New and Old XS owner

VanDutch

VanDutch

XS650 Member
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I’m glad my buddy referred me to this site as I finally just purchased a Special 2 which is very close to my Special I bought new in 79 in the same Burgundy color. Back then I paid $2000 OTD now I paid 3200 for a old 81’ :) inflation

I’m going to keep this stock other then maybe rear sprocket tooth and performance exhaust slip on?

I wanted to get advice on best sprocket for just easy putting and if I could make it a little louder for safety. Any suggestions would be appreciated,

Bike will arrive in 3 weeks as it’s being shipped and anxious to get to ride it. Being an old nam era vet I needed a bike that fits. I sold my Pan head, heritage and Valkyrie as they were getting too much for me to ride safely.

1645808725005.jpeg
 

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Welcome DutchIndo from Canada's sunny southern coast in Windsor, Ontario!

You have chosen well - the XS650 is the perfect bike for ridin' around in the breeze!


As for more noise, I guess that I don't subscribe to the "loud pipes save lives" theory. The problem is that exhaust noise is all going backwards - where you have been - and not forward where the danger is located. Basically, all loud pipes do is annoy neighbours and attract the police. For my money, nothing works to increase the visibility of a bike and attract the notice of nitwits in cages better than a headlight modulator and a brake light modulator. I have used both for years and many many times, people have pulled up beside me at traffic lights and asked if I was a cop - or if something was wrong with my lights.

My answer is always the same: "Thanks for noticing."

Check out www.SignalDynamics.com for both types of modulators - their stuff is well-made and will do more to keep you safe than any loud pipe, IMO.

As for a sprocket - I think that most of us have found that dropping a tooth on the rear works well to cut vibrations on the road while not hurting acceleration too much.

Anyhow - please post lots of photos of your bike. It looks like you've got yourself a ballgame there!

Cheers,

Pete
 
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MaxPete said:
Welcome DutchIndo from Canada's sunny southern coast in Windsor, Ontario!

You have chosen well - the XS650 is the perfect bike for ridin' arouund in the breeze!


As for more noise, I guess that I don't subscribe to the "loud pipes save lives" theory. The problem is that exhaust noise is all going backwards - where you have been - and not forward where the danger is located. Basically, all loud pipes do is annoy neighbours and attract the police. For my money, nothing works to increase the visibility of a bike and attract the notice of nitwits in cages better than a headlight modulator and a brake light modulator. I have used both for years and many many times, people have pulled up beside me at traffic lights and asked if I was a cop - or if something was wrong with my lights.

My answer is always the same: "Thanks for noticing."

Check out www.SignalDynamics.com for both types of modulators - their stuff is well-made and will do more to keep you safe than any loud pipe, IMO.

As for a sprocket - I think that most of us have found that dropping a tooth on the rear works well to cut vibrations on the road while not hurting acceleration too much.

Anyhow - please post lots of photos of your bike. It looks like you've got yourself a ballgame there!

Cheers,

Pete
Click to expand...
Pete here is a link to show all the pics.. I bought it off Bring A trailer BAT and hope bike is what was shown. Take a look and tell me if I paid too much

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-yamaha-xs650sh-special-ii/
 
Hi Gary

These almost look stock and the price can’t be real? If it’s that inexpensive i’ll buy them and see how it sounds. in your opinion Would it require any rejetting ?
thanks
 
Well there are a few tweaks to BS34's that usually improve how they run, since they are first gen EPA carbs yeah a bit of jet fattening is often in order. Yeah they are good mufflers and the seller is as "for real" as it gets, but that's a story for a campfire some night. ;^)
 
It's gorgeous!

For me, I have no reason for sustained speed over 60 mph. I've experimented with sprockets in the past and I am sold on 17/34. Go 17/33 and I will run you over going up a hill even if you are 135 lbs to my 200. I detest the smaller rear sprocket. Stock is best for the easy putting, IMHO. YMMV

Forget the slip-on muffler. You'll have to cut that exhaust apart to do it and then the inner pipe will be rattling around. You replace the headpipe followed by the muffler. I forgot what the optimum headpipe size is, but it's somewhere almost 1.5". 1.75" is too big and your engine will fall flat.
1645810979439.png
This 17" Emgo muffler is pretty cheap and very loud. It may be what you're looking for.

I hope to see more of this bike once it's in your possession.
 
MaxPete said:
Welcome DutchIndo from Canada's sunny southern coast in Windsor, Ontario!

You have chosen well - the XS650 is the perfect bike for ridin' arouund in the breeze!


As for more noise, I guess that I don't subscribe to the "loud pipes save lives" theory. The problem is that exhaust noise is all going backwards - where you have been - and not forward where the danger is located. Basically, all loud pipes do is annoy neighbours and attract the police. For my money, nothing works to increase the visibility of a bike and attract the notice of nitwits in cages better than a headlight modulator and a brake light modulator. I have used both for years and many many times, people have pulled up beside me at traffic lights and asked if I was a cop - or if something was wrong with my lights.

My answer is always the same: "Thanks for noticing."

Check out www.SignalDynamics.com for both types of modulators - their stuff is well-made and will do more to keep you safe than any loud pipe, IMO.

As for a sprocket - I think that most of us have found that dropping a tooth on the rear works well to cut vibrations on the road while not hurting acceleration too much.

Anyhow - please post lots of photos of your bike. It looks like you've got yourself a ballgame there!

Cheers,

Pete
Click to expand...
Pete are those headlight modulators just for halogen bulbs or would they work with the stock headlight I have now
 
jetmechmarty said:
It's gorgeous!

For me, I have no reason for sustained speed over 60 mph. I've experimented with sprockets in the past and I am sold on 17/34. Go 17/33 and I will run you over going up a hill even if you are 135 lbs to my 200. I detest the smaller rear sprocket. Stock is best for the easy putting, IMHO. YMMV

Forget the slip-on muffler. You'll have to cut that exhaust apart to do it and then the inner pipe will be rattling around. You replace the headpipe followed by the muffler. I forgot what the optimum headpipe size is, but it's somewhere almost 1.5". 1.75" is too big and your engine will fall flat.
View attachment 208443 This 17" Emgo muffler is pretty cheap and very loud. It may be what you're looking for.

I hope to see more of this bike once it's in your possession.
Click to expand...
Oh come on Marty, the adapter to make those mufflers an easy install is well known and documented here. But yes no matter WHAT muffler you use the original exhaust is welded together and has to be cut apart. IF you decide to change.
PS I run a 32 tooth rear and can Smoke Marty :geek: but there are lots of other changes to that bike also.
 
Dutchindo said:
and performance exhaust slip on?
Click to expand...
I forgot, there are two baffle discs in the muffler. Reach into the exhaust with a long extension or maybe even a broom handle. Knock them out with a hammer. First one, then deeper for the other for a total of four. It won't gain you much noise, but the exhaust might flow better and won't trap as much heat.
 
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Welcome to the site
There's everything to know about 650's here
You can check into the Tech section for a ton of info or if you get stuck just ask these guys know 650's
I just printed out the section on carburetors to have in the shop
 
Couple things jump out at me... the bright red on the speedo and tach tells me it was always garaged, otherwise they'd be badly faded. All original... down to the owners manual and tool kit says it was an owner who took real good care of his stuff. Overall, looks like a very nice survivor. Provided it runs as good as it looks, I'd say ya done good!!
 
Dutchindo said:
Pete here is a link to show all the pics.. I bought it off Bring A trailer BAT and hope bike is what was shown. Take a look and tell me if I paid too much

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1981-yamaha-xs650sh-special-ii/
Click to expand...

Geeezzz....that is a pretty bike! The price seems OK to me and I'd give it a try with the stock exhaust for now.

On the modulators - the ones sold by Signal Dynamics are mainly for conventional (i.e. incandescent - halogen or not) headlights. All of my bikes run H4 halogen headlights and they seem to work well with the S-D units. The firm may have a unit that will work on an LED light - but check carefully as the required circuitry is different from one type of bulb to another. If you want to run an LED headlight - just search for a modulator that is suited to that type of bulb.

On the taillight, I think that my taillight is an LED bulb (i.e. 1157 replacement) on my '76C (the effervescent Lucille :yikes:) and the S-D Back-Off unit seems to work just fine there. It is also very small and extremely easy to fit. Whenever I use the brakes, the brakelight flashes 3 times and then glows steadily. It really does work to get people to notice me and combined with the modulating headlight, I have not had a single close call in the 7 years since I returned to riding after an absence of 25 years.

Another good replacement to keep these old girls perking is to use LED bulbs in the instrument lights. Before I did this little fix at the suggestion of forum member @Daniel Black (a lighting guru for sure), I couldn't keep all of the instrument lights on my '76C working at once for more than a few hours. Since replacing them, I have never had one burn-out.

There are <I think> about 10 bulbs between the illumination, idiot lights and turn signal indicators in the dash - and they are all the same type of bulb on a given bike. NOTE: the pre-1980 bikes use a different type of instrument bulb than the 1980-> bikes and so you will need to confirm which type you have. The place to get them is: Super Bright LEDs - and they have direct replacements for just about any kind of incandescent bulb you could name.

Super Bright sells them in packs of 10 or 20 bulbs and they are not expensive nor difficult to replace.

Pete
 
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gggGary said:
Oh come on Marty, the adapter to make those mufflers an easy install is well known and documented here. But yes no matter WHAT muffler you use the original exhaust is welded together and has to be cut apart. IF you decide to change.
Click to expand...
The exhaust on that Special II looks very very nice. Yes, I have taken the welds apart myself. It would cause me pain the see that nice exhaust cut apart. :(
gggGary said:
PS I run a 32 tooth rear and can Smoke Marty :geek: but there are lots of other changes to that bike also.
Click to expand...
Yes, last we rode together, not only was my bike completely stock, it was completely worn out. I am assuming we're talking about me being smoked by MADNESS.
 

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