1980 Special Twin
XS650 Enthusiast
Hey fellas,
My first bike was a 1980 XS650 about 8 years ago. I took it on tour stock (I play violin in a punk/ metal/ classical appalachian style) around Asheville, New York and in between, and then bought a Honda Deauville (It's like the Pacific Coast in the USA) and toured all over Europe in this style.
I'm actually a violinist and music teacher. I don't have any mechanical expertise, I'm just a little reckless and have a DIY attitude. I converted an old Mercedes to run on vegetable oil one time, and did a pretty bad job of it. But when I started riding everyone told me that I would have to turn my own wrenches so I got comfortable with it.
My XS got dinged when a suburban driver pulled out in front of me and sent me skittering across the asphault. The bike and I were mostly fine (her SUV was totaled somehow) but the insurance money bought me a new bike an an excuse to customize the old one.
I started the build when the Covid lockdown started in 2020 and finished just in time for Glory Daze 2021. Do you know this motorcycle festival in Pittsburgh? There were a bunch of sweet XSs on display, but mine was just about the only one in the parking lot and got lots of attention. Truth be told it was running like crap, held together with wire and I had lowered the front so far that I couldn't trust the bike in a turn.
But another couple weekends and it is now my runner/ ripper. Carbs aren't tuned right, some bolts need loctite, need to go 3 up on the jets instead of 2, haven't put on the sissy bar, needs some electrical upgrades, blah, blah, blah it runs so I'm running it!
I don't recall exactly where I got all my stuff, it's mostly pretty basic. I think the main customizations worthy of note are:
Ironhead King and Queen
handmade rear seat supports made from an old microphone stand
An art-deco faux rear fender made from the chainguard of an antique farm bike (The Monarch).
Rattle-can tank made using an improvised process that shockingly didn't end up looking like crap.
It's got the Pamco.
Deleted the starter because I was trying to salvage this other bike and it caught on fire. I don't like so many wires carrying so much voltage. The kick works ok, although it's cold now and I have to kick a lot more. Poor tuning is a factor. But also, are you all sure that the little freeze plug hammered into place with some loctite isn't going to fall out and dump 2.5 quarts of oil all over the place somewhere? I may consider re-installing.
I had hundreds of problems that I addressed during my build, and I didn't want to ask them here because i'm sure the answers already exist. For the most part I'm glad to have done my own troubleshooting. However, I did spend a solid 6 months of frustration "chasing an advance problem through the carbs." I wish I would have heard your wisdom sooner.
I also wish I wouldn't have installed that dang fork lowering kit. PITA to install, and another PITA to remove.
This is how it looks now
Here it is in roadworthy condition.
I just hooked the lady up with a running '83 Virago. She's a BA.
Fathers, take this moment to spend a couple hours with your daughter tell her you're proud of her. You don't want her to end up dating someone like me lol.
Also, in addition to touring on a motorcycle I do industrial techno sets with audio samples and video from my motorcycles and motorcycle rides. It's called 1980 Special Twin!
Well now that I've introduced myself I'm probably going to start asking for some bike advice. Thanks again for sharing so much knowledge and encouragement!
-1980
My first bike was a 1980 XS650 about 8 years ago. I took it on tour stock (I play violin in a punk/ metal/ classical appalachian style) around Asheville, New York and in between, and then bought a Honda Deauville (It's like the Pacific Coast in the USA) and toured all over Europe in this style.
I'm actually a violinist and music teacher. I don't have any mechanical expertise, I'm just a little reckless and have a DIY attitude. I converted an old Mercedes to run on vegetable oil one time, and did a pretty bad job of it. But when I started riding everyone told me that I would have to turn my own wrenches so I got comfortable with it.
My XS got dinged when a suburban driver pulled out in front of me and sent me skittering across the asphault. The bike and I were mostly fine (her SUV was totaled somehow) but the insurance money bought me a new bike an an excuse to customize the old one.
I started the build when the Covid lockdown started in 2020 and finished just in time for Glory Daze 2021. Do you know this motorcycle festival in Pittsburgh? There were a bunch of sweet XSs on display, but mine was just about the only one in the parking lot and got lots of attention. Truth be told it was running like crap, held together with wire and I had lowered the front so far that I couldn't trust the bike in a turn.
But another couple weekends and it is now my runner/ ripper. Carbs aren't tuned right, some bolts need loctite, need to go 3 up on the jets instead of 2, haven't put on the sissy bar, needs some electrical upgrades, blah, blah, blah it runs so I'm running it!
I don't recall exactly where I got all my stuff, it's mostly pretty basic. I think the main customizations worthy of note are:
Ironhead King and Queen
handmade rear seat supports made from an old microphone stand
An art-deco faux rear fender made from the chainguard of an antique farm bike (The Monarch).
Rattle-can tank made using an improvised process that shockingly didn't end up looking like crap.
It's got the Pamco.
Deleted the starter because I was trying to salvage this other bike and it caught on fire. I don't like so many wires carrying so much voltage. The kick works ok, although it's cold now and I have to kick a lot more. Poor tuning is a factor. But also, are you all sure that the little freeze plug hammered into place with some loctite isn't going to fall out and dump 2.5 quarts of oil all over the place somewhere? I may consider re-installing.
I had hundreds of problems that I addressed during my build, and I didn't want to ask them here because i'm sure the answers already exist. For the most part I'm glad to have done my own troubleshooting. However, I did spend a solid 6 months of frustration "chasing an advance problem through the carbs." I wish I would have heard your wisdom sooner.
I also wish I wouldn't have installed that dang fork lowering kit. PITA to install, and another PITA to remove.
This is how it looks now
Here it is in roadworthy condition.
I just hooked the lady up with a running '83 Virago. She's a BA.
Fathers, take this moment to spend a couple hours with your daughter tell her you're proud of her. You don't want her to end up dating someone like me lol.
Also, in addition to touring on a motorcycle I do industrial techno sets with audio samples and video from my motorcycles and motorcycle rides. It's called 1980 Special Twin!
-1980
