Hey folks, since I've posted a few WTB ads and a for sale ad I thought i'd go ahead and introduce myself! I recently purchased a (fairly) well preserved 1972 XS2, which is my 6th XS650 since I purchased my first bike in 1996 at the ripe old age of 17. The XS650 was my first love, and while I've had many other bikes (currently a CB400/4 and a CL450k6), I'll always have the softest spot for the 650 twin.
I love the red/white color scheme of the XS2, and I would definitely classify this one as an impulse buy. The price was right at $1,350, but once I got her home I ran into trouble. I purchased it running and the engine sounds strong with 7,600 miles. But I didn't notice two key things - a crack in one of the fender mounts on the fork leg, and hundreds of tiny pinholes in the gas tank!!!. I attempted to clean and line the tank but it's not going to work as a permanent fix I don't think. Once I got her home and running with fresh gas and a perfunctory carb and front brake overhaul , however, my maiden voyage around the block indicated some serious front end issues. That's what led me to the crack in the fender mount, and last night I pulled the whole bike apart and confirmed the problem: a bent RH fork.
The guy I bought it from told me he got it from a friend who had it sitting in a warehouse for years and years, only to get it running and get rid of it. I'm guessing what happened is he got it running, then ran straight into something and got rid of it after scaring the daylights out of himself. Anyways, I should have given it a closer inspection but it is what it is.
My plans were to give it a quick refresh and flip it for a few hundred more bucks, but plans change... Currently it's starting to feel like a full restoration to stock. Including having a professional paint a newly acquired tank, as well as the other tins. The frame and chrome are in remarkably good shape, but I'm replacing the exhaust with the XS2 replica set from Mike's XS. Anyways, this will probably turn into an expensive labor of love than I'll never want to sell, but there you have it. Here are pics of it as of yesterday, before and after disassembly. I'm looking forward to keeping this post updated with pics as I make progress.
So far the only other big issue I'm facing is a stubborn oil drain plug, but I've got a plan for that... I'm going to do bronze swing arm bushings and tapered head bearings, but otherwise I want to keep it stock.
I love the red/white color scheme of the XS2, and I would definitely classify this one as an impulse buy. The price was right at $1,350, but once I got her home I ran into trouble. I purchased it running and the engine sounds strong with 7,600 miles. But I didn't notice two key things - a crack in one of the fender mounts on the fork leg, and hundreds of tiny pinholes in the gas tank!!!. I attempted to clean and line the tank but it's not going to work as a permanent fix I don't think. Once I got her home and running with fresh gas and a perfunctory carb and front brake overhaul , however, my maiden voyage around the block indicated some serious front end issues. That's what led me to the crack in the fender mount, and last night I pulled the whole bike apart and confirmed the problem: a bent RH fork.
The guy I bought it from told me he got it from a friend who had it sitting in a warehouse for years and years, only to get it running and get rid of it. I'm guessing what happened is he got it running, then ran straight into something and got rid of it after scaring the daylights out of himself. Anyways, I should have given it a closer inspection but it is what it is.
My plans were to give it a quick refresh and flip it for a few hundred more bucks, but plans change... Currently it's starting to feel like a full restoration to stock. Including having a professional paint a newly acquired tank, as well as the other tins. The frame and chrome are in remarkably good shape, but I'm replacing the exhaust with the XS2 replica set from Mike's XS. Anyways, this will probably turn into an expensive labor of love than I'll never want to sell, but there you have it. Here are pics of it as of yesterday, before and after disassembly. I'm looking forward to keeping this post updated with pics as I make progress.
So far the only other big issue I'm facing is a stubborn oil drain plug, but I've got a plan for that... I'm going to do bronze swing arm bushings and tapered head bearings, but otherwise I want to keep it stock.
