member16874
XS650 Enthusiast
Thought I'd start a 'proper' thread about my XS...... bit of history first:
Had my first XS650 in the late 1970's - it was a 'B'. Being a teenage I ragged the holy shite out of it trying to keep up with my mates who had RD400's, GS1000's, CB900's etc
Anyhow I managed to kill that bike in the end then swapped it for a nice RD250.
So time moves on and I've had over 50 bikes since then...... it's an illness The RULES of my garage is all my bikes now must have a KICKSTART
I'd been on the lookout for a nice XS650 project for a couple of years (on and off) when one turned up local to me in August...... So I went & had a look... the rest is history
Prices are quite steep in the UK but this bike seemed like a decent enough starting point - it was road legal (Tax & MOT) - came with a spare 2:2 exhaust & good c/head + cam - a manual - good rear tyre, and I knocked it down from £1500 to £1300. It was running rough & spitting at low revs, but it ran strong - brakes were poor, but it felt GOOD !!!
It's what I'd class as a bike with Potential
So once I got it back into my work (no room at home - also hiding it from Mrs P ) I had a good look at it........
PLAN:
Ditch that aweful seat
Fit some lower bars
Sort out the running
Fit the 2:2 pipes
Ride her
Had my first XS650 in the late 1970's - it was a 'B'. Being a teenage I ragged the holy shite out of it trying to keep up with my mates who had RD400's, GS1000's, CB900's etc
Anyhow I managed to kill that bike in the end then swapped it for a nice RD250.
So time moves on and I've had over 50 bikes since then...... it's an illness The RULES of my garage is all my bikes now must have a KICKSTART
I'd been on the lookout for a nice XS650 project for a couple of years (on and off) when one turned up local to me in August...... So I went & had a look... the rest is history
Prices are quite steep in the UK but this bike seemed like a decent enough starting point - it was road legal (Tax & MOT) - came with a spare 2:2 exhaust & good c/head + cam - a manual - good rear tyre, and I knocked it down from £1500 to £1300. It was running rough & spitting at low revs, but it ran strong - brakes were poor, but it felt GOOD !!!
It's what I'd class as a bike with Potential
So once I got it back into my work (no room at home - also hiding it from Mrs P ) I had a good look at it........
PLAN:
Ditch that aweful seat
Fit some lower bars
Sort out the running
Fit the 2:2 pipes
Ride her