Yamaha Brings Back XS Series, Yamaha XSR700 Revealed

I like it. It has some areas that feel like the XS650 and a lot of new. I imagine they would sell an old but fixed up XS650 is there were a market for it. Most likely not enough to make it worth it (Or Kawasaki would still sell the retro in the states). So its about what the idea of the XS650 was back in the day, performance, but not big performance, with a modern take and a few queues to point to the legacy. A Legacy which belongs to Yamaha. I would like to ride it. I bet I would be very satisfied.
 
I think Harley Davidson wrote the book on retro.

Retro? The styling on lots of the HDs really hasn't changed since way back when (read "Road King" and "Heritage" editions) or minimally (read Sportsters). Styling has never been the issue with Harley people except they would revolt if the styling *was* changed significantly. If they hadn't redesigned the Big Twin and Sportster to have the kind of reliability even the hardiest Harley fan expects for their hard earned money, they would have gone the way of the dodo.

RE: Kawasaki W650 and Yamaha SR400. I have a good friend who has been a Kawasaki dealer for 40 years and a Yamaha dealer for 20 and he has told be that he sold almost no W650s and had to fire-sale the ones he had to get them off the floor. He sells Hinkley Triumphs as fast as he can get them in the door. I get the impression that a Kawasaki buyer wants something in a Kawasaki that is not a W650. He sells lots of cruisers, ZRwhatevers and 650 dual sports.

Kind of the same thing with the SR400. Just doesn't sell any more of them than he sold of the old SR500s which also had to be fire-saled off the floor. (As well as the Honda 500 thumpers in their variations.) Too much money for what it is and beginners ( the *real* market for a bike that size/style) don't want to kick start a bike. A 25 year old woman who is getting into bikes for the first time (a big new market) has no interest in a bike that doesn't have an electric foot. The Kawasaki 300 Ninja or the Suzuki TE250 are big sellers in that market. Cheaper, too.

As much as we would like to, you 'can't go home again'. I would like to have a totally updated XS650. Easy to work on, upgraded suspension and brakes, electronics where appropriate and under $5K. Not gonna happen. If that's what we want, we will have to build it ourselves. Luckily, with the aftermarket support of the XS second only to HD, there are parts available to make a "new" XS most any way you want it. And would probably spend less than $5K all fixed up and probably way less than that.
 
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