strappinglad
XS650 Enthusiast
Howdy all!
Asking $2700
1978 Yamaha XS650 Special
Clean Nevada title in my name
17,168 miles. Will go up a little as I ride it 3-4 days a week. Short commute.
Oil change at 15,8XX w/ Rotella 15-40
Allison/Crane electronic ignition
MAC 2 into 1 exhaust w/ new 2" cherry bomb muffler
New grips and black drag bars
"New" Ignition switch from another XS650
"New" Left hand controls from another XS650
LED lights in gauges
LED for neutral switch mounted in headlight bucket (Idiot light cluster removed)
New brushed aluminum indicators and flasher unit
New Triumph style brushed aluminum brake light
Front and rear fender have been hand sanded from chrome and given a couple coats of clear to give it a brushed metal look. Rear fender was bobbed as well. See the brushed metal theme I'm going for here?
New high output coil and plug wires
New Battery
New solid state voltage regulator
Switched to modern blade style fuse block
Fork boots
Lower forks painted black
Dual disk front brakes from the XS750 (Disks machined by PO)
New front pads, brakes bled and fresh fluid. Rear drum pad still looks good.
New tires and tubes. About 1K miles with plenty of meat left.
Kenda K761 100/90/19 up front. Vee Rubber VRM-163 120/90/16 rear
Stock seat foam shaved down and recovered.
Stock Mikuni BS38 carbs w/ K&N filters
28T rear sprocket for highway cruising (New, unused 30T sprocket included)
Center stand and side stand
Stock, uncut frame
History with the bike:
Let me first say, I absolutely love this bike and I had no intention to sell it EVER. It pains me to sell it but I am moving out of town soon and will only have space for my daily rider; the DR650. I used the XS as my daily for the first couple months I owned it. She never left me stranded. You can tell by the list of new parts and upgrades that I really do care for this bike and would hate to see it go to some mouth-breather or window-licker who will completely neglect it. I would hope it goes to a another XS owner and won't turn it into a bobber
I bought this bike from a cool old guy in Medford, Oregon in early September 2012. He worked for Yamaha throughout the 70's as a mechanic and new every little detail about these bikes. It shows, the bike has always run great since the day I rode it home. Oh yeah, I flew up to Medford and rode it back to Las Vegas sight unseen. Nearly 800 miles later and not a single problem I was home. Cruising at 75 and averaging 55mpg, I couldn't be happier with the old girl.
I am compulsive and meticulous about regular maintenance with my bikes. Tire pressure is always good, chain lubed and adjusted, cam chain in proper adjustment, valves in specs, carbs synced.
Everything works as it should! Blinkers, lights, horn, tach, speedo, odometer, trip meter, electric start, kick start, high/low beam, charging system, brakes have good feel. No wobbles, shudders, or shakes. Just the nice vibes of that 650. It will start cold in 2 kicks with the choke on. If you are lazy just hit the electric start and it fires right up. She is always ready to ride and wouldn't hesitate to take a ride down to LA for a weekend and ride home.
Only a couple things that should be known
1. It leaves a drip or two of oil every week or so in the garage. I have verified the drip is coming from the shift rod seal. The amount is negligible, but I want to leave everything on the table about the bikes true condition. No other leaks.
2. The front brakes squeak every now and then. I used new hardware, pads, and the goo to keep them quiet, but they manage to still make noise.
3. While this bike is very nice, it was not my intent to polish every bolt and clean every crack with a tooth brush. It is meant to be ridden!
I also have a standard 4gal. tank and the set of handlebars it came with that I'll throw in. The tank was intended for resto. Light rust inside, outside needs to be stripped, two petcocks.
If you have any questions or reasonable requests, please don't hesitate. I'm best reached by email. russ.koester(at)gmail.com. I will be sure to check PMs as well.
Cheers!
Asking $2700
1978 Yamaha XS650 Special
Clean Nevada title in my name
17,168 miles. Will go up a little as I ride it 3-4 days a week. Short commute.
Oil change at 15,8XX w/ Rotella 15-40
Allison/Crane electronic ignition
MAC 2 into 1 exhaust w/ new 2" cherry bomb muffler
New grips and black drag bars
"New" Ignition switch from another XS650
"New" Left hand controls from another XS650
LED lights in gauges
LED for neutral switch mounted in headlight bucket (Idiot light cluster removed)
New brushed aluminum indicators and flasher unit
New Triumph style brushed aluminum brake light
Front and rear fender have been hand sanded from chrome and given a couple coats of clear to give it a brushed metal look. Rear fender was bobbed as well. See the brushed metal theme I'm going for here?
New high output coil and plug wires
New Battery
New solid state voltage regulator
Switched to modern blade style fuse block
Fork boots
Lower forks painted black
Dual disk front brakes from the XS750 (Disks machined by PO)
New front pads, brakes bled and fresh fluid. Rear drum pad still looks good.
New tires and tubes. About 1K miles with plenty of meat left.
Kenda K761 100/90/19 up front. Vee Rubber VRM-163 120/90/16 rear
Stock seat foam shaved down and recovered.
Stock Mikuni BS38 carbs w/ K&N filters
28T rear sprocket for highway cruising (New, unused 30T sprocket included)
Center stand and side stand
Stock, uncut frame
History with the bike:
Let me first say, I absolutely love this bike and I had no intention to sell it EVER. It pains me to sell it but I am moving out of town soon and will only have space for my daily rider; the DR650. I used the XS as my daily for the first couple months I owned it. She never left me stranded. You can tell by the list of new parts and upgrades that I really do care for this bike and would hate to see it go to some mouth-breather or window-licker who will completely neglect it. I would hope it goes to a another XS owner and won't turn it into a bobber
I bought this bike from a cool old guy in Medford, Oregon in early September 2012. He worked for Yamaha throughout the 70's as a mechanic and new every little detail about these bikes. It shows, the bike has always run great since the day I rode it home. Oh yeah, I flew up to Medford and rode it back to Las Vegas sight unseen. Nearly 800 miles later and not a single problem I was home. Cruising at 75 and averaging 55mpg, I couldn't be happier with the old girl.
I am compulsive and meticulous about regular maintenance with my bikes. Tire pressure is always good, chain lubed and adjusted, cam chain in proper adjustment, valves in specs, carbs synced.
Everything works as it should! Blinkers, lights, horn, tach, speedo, odometer, trip meter, electric start, kick start, high/low beam, charging system, brakes have good feel. No wobbles, shudders, or shakes. Just the nice vibes of that 650. It will start cold in 2 kicks with the choke on. If you are lazy just hit the electric start and it fires right up. She is always ready to ride and wouldn't hesitate to take a ride down to LA for a weekend and ride home.
Only a couple things that should be known
1. It leaves a drip or two of oil every week or so in the garage. I have verified the drip is coming from the shift rod seal. The amount is negligible, but I want to leave everything on the table about the bikes true condition. No other leaks.
2. The front brakes squeak every now and then. I used new hardware, pads, and the goo to keep them quiet, but they manage to still make noise.
3. While this bike is very nice, it was not my intent to polish every bolt and clean every crack with a tooth brush. It is meant to be ridden!
I also have a standard 4gal. tank and the set of handlebars it came with that I'll throw in. The tank was intended for resto. Light rust inside, outside needs to be stripped, two petcocks.
If you have any questions or reasonable requests, please don't hesitate. I'm best reached by email. russ.koester(at)gmail.com. I will be sure to check PMs as well.
Cheers!
