Starting to appreciate my R65LS

[Red_Hen]

I've put several thousand miles on m R65LS and after overhauling the bean can with a new Hall Type sensor, it is amazingly reliable and so much easier to start.

Have taken some extended rides, a reasonable distance from home, and the bike really is a nice ride.  

After the restoration, it took a bit of shaking things out to gain the confidence I now have in her.  

Just wanted to share my enthusiasm about this bike!  Even got her up to 80 yesterday - didn't mean to but she's a very stable riding bike and having the dual rotors up front really helps her stop nicely.

[Ed Miller]

It should do about 105, Ken.  Just saying.

[Red_Hen]

Ha Ha - maybe when I was 16 but not now!

[nhmaf]

I know that there are many folks that have made longer trips than this, but I was perfectly content and happy riding my R65LS from the middle of New Hampshire down to Johnson, Tennessee for the MOA rally some years ago - I took some of the scenic routes so the round trip distance worked out to about 2200 miles.   I did spend about 5-6 hours on the interstate, averaging about 75 MPH too, with some bursts that basically pegged the speedometer (at 85MPH) to get around serious truck convoys in PA.  I didn't want to go faster as the large amount of stuff strapped on the back and in the bags wasn't conducive to high speed stability, especially in & around the buffeting caused by large trucks.

The R65 may be smaller, but it is a capable lil beast.  Definitely feels more secure than I did riding my Yamaha 650 Maxim at the same speeds.

[k_enn]

I will second the r65's prowess at medium range touring.  I used to take one week regional trips (e.g., from NJ down to South Carolina, up to Nova Scotia and Quebec, down the Blue Ridge Parkway and back).  The R 65 was a pleasure on those trips, which generally were not "superslab" rides and consisted of the more interesting old US Highway system.  The bike proved to be nimble and reliable.  

I would not, however, recommend it if the trip involves multiple days of travel on the Interstate Highway system or in areas with high speed limits.  For that, I wanted and got a bigger bike.  But the R65 is a lot of fun for smaller trips.  

k_enn

[Ed Miller]

Even on the interstates I don't go over 90 mph, and my R65 seems fine at that speed.  Smoooooth!