I love my XS. This is my first motorcycle. It's an 83 Heritage Special that I bought last year for 400 bucks. The guy who i got it from said that the stator was not working. I did some puttering with the electrical and found that the fuses/block was to blame and switched it out, teaching myself how to solder.
I really feel that digging into this bike and figuring things out myself has really helped me in becoming a more self suficient person. I'm even getting into doing more complex maintenance on my truck now thanks to my bike. To get something running with my own hands, to continue in figuring things out, and to get automatic results is such a rewarding experience.
Being my first bike, I don't really have any experience with any other motorcycles other than the POS Kymco I had during MSF class. I want to know why you have chosen the XS as your bike of choice. Is it the motor? Is it the character of the bike itself? Is it because it's the perfect customization platform? Why do you love your XS650?
As I sit in my office, and look outside at my bike in the parking lot, I can't help but think about what kind of adventures we could be on right now...