Should I buy this Bike? Is it worth the struggle? Please help!

What`s up guys, I am new to this forum and I wanted your help on this project I have in mind.

So, I have ridden bikes all my life, but this is the first time I have the opportunity to buy one with my own money. I wanted a bike, a classic, that I could turn into a good looking cafe racer, but since I live in Panama there is not that much of variaty in the market. First I was thinking in buying a Suzuki GN125, until I saw a Yamaha XS 650 from 1981, which I inmediatly fell in love with (I will upload the pictures later). So I went and called the seller right away and he told he could sell it for $1900, but with one inconvinience. And here is where I need your help, he told me that the Motorcycle, when started, didn`t charge the batery and that I just needed to change the batery and everything was going to be fine. I talked to my dad, who is biker too, and he told that that problem might be a little thing as it might be a huge deal too. My dad told me that the problem might be the batery in fact, or maybe the whole electronic system of the bike might be damage. So, since there many people here that have this bike, I wanted to know if it is common that this bike presents this kind of problems, and if it is easy to fix.

Also, the thing with this deal is that the seller lives in other province, while I live in the Capital, and it is a 13 hour drive to go see the bike. I have contacted some mecanics in that province, but they all tell me that they don`t know much about this kind of bikes. And, that it might be difficult to find replacements for this bike because of how old it is. Is it easy to find replacements for this bike in the internet?

It may well be as simple as a bad battery. Or a component of the charging system has failed.
Repair costs could be as cheap as $30 or as high as $500.
The XS650 does have a large following, parts and service knowledge are readily available.
Hope this helps.

Thanks dude, everything helps in this moment.
I have a friend living there and he just told me he is gonna go check the bike with a mecanic, so let`s wait and see what happens.

I wouldn’t buy anything worth more than a few $100’s without touching it. Get a friend with a truck or trailer and go look at it road trip!

I was in a similar situation and chose to proceed without knowing if my bike was ever going to run. One year later I have a running bike, less money in my pocket, and a lot of new knowledge in my brain thanks to all the super smart people on this forum. No regrets
Good luck!

Judging from the pics (which is a poor way to judge condition), the bike looks to be fairly well maintained. I'd guess the battery is most likely not the problem... else the owner would have already changed it and raised the price on the bike accordingly. Most likely suspects are the rotor and/or regulator/rectifier. Both are readily available. Could also be just the wiring or brushes. As weekendrider said above, parts and knowledge are still readily available. Good luck... and please keep us posted.

All this wiring here should be neatly tucked into a wiring harness. Someones been into the wiring....

Has the owner stated what modifications have been done to the bike? It’s always a good question to ask.

peterg said:

Has the owner stated what modifications have been done to the bike? It’s always a good question to ask.

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No, he has not stated what modifications he have done. He told the Motorcycle was given to him by his dad, and that he left it just it was given to him. I am gonna ask him right away to see what he can tell me. He told me he used it a couple of times until he notice that the battery wasnt charging, and know he is selling it because he needs the money.

JimD54 said:

All this wiring here should be neatly tucked into a wiring harness. Someones been into the wiring....

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Yes, he told me he contacted a mechanic to see what was the problem, but I dont really trust what he said until I have checked it myself with a mechanic who I trust.

Thanks for the support everyone, I will keep you posted.

Hola Jose, Welcome to the group!

I would guess, as others have said, the charging issue is likely more than just a battery. But can all be fixed, and honestly, I'd expect electrical issues from a bike that old and in the hot/humid climate of Panama. If that is the only thing wrong with it...then I wouldn't be all that worried...but be ready to get into the wiring and charging system and likely replace most of it... it can be expensive. I'd make sure you have an extra $300-500 to be safe. I also don't know what it's like to have things shipped to Panama...but likely all things you get for this bike may need to be imported. For me, if it were here in the USA, I wouldn't pay $1900 (US$) for this bike. But that's because we have more options, I think. Good luck!

That is an interesting bike - note the twin front discs. I wonder if it was imported from Europe or Australia.....

Pete

Jose Guerra said:

and know he is selling it because he needs the money.

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There's some bargaining room there....

Welcome Jose. here are a couple of threads for you to go through. ........These are to help novices like yourself to have a basic knowledge of where to start and to help identify issues or to be informed enough to ask some questions and know if the seller knows or is ill-informed him/her self.

http://www.xs650.com/threads/guide-...checklist-for-the-condition-of-your-find.367/
http://www.xs650.com/threads/bike-wont-start-running-rough.390/
http://www.xs650.com/threads/troubleshooting.2736/

ID chart for identification purposes....... your bike is an 81H Special II.....Never heard of bikes being sold in Panama so this is interesting from a manufacturing and model ID point. If you have trouble with the Vin no post it up and we/i can help.

US produced bikes had a single front dick brake but some other countries had a twin disk brake set up. Your bike has the large brake rotors so it is not an import from Europe. Some people like the twin disk set up, it was a option from the dealers, so it could be either the set up for your country or an add on by your father or a previous owner.

The Tank and side-covers are from an earlier Standard model. These tins are from a 74 or 75 XS650 the tell is the Gas cap, this was on the 74/75 models.....................It was also on an earlier 73 model but the 73 tank was different to yours.........so 74/75 Tank, as all Standard tanks, holds more fuel, compared to a 12 ltr Special Tank, up to 15 ltr ......a good thing

.The Standard side covers hang from 2 brackets on the frame. You can see on your bike there are 2 round rubber grommets hanging just below the frame, above the side-covers, and these are for the original side covers........Originals are plastic not metal...............Those Standard covers can be made to fit with a little work and a welder to weld on a couple of brackets.

Check under the Chrome cap above the right side spark plug, there should be nothing except the end of the cam shaft. The 81 model Had a Factory Electronic ignition, (TCI), the unit, (black Box), should be bolted under the Battery box...The pick up for the unit is located on the Stater and this is the black object at 2 o'clock This is under the engine side cover side plate on the left side under the shift lever..........If the bike has been converted to points there should be 2 sets under that top chrome cover.

As for price.............it is up to you to know the local prices, don't take to much heed of price opinions because they vary so much from state to state in the US and other countries........Its worth what you are prepared to pay but armed with a bit of knowledge you can be more confident of what you are getting.

On the Charging issue the things mentioned are all valid.........Old battery that has defects.......charging Rotor often gets hot, (if the battery isn't maintained and reg part of the combined solid state reg/rect fails or wire connections/couplings are corroded), and breaks down.

If you get the bike Please ask questions before doing any so called upgrades that you may read about from chopper sites or some others. The knowledge from a lot of members here has been learnt from years of experience and 10 years of this site so there is virtually nothing that isn't known about thee bikes, their weakness's and solutions to these things.

A starting point..........but as you will find the more you think you know these bikes there is more and more.

Great XS650 site as well, an information only site, (it may disappear at any time so be advised to collect and store any information you may want.). https://thexscafedotcom.wordpress.com/tag/manual/ and this like takes you to all XS650 manuals, both Parts and service manuals. These are PDF form and can be down loaded for personal use. You need to download the 78E parts manual, (this covers your front end 35mm forks and brake system) and any manual that incorporated the 80SG or later for your electrical system.

He had the bike given to him. He'll take a 1000 cash in his face.

So, yesterday the seller contacted me again saying that he finally took the bike to a mechanic, and they ended noticing that the Coil was the part that needed to be replaced or fixed. Once he replaced that part, the bike should charge the battery while being on (which was the main problem about this bike).

Is this an easy fix or replacement, or am I going to have a bad time trying to replace this part?

Parts are VERY easy here in the USA. If you can import them into Panama it should be no problem. IF you buy this bike do NOT trust the former owner OR his mechanic. Get on here learn how to troubleshoot, find out EXACTLY what the problem part is. (we will help) repair or replace only that part, repeat until you have a reliable bike. If you are looking for a daily rider with little or no time to work on it. a 40 year old motorcycle that has suffered through several owners of unknown fixing ability, is not the bike for you.

+1 to the above! Usually when a motorhead/mechanic talks about "the coil," he's referring to the ignition coil, which is a fairly cheap component. But the ignition coil has nothing at all to do with the charging system. There's a coil of wire in the alternator rotor (thing on the left end of the crankshaft) and 3 coils of wire in the alternator stator (thing that surrounds the rotor), but those parts are usually referred to by name. The rotor often goes bad when its insulation breaks down due to age. IMO the only reliable fix is a freshly rewound rotor, and that's not cheap. You're looking at a machine that's had its wiring hacked up and doesn't charge the battery. You might get it going with a few simple repairs, or you might have a real "project" on your hands. My advice is to ask yourself if you'd be willing to deal with something close to a worst-case scenario: could you spend a year of work and another $1,000 to have that machine on the road and still feel OK about the deal?

Hi, Jose. Nice to have somebody from your part of the World here. If after all your thinking you decide a bike you have to work on isn't a problem, then the xs650 might...might be the best choice just because of this website. Really, the guys here will help you fix it unlike any other bike I know of. They will all pounce on your problem and with correct information. Most of my parts come from ebay, very inexpensive used parts there, but shipping cost to Panama might be a problem; don't know. Most mechanics here don't want to work on old bikes either. At least I've heard that -- somehow I only know ones who do

P.S. Once you get the problems, mostly caused by neglect, out of it it seems to be a very reliable bike.

And I repeat.....

weaselbeak said:

He had the bike given to him. He'll take a 1000 cash in his face.

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