Looking to buy an 82 xs650 with 15k miles on it.

[willfave925]

Hello, I am looking to buy my first bike, and I love cafe builds, I am super interested in this bike as it is in good condition and the owner says it runs well. However, he is asking 2200, and I do not know enough about this bike to discern if this is a decent price. If someone responds I will gladly attach photos and stuff. I am waiting to hear back from the owner to see what kind of maintenance has been done and what problems it might have. Any advice would be super valuable, thank you so much.

 

[willfave925]

Update, he said he changed the oil and rebuilt the "cards", (carbs?) last spring, and said it needs some work done but its a solid bike.

 

[5twins]

Personally, I wouldn't pay that kind of money for one that "needs work". Yes, show us some pics.

 

[lakeview]

If you are both a new rider and wrencher, it may be better if you get a 5 year old Honda with FI and electronic spark. Learn to ride well on a complete stock bike and then think about doing a build.
Respectfully

 

[jetmechmarty]

I love café builds

If that is your intent, the '80 to '83 Special's styling cues offer the most challenge to pulling that off, especially if you have no experience at this. Beyond that, I echo the words of @lakeview .

 

[Dom]

$2200 or £2200?

 

[jpdevol]

Yep, good advice above. Maybe it's already a cafe build? Glad to help assess....

 

[JJames]

So, just to summarize. 2200 dollars or pounds is a lot for any Special, especially "needs work". And the xs650 Special, with its more chooperesque lines may not easily lend itself to a cafe build. And thanks for the positivity jp. And as they say here, pics or it didn't happen.
As for this being your first bike build/bike . Seven years ago I picked up a dirt cheap 1981 Special 2 that needed some freshening up. Otherwise in good condition. Prior to this my only riding experience was bicycles and a 50cc Batavus moped. I'm a decent shade tree mechanic but most of my experience was on a fleet of 1960s Dodge Darts and AMC Ramblers. Anyhow , learned to ride, maintain and repair the xs. I've put thousands of miles on it commuting and riding for fun. It's rarely been out of service for more than a day or two. While I like cafe bikes , other than swapping on some flater bars I've learned to love the Specials baby Sportster vibe.
Enough obout me. But here's my two cents. Offer them 800$ and go from there. IMHO it's as good a starter bike as you'll find. It's your first build so why make mistakes on something too nice. Go for it . Take pictures.

 

[JJames]

On second (or third) thought if I was set on building a cafe bike and was looking to spend around 2 grand for a serviceable bike. Older xs650 standards or Honda cbs might be a better choice.

 

[Dom]

Not easy to find good ones over here (UK) for under £2.5-3k, there is currently only 11 xs650 for sale on Ebay and half of them aren't standard and have been choppers or something.

 

[JJames]

.

Not easy to find good ones over here (UK) for under £2.5-3k, there is currently only 11 xs650 for sale on Ebay and half of them aren't standard and have been choppers or something.

Bloody shame.lol. looks like Will hails from Springdale ,Arkansas. Here in the US, bikes lurking in barns and backyards everywhere. I've seen decent early xs(standards) on this site under 1000$. Specials had for a song.

 

[Dom]

Money to be made shipping them over here

 

[JJames]

Money to be made shipping them over here

I'm not that bright.

 

[Dom]

I'm not that bright.

I'm too cautious

 

[Exploding Coffin Emporium]

OP is from the states, so $2200. At that price on an 82’ special I’d be hesitant to buy if it needed work. “Good condition” and “runs well” are very subjective terms. Pics and more info are needed. Changing oil and cleaning carbs are a yearly maintenance issue and doesn’t mean anything. A lot of dudes will go apeshit with a can of carb cleaner once a year and say “carbs cleaned”.

Cafe racers, bobbers, and choppers, I get it, truly I do. They are terrible first bikes. These forms of motorcycle suppose that the rider is well aware of the machine and can handle the drastic change in riding style as well as maintenance. Stockers are easy, you can get manuals and unwind neglect and mistreatment. The former, presume that the owner has moved beyond this understanding to a more universal one and can apply these concepts to any machine. I love XS650’s but I’m also very well aware that they do not yield a high value outside of a very limited range of models and years. With that being said, you’ve found a blue gill in a well stocked lake, I’d throw her back and keep finishing if the juice is not truly worth the squeeze.

 

[jetmechmarty]

I have an '83 Heritage Special. I keep up with it. I can ride it anywhere. It has been mine since new. I think it would be fair to say that it needs nothing if I were selling it. That said, it's 40 (40 is Biblical for a lot) years old. It seems I'm futzing with it in one way or another all the time. There is really no such thing as "needs nothing." So, to me, "needs work" is how it is whether stated or not. To the uninitiated, "needs work" could turn out to be an insurmountable task. At this point, we don't know much about the OP or the bike in question.

 

[OLD ROOKIE]

5 year old Hondas don't have cool factor a XS650 has. IMHO old CB's don't have it either.
Since I was a teenager, I loved the XS650 (65 yrs. old now). I still think it is the coolest there is.. Uncut.

$2200 is what I have in my bike after getting her going again. Paid $1100 and re-wired it. i also spent a lot on stuff it didn't need.
Worth maybe $2000 now. Would I sell it today for $3000-5K. No. I like it.

Ask him to start it up. Cold. I never see $800 running and clean XS650's offered. If I did, I would do it again. 1981 XS650 Special. Love it. Ridden it 3200 recreational off highway non-rush hour miles in the last 14 months.

Maintenance ? I say Spmaintenance. It's 40 years old. Does it start ? Do you know basic diagnostic testing or have a friend who does ?

1981 XS 650 Special SH

 

[Grewth]

One mans idea of "needs a little work" is another mans idea of " needs a total rebuild".
As for a first bike ?
Well what would you recomend ?
Beginners always want to run before they have learned to walk.
Look at what impoverished people are running in the third world - something cheap and virtually indestructable like Honda's CG125

 

[Dom]

I agree Grewth, I tend to get into thing pretty deep, not much puts me off a project and if anything buying the finished article would bore the hell out of me

 

[Exploding Coffin Emporium]

One mans idea of "needs a little work" is another mans idea of " needs a total rebuild".
As for a first bike ?
Well what would you recomend ?
Beginners always want to run before they have learned to walk.
Look at what impoverished people are running in the third world - something cheap and virtually indestructable like Honda's CG125

I always reccomend evo sportsters, 883 to be specific for a good first bike. Easy riding position, enough go without too much to get ya in trouble, bulletproof engines(like the thing has oil in it and it’s gonna go), and lastly value retention as when your ready to deep six it you’ll likely get 100% of your money back out of it or close.