been away from the forum for a while... check out my barn

[Kyd727]

been away from the forum for a while..... trying to get some of my projects finished instead of sitting on my ass in front of the computer...lol!!
i've acquired a few more bikes, and i thought you might enjoy a peek inside "the barn".
just kind of curious what you guys think..... enjoy, Tom

 

[Travis]

So you got another XS1.. nice..

Also, that's a huge bandsaw!

 

[XSJoel]

You are a sick sick man.

 

[Kyd727]

hey travis,
yea i got another xs1..... im always looking for the early bikes, ya know. i look everywhere, all over the country, and would you believe, this one poped up on craigslist less then 15 miles from my house, i was there that night with cash in hand.
really intresting story behind it too.... the guy bought it from the original owner in 1973.
rode it for two years then put it in his garage. after like ten years in the garage it started to get in his way so he hung it from the rafters with aircraft cable. its been hanging in his garage for the past twenty odd years.
it has less than 5k on the odometer..... what a find!! i just about shit myself when i saw it, its basically an untouched original bike. the only things ive noticed are the handle bars, front turn signals, seat, and tail light, and he mounted some crazy air horns on it too.....thats about it. the tires are still good on it!! (not that i would trust them) it needs some attention and does have some rust here and there, but its not bad.... very, very solid bike.
now ive got two xs1s to restore!! dont tell my wife ok? she doesnt know about the second one....lol!!
oh, and the band saw isnt mine the guy i bought it from owns a small machine shop and he brought the bike to his shop when he decided to sell it. that pic was taken the night i picked it from his shop.

joel,
i know... i am sick, but i cant stop! i love these bikes.

 

[Kyd727]

oh.... heres the 1975 xs650B i picked up earlier this year..... this is a very low mileage bike also.....i dont want to say what i paid for it, cause you guys will think im bullshitting
- Tom

 

[Teebs]

Mmmmmmmm, pron.

 

[XSJoel]

I just recently found a 1981 XS650 on CL about 20 miles from my house as well. Original owner, less than 9K miles, runs but only on one cylinder but it was in good condition and only $500. Maybe one day I can be sick like you though. Right now I am just a one horse kinda guy.

And tell us how much you paid, I love finding deals! I have been riding about 3 months and have bought 3 motorcycles just because they were all good deals.

 

[Kyd727]

ok Joel..... i will tell you.....$350! no B.S. but i did have to drive to upstate N.Y. to pick it up. thats about a five and a half hour drive for me, one way.

looks like you have a great bike there..... i would pay $500. for that! (actually that bike is waaaay too new for me....LOL!!) looks very clean.... you did very well.
what other bikes did you buy?

oh, and i would check to make sure your getting a good spark at the points if not, clean the points with a some fine grit sand paper .... if your getting spark at the points then i would check the coil on that side thats not fireing ... just a thought!?
anyway, always start with the least expensive solution, it wont cost you a dime to check for spark, and it can be done very quickly and easily..... let me know how you make out.
-Tom

 

[650sf]

Make sure to do a compression test as well.

Nice collection Tom, I really like the '68-'69 cb450 that's one of my dream bikes.

 

[XSJoel]

Not to hijack, but once I get some time with the bike I plan to do compression and check both sides for spark and go from there. It's sitting at my friends house and I haven't had the time or money to get a compression tester. But I may have the time tomorrow.

 

[Kyd727]

Joel,
I don't mind ..... I like shooting the shit about bikes. all I did was get the ball rolling, after that, the conversation goes where ever it goes... Let us know what you find out About your bike.

650sf,
I love those 68-69 cb450s too! That's why I had to have one of each (k1 & k2).
Believe it or not, those k1s are rarer than the k0 black bombers.
Alot of people dont even know what they are.

 

[XSJoel]

Ok then, since yall asked...I bought a 1992 Suzuki GS500E in great running condition, came with new rear tire that just needed mounted for $800. Probably about to sell it for $1300. Then I spotted and 2003 Kawasaki ZR7S with 35K miles for $1800, talked him down to $1600, changed the oil and sold it for $2200. I hope to get more money so I can keep this momentum going with buying and selling motorcycles! But I plan on keeping the XS650 forever. Will definitely report back with what's wrong, but my friend who has had some time with it thinks it's the carbs. I still need to get my hands dirty and find out for myself though.

 

[pawthrick]

Kyd,
Truly an awsome collection!
Checked your profile, counted 14 bikes. I wonder how many your wife think is in there...

Are you able to keep focus on restoring one bike? Or do you jump around fixing something here on one bike, adjusting something there one another, buying a new bike, repeating.

Anyways, I like what I see.

 

[gggGary]

Kyd,
Truly an awsome collection!
Checked your profile, counted 14 bikes. I wonder how many your wife think is in there...
Or do you jump around fixing something here on one bike, adjusting something there one another, buying a new bike, repeating.

Anyways, I like what I see.

You wern't talkin' to me, but it fits!

 

[gggGary]

Had one of those early 450's I'd jump on one in a heart beat. But even from the way back machine I remember how poor those drum front brakes were!
I also have an XS1 and it has the same handle bars and throttle cables as yours. but not the seat. (mine is a LOT rougher condition.) Man you stole that one.

 

[Kyd727]

I try to stay on one bike at a time, once I start the process.....
... But a few of my buddies have vintage bikes, and sometimes I do jump around a bit
trying to help them with their bikes if they have a problem.
For me, there is something very satisfying about bringing an old bike back to life after
someone neglected it or gave up on their project.
Most of my bikes I got very cheap and the people were glad to get them out of their way.
Alot of these jap bikes were considered "throw away bikes"
by alot of people back in the day.....so I figure maybe hafl of what was produced got trashed. These bikes are only going up in value. but,With that said, that's not the reason I got into this hobby.....I do it cause I love these bikes, and someone needs to preserve them, but it's nice to know that they are probably appreciating in value.

As far as the wife knowing what's in the barn..... She's a great girl, and doesnt give me too much crap.....but there are a few that she dosent know about...lol! Shhh!
Im pretty sure, that deep down she loves these bikes almost as much as I do!

 

[pumps]

Quite a collection. The old XSs are cool but I like the CB450s too. My neighbor has a 67 his dad bought new . I think it has like 22xx miles on it. All original. See that custom jumper cable running from my XSs AGM battery to the CB? Redneck romex jumpers!

 

[72XS2]

Man, I really like these pics. I also want to find a XS1 and a XS1B. They are very rare here and I'm not sure if Yamaha sells the XS1 in Canada back in 1970. If you need more space in your shop, don't hesitate to send me one XS1, I have enough space here !!

 

[Kyd727]

That's a sweet bomber!
I may have to add one of those to the collection...lol!

 

[Kyd727]

Can any of you guys tell me how you upload those big photos?
Im not very computer savy...