Hightower-Ash98
XS650 Addict
Hey all, first bike, post, and thread on this forum.
As the title suggests I recently picked up a 1982 Heritage Special which, as far as I can tell, is an XS650J
The title lists it as a 1982 Yamaha, with a 15 digit vin, making all vin decoders useless as they require 17 digits. I have open ears to all who are willing to offer up their experiences to help me restore this bike to running order, and then onto better cosmetic things.
The bike is missing parts, Haynes manual on the way to assist in identifying all missing/present components. The bike has hacked wiring, my assumption is the old man that owned it before I bought it bypassed all safety locks in order to make the bike function, I have since removed the offending harness and purchased a ready-made harness from MikesXS. Wiring is something I strive to avoid messing with.
When the harness gets here, I plan on buying a new battery and plugging everything in to see what works. My multimeter shows that the ignition switch is functional, as is the ignition system. A quick hack job allowed me to sent power directly to the coil via a 12v battery, and with the aid of starter fluid and the kick starter, the bike turned over for a few cycles before the fluid was used up.
The gas tank isn't connected, nor is damn near anything else.
I look forward to sharing my progress in making this bike work, pictures have been included.
As the title suggests I recently picked up a 1982 Heritage Special which, as far as I can tell, is an XS650J
The title lists it as a 1982 Yamaha, with a 15 digit vin, making all vin decoders useless as they require 17 digits. I have open ears to all who are willing to offer up their experiences to help me restore this bike to running order, and then onto better cosmetic things.
The bike is missing parts, Haynes manual on the way to assist in identifying all missing/present components. The bike has hacked wiring, my assumption is the old man that owned it before I bought it bypassed all safety locks in order to make the bike function, I have since removed the offending harness and purchased a ready-made harness from MikesXS. Wiring is something I strive to avoid messing with.
When the harness gets here, I plan on buying a new battery and plugging everything in to see what works. My multimeter shows that the ignition switch is functional, as is the ignition system. A quick hack job allowed me to sent power directly to the coil via a 12v battery, and with the aid of starter fluid and the kick starter, the bike turned over for a few cycles before the fluid was used up.
The gas tank isn't connected, nor is damn near anything else.
I look forward to sharing my progress in making this bike work, pictures have been included.
). Mechanical inclination, the willingness to try new things, and the patience to see it through will have you terrorizing the neighborhood in no time! 
Best of luck, and Merry Christmas!
