Samples of Moe's work.
I’m loving that XS750! I don’t know why they didn’t remain more popular. I had one that I bought brand new and it was a fantastic bike. I think it would hold up very well today. You can’t find a nice original anymore!
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Let's See The XS's
- Thread starter XS650RR
- Start date
I’m loving that XS750! I don’t know why they didn’t remain more popular. I had one that I bought brand new and it was a fantastic bike. I think it would hold up very well today. You can’t find a nice original anymore!
The XS750 was featured in Motorcycle Classics. It belongs to John Chaves, Director of the Yamaha 650 Society. Moe’s work on that bike is impeccable. I think that bike has 1200 miles on it. Read about it here.
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I’ll check it out, thanks!
Norton7d
XS650 Junkie
Yea, and the matching revamped 72 went for 13k on EBAY.
Triples in general all suffered the same fate-- most people thought them weird and wouldn't give them the chance they deserved.
It's one of humanities biggest failings: in general most humans reject anything that is different.
PS. It's not mine, I don't know anything about it, I don't know the owner, but here is an XS750 on Facebook for sale in Burlington, NC: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/657380738130478/
I almost bought a 750 triple last year but the owner was being a dick about the logistics so I never got it...Those bikes have the "shaft effect" when given throttle from a standing start..the bike "rises" before it engages..The XS850 was better in most ways but it too had the "shaft effect"
You'd have to give me $500 to take that..LOL
This is not my bike, but mine was exactly like this. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it is a rare color. Most are silver and blue for that year.
I have an 850 special, completely stock, as apposed to my modified 650. Terrific bike, not a canyon carver or long distance tourer, but for the day rides I often do, works good. They got a bad reputation early on and never fully recovered. The 850 supposedly had all the wrinkles ironed out.
UFD402
XS650 Member
Wow, that is a beautiful little bike, with just enough tasteful mods! I like it! 
Moe credits John Chaves (Director, 650 Society) with the engine rebuild. Up close and personal, I'm here to tell you, it is a very lovely bike. I grabbed the photo off of FB. I've seen some of Moe's work and it's very impressive.Wow, that is a beautiful little bike, with just enough tasteful mods! I like it!
Here are the XSs I've been lucky enough to own over the last few years......starting with the big ones......(which I no longer own)
This is a pic from the 1980s....and it's reversed....that fairing is a John Mockett design...the top section turns with the handlebars...bizarre and utterly brilliant.
This one came to me this way.....(not to my taste at all, but it was very cheap and fast at the time).. it burned oil at an alarming rate, but was totally reliable.
This one I restored, it was an absolute peach, viton stem seals cured it's smoking habit and that is one of the most comfortable bike seats ever made.
This was a ruinously expensive restoration.....a good mate of mine still owns it.
This is the one I should have kept, 4,000m from new and as nice as they get.
And this is the current one......which is nice, but not as nice as it looks (see the master cylinder in 'what have you done to your XS today') This bike will give me some angst before it's finished. If you look very carefully you will see a hole drilled in the frame web, a couple of inches above and to the rear of the upper footrest dome nut...... it's the same both sides and they go right through...I cannot work out why this would be done.....any suggestions gratefully received. Those holes mean a total strip to get them welded. I suspect there was a fairing as the front indicators are missing. In the world of radio controlled flying model aircraft, apparently there is a class of model called a 'stand off'....they are made to look absolutely correct but only from a certain minimum distance, (20 foot stand off for instance) get any closer and it suddenly doesn't look right any more....I would describe this bike as a 20 foot stand off.
And lastly, this one, which to be honest, was a mistake..... I just couldn't find an XS2 at the time, I'd been looking for ages, so I bought this as a substitute.....just 5,000m on the clock and it looks true, but it's been poorly stored......naturally, in the best traditions of sods law, the XS2 above came up a few weeks later
....now I have to finish the XS650C to an acceptable standard to allow me to sell it so I can get the XS2 on the bench....it's quite a decent bike, the engine covers are now polished and it looks a lot better than this photo, but it feels like time wasting
Mick.
This is a pic from the 1980s....and it's reversed....that fairing is a John Mockett design...the top section turns with the handlebars...bizarre and utterly brilliant.
This one came to me this way.....(not to my taste at all, but it was very cheap and fast at the time).. it burned oil at an alarming rate, but was totally reliable.
This one I restored, it was an absolute peach, viton stem seals cured it's smoking habit and that is one of the most comfortable bike seats ever made.
This was a ruinously expensive restoration.....a good mate of mine still owns it.
This is the one I should have kept, 4,000m from new and as nice as they get.
And this is the current one......which is nice, but not as nice as it looks (see the master cylinder in 'what have you done to your XS today') This bike will give me some angst before it's finished. If you look very carefully you will see a hole drilled in the frame web, a couple of inches above and to the rear of the upper footrest dome nut...... it's the same both sides and they go right through...I cannot work out why this would be done.....any suggestions gratefully received. Those holes mean a total strip to get them welded. I suspect there was a fairing as the front indicators are missing. In the world of radio controlled flying model aircraft, apparently there is a class of model called a 'stand off'....they are made to look absolutely correct but only from a certain minimum distance, (20 foot stand off for instance) get any closer and it suddenly doesn't look right any more....I would describe this bike as a 20 foot stand off.
And lastly, this one, which to be honest, was a mistake..... I just couldn't find an XS2 at the time, I'd been looking for ages, so I bought this as a substitute.....just 5,000m on the clock and it looks true, but it's been poorly stored......naturally, in the best traditions of sods law, the XS2 above came up a few weeks later
....now I have to finish the XS650C to an acceptable standard to allow me to sell it so I can get the XS2 on the bench....it's quite a decent bike, the engine covers are now polished and it looks a lot better than this photo, but it feels like time wastingMick.
Beautiful Bikes.
Indeed, we Americans are blessed not to be forced to run the drag-chute sized license plates required in some countries.
vtwinsrgood
XS650 Enthusiast
Norton7d
XS650 Junkie
Did the European \ non US 76 C models get twin front disc?Here are the XSs I've been lucky enough to own over the last few years......starting with the big ones......(which I no longer own)
This is a pic from the 1980s....and it's reversed....that fairing is a John Mockett design...the top section turns with the handlebars...bizarre and utterly brilliant.
View attachment 156670
This one came to me this way.....(not to my taste at all, but it was very cheap and fast at the time).. it burned oil at an alarming rate, but was totally reliable.
View attachment 156671
This one I restored, it was an absolute peach, viton stem seals cured it's smoking habit and that is one of the most comfortable bike seats ever made.
View attachment 156672
This was a ruinously expensive restoration.....a good mate of mine still owns it.
View attachment 156673
This is the one I should have kept, 4,000m from new and as nice as they get.
View attachment 156674
And this is the current one......which is nice, but not as nice as it looks (see the master cylinder in 'what have you done to your XS today') This bike will give me some angst before it's finished. If you look very carefully you will see a hole drilled in the frame web, a couple of inches above and to the rear of the upper footrest dome nut...... it's the same both sides and they go right through...I cannot work out why this would be done.....any suggestions gratefully received. Those holes mean a total strip to get them welded. I suspect there was a fairing as the front indicators are missing. In the world of radio controlled flying model aircraft, apparently there is a class of model called a 'stand off'....they are made to look absolutely correct but only from a certain minimum distance, (20 foot stand off for instance) get any closer and it suddenly doesn't look right any more....I would describe this bike as a 20 foot stand off.
View attachment 156675
And lastly, this one, which to be honest, was a mistake..... I just couldn't find an XS2 at the time, I'd been looking for ages, so I bought this as a substitute.....just 5,000m on the clock and it looks true, but it's been poorly stored......naturally, in the best traditions of sods law, the XS2 above came up a few weeks later
View attachment 156676
Mick.
Did the European \ non US 76 C models get twin front disc?
I'm not sure if the C model ever came to the UK, but those we did get came with twin discs.....it always seemed to me, back in the day that the US got the first examples of everything and the best colour schemes, and Europe got handling and braking upgrades....probably far too generalised, but the US bikes always seemed better looking.
I'm not sure if the C model ever came to the UK, but those we did get came with twin discs.....it always seemed to me, back in the day that the US got the first examples of everything and the best colour schemes, and Europe got handling and braking upgrades....probably far too generalised, but the US bikes always seemed better looking.
