STARCROSSEDMOTO
XS650 Enthusiast
Hello. I believe this is the right place for this ongoing thread. But if it is not, my apologies to the moderators.
This is my 1981 XS650 "JADE"
I have a long history with this build/bike. The engine was gifted to me by my late fiance Olena one Christmas. I had a cb750 at the time that I sold to put towards a wedding and down payment on a house for us. I had a few bikes and parted with them all. (Bachelors life)
When my fiance found out from my roommate, she took it upon herself to get me this xs650 from someone on Craigslist or Facebook who told her this bike was a better British bike than the old British bikes. She knew I loved the 60s era British bikes and had passed on getting a good condition Tr6. She presented the bike to me late Christmas morning with a note saying she couldn't wait to see what I would make of it and the trips we would take together.
Around four months later, I laid her to rest after she lost a battle with lung cancer. (The same illness that claimed her father)
I couldn't even look at the bike. My roommate convinced me not to get rid of it and offered to keep it in his family's storage unit.
Over fifteen years later, I am working in the ER during the height of the pandemic; in need of something to help me decompress during my downtime, when my old roommate contacts me saying he's cleaning out the storage unit and asking if I want to take the bike. I had forgotten all about it.
So now in the last few years, I have slowly started wrenching on it at night. (I have trouble sleeping) Determined to finish it for myself and in memory of my Olena. The vision is 60s era desert sled with a touch of Japanese Brat-style thrown in.
The bike's name is Jade, as that was a nickname I gave to Olena for her green eyes. The final tank/trim color will be Aston Martin Green with a nickel frame.
Everything except the engine itself has come from various other XS650 models, SR500, Suzuki twins, various vendors that still make parts for the XS, and a modern Triumph Thruxton.
I will update the build thread as I move forward, but I want to thank everyone here for their wealth of knowledge and community, and to any still reading this, thank you for your time.
~ Starcrossedmoto
This is my 1981 XS650 "JADE"
I have a long history with this build/bike. The engine was gifted to me by my late fiance Olena one Christmas. I had a cb750 at the time that I sold to put towards a wedding and down payment on a house for us. I had a few bikes and parted with them all. (Bachelors life)
When my fiance found out from my roommate, she took it upon herself to get me this xs650 from someone on Craigslist or Facebook who told her this bike was a better British bike than the old British bikes. She knew I loved the 60s era British bikes and had passed on getting a good condition Tr6. She presented the bike to me late Christmas morning with a note saying she couldn't wait to see what I would make of it and the trips we would take together.
Around four months later, I laid her to rest after she lost a battle with lung cancer. (The same illness that claimed her father)
I couldn't even look at the bike. My roommate convinced me not to get rid of it and offered to keep it in his family's storage unit.
Over fifteen years later, I am working in the ER during the height of the pandemic; in need of something to help me decompress during my downtime, when my old roommate contacts me saying he's cleaning out the storage unit and asking if I want to take the bike. I had forgotten all about it.
So now in the last few years, I have slowly started wrenching on it at night. (I have trouble sleeping) Determined to finish it for myself and in memory of my Olena. The vision is 60s era desert sled with a touch of Japanese Brat-style thrown in.
The bike's name is Jade, as that was a nickname I gave to Olena for her green eyes. The final tank/trim color will be Aston Martin Green with a nickel frame.
Everything except the engine itself has come from various other XS650 models, SR500, Suzuki twins, various vendors that still make parts for the XS, and a modern Triumph Thruxton.
I will update the build thread as I move forward, but I want to thank everyone here for their wealth of knowledge and community, and to any still reading this, thank you for your time.
~ Starcrossedmoto
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Didn't realize how much I missed all that.
