Fire! Fire! Fire!

Hightower-Ash98

Hightower-Ash98

XS650 Addict
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Location
Jacksonville
What's up guys, long time no see.
In the waning hours of 4/20, I loaded up my chevy and made a mad dash down to New Smyrna Beach, to pick up a specimen that's had one-too-many bad trips.
Blazed and confused, it sad alongside Super-sports and flat-trackers owned by a nice gentleman of middle-middle age known to me as Allen.
Allen's shop was arsoned.
Lucky for Allen, and for myself, only one bike out of his dozen suffered anything more than superficial damage, his XS650.
Without further ado,
The Yamaha:
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Now you may ask me, "Ash, why on earth did you do this?"
My simple reply;
"$400"
 
Dang, is that price indicative of the market in your area? You can usually pick up running or near running XS's for near that price around here if your patient. What are your plans for it? I've seen worse turned into really nice bikes. I built an Iron Head years ago that had been in a fire. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't do it again.
 
RustiePyles said:
Dang, is that price indicative of the market in your area? You can usually pick up running or near running XS's for near that price around here if your patient. What are your plans for it? I've seen worse turned into really nice bikes. I built an Iron Head years ago that had been in a fire. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't do it again.
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The last xs I built was picked up for $150, it didn't take a lot of work.
This is a matching numbers little rig, my last bike was miss matched, the frame was also hacked up. This is a solid platform with a free spinning motor with good compression and a nice frame.
There isn't a title, so I'm planning on making an offroad tracker/scrambler type bike.

Yes the market is this high in Florida. I rarely see 650s, looked for a year after I sold my last one. They're all bobbers and they go for 3-4k. I dont see projects at all, or classics for under 2500.
One person in GA had half of a bike for $750
 
Don't mean to insult your intelligence 'cause you prolly thought of this, but....
That front rim gets a bit of work hardening when it's made. That fire most likely annealed it to soft aluminum. I don't think I'd trust it. :umm:
 
Machine said:
I see beauty in those long mufflers !
Those didn't burn ? Could be a very nice set there.
-R
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It was a miracle!
Guy had all of his bikes in a concrete room, the room next door caught on fire.
His plastic-laden motocross and flat track dirtbikes where out of harms way the yamaha was on the wall.
That fire got hot enough to melt the bike down from the next room over!
 
Jim said:
Don't mean to insult your intelligence 'cause you prolly thought of this, but....
That front rim gets a bit of work hardening when it's made. That fire most likely annealed it to soft aluminum. I don't think I'd trust it. :umm:
Click to expand...
I'm going to try to source some mag wheels
Or, hell, hit up mikesxs for some fresh spoked kits

Last bike didn't need it, but I may actually try to convert the thing over to Harley. I saw some people make the attempt
 
RustiePyles said:
Dang, is that price indicative of the market in your area? You can usually pick up running or near running XS's for near that price around here if your patient. What are your plans for it? I've seen worse turned into really nice bikes. I built an Iron Head years ago that had been in a fire. Knowing what I know now I wouldn't do it again.
Click to expand...
Speaking of the market...
Screenshot_20210421-113153_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20210421-113145_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20210421-113136_Facebook.jpg
 
I'm trying to keep all of my posts linked, So revival of my old thread.

This bike got hot enough to melt the front tire off.
Would this have damaged the heat treating to the engine and frame?
I'm unable to procure a title for the bike so I've been on the lookout for a titled frame on Ebay just in case
Are the forks worth a rebuild, or would it be better to find a whole new set?
 
Hightower-Ash98 said:
I'm trying to keep all of my posts linked, So revival of my old thread.

This bike got hot enough to melt the front tire off.
Would this have damaged the heat treating to the engine and frame?
I'm unable to procure a title for the bike so I've been on the lookout for a titled frame on Ebay just in case
Are the forks worth a rebuild, or would it be better to find a whole new set?
Click to expand...
I don’t think the frame is heat treated in any way, it’s probably ok. But I wouldn’t trust those forks any further than I could throw em.
 
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