The Fun Factor of the XS??

[yourmove]

I have just started to inquire into the world of vintage bikes.

I have in the past started out with an 82 xj650 and more recently have always rode more modern liter bikes.

While I am still in the process of identifying a vintage bike to build, the sx appears to be a good option.

I guess what I am trying to say is will the sx be satisfying to build and ride for experienced riders.

I know most forum members have been riding for many years . . . Do you get an ear-to-ear grin riding your modified sx?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[retiredgentleman]

Don't buy an XS650 for power or for speed, but oh yes the fun factor is quite high. Sometimes when I'm out on the bike, I just break out laughing uncontrolably. I like the engine appearance, engine sound and its general simplicity. These bikes have a high fun per dollar ratio.

 

[pyroman]

Don't buy an XS650 for power or for speed, but oh yes the fun factor is quite high. Sometimes when I'm out on the bike, I just break out laughing uncontrolably. I like the engine appearance, engine sound and its general simplicity. These bikes have a high fun per dollar ratio.

Exactly. The fun of a vertical twin, ala Bonneville. Without the headaches or expense. Makes Me grin so bad, the bugs bounce off My tooth.

 

[jamesgs4]

I had an r1 before I got my xs, and the xs is fun to ride at legal speeds. It's hard to explain why, but it just is.

 

[nj1639]

And when they're close to stock it's kinda like driving a vintage 50's car, at least that's how i feel about it, and every year that passes they become more vintage.

 

[CDNTX650]

agreed. It's like a nostalgia thing for me. A great example of simple yet how reliable things were.

My fun factor comes in 3 forms....The XS, My 999 or the KLR for some trails or real long trips.

 

[twinsarehot]

They feel like a machine should. Raw.

 

[Classic]

Power on demand aka. low-end torque, low maintenance(once you modernize the electrical system of course), and like twins said.... it's raw.

 

[Yamaha_chop]

I used to have an '04 ZX6R that I bought new, man that machine was fast, but it was so refined that even going over double the speed limit everything seemed well in control.
With one of these XS bikes, just going the speed limit- with the noise the engine is making and the vibration of the bike, man it feels like you're going a million miles an hour!

They're a blast man. The newer bikes, they're great, but for sheer fun factor and mechanical coolness I haven't had a better bike. Plus not going double the speed limit is good for your wallet.

 

[Tech7]

Great replies guys. I couldn't agree more. Raw and simple are great ways to express the feel of an XS650 engine. I love twins better than any 4 cylinder just for that feel. It is very hard to explain. Just cool.

 

[rwingsfan]

Even though I am still a Harley guy for everyday I have a special place in my heart for the XS. My first real bike was a mid sixties TR-6 (wish I still had that one) and honestly I loved the XS from the first ones I started seeing in the early seventies. So much like the british twins. A whole other experience compared to other bikes. Others will disagree but I find the 1975 Standard to be the nicest of the breed. Of course if I could afford one, I would have a 1947 Knucklehead....that is just cool

 

[xjwmx]

it's kinda like driving a vintage 50's car, at least that's how i feel about it

I sort of think of it as a street legal two wheeled farm tractor.

 

[petesxs]

I have a 1975 Honda CB400F and a 1982 Yamaha XZ550 Vision that's almost restored, but I just can't get rid of my XS650. It's sort of bad-a$$, it looks beautiful, handles great, and is just fun. It's hard to describe. Mine is built up to a 750 and modified, and the stockers are, frankly, pretty slow and unexciting. But if you build it up and make the usual improvements it needs in the engine and the suspension and the electrics, it's just a fun bike. And they still look good 30 years later.

 

[grizld1]

Yourmove, it depends on your idea of fun. For street and any competition besides drag racing, the XS650 has a performance ceiling of around 70 hp at the wheel; bearing support in the cases starts to break up past that point, and getting there takes money, time, and skill. Suspension and brakes also take some work and money to be competent at 3-digit speeds, but once you've got it sorted you'll find that on rough back road pavement the old XS can pitch over and hold where sport bikes with far more power come unglued. I probably have more time and money in the XS than I do in my 2003 SV650, but all I could really find to do to fit the SV to my needs was to fit cartridge emulators and an Ohlins double-clicker shock and make a few ergonomic changes. With the Yam, there's always one more refinement to think about. If that sort of thing rings your bell, you'll have a lot of fun with the XS650.

 

[littlebill31]

I was always into cars and off road bikes/quads. Once I got my XS I'm sold. That sound, the shakey ride, and that torque. I grin everytime I twist the throttle and slide back. I'm short so I love the ride height. Of course mine is also lowered also. There's just something about it. Light and responsive. The proverbial go-cart of steroids. No it doesn't go 150 mph, but I enjoy it so much. My friends have Harleys and crotch rockets and only one has a XS. Kinda neat that they all love to ride our XS's when they stop by. Plus people like to talk about it.

 

[Mattx2]

I have a '75 "B" that i was going to bob. But the time that i was riding it standard, saving the money for the hardtail, i just fell in love with the riding style. Like the other guys said, I would be riding through grassy fields and start smiling bigger and bigger till i start laughing, haha. Thinking about riding it makes me smile. Im going to have this bike for the rest of my life.

 

[Skip]

For me I am an old muscle car guy.But between Ebay and Barrett Jackson,prices are off the chart to buy anything decent.It is great if your selling,but sucks if your buying.
When I traded a $500 car for my 78 Special nine years ago, I had no idea of the cult following I would be magically be drawn in to.

To me, I am a mechanical guy and truly enjoy working on this bike as much as riding it.It is simplicity and reliability rolled up in one.It is hard to believe it was Yamahas first crack at a four stroke motorcycle.Gotta say they nailed it!

As for riding,the terms raw and unrefined come to mind,but like someone mentioned It keeps your mind turning for improvements.The one improvement I made was adding a second front disc brake.Cant tell you how much difference that made.
The fun both on and off this bike is addictive.

 

[MB-Ian]

To me the fun is they are bit like driving an old model sports car like an MG-B or a Karmann Ghia, you know they are not the fastest or best handling car but there's something about the design that just draws you in.

I'm sure the designers of the MG-B, Karmann Ghia and the XS650 all took their jobs very seriously at the time to try to build the most up-to-date best possible unit when it was sold new, but they chould hardly have known that 30-40 years down the track the attraction to these vehicles was not their ultimate speed, handling or reliability, but that rather difficult-to-define "it's just fun the way it is" factor.

I.

 

[littlebill31]

I also kinda relate it to my Ford Falcon. 1962, 2 door, straight 6, three on the tree, bench seats, manual everything. Just a plain old car. No mods, bone stock, but what fun!! I almost want to say primitive in a good way.