Picked up an 85 650 today

[abigbadzebra]

Had been on here previously to ask about the 700S.  Those seem to be hard to come by and demand a little more price than what I wanted to pay.  700 was uncomfortable and was afraid the 650 would be too, but it's not.  So, picked up this 85 with 22,500 miles on it for $950.  Seems like a good starting point.  Especially when compared to the 86 FZ750 I was trying to piece together.  Got both side panels and even the tool kit.  Pretty happy with it.

WARNING  - Pictures make it look better than it really is.. 














Going to need tires, fork seals, a headlight, a new seat cover, a right foot peg, a good cleaning and some gas.  Possibly a caliper rebuild.  May pull the carbs out this winter and clean them to get it running top before next season.  May go through the whole thing.  Kinda uncertain at this point.

Anyway, just wanted to share it.  Oh, the bars are off a 79 Yamaha 1100.  The don't seem too different from stock, maybe a tad lower.

[Rebel13]

Nice, that thing is in great shape!

[hockeyhawk]

That's a nice looking 650. Lots of luck with it.

[david12]

I likely. looks a lot like my 1985, only I've already put a few scratches on the gas tank...  haha

[bittenbythehawk]

Very clean and I would say is a great price. Welcome back to the forum, and don't give up on a 700s just yet. They show up on CL every so often.

[abigbadzebra]

Welcome back to the forum, and don't give up on a 700s just yet. They show up on CL every so often.

Trust me, I have to give up.. at least for now.  The way my wife makes a big deal about $950, you'd think we were poor or something :)

[mikefootusa]

Then you best not tell her about the $500-$600 you are going to spend for tires and "stuff".

[abigbadzebra]

Then you best not tell her about the $500-$600 you are going to spend for tires and "stuff".

No doubt.  Luckily that's spread out a little over the winter so it won't seem like such a big deal :)

[TimmyJ]

Love the 650...only problem is the wierd batterey problem with that bike.

[fortyhourdays]

That's a great looking 650.  Maybe it doesn't look as good in real life, but that paint still looks like it's in awesome shape.   

Love the 650...only problem is the wierd batterey problem with that bike.

What is the weird battery problem you're talking about? 

[TimmyJ]

It doesnt charge at idle...it loses amps. It has to be about 2,000 RPM to "break even".

Note: A Nighthawk 650 rider offers the following helpful words on the 650.
"The charging systems on the 650 can be challenging, but if you understand their limitations you learn to work with it. The 650 WILL NOT CHARGE at idle; the battery actually discharges at a rate of about 10 amps at idle. "Break Even" is at around 2000 RPM, and above 2500 you're charging. And that's the spec, so that's just the way it is. Most riders use battery tenders to keep the batteries at peak charge when we're not riding.

Here is a helpful page about the 650
http://hondanighthawks.net/650.htm

[fortyhourdays]

It doesnt charge at idle...it loses amps. It has to be about 2,000 RPM to "break even".

That's what I thought you might have been referring to. 

Just as a note to the owner, the charging system shouldn't give you any problems in everyday riding.  The only problem is if you start trying to hook up a lot of accessories such as heated gloves/vests and are riding in stop and go traffic.  I've never had my battery run dead because of idling too much.  Realistically you'll pretty much always be above 2000rpm's anyway since these bikes have no guts below 3000rpms.  At the rate the battery is discharging at idle, you can sit for quite awhile before it will actually discharge enough to kill the bike.

[hockeyhawk]

It doesnt charge at idle...it loses amps. It has to be about 2,000 RPM to "break even".

That's what I thought you might have been referring to. 

Just as a note to the owner, the charging system shouldn't give you any problems in everyday riding.  The only problem is if you start trying to hook up a lot of accessories such as heated gloves/vests and are riding in stop and go traffic.  I've never had my battery run dead because of idling too much.  Realistically you'll pretty much always be above 2000rpm's anyway since these bikes have no guts below 3000rpms.  At the rate the battery is discharging at idle, you can sit for quite awhile before it will actually discharge enough to kill the bike.

I had my 85 650 for about 3 years and never had a battery/alternator problem. I replaced the battery when I first got it and kept it on a tender if it was going to be sitting for any length of time. It started and ran strong all the time.

[abigbadzebra]

Thanks for your concerns, guys   

I had read that the charging systems on these bikes can be a PITA, but I also read that it seemed to be more of a problem in the 83 model year.  I am going to buy a tender.  My commute will be hardly no stops and at a pretty consistent 55 MPH.  Where will RPM's be sitting at 55MPH, anyway?

Looking forward to cleaning this thing up!

Kirk

[fortyhourdays]

In 6th gear at 55 MPH you'll be running a little over 4000 RPM.  Don't be afraid of the higher RPM's on these bikes.  They really hit the powerband around 6-7K RPM

[JB1290]

  Your bike looks like its in pretty good shape. A new seat cover will run you about $40 bucks on EBay.

[butcher650]

That looks like a lovely bike! 

Just a question though, I have an 82 650. Does anybody know if that model has the same charging issues? - I haven't run it that much as it's off the road whilst Im painting it up. It seems to take a hell of a lot of charge to start it, if it doesn't flatten it straight away.

Any thoughts?

[TimmyJ]

I think the early one's has more of a charging issue, but Im not sure. All the 650's had that charging issue for some reason. Is the alt/magnito not big enough? I mean I dont get it. Can the system be re-worked so it does charge at idle?

[Option13]

The '82 and '83-5 models are entirely different. No point in comparing.

The '83s are supposed to have the worst of the charging issues - This would mean that the 550's have the same issue. The '84-5 models are supposed to be better - if you asked me, I'd guess it's because the 650 was upgraded to the 700S system when that bike came out.

On my '84 it's a non-issue, especially since I have a 35W HID.

[TimmyJ]

So how can it be fixed? A reworked charging system? A bigger magnito? Has anyone corrected the 650 charging system so it does charge at idle?

[Option13]

It's not that big of an issue. Do you leave your bike idling for 20 minutes at a time? It will overheat long before it will run out of power. And why on earth would you be going below 2K RPM on the road?

If you really want, you could either buy an '84+ or upgrade to the '84 components, then reduce electrical load with an HID headlight and LED accessory lights. You really don't need any more electrical overhead than that.

[abigbadzebra]

Your bike looks like its in pretty good shape. A new seat cover will run you about $40 bucks on EBay.

Are we talking about the homemade seat covers sold by 'mac32756' on ebay?  Such as this one?

Anyone have a pic of one installed on their bike?  The picture in the ad isn't too clear.

Thanks,
Kirk

[JB1290]

I was not referring to the home made one. Surprisingly, the cover I used on mine does not seem to be listed on Ebay right now. 

[abigbadzebra]

The bike has a little cam chain noise.  Up around 2500-3000 RPM.  Noticeable, but not terrible.  I think I'll ride it for a season as is and if I like the bike enough next fall, I may tear into the engine.  I'm fairly mechanically inclined but have never done engine work.  I think it would be a good learning experience and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't mess something up     I'd be worried most about stripping things out.

Kirk

[TimmyJ]

There is a reason that the 650 doesnt charge unless it is @ 2500 RPM or better. My question again: what is that reason? That is an abnormal dynamic, and anything can be corrected. There must be a way to correct it so it charges at idle. It might take a lot of re-wiring, or a bigger magnito, or whatever...but what is the problem that mkes it discharge at idle? Anyone here know anything about electrics?

Damn, the Japenese are supposed to be good at electrics. How could this of happened?