For Sale - 78 XS650 Special in Seattle

pckopp

XS650 Addict
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Location
Spokane, WA
1978 Yamaha XS650 Special
Blue, about 10K miles, many new parts
$1800
Located in Seattle, WA

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This bike was abandoned in a storage facility. My friend bought it, I got it from him. It has been in storage or in my garage for at least 10 years that I know of, probably many more.

When I first got this bike, it was covered in oil on the left side. My wife and I took it apart down to the frame and engine and cleaned it thoroughly. Even to the point of wiping down the wiring harness with ArmorAll to get it clean. We had a notion to part it out at that point since it was apart and clean and ready to ship. Then my wife and I decided to move and rent our house. The lady we rented it to wanted to buy the bike so we put it back together and got it running. In the process, we replaced the steering head bearings, installed new tires, replaced the brake fluid and the chain and sprockets. It fired right up. I think we also replaced the turn signal and brake bulbs. Both left and right petcocks were replaced with simple manual petcocks. I'm sure there were other items replaced. I will give all my receipts and records to the buyer.

And we promptly discovered where all the oil had come from. The countershaft seal was bad. Big leak. We replaced that and it has not leaked a drop since. After that it got ridden about once every two or three months for a total of 500 miles. It has spent the last two years sitting in my garage on a Battery Tender. It has been started occasionally and this fall I rode it about 100 miles after we moved back home. In the meantime my renter decided to move back east to Virginia and didn't want to ship the bike so I have it back again.

There is no title. I never thought I would own it all in one piece so I never have bothered to get the paperwork done. A check of the VIN with the Washington DOT shows clear. I will be happy to provide a bill of sale and whatever accompanying documents I can.

I took these photos today (Dec 30th, 2011). It needs a bath and some polishing to look its best but it is a nice looking bike. I'm sure it would benefit from having some further TLC in form of modern coils and charging system but otherwise it is in good shape. There is one small ding in the tank shown in the photos and the front master cylinder is leaking. There is a small tear in the seat.

I am selling this bike (and several others) because my wife and I have decided to spend the next few years travelling as much as we can. We currently both ride WeeStroms, thought if this bike weren't 30+ years old, my wife might choose it instead. She says "this bike is a hoot to ride!"

Feel free to ask any questions.

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