72 with carb issues

[Sique]

About to set out and buy my first xs650 but have a few questions because im quite new to bikes in general. First off the guy im going to purchase this bike off of said the bike ran great before he started adjusting his mikuni carbs. He was asking 2k for it and i talked him down to 1500. Beautiful paint job, already hard tailed. But I was curious should I be worried? What type of questions would you ask if you were im my position, should I wait and get a newer year? Should I get a stock bike instead so I don't have to deal with any skeletons in the closet? Sorry for the super newbie questions hope you guys can help me out!

 

[peterg]

Welcome to the forum! Not sure that’s there are any stock XS650 bikes around anymore. The newest model you will find in the US is 83 and a couple years newer elsewhere. Re the carbs: pod filters have got to be replaced before anything. I spent the entire summer last year trying to get my carbs right. Ended up getting brand new carbs.

 

[650Skull]

Being new to bikes then stay away from early XS650's from 70-73, unless they are in good original condition and just need occasional running maintenance. The early 70-73 models are way more expensive to maintain and parts for the early models are harder to source.

74 and later models had the engine upgraded to the commonly called 477 engine, and this same engine continued through to 83.

A big warning sign for me is.........................a seller states it runs good but the carbs need adjusting...................If the owner cant afjust the carbs to get the bike running good for a sale then what else is he not capable of doing.............

Go to the "Tech Menu", (in the black bar above on all pages),.............scroll down to........ "Maintenance and General Troubleshooting" and there you will find a thread with Tips for a new buyer and trouble shooting. These will get you started with information and cautions.

 

[Sique]

Thanks man! Appreciate the info just wanted some insight on what you guys thought haven't made a deal or anything but the info you provided has definitely got me thinking of going for a newer year, ill check out the general troubleshooting and maintenance before making any rash decisions. Thanks again 650Skull and peterg!

 

[DC Cycle Works]

Nice looking bike, but a real bummer when someone chops up an early xs. I’ve chopped a couple but nothing older than an 81. Well I guess it makes my recently acquired xs2 a little more valuable even in its current state. Kidding aside, I’m with the others. If he can’t get the bike running right to sell it what is really wrong with it. You don’t usually start messing with carbs on a bike that “runs great” and if it truly is a carb issue i would be skeptical of anyone that doesn’t have time to fix it to make the sell. Did they have time to change the oil? I wouldnt necessarily call it a deal breaker, but I wouldn’t pay 1500 for it how it sits.....maybe if it was still original

 

[gggGary]

Ever watch the movie the money pit? You are mighty close to living it. $500 tops for a used to run 45 year butchered motorcycle and hate to sound snippy but unless you are mainly interested in a self improvement project you don't sound like the guy for this task.
Did you notice it has no front brake? There are easier ways to commit suicide.

 

[fredintoon]

About to set out and buy my first xs650 but have a few questions because im quite new to bikes in general. First off the guy im going to purchase this bike off of said the bike ran great before he started adjusting his mikuni carbs. He was asking 2k for it and i talked him down to 1500. Beautiful paint job, already hard tailed. But I was curious should I be worried? What type of questions would you ask if you were im my position, should I wait and get a newer year? Should I get a stock bike instead so I don't have to deal with any skeletons in the closet? Sorry for the super newbie questions hope you guys can help me out!

Hi Sique and welcome,
buy an XS650 as a first bike? Why not?
Buy one that's been hardtailed? Well, that wouldn't be my choice but, OK.
Buy that bike?
No front brake and "needs carb work"? Yeah, right.
& those sawn-off headers means it'll never run nice even if the seller wasn't lying about the carbs
& the lack of a front fender or a fork brace means it won't steer good even if it can be made to run nice.
& judging by the rest of it, how can you trust that the frame welds are OK?
DO NOT TOUCH THAT BIKE WITH A TEN-FOOT STICK.
Even if you do get it running it's an overpriced deathtrap.
For $1,500 you could buy a nice one, eh?

 

[650Skull]

Hi Sique and welcome,
buy an XS650 as a first bike? Why not?
Buy one that's been hardtailed? Well, that wouldn't be my choice but, OK.
Buy that bike?
No front brake and "needs carb work"? Yeah, right.
& those sawn-off headers means it'll never run nice even if the seller wasn't lying about the carbs
& the lack of a front fender or a fork brace means it won't steer good even if it can be made to run nice.
& judging by the rest of it, how can you trust that the frame welds are OK?
DO NOT TOUCH THAT BIKE WITH A TEN-FOOT STICK.
Even if you do get it running it's an overpriced deathtrap.
For $1,500 you could buy a nice one, eh?

There are some good points in the above post. Unfortunately some of the issues are a personal preference. They do deal in safety issues that are easily rectified because the brackets are still on the forks. There is no proof the welds are suspect, but caution should be considered when looking at hard-tails, With welds, and any fabrication, a history of who done it and their qualifications is important to be able to make an informed decision.