Want a unique XS650 ?

gggGary · Full Member Joined: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 114

OK you made me look, build date was 8/82 or an 83 model. A guy can't get by with nothing around here!

pumps · Posted: December 2, 2009, 1:14 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

Nice looking bike. I like specials too.

blackwidow · Posted: December 2, 2009, 1:23 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

I built my bike because I wanted something cool to ride around thats cheap.I'm not into the original style of the bike which brings me too some of you guys that like them original how old are you?

pumps · Posted: December 2, 2009, 1:39 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

"I wanted something cool to ride around thats cheap." Hey , me too! No payment, cheap insurance.
But I am 48. I'm a little battered from various work related injuries. Knee, shoulder, lower back. I need something to sit fairly upright and soft suspension. I suppose I might like the stockers because when I was a kid that was what was current. I have a 77 and I was 17 then.

BSABarb · Posted: December 2, 2009, 2:35 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

I'm so old I saw the crust of the Earth cooling.....and my bikes are mostly stock for two reasons: first, I like 'em that way. Second, I can't quite convince myself that I know more than the factory engineers.

But mainly, I like the looks of a stock "Standard". The "Specials"? Ehh, not so much. Cut up the Specials, and leave the Standards around...? Maybe?

And having voiced my opinion, if someone forks over their money for a machine, they get to do whatever they want to it. It's called "ownership" and can develop all sorts of weird and wonderful things..... Very Happy

Barb

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

650skull wrote:

Gordonscott,
Scroll down to Dave Baths Special with the rig. This bike will lift the front very easy
www.xs650.org.au/mempics2.html

thanks Skull Very Happy

that guy did a fantastic job on that rig, not my color Smile

but a great build! thanks for the link.

gordonscott · Full Member Joined: May 06, 2009 Posts: 304

BSABarb wrote:

I'm so old I saw the crust of the Earth cooling.....
Barb

Love to see you post! you always make me Laughing

blackwidow · Posted: December 2, 2009, 11:19 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

BSABarb wrote:

I'm so old I saw the crust of the Earth cooling.....and my bikes are mostly stock for two reasons: first, I like 'em that way. Second, I can't quite convince myself that I know more than the factory engineers.

But mainly, I like the looks of a stock "Standard". The "Specials"? Ehh, not so much. Cut up the Specials, and leave the Standards around...? Maybe?

And having voiced my opinion, if someone forks over their money for a machine, they get to do whatever they want to it. It's called "ownership" and can develop all sorts of weird and wonderful things..... Very Happy

Barb

Very good answer I like the way you think. I also have a 77 that is stock my cut up bike is an 80 I'll probably cut the 77 though as well

blackwidow · Posted: December 2, 2009, 11:20 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

pumps wrote:

"I wanted something cool to ride around thats cheap." Hey , me too! No payment, cheap insurance.
But I am 48. I'm a little battered from various work related injuries. Knee, shoulder, lower back. I need something to sit fairly upright and soft suspension. I suppose I might like the stockers because when I was a kid that was what was current. I have a 77 and I was 17 then.

Hey thats reasonable

gggGary · Full Member Joined: Jan 07, 2009 Posts: 114

Anything that gets young guys actually doing something with their minds and hands is good. Trust me there is no shortage of stock XS650s. Someone brought up the Vincent black shadow well the XS650 is no black shadow. Even with the Vincent people mod other Vincents to make them LOOK like black shadows. We are fortunate there is so much interest in the XS650. It makes decently priced new and used parts available to all. Compare that to the total lack of interest in any other mid sized Yamaha of the era. Remember the XS was the bottom feeder, Yamaha's cheapest mid sized bikes. All those 3 and 4 cylinder bikes that now go for throw away prices with no takers,those first sold for much more than the lowly XS650.

Srinath · Posted: December 2, 2009, 11:55 am Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

I turn 41 in a month. I tahe exception to this statement by barb -

"I suppose I might like the stockers because when I was a kid that was what was current"

Bikes or even cars aren't designed by engineers. They are designed by bean counters, built by amateur grunts, constricted by the EPA, and built to what the corporate managers perceive as what the public wants and what they can cut corners on and the public wont notice if they covered it up with shiny plastic.
They also are wrongly targeted and end up on the used market with people wanting to seriously mod it.

Quick cases in point.
GS500's, excellent commuter, but suzuki dreamt of it as a begineer sport bike. So it has 17 inch tires and chain drive. Should have had a 15/16 rear and a 18-19 front and belt drive. Its also jetted 1 size too lean due to epa.
The new gladius. Yea idiots, we're all going to run to a bike covered in fugly plastic covers with all the same junk as a SV650 and a steel frame as opposed to aluminum and more $$$ than an sv. Total garbage.

The list goes on. In a lot of cases the companies ignore the problems that are there, and "fix" problems that aren't ... virago 1100's -> Vstar, oil change on a virago is a 1/2 hour job. They fixed it on a Vstar, its a 3 hour job now. Virago 1100 black box tends to die but are opened and rebuilt easy. Vstar boxes are impossible to open, and die just as often.

In the 70's, 80's and early 90's japan was out to dominate the world. They built bikes and cars too, literally to run forever. If they break, fix em and run again ... usually it was simple to fix, and common problems were addressed properly, like the XJ series yamaha 4cyl 550-900 cc, pre 83 had bad transmissions, They fixed em in 84. No more slipping tranny. In the 90's after they had a crash they went to a design stage I call "why aren't you buying more parts from us" stage.
That era brought bikes that break easier and cannot be fixed by the shade tree mechanic without buying several 1000 worth of parts from them.
Anyway off my soap box. The XS is out for world domination.
Cool.
Srinath.

BSABarb · Posted: December 2, 2009, 1:01 pm Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

Srinath wrote:

I turn 41 in a month. I tahe exception to this statement by barb -

"I suppose I might like the stockers because when I was a kid that was what was current"

Bikes or even cars aren't designed by engineers. They are designed by bean counters, built by amateur grunts, constricted by the EPA, and built to what the corporate managers perceive as what the public wants and what they can cut corners on and the public wont notice if they covered it up with shiny plastic.
They also are wrongly targeted and end up on the used market with people wanting to seriously mod it.

Quick cases in point.
GS500's, excellent commuter, but suzuki dreamt of it as a begineer sport bike. So it has 17 inch tires and chain drive. Should have had a 15/16 rear and a 18-19 front and belt drive. Its also jetted 1 size too lean due to epa.
The new gladius. Yea idiots, we're all going to run to a bike covered in fugly plastic covers with all the same junk as a SV650 and a steel frame as opposed to aluminum and more $$$ than an sv. Total garbage.

The list goes on. In a lot of cases the companies ignore the problems that are there, and "fix" problems that aren't ... virago 1100's -> Vstar, oil change on a virago is a 1/2 hour job. They fixed it on a Vstar, its a 3 hour job now. Virago 1100 black box tends to die but are opened and rebuilt easy. Vstar boxes are impossible to open, and die just as often.

In the 70's, 80's and early 90's japan was out to dominate the world. They built bikes and cars too, literally to run forever. If they break, fix em and run again ... usually it was simple to fix, and common problems were addressed properly, like the XJ series yamaha 4cyl 550-900 cc, pre 83 had bad transmissions, They fixed em in 84. No more slipping tranny. In the 90's after they had a crash they went to a design stage I call "why aren't you buying more parts from us" stage.
That era brought bikes that break easier and cannot be fixed by the shade tree mechanic without buying several 1000 worth of parts from them.
Anyway off my soap box. The XS is out for world domination.
Cool.
Srinath.

Actually, I don't think I said that, and if I did, it wasn't accurate: when I was a kid, the world's best and fastest production bikes were the Triumph Bonneville, the BSA Gold Star, and the HD Sportster. We've come a long way, some good, some bad.

The remainder of your post is a litany of reasons why I don't own any of those bikes: I like simple, straight-forward, fairly light, and easy to work on.....that is to say, an XS. I don't want any more than two cylinders, tops. I am fine with chain drive, and I don't mind--in fact I love--having a kick-starter. So I guess I still think that Yamaha's engineering design team got it right, with unwitting help from Triumph, of course....

Oh, and I agree about the change in the industry from an engineer-driven product to a "consumable", designed by "bean-counters". Witness the products of Umberslade Hall, the BSA/Triumph design dump where people who had never ridden a bike "designed" the new range of BSA/Triumph twins that ruined the British industry (along with govt., unions and management) On the Triumph, one has to remove the rocker covers before the engine will clear the frame! Absurd.

So the XS is out for world domination? Cool!! It's about time!! I'd certainly vote for that.

Oh yeah. One more thing that's so neat about the XS: you can see the engine! I don't like plastic......

Barb

BSABarb · Posted: December 2, 2009, 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

gordonscott wrote:

650skull wrote:

Gordonscott,
Scroll down to Dave Baths Special with the rig. This bike will lift the front very easy
www.xs650.org.au/mempics2.html

thanks Skull Very Happy

that guy did a fantastic job on that rig, not my color Smile

but a great build! thanks for the link.

What a beautiful rig!! On the wrong side for the States, of course, but that just makes it a little bit exotic. I love it!

Is there *anything* that an XS won't do??

Barb

Rick_in_PDX · Posted: December 2, 2009, 1:08 pm Post subject: Re: Want a unique XS650 ?

Personally I say chop it, restore it, do any damn thing you want.. dont cut any hard to find items like tanks side covers and seat pans but make it YOURS, but for heavens sake dont turn the handlebars upside down ~that makes me crazy!~

And who decided that is a cool look? Prolly the same nit-wit that thinks 48" apes look good also.................

What Happened to 650rider.com?

Yamaha xs650