. The splines quickly licked off due to well-licked splines on the shaft. I bought my own used one, but the teeth on it also began to lick off quickly. I'm thinking about drilling the shaft. The steering wheel is not original - with a crossbar (or whatever it’s called - correct it if that’s the case). Had clumsily drilled holes for remote controls. When I adjusted the steering wheel to suit myself, the remote controls were located at an not very convenient angle. I haven’t decided to make holes yet, I’m used to this. 1.3 All sorts of little things. The bolts, twisted and twisted countless times, look terrible, many have been replaced with more or less suitable analogues. In general, when disassembling/assembling plastic, you need to be patient, because... One head cannot unscrew all the bolts on the plastic. It seems like a small thing, but it’s terribly unnerving. I would have replaced it a long time ago, but in our settlement no one has ever seen such bolts in their entire life. The tail quickly began to crack in the same place where it had already been cooked. Although there is a trunk, the model itself is not designed to carry a lot of weight. The pipe itself from which this tail (or subframe) is made has a thickness of no more than 2 mm, so it cannot withstand much weight. The problem was solved, the weak point was strengthened. 2. Engine. Everything goes wrong with the engine - you hear it fart, that is. compression is excellent. I drove three thousand on it, I didn’t change the oil, but it’s there. And keep a sample of the valve cover gasket with the part number - use only those. My epic with the engine began with adjusting the valves. Because I didn’t have any probes, so I went to a friend’s garage to get them. At the same time, he complained that oil was leaking from the cylinder gasket (this engine has one). I was offered to disassemble the engine right here. And since I have never done this and am still terribly afraid, it didn’t take long to persuade me. When you are offered help with advice and more, how can you refuse? And then it started... I really regret that it was not possible to check the compression before disassembling the engine. At least just to test the theory of the connection between compression and exhaust pipe emissions. I will describe the process in more detail later in the repair section. I also found out that the knee of a single-barreled gun gets very hot, almost to the point of reddening. Especially noticeable in cold weather: But, by the way, these were the valve cover gaskets, which “only need to be used.” The gray is a sealant. Here I do not quite understand the need to use a gasket 2-3 times thinner than necessary. Also, when the engine is turned off, the starter motor knocks. Many people have this and many don’t worry, like me. 3. Fuel system. I learned only one thing from the owner: he eats little. I myself tried to adjust the carbs with little success, but never got around to cleaning them. Although they say it’s easy, I’m afraid of the unknown. As long as everything works, let it work, I won’t interfere with the technology. In principle, problems in the fuel system appeared only after my intervention in the adjustment, but these are minor things. Well, I changed the worn-out gasket, which was causing gasoline to leak out of the tank. 4. Chassis. Scottoiler is available, model: Scottoiler vSystem, but without a nozzle - it was torn off in the forest. I finished it off (attached a nozzle) and am using it to the fullest. During the time I used the cardan, I became somewhat unaccustomed to crawling under the motorcycle to lubricate the chain, but I didn’t get used to it. I poured the oil according to the manual (something simple for hypoid gears), I’m happy: the legs and wheel are clean, no matter what anyone says, the chain is lubricated. This year I tried to pour waste - in this way I solve the problem of its disposal, I will give a verdict on the life of the chain later - when the chain runs out. Gold chain!!! Front sprocket as a gift. The chain went another 20 thousand, the spare sprocket was changed almost immediately. Brakes. The front disc is composite, but there is about two millimeters of play in the outer disc, although it looked almost new. I was scared to travel with him. The thickness of the rear disc was 2.8mm!!! What thickness did you maintain before replacing? The brake pads were ground down to bare metal. The calipers were covered in mud. The brake piston of the front brake could only be pressed in by holding it in a vice. I can’t even imagine how it worked, but how can I remember that I drove several hundred kilometers on such a brake on the day of purchase (after the rear brake came off)… I try not to remember. Reinforced brake hoses. The tires are Mitas, quite fresh and toothy. I almost immediately changed the rear one to Michelin ANAKEE. Now I have replaced it with a regular road Dunlop. The wheel bearings were recently changed - according to the words. On my last trip to Europe (at about 25,000 miles), the rear one fell apart. Now I'm thinking about replacing everything myself. Suspension. Well, they immediately warned me that it needs to be checked/lubricated every year - that’s what the previous owner told him, but he never got around to it. And then I started to go gray. Guess what it is in the left photo: And these are pieces of metal hose as an alternative to replacing bearings, they stood instead of the bronze bushing in the photo - marked with an arrow. In fact, this crap stood there for an unknown amount of time, smashing the bearing seats into trash. I wanted to experiment (well, as if there was no other choice at that time) and put bronze bushings there, shown in the photo with an arrow. By the way, for those who are interested, the wear of the bushings is visible after 10 thousand kilometers. Overall, it's not worth it. On the “third cross-beam” the fastenings for the bolts have been torn out. They handed me an unfinished iron plate to replace it, but I considered it dangerous to use, because... Anything that happens will rip the meat out of the aluminum fork legs. And this will cost too much. I left it as is. The fork oil was very liquid; according to words, a viscosity of 7.5W was provided. The plug often broke, so I eventually replaced it with a 15W one, as per the manual. For the sake of sport, when changing the oil, I decided to check the level of the old one poured into the crowbars. The difference between the crowbars was 40mm. 5. Electrics. The engine stop button is stuck, I was warned, but it was still pressed at the most inopportune moment. I fixed it in the garage in 10 minutes. The Chinese rear turn signals were falling apart and were also replaced with Chinese ones with LEDs. The relay regulator is also made in China. The cigarette lighter socket was later replaced with a similar one, but with USB outputs. The battery is the cheapest Chinese. It was replaced almost immediately. For some reason they opened the headlight and in some perverted way, except maybe they beat it with a sledgehammer. I didn’t dare take it apart - most likely everything was attached with glue or sealant, and there was no point: there was no dust from the friction of the plastic on the reflector (many people complain about this) - gluing probably helped.
Maintenance and repair
There was black paint, so the terrible front fender and welded tail pipe were repainted from gray to black. As my friend said, it doesn’t matter what color you paint your motorcycle, the main thing is that this color is black. 1. Engine. As I wrote above, it all started with adjusting the valve clearance... And now we are disassembling the engine... The timing chain was the first to be defective. For about every 5 cm of the chain, at least one jumper was missing, and in some places as many as two were missing on one link. Naturally - replacement. When checking the valves for leaks (the old-fashioned way - by pouring degreaser), it was decided to grind them in, because all the valves were leaking. It was long and painful, I learned the skill of desiccating valves without special tools. Only one valve did not reach the ideal; to be on the safe side, the valve was replaced, which did not help much. I keep the valve as a souvenir of the torment I endured. Piston cleaned. Everything that could be measured was measured with a caliper - everything was normal (I know that I should have used a micrometer). The gasket under the cylinder was replaced (they say that a metal one would be better - it will last longer, it was replaced after two years). Assembly. The valve clearances are set, the compression is measured - normal. The engine oil was replaced and a miracle happened: when changing gears, nothing crackles or crunches in the box anymore. How long the oil was not changed remains a mystery, given that even after driving 8-9 thousand on one oil, the cracking noise never appeared. When it came time to clean the air filter, I was very surprised by what I saw. The entire filter was evenly covered with a layer of dirt 2-3 mm thick. It is unclear what the engine was breathing. 2. Fuel system. Carburetor synchronization. Let me remind you that there is one cylinder and two carburetors, so synchronization is needed, the manual also notifies about this. The synchronization process in my execution was as follows: I read the manual -> I thought -> I rummaged through the Internet -> I thought -> I chose the safest and cheapest home-made option -> I designed a synchronizer -> I connected it -> I started the synchronization process -> The idea arose that I - I’m doing it wrong -> I thought -> I read the manual -> I decided to plug it in and adjust it by eye/sound/smell/color of the candles. It turns out that synchronizing two cylinders is radically different from synchronizing one. 3. Chassis. The chain was changed in 2018. I put about 20 thousand miles on the old one. Brakes. All brake discs have been replaced - front and rear. Here, out of ignorance, I encountered the negligence of the previous owner of the motorcycle, since he let it slip that he could get the front disc in Poland. As a result, the disc took two months and arrived in one piece, and not in parts, as in the original. My modest complaints were answered: if you don’t like it, return it, I already have a buyer. I had to put which one it was. I changed the brake pads to organic ones, but they wore off very quickly. At the same time, the front brake almost did not slow down. Now there are synthetic ones - the brakes have become more noticeable. Disassembling the caliper showed the reason for the uneven wear of the pads: Rubber. I replaced both cameras because... I'm tired of going to the tire shop. The rusted nut in the photo was inside the wheel, which is why the inner tube was worn. Knitting needles. One spoke was missing on the rear wheel, two more were torn off and somehow still hanging - I noticed it in time. I replaced it, and now I have two dozen knitting needles in stock. Suspension. After a failed experiment with replacing bearings with bronze bushings, I purchased and installed a used boomerang. The rear shock absorber finally found out that it is air-oil - I bought a pump for the shock absorbers. Now let's talk more about the pendulum. This is what it looks like when saving on circuit protection: In terms of saving, I went in a different direction, maybe it will be useful to someone. A donor was found in the garage - a bald tire, and through simple manipulations this was cut out: In the photo, the protection has already been used for the season. You can cut as many as six of these things from one front tire. But there may be nuances. One day this protection was torn from me, note: I need to fix it better
Conclusion
What conclusions can be drawn from all this?
Who the hell knows. What to look for when choosing a motorcycle? Anything your brain can come up with. You also need to improve your skill in eliciting information in advance. And don’t forget to take a noodle fork with you. Would I buy a motorcycle, knowing what problems it has? Most likely no. Am I happy with my purchase? Definitely yes. Thanks to all the digging I did, I now know my bike very well. There are only two secrets left: the clutch and the carburetor. I haven't had to go there yet. Everything else already has my fingerprints on it. And the most important thing. On this motor I covered several trips to Crimea and two unforgettable trips around Europe of 6 and 7 thousand km, for which I am very grateful to him. These trips: here and here
And the most important thing. Gasoline consumption. On the highway 100 km/h: 4.5 liters/hundred On the highway 120 km/h: 5.2 liters/hundred In the city: 5-5.5 liters/hundred No increase in consumption due to windage or loading was noticed.
Review of the Suzuki XF 650 Freewind motorcycle
This is my second year riding Freewind. It suits me in almost all respects except weight, and only if it’s in the forest. Sometimes you have to lift it, it’s nothing out of the blue, but once I lifted it on a hill when the wheels were higher than the seat, and until I turned the recumbent almost 180 degrees, I couldn’t lift it. And there was a rise and moss, so the steering wheel worked like a plow, plowing. For unpaved and sandy parking lots, without a central stand, you have to carry some kind of padding for the side stand. A certain inconvenience on forest paths is caused by the fact that the plastic covers the front wheel, but you quickly get used to it and did not cause any special problems. The exhaust pipe near the cylinder itself gets very hot. A couple of times it happened that I pulled out a charred pine stick from there. The smell of burnt pine needles warns of this, and with last year’s sushi in the forest and meadow you need to be careful. Falling into dry grass, or even just driving through tall, dry grass can cause a fire. But this is of course at low speed. On a stationary motorcycle, even in slight frost, when warming up on suction, the pipe at the outlet of the cylinder in the dark of the garage is well red.
At a speed of about 100 km/h, it consumes gasoline not much more than the Yamaha YBR 125 , which under me (95 kg in armor) could barely pick up this speed, I had to bend down, and worked beyond the peak of power and efficiency. I have never pierced the pendants yet. In stretches at low speed, due to sufficient torque, the engine operates steadily, without jerking, and the motorcycle is stable. Of the 650, it suits me, as I know of only three types of enduro, in which the seat height is not higher than 800mm BMW F650 GS , Aprilia Pegaso Strada , Suzuki XF 650 Freewind .
This year I closed my second season on Freewind. I'm not going to change it. It suits me in terms of saddle height - 800mm - two feet are completely on the ground, and relatively light - dry weight 162 kg. But it's still hard to lift. The absence of a central step (not in stock) forces you to choose a place to stop in the forest or in the field. I carry a piece of iron with me under my side paw. I don’t know why, but after it lies on its side, and this happens in the forest, it won’t start for 10–15 minutes. There is no Kickstarter, so you can run out of battery and it’s not inspiring on the sand. When falling at low speed on the ground, and I only had these, there was no damage. The front fairing blocks the view of the wheel, but this no longer causes inconvenience on forest and meadow paths. I find it very stable at low speeds. On dirt roads you can drive almost at walking speed without putting your feet down; on sand you need to either play with the clutch or go a little faster. It’s more stable on sand than the Yamaha YBR 125 , but on the IZH-56 , as I remember, I felt more confident.
The tank fairing protects your legs well from wind and rain. The stock windshield is more effective at speeds of 90 – 100 km/h and above. But I didn’t go more than 140. And even then only for a short time, for overtaking. Considering my weight in armor is under 100 kg, up to 140 km/h, I think that its dynamics are sufficient. To overtake those moving at a speed of 90 - 100 km/h, I did not shift to a lower gear - there was enough traction even in fifth.
I pressed the fingers on my left hand with the clutch lever a couple of times. It is easily squeezed out with two fingers and with the other two. As a resident of Kyiv (traffic jams, toffee on ups and downs), and a lover of forest and meadow rides, stability and smoothness at creeping speed are of great importance to me. I will say this, I was less comfortable the Yamaha YBR 125 More torque at the bottom for my weight makes the Freewind ride more stable at low speeds. Suspension. I've never punched it yet. Of course, I don’t jump off springboards or ride over bumps, but on the Yamaha YBR 125 I regularly hit it both on Pobeda Avenue and on the high-speed highway along the high-speed tram, especially on bridges and when crossing tram tracks. The fork is 43 mm, there is a fork. Over the two years of my not very intensive use, I have driven about 7-8 thousand km. There was not a single breakdown. Now its mileage is almost 30,000 km. Gasoline consumption is about 4 liters under me, at a speed of 90 km/h on the highway. On the Yamaha YBR 125 at the same speed it was not much less. I filled the oil at the beginning of the last season and ran it until the end of the current one without topping it up. Now, at minus 8, it started normally with the second press on the starter. There are quite a few different videos about Freewind on You Tube. There is also traditional wheelie riding, like one pole and the Russians' trip through Altai. The latter shows the capabilities of Freewind very well.
I've been riding this machine since August 2011. Traveled more than 5000 km. today (I travel 100 km round trip to work every day, + traveled to Nizhny Novgorod and around the region (NN) last year). On the technical side: before the 2012 season, the gaskets were replaced (oil was leaking from under the cylinder block), piston rings, filters and other consumables. The point is that the car's mileage has exceeded 40 thousand miles! The master said that he would continue to walk for a long time. Pah-pah-pah, I really hope so.
According to consumer qualities. Yes, there are disadvantages: (i) for long-range cruising it is too small - 110-115 without vibration. Then the vibration starts, not to say that it’s kick-ass, but after 3 hours of travel, I personally tried to drive at the specified speed limit. (ii) the engine starts to figure something out from 3 thousand revolutions, and from 4 thousand it finally drives cool, but (iii) its appetite at such speeds is not small (I drive through traffic jams to work - 700-800 rubles. /week for gasoline, i.e. more than 5 liters per hundred, despite the fact that in long-distance driving this consumption will not decrease). In terms of consumption, this is my second motorcycle (the first was a Java 350) - so, in fact, there is nothing to compare with :) probably some BMW 1200 GS eats the whole ten.
Now about the benefits. The most important thing for me is, after all, its versatility. It's an excellent ride around the city, and on the highway (I'm not a fan of driving - 90 km/h is enough for me), and most importantly - I wanted to - I could turn anywhere. I don’t like hard off-road driving, but driving through the forest, getting to places where only cyclists and pedestrians can pass - yes. Of course, if funds allowed, I would have 3 motorcycles: for the highway (like the BMW 1200 RT ), for the city (like Van-Van or YBR) and for such country tourism as they say (like the BMW 800 GS ). In the meantime, you need all three functions in the 1st - it turns out Freewind :)
Go to the Suzuki XF 650 Freewind
Check out the test drives:
- Suzuki XF650 Freewind: Test drive
