Hello All
I've posted a couple of messages here already, but I thought I'd take the time while I have it and properly introduce myself.
I just started riding this season...legally.
I'm on my second bike, a 1981 XS650H. My first was a 79 KZ400 that I found in a barn for really cheap. I fixed it up as much as I could do and then sold it to find a more reliable bike.
I found my 650 off craigslist for a good price. As I said, it's an 81 it has 8,000+ on it, and was taking very good care of by a gentleman who kept it in a temperature controlled garage it's whole life. He was sad to see it go, but he couldn't handle the bike anymore, and he only rode it around the block once a year.
Attached are some pictures of when I purchased her.
Since then I've got new tires, it still had the original tires from 81 on it. And I changed the bars to drag bars.
Now my plan is to "brat" it out to a point. I was hoping to keep it so that if someday i wanted to I could return it to stock without a problem. But I'm in the process of making a seat for the brat build and I can see that in order to get the look I'm going for I'm going to have to lose some of the original hardware...unless some one has an idea of how to keep it and still have the seat look like the picture attached. It's in such good condition I hate to cut her up, but I like to tinker and I want a custom bike so we'll see what wins out in the end.
Anyway, I'll try and document as I go. I want to be able to ride this summer, so I won't be doing anything that will prevent me from riding until the fall/winter.
Happy motoring to all and nice to meet you.
I've posted a couple of messages here already, but I thought I'd take the time while I have it and properly introduce myself.
I just started riding this season...legally.
I'm on my second bike, a 1981 XS650H. My first was a 79 KZ400 that I found in a barn for really cheap. I fixed it up as much as I could do and then sold it to find a more reliable bike.
I found my 650 off craigslist for a good price. As I said, it's an 81 it has 8,000+ on it, and was taking very good care of by a gentleman who kept it in a temperature controlled garage it's whole life. He was sad to see it go, but he couldn't handle the bike anymore, and he only rode it around the block once a year.
Attached are some pictures of when I purchased her.
Since then I've got new tires, it still had the original tires from 81 on it. And I changed the bars to drag bars.
Now my plan is to "brat" it out to a point. I was hoping to keep it so that if someday i wanted to I could return it to stock without a problem. But I'm in the process of making a seat for the brat build and I can see that in order to get the look I'm going for I'm going to have to lose some of the original hardware...unless some one has an idea of how to keep it and still have the seat look like the picture attached. It's in such good condition I hate to cut her up, but I like to tinker and I want a custom bike so we'll see what wins out in the end.
Anyway, I'll try and document as I go. I want to be able to ride this summer, so I won't be doing anything that will prevent me from riding until the fall/winter.
Happy motoring to all and nice to meet you.