VladTheDrumpaler
XS650 Enthusiast
Hey everybody,
I just got a 79 XS650 from my friend, Nate, that is moving out of town. I'll be rebuilding and upgrading over the next couple of months. I was hoping to gather as much info on this bike as possible. Sadly, Nate didn't have a lot of information about the history of this bike so it's up to me to get educated on it. What I do know is that the bike originated in Michigan because that is where Nate used to live. The guy that Nate got it from is who did the custom build. Nate barely did anything to it and he never registered it in Georgia. He's been in Georgia for 5 years so that should frame the timeline a little bit for you guys.
I've been a vintage Honda guy for several years but this is only my second Yamaha. My first was a 1991 XT600 about 8-10 years ago. I'm solid enough with troubleshooting and sourcing parts, but I'm afraid that I know nothing about the XS so I'll be deferring to everybody else on this one.
The first request I have for everybody is identifying the model of the motor and carbs. I need to start with buying seals/gaskets for the motor and a carb rebuild kit. I've got some minor leaks that are easy enough to sort out mechanically speaking. I'd also love to find a solid source for OEM and aftermarket parts. I normally use Bike Bandit, JP Cycle, and Amazon for parts but I was poking around and found a site called Mike's XS. Is this a solid shop?
As I said, I'm in Atlanta, GA. I'll have to add a few things to make it legal to tag. I have a bill of sale but no title so I'll have to take it to the State Patrol office to get a VIN inspection done. From what I remember, Georgia needs a Speedo, turn signals, brake lights that function from the front and rear controls, and at least one mirror. This bike has a brake light that functions on the rear brake pedal only, but everything else will have to be added. I'll have to add controls on the bars for the turn signals, the actual signals, blinker relay, speedo plus cable, etc. It'll be a little bit of a task to get the bike legal and mechanically sound.
I'll search the forum when I have specific questions first so I don't clog it up with a bunch of threads that already exist. If you guys could post links to the other threads until I know my way around the forum, I will be eternally grateful. Anyway... Here's the bike. I'll post pics as I get further along and I welcome any thoughts you have for upgrades. I'm all ears and would love the input from other builders.
I just got a 79 XS650 from my friend, Nate, that is moving out of town. I'll be rebuilding and upgrading over the next couple of months. I was hoping to gather as much info on this bike as possible. Sadly, Nate didn't have a lot of information about the history of this bike so it's up to me to get educated on it. What I do know is that the bike originated in Michigan because that is where Nate used to live. The guy that Nate got it from is who did the custom build. Nate barely did anything to it and he never registered it in Georgia. He's been in Georgia for 5 years so that should frame the timeline a little bit for you guys.
I've been a vintage Honda guy for several years but this is only my second Yamaha. My first was a 1991 XT600 about 8-10 years ago. I'm solid enough with troubleshooting and sourcing parts, but I'm afraid that I know nothing about the XS so I'll be deferring to everybody else on this one.
The first request I have for everybody is identifying the model of the motor and carbs. I need to start with buying seals/gaskets for the motor and a carb rebuild kit. I've got some minor leaks that are easy enough to sort out mechanically speaking. I'd also love to find a solid source for OEM and aftermarket parts. I normally use Bike Bandit, JP Cycle, and Amazon for parts but I was poking around and found a site called Mike's XS. Is this a solid shop?
As I said, I'm in Atlanta, GA. I'll have to add a few things to make it legal to tag. I have a bill of sale but no title so I'll have to take it to the State Patrol office to get a VIN inspection done. From what I remember, Georgia needs a Speedo, turn signals, brake lights that function from the front and rear controls, and at least one mirror. This bike has a brake light that functions on the rear brake pedal only, but everything else will have to be added. I'll have to add controls on the bars for the turn signals, the actual signals, blinker relay, speedo plus cable, etc. It'll be a little bit of a task to get the bike legal and mechanically sound.
I'll search the forum when I have specific questions first so I don't clog it up with a bunch of threads that already exist. If you guys could post links to the other threads until I know my way around the forum, I will be eternally grateful. Anyway... Here's the bike. I'll post pics as I get further along and I welcome any thoughts you have for upgrades. I'm all ears and would love the input from other builders.