Nice work.
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Are there fewer XS650’s around now?
- Thread starter Mailman
- Start date
Bob, if this is the wrong place for this please delete it... but I have a coworker that has a BSA 500 single for sale. He thinks it's a 71 or 72. It's the last year of the old 441 Victor single ( I had one of those.. what a beast of a single) Anyway, it's not run for 15-20 yrs and been kept in the garage. he wants a thousand bucks for it. I haven't seen it but I can get some pics if anyone's interested.
If I lived nearby, I would say, "I will be right over with my trailer and my wallet."
Now that I've thought about it, I might just go look at it myself
Oh, now don't say that, Jim !Now that I've thought about it, I might just go look at it myself
Back in high school, there were flirtatious girls who engaged in such behavior.
We called it, "Cock-teasing."
Jim, you don’t ever have to worry about adding something to any post of mine. You’ll notice that a lot of these posts take left turns and turn into more interesting topics than what started it all. The other thing is, most of these threads disappear into obscurity within a week or two anyway. So have at it my friend!
xj......................I always pictured you as much younger than 91
ken65
XS650 Member
Just stumbled onto this thread. This could answer a question or two. Bloke here imports from the states and reckons its easy to find new owners here.
Good grief, Lookit all them early models...
Just stumbled onto this thread. This could answer a question or two. Bloke here imports from the states and reckons its easy to find new owners here.
Yep,
Last I spoke with Geoff he had 97 XS's in total
I've gotta wonder where does this guy find them?
Hard to believe all these would slip by this community.
Hard to believe all these would slip by this community.
There are two exporters who work in New York State. They scour Craigslist for anything interesting, especially XS's, RD's, and early British. So, and individual like me has to stay closely on top of the new listings. Most of the XS's I bought had been listed for less than an hour.
Not sure about your neck of the woods.. but here... we have a coupe fellows who travel and collect motorcycles. They have contacts and clients across the ponds.. once the ocean container is full.. write check. $$$ . Also we have visitors from the Uk, Nordic countries and other places with deep pockets. Couple years ago we had a group of guys from Finland buy'n bikes. The Midwest is a favorite hunting ground because we have a short ride'n period. As a results the bikes are usually low mileage compared to the warmer, year round areas.
XS units do well for export... the early models partially because I'm told they didn't get the Xs1, Xs1b across the small pond. " Down under " they were.. Xs1F.. ?
So... the containers go both ways.. I'v imported 5 from the small pond. and if you find that rough gem of a XS 650.. buy it... put it away. We restored a Xs1b (1971) for a guy in Switzerland and he sends us photos of him yodeling around the Alps. Hummm..Alps.. drum brakes... scary
. Also we have visitors from the Uk, Nordic countries and other places with deep pockets. Couple years ago we had a group of guys from Finland buy'n bikes. The Midwest is a favorite hunting ground because we have a short ride'n period. As a results the bikes are usually low mileage compared to the warmer, year round areas. XS units do well for export... the early models partially because I'm told they didn't get the Xs1, Xs1b across the small pond. " Down under " they were.. Xs1F.. ?
So... the containers go both ways.. I'v imported 5 from the small pond.
and if you find that rough gem of a XS 650.. buy it... put it away. We restored a Xs1b (1971) for a guy in Switzerland and he sends us photos of him yodeling around the Alps. Hummm..Alps.. drum brakes... scary
Yupper had an Iowa based exporter show up at my door last summer, 5 (ratty, to very ratty) bikes left the shed.
(barely made a dent). He found me because a client of his in NORWAY saw my CL ad and notified him. His company has been doing this for decades. Including myself, I know at least 5 hoarders with 8 or more XS650s and similar.
(barely made a dent). He found me because a client of his in NORWAY saw my CL ad and notified him. His company has been doing this for decades. Including myself, I know at least 5 hoarders with 8 or more XS650s and similar.
txxs
XS650 Addict
We got both XS1 and XS1F here.
There were quite a lot of them around in the early 70's. Unfortunately they went out of favour in the late 70's except for Yamaha 650 fans (like me) and most were wrecked / dismantled. A lot of XS1 motors ended up in sidecar outfits. In the early 80's you could get them for a few hundred $ but not many remained. They only seemed to become popular again in the late 90's or 2000's. Now people are importing them.
I'm glad that I accumulated a few back then.
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ken65
XS650 Member
Another importer who had a bike shop years ago that had since folded up,
told me his biggest mistake was not bring more xs's into the country.
I asked him if he had any and said they were the first thing that walked out the door.
told me his biggest mistake was not bring more xs's into the country.
I asked him if he had any and said they were the first thing that walked out the door.
So, my XS1Bs may eventually end up in Australia?
Oh, man, good luck to whoever gets 'em...
Oh, man, good luck to whoever gets 'em...
Hope you have a full disclosure statement with all the mods!
Hope you have a full disclosure statement with all the mods!
Yessir!
Somewhere............in here...
