New to the forum and this XS2

Welcome
Looks like a great bike to restore. It would be a shame to chop it beyond recognition.
If you want an XS650 to chop get a Special. They are ugly!
bomb_1f4a3.png
 
Welcome from Moncton NB! You have a nice survivor there. To buy the bike cheap is one thing, to resto or rebuild is a whole other department and requires pre-approval!!! Lol....ask me how I know lol :whistle::whistle::whistle:. Post more pics when you progress with your build /restoration when it permits. We all love more pics. :)
 
Welcome Wbacon,

Looks good as a starting point..............Get it up and running and on the road...........a total restore is going to cost $, but a good runner that that is a resto mod without compromising the XS2 as it looks will hold its vale........if you can get it running and on the road and reliable then improvements can be done in the off season

The gauges arn't XS2.........
 
I certainly appreciate all the comments. I think part of the reason for joining the forum was for me to gauge the interest in the preservation of this particular model. So you guys didn't really have to go too far in your efforts to convince me to see that this bike stays intact. I also realize that as a noob in the forum there is no way for people to gage another persons knowledge or skill sets but I can assure you all that I'm not jumping in over my head on this.
I'll get the carbs cleaned up and get it running nice then see what happens.
Just because everyone loves pics I'll insert this hereIMG_0196.JPG. This is just an image I found thru google search but it represents the sort of thing I have in mind when I say I'd like to customize an xs. I definitely agree that they didn't improve the handling or braking and when I was young I would have thought the guy riding this is a clown. I also would have thought that I'd never own a Harley, but now I do. I guess I just reached a point where I can appreciate the beauty of all bikes and the artistic expression in a custom bike.
When a guy doesn't have a hobby he can end up drinking too much, lol.
 
When a guy doesn't have a hobby he can end up drinking too much, lol.

Too true WB - especially when the weather outside is....Canadian - DAMHIK.

....but that was then and now is now.

Pete
 
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I guess you could say drinking is a hobby, but it can be a problem if it's your ONLY hobby, lol. I've got a brother like that. I've often thought of telling him to quit drinking, but it's the only thing he's good at, lol.
 
Another vote for drive it or restore it.
And like others have said, then you could look for a beat-up Special barn find to do your custom bike.
They are still plentiful. I've found 5 of them in the past 4 years for $100-300.
 
Yes, my latest is a $200 "Special", and my buddy has another line on one for free.

Agreed - and even Specials can be really nice with a flatter set of handlebars and perhaps a bit of surgery on the seat. Most of them were gloss black from the factory but there are silver, a very smart red and perhaps some other colours out there too.

Just check out JimD54's and Canuck1969s threads on their resurrections of XS650 Specials. Those bikes are spectacularly nice looking and will be superb riders I'll bet (if the frickin', friggin', frackin' weather ever gets sorted out in Missouri and Toronto).

I guess my point is that no XS650 that is intact is beyond salvation or of little worth - so grab one that is already cut-up if you want to do a chopper.

Pete
 
I'm always jealous when Americans post the price of a bike they found. Just for my own curiosity I've compared prices throughout Canada and the U.S. and it's pretty consistent that prices in Alberta are higher than everywhere else. I don't know why but it's true. If a bike is worth $500 anywhere in Canada, then an Albertian wants $1500 for it. I've never tried bringing a bike in from the U.S. but I know that provincial bike inspections are a pain in the butt so I can't imagine having the federal gov involved would make life easier.
It would have to be a pretty special motorcycle for me to try that route.
 
I'm always jealous when Americans post the price of a bike they found. Just for my own curiosity I've compared prices throughout Canada and the U.S. and it's pretty consistent that prices in Alberta are higher than everywhere else. I don't know why but it's true. If a bike is worth $500 anywhere in Canada, then an Albertian wants $1500 for it. I've never tried bringing a bike in from the U.S. but I know that provincial bike inspections are a pain in the butt so I can't imagine having the federal gov involved would make life easier.
It would have to be a pretty special motorcycle for me to try that route.
I would be interested in hearing from Canadian members who have purchased an XS in the US and registered them at home.
 
Quite a few members of my vintage bike club (www.cvmg.ca) have bought US registered bikes and brought them over to Canada. I don't know the details, but I do recall the following key points (apologies if I haven't got some this quite correct):
  • you MUST have a clear US title for the bike (no funny stuff on titles / ownerships etc.)
  • you have to notify the border crossing point (I think the Canadian side) at least 24 hours before you plan to cross and you have to send them clear, legible copies of the ownership document plus a form from the CRA which enables them to assess the tax you are going to pay;
  • when you get to the border, they will inspect the bike and the original document and you will pay the tax (don't know the percentage, but it might just be the usual HST which is 13%);
  • then you are free to go with a form that enables you to get a Canadian ownership.
The other key point is that a bike that has been stolen or wrecked cannot normally ever be licensed or registered in Ontario (or perhaps elsewhere in Canada either). Even if it is recovered and returned to its original owner - any subsequent owner cannot license it for the road again - ever. One of my friends got stuck with a nice Kawasaki Z650 from Saskatchewan which had been stolen and found by the police undamaged. The cops returned it to the owner and then my friend bought it and tried get a plate for it - but NO-GO. He wrote to everyone but apparently, the gov't will NOT bend on that rule about stolen or wrecked bikes.

Anyhow - whatever the details are, importing a US bike really isn't that difficult and my buddies who do it say that they wouldn't hesitate to do it again. They summed it up but stating that while it sounds imposing, it really isn't a big deal.

Pete
 
+1 on what Pete has mentioned. I have friends that have purchased bikes from USA and have done those exact procedures. It is quite easy and I was surprised. A few other of my friends have bought fresh water boats over there too and only other difference is they need to get the trailer if purchased one over there inspected by someone as soon as the cross over. JC
 
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