Me too! 1959 to 1977.
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What is an XS650
- Thread starter ANXS650
- Start date
I do too!
BTW, I spent many, many summers on the lake in Chautauqua as a kid.
Just like that, The Chautauqua Gang has had a reunion!! 
Back in 1970, when the XS650 was introduced to the world, there were less definitions of what type of bike it was. Cafe's trails, dirt, racing, where as now we have so many definitions of what a bike is, and specific bikes made to those definitions, but straddle more than ones. And Choppers bikes only came into their own in the 70's and became a mainstream bike after the movie Easy Rider, and bobbers were more of an underground or specific type of creation of a bike. Bobbed is defined differently today than it was in its conception back in the late 40's, 50's and 60's.
My DL650, its an adventure bike, that is is also used, and built as a touring bike. The adventure part of the defined category is considered to be subpar for an adventure bike when used for the category it is sold as. Just changing the seat can put the bike squarely into the Touring category. It will carry 2 up and luggage across continents, conformable with enough power to put it in that class. Even though it isn't considered to be a full on adventure bike, some people have taken it to places that where it shouldn't be able to get to, or do.
Back to the XS. In the day it was considered to be a touring bike as well as a bike to get you where you wanted to go. 650cc was a large engine, (today they are a mid range bike), that had the power to navigate the roads of the day. That's another part of the equation on what the bike was for. The roads in that day were slower, and less interstate, 4 or more lane highways, where continuous speeds of more than 70mph wasn't practical. An XS650 will travel at 70MPH all day without any problems. Areas with high temperatures aren't good for this air cooled bike and that is partly due to the lack, (or size), of the cooling fins on the barrels. A plumbed oil cooler will overcome this. The bike will carry 2 up comfortably and travel at 60/65mph all day, (average weight not the average weight of 2 people today), or single rider + luggage.
Even back in the early days the XS650 was proved to be worthy as a competitive racer. We all know of Kenny Roberts and what he done for the xs650. Here in Australia there was a race called, +Castrol 6 hour" that was based on production bikes straight off the showroom floor with some slight modifications, (blueprinted motor) but not something that takes it away from a bike you or i could buy off the showroom.
Back in 72 an XS2 came in second to a 750/4 Honda and beat the other 1 750/4 Honda that took out 3rd and 2 Honda 500/4's, 4th and 5th and another XS2 got 9th so 2 XS2's were in the top 10 on the finish. These were against Triumphs, Kawasaki's Suzukies. norton BSA's +.
This is more remarkable when taking into account the early XS650 frames from 71-73 are not rated at all and were reported an all road tests to be squirrel'y to the point of being dangerous until 74 when the XS650 got a full make over from frame up.
gggGary has done some big rides on his XS650's, An Iron but on his 750 kitted 78 and a 2,000 mile return trip on his XS1 and at the ripe old age of 60+, that is some achievement, when back in the 70's it would be considered normal, today's average person would not even entertain something like that unless they were in an armchair or were a dedicated biker
The Specials were a marketing ploy. They reduced the tank size, and gave it a chopper style look. This revived the flagging sales without having to redesign the engine or the frame, so it was a minimal cost model change The frame is the same as the 74-79 standard frame dimensions, all that changed was a few brackets and the rear shock angle was probably the biggest change to the frame. The smaller tank required more stops but basically the bike still retained the capabilities to be a tour'er/cruiser in the sense that it could still do big distances of travel, 2 up or with luggage, but it was now up against the type of bikes that were 1000cc or more that were designated cruisers/baggers like the Goldwing and BMWs, Harley's and Suzuki's and the highways were getting faster and this made it harder for the bike to be used as it was first intended.
Now, (back in 80-84) a 750 is the smaller cousin, or the bottom end, of a big bike and a 650 is a mid range bike that is now not really considered a tour'er and the larger cc bikes are more sort after, more power, torque, and built for conmfort with windscreens and seats you could sit on/in all day
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Thanks for that Doug. I wasn't aware of the Castrol 6-Hour, let alone that an XS finished second.
Back in the late 70's and early 80's I was stationed in Florida. About 2-3 times a year I'd have to go TDY (temporary duty) to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico... a roughly 1200mi trip. I always rode a bike out there because I didn't feel like being without transportation while I was there and the wife and kids needed the car at home. My XS650 made that trip prolly 5 or 6 times. All I ever did for prep was change the oil, tighten the chain, throw the sissy bar on it for a place to tie luggage to and off I'd go. I never even carried extra parts or tools... just the factory tool pouch. As odd as that sounds, it was a perfectly normal thing for an XS to do... it's what the bike was made for.
I recall one time I was given a short notice trip (about 4 hrs notice). At the time I also had a Norton 850 Interstate. It wasn't even a close call... threw the sissy bar on the XS and off I went. I don't recall ever having any serious problems on those trips... for the XS it was just another day on the road.
I did eventually take the Norton out there, but that was after about a week of prepping it. With the XS, it was just jump on it and go.
My wife grew up on a farm in Stow. She could see the lake from her bedroom window. When she was a teenager, she worked at The Chautauqua Institute in the summer to make a few bucks. That was in the mid 60's.
Thanks for the history lesson. Very interesting.
The 60's was the era my family lived summers in the Institute on Root Ave, down the street from the opera house. My dad taught at the Art School. What a great place to hang out as a young kid!
My wife was the tall slender blonde working at Shaw's Laundry across the street from the Institute. I was mistaken, I thought the laundry was on campus.
My dad worked summers at Norton Hall in Chautauqua Institution for over 30 years. I remember going to the opera dress rehearsals as a kid.
posted all this stuff up before at times, especially when it had been pointed out how bad the early XS frames were, never got any feed back so stopped posting it
A good rider on a bad bike will out perform a bad rider on a good bike 99.9% of the time
The thing that stands out for me about the Castrol 6 hour race........... It stops at 6 hours, (not after so many laps), In that time the Honda 750/4 traveled 401 miles. The XS2 Traveled 397 miles. Lost 4 miles to the 750/4 after 6 hours.
Both bikes had good riders of their day so it wasn't a case of the 750/4 having a subpar rider compared to the XS650 having a better rider.
I, this min, done a search on the riders of the winning bike, (Brian Hindle, RIP), and the second place(Tony Hatten), on the XS650. Came across this history of the "6 Hour".
In 71 an XS1 came in 4th.
You might find this interesting
http://www.the6hour.com.au/content/history1970.html
Seems there is some difference between the article i posted and the results in this link. The second XS650 came in 5th. grain of salt and all...........there was also a lot of goings on in the 6hour. A lot rode on the resaults when it came to the showroom floor the next week so a lot of shenanagins and slight of hand in the holpe of not getting cought went on.
My first opera was Charlie Pride.
Might check with Jan but I think it’s a Swedish music festival…I keep a 38 special on my nightstand and have a nice collection of Rugers. I don't even know what a Birkenstock is
To me, as a novice mechanic and very much a wannabe, the Yamaha XS 650 is a superbly designed motorcycle that exposes the details of its jugs, and the accessibility of its parts. I know we all have different tastes, but I fell in love with the '80 Special II due to its handlebars, king/queen seat, and former mentioned motor. About Harleys, I like them very much and owned an 883 the first year they came out, but was constantly paranoid of it being stolen, enough to ruin any outing or adventure such as parking at the mall. Plus, there was an almost immediate callback for the wheels to be replaced, and I would void the warranty if I changed my oil on my own. So, it was a hands' off motorcycle that produced dissatisfaction in spite of the wonderful performance and handling.
At the moment in Georgia there is a beautiful 1982 (?) Silver Wing (Honda 500CX) with 10,000 miles and in very good condition for $3,800 dollars, that again does something for my aesthetic tastes due to its powerhouse design. But I still prefer a motorcycle without bells and charms, and where every part is for the purpose of performance and comfort and safety, and the XS 650 answers my delights. It is just a 'neat' bike!
'TT'
At the moment in Georgia there is a beautiful 1982 (?) Silver Wing (Honda 500CX) with 10,000 miles and in very good condition for $3,800 dollars, that again does something for my aesthetic tastes due to its powerhouse design. But I still prefer a motorcycle without bells and charms, and where every part is for the purpose of performance and comfort and safety, and the XS 650 answers my delights. It is just a 'neat' bike!
'TT'
CX500 is a cool bike. I saw a video of a hot rodded one on Youtube, dang thing sounded awesome. I get what you mean about "basic bikes" My Harley is an '05 Road King. No sound system, no nav system, analog speedo.... When I'm on a trip I might check my flip phone at gas stops...might. Motorcycling, the ultimate in social distancing.
Chautauqua,
One of my most favorite rest stops is north and a wee bit east of the lake on the interstate. Me Pops had a campsite in Franklin and we have some friends on the Rez in Salamanca. I usually get to express myself as to how much I hate New York when the vending machines at the stop take my money but keep the candy bar.......still, the view is gorgeous there.
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The Miller Belltower on the edge of Lake Chautauqua was for centuries regarded to be haunted. As a kid, I wouldn't go near it.
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That and the Sportster are the only Harleys that pique my interest. The Road King is everything one might need in a motorcycle and nothing you don't. (Even better if it has a carburetor)
I spent an awful lot of time there as a kid. My last visit to the area was 2007 and I was in and out inside a day and a half.
The one thing good about the Fuel injection on my Road King is that I wet from sea level to the top of Pikes Peak with no issues. In the big scheme of things though, for durability and simplicity, I wish I had an Evo with a carb.
