In the ongoing search to replace my XS with something remotely as interesting, I took a 650 GT for a spin today. Verdict? Pretty darn smooth. Everything felt light and easy, no vibration to speak of at all. The mirrors actually did something useful! A lovely bike, but the bars were a tad too low. I think the INT(erceptor) or Bear would be the way to go if I were in the market.
The problem? It basically disappeared under me. For me, there was no sense of engagement with the bike. I'm sure I could come to appreciate its finer points in time, but it left me feeling a bit cold. The XS is alive, and you know exactly what its doing at all times (for good and bad). The Enfiled was a bit appliance like in comparison. The Enfield motor was peppy and liked the revs, but the XS has better grunt down low and into the midrange. Advantage Yamaha, in my opinion anyway.
I was actually looking forward to taking out the 350 classic single, but unfortunately the first time I reached for the brake on my test ride I realized that recent nerve damage in my back and arm prevented me from opening up my right hand to actuate the lever. I had to lift my whole arm and drop my fingers over the lever and then constantly cover it with my first two fingers which still work somewhat properly. That's no way to ride. Hopefully they will come back around soon.
I found a couple of very nice XSes locally, but the first guy took so long to get back to me I gave up, and the second one resulted in a Facebook ban for suspicious activity as soon as I clicked on the send message button. Huh? I think it might be related to a recent hacking of passwords with several mail hosting sites, but they want my cel# to get back on, and that ain't happening. I found a project 83 Special for $500 about an hour away, so I got a co-worker to message him. We texted and agreed to a phone call and he totally ghosted me. Hopefully because he sold it, but who knows. That was a shame since it was almost a direct copy of the bike I started out with way back in 2008.
I may get my coworker to text the first guy back. He is asking $3k for his 78 Special, which is kind of strong money around here, but it is darn near as perfect a specimen as I have ever seen. It would be worth the money to me not having to "restore" it so to speak. Not overly keen on points but they lasted almost 50 years, so it can't be that big of a problem.
Here's hoping!
The problem? It basically disappeared under me. For me, there was no sense of engagement with the bike. I'm sure I could come to appreciate its finer points in time, but it left me feeling a bit cold. The XS is alive, and you know exactly what its doing at all times (for good and bad). The Enfiled was a bit appliance like in comparison. The Enfield motor was peppy and liked the revs, but the XS has better grunt down low and into the midrange. Advantage Yamaha, in my opinion anyway.
I was actually looking forward to taking out the 350 classic single, but unfortunately the first time I reached for the brake on my test ride I realized that recent nerve damage in my back and arm prevented me from opening up my right hand to actuate the lever. I had to lift my whole arm and drop my fingers over the lever and then constantly cover it with my first two fingers which still work somewhat properly. That's no way to ride. Hopefully they will come back around soon.
I found a couple of very nice XSes locally, but the first guy took so long to get back to me I gave up, and the second one resulted in a Facebook ban for suspicious activity as soon as I clicked on the send message button. Huh? I think it might be related to a recent hacking of passwords with several mail hosting sites, but they want my cel# to get back on, and that ain't happening. I found a project 83 Special for $500 about an hour away, so I got a co-worker to message him. We texted and agreed to a phone call and he totally ghosted me. Hopefully because he sold it, but who knows. That was a shame since it was almost a direct copy of the bike I started out with way back in 2008.
I may get my coworker to text the first guy back. He is asking $3k for his 78 Special, which is kind of strong money around here, but it is darn near as perfect a specimen as I have ever seen. It would be worth the money to me not having to "restore" it so to speak. Not overly keen on points but they lasted almost 50 years, so it can't be that big of a problem.
Here's hoping!
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