Hello all,
Just thought I'd drop this tidbit introducing myself. "New" owner of a '79 XS650 special, got it from a friend for a steal of $200. It runs and goes, but just needs a little TLC. After reading through the posts of this site, I have found 2 camps regarding the XS650; Purists and customizers. I am traditionally a purist in most cases regarding certain things like old firearms, hard to find cars & bikes, etc. BUT, (big butt, like my wife's) I have decided to go off the beaten path with the XS650 to the stampeded path of customization. I have already restored an '80 Honda XL250s, and an '80 Kawasaki KM100. But I want to modernize the XS650 into a daily driver, something for long trips. I have already decided to do PMA/CDI conversion from HHB, among other things. I know there's contentious debate on PMA systems, but with both of those other bikes being only kick start, I like to know that I'm not dependent on a battery to start the bike. The electric start will be a luxury for me, although I don't like that it won't start with the clutch pulled in.
Anyways, point is, I'm new and welcome to hearing all of the wealth of knowledge from you all.
Just thought I'd drop this tidbit introducing myself. "New" owner of a '79 XS650 special, got it from a friend for a steal of $200. It runs and goes, but just needs a little TLC. After reading through the posts of this site, I have found 2 camps regarding the XS650; Purists and customizers. I am traditionally a purist in most cases regarding certain things like old firearms, hard to find cars & bikes, etc. BUT, (big butt, like my wife's) I have decided to go off the beaten path with the XS650 to the stampeded path of customization. I have already restored an '80 Honda XL250s, and an '80 Kawasaki KM100. But I want to modernize the XS650 into a daily driver, something for long trips. I have already decided to do PMA/CDI conversion from HHB, among other things. I know there's contentious debate on PMA systems, but with both of those other bikes being only kick start, I like to know that I'm not dependent on a battery to start the bike. The electric start will be a luxury for me, although I don't like that it won't start with the clutch pulled in.
Anyways, point is, I'm new and welcome to hearing all of the wealth of knowledge from you all.