tbroadwater
XS650 Member
thank guys, I will be sure to check and see if the engine is matching the frame and if it is not I will be sure to stop, drop and roll at that point!
Keep my fingers crossed!
Keep my fingers crossed!
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continue restoration or sell?
- Thread starter tbroadwater
- Start date
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- Tags
- restoration
tbroadwater
XS650 Member
i checked and they were all 3 bolt configurations!
Thanks for the tip...
At this point, I want to just keep tinkering and may get something simple ride while I take my time on this...
CDNTX650
XS650 Guru
sounds like someone just put a newer side cover on with sight glass.
I rode my 71 bone stock and scruffy for years until some trouble in the left cylinder made me park it. I originally wanted to restore mine too but the cost is so high and besides, say you do restore it... then what? You park it your living room and look at it? It doesn't make sense to pay huge $$$ for the last few original parts on earth then go out and get them wet and rusty, dinged with rocks, and bleached by the sun.
I left mine sitting for years but I couldn't bring myself to sell it. Then I decided what the hell, I love the old thing, I'll put the original parts on the shelf, throw money at it and make it into something I want to ride every day again. Does it make sense? No, I'll probably break $3000 by the time I'm done and it'll never perform like a $3000 modern bike, but it's mine and I'm having fun doing it. And really, over on the ducati board they're throwing a couple grand just at their brakes so we're not the craziest inmates in the asylum.
I left mine sitting for years but I couldn't bring myself to sell it. Then I decided what the hell, I love the old thing, I'll put the original parts on the shelf, throw money at it and make it into something I want to ride every day again. Does it make sense? No, I'll probably break $3000 by the time I'm done and it'll never perform like a $3000 modern bike, but it's mine and I'm having fun doing it. And really, over on the ducati board they're throwing a couple grand just at their brakes so we're not the craziest inmates in the asylum.
You could always buy a $20,000 Harley them sink another $10,000 into the engine(like many do). Now I can't make sense of that. But I will pour money into these old bikes because I do 99% of the work myself and they are unique. I agree you also can buy a 650 Ninja for $6,000-$7,000 and have a great bike that you have to do nothing to. A lot of choices out there. To each his own.
I picked up my xs650 for $500 and have probably spent near double that in parts so far. my valve adjustment snowballed into a complete engine teardown. if I was in it for the money I would have ditched the thing months ago. I don't think of it as an investment, but as an education I'm paying for. my return is learning and getting to wrench on stuff, and if I'm lucky I'll have a bike to ride too when it's done.
