Crabby,
You will find bikes on this site that are nut-and-bolt museum quality restorations. Then, there's the rest of us. As a wise man once said "...it's only original once." You've got your restorations (the nut-and-bolt jobs), survivors (all original, repaired/maintained to functionality), resto-mods (they
look stock, but have aftermarket upgrades for performance and reliability, and can easily be put back to original). Then there's the customs, where you start adding/deleting things, not necessarily easy to go back to stock (mild). And radicals. That's where you have your chops and bobs. Sawzalls and angle grinders can be the scalpels of surgeons, or the cleavers of butchers. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're out there. And often times, someone's failed "project" can be had for a pittance. It's unfortunate, but people lose interest, or find their "dream bike" costs more than they're willing to spend, to see it through. You have the advantage of enough spares to take your build in many different directions. But at the heart of it all, is that wonderful Xs650 motor. It's a blank canvas, and
you are the artist. Keep doing what you're doing, and keep us updated! (Did I mention we're nosy?
)