BSAKat
XS650 Enthusiast
Hey there! My name's Jason, I'm a gearhead and magazine editor out of Detroit, MI. I picked up my first XS650 today after riding an XS850 for twenty years and spending the past couple years fixing and flipping old Hondas. What I have is, I think, a '79 XS650SF in Carmine Red. I say "I think" because the serial number suggests that it's a standard F model but it's clearly kitted out as a Special. I know reading VINs can be an inexact science sometimes, but mine starts at 171 and the Special VINs start at 250. So, I don't know exactly what year or submodel it is, but I do know it rules.
This bike here was last registered in 1987. It was abandoned in a pole barn about five years ago by a dude who bought out abandoned storage units, which is probably where this thing came from. That guy stiffed his landlord and fled, leaving behind the bike and a barn full of junk. The pole barn owner sold it to me, today, with no keys and no title, for the princely sum of $300. I have keys on the way already, but I haven't dug too far into the bike.
It's clearly all-original, and it's in remarkably good shape for being a long-time orphan. It's rusty, crusty, the tires are from the 80s, and it's missing the right-hand side cover, but the engine is free and has good compression. Any damage is cosmetic (dents in the tank) but the pipes are rusted through on the bottom (no great loss). I'm pretty happy overall.
What should I look for when digging into this bike? Getting old bikes running and riding is my thing, so I'm already well-versed in bringing them back to life in general, but are there any specific quirks or things to look out for on the XS650?
This bike here was last registered in 1987. It was abandoned in a pole barn about five years ago by a dude who bought out abandoned storage units, which is probably where this thing came from. That guy stiffed his landlord and fled, leaving behind the bike and a barn full of junk. The pole barn owner sold it to me, today, with no keys and no title, for the princely sum of $300. I have keys on the way already, but I haven't dug too far into the bike.
It's clearly all-original, and it's in remarkably good shape for being a long-time orphan. It's rusty, crusty, the tires are from the 80s, and it's missing the right-hand side cover, but the engine is free and has good compression. Any damage is cosmetic (dents in the tank) but the pipes are rusted through on the bottom (no great loss). I'm pretty happy overall.
What should I look for when digging into this bike? Getting old bikes running and riding is my thing, so I'm already well-versed in bringing them back to life in general, but are there any specific quirks or things to look out for on the XS650?
I made the following comment to another member, regarding a title:
