That is so BS ! fredintoon. It is difficult to adapt later "Special" shaped seats and side panels etc onto a "Standard" or the Standard components onto a Special. None of the hangers or mounts are in the proper place. It would require welding new tabs all over and the flat seat of a Standard is especially hard to adapt to the Special frame angles. Even the top triple clamp and instrument mounts are specifically angled for the Special..Hi Tillerman,
the only unchangeable difference between a Standard and a Special XS650 is the angle of the rear shocks.
Everything else swaps like LEGO.
1980 and newer XS650s have the desirable lift-off seat and no points ignition and can be parts-swapped to look just like a Standard.