story of this newbie

[blank slate]

So I met this girl in 2012, moved in with her in 2014.

in her garage I noticed was a beast of a motorcycle. xs1100. a year passed, and I began asking her if it ran. she said no, her dad parked it there in 2012 and it hasn't been ridden since. so I get the manual from him and start puttering around with it. I join xs1100.com and start buying parts, doing maintenance, etc. I have never ridden or repaired a motorcycle in my life and I am dreaming of riding this bike one day.

my gf see's that I'm making progress on the bike and there's a possibility that I'll be riding come spring 2016. she says if I'm going to be riding, she wants a bike too.

I found a xs650 on kijiji and had her sit on it to give me her opinion. she liked it, and so two days ago we purchased it. it only had 19,000 km's on it and its a 1978! it's in awesome condition. we've both gone on a few rides on our property with it and let me say, for a newbie, it's scary to be on such a powerful heavy machine.

I'm joining xs650 for learning about maintenance, upgrading parts, keeping the original spirit of the bike as it was originally intended. I love a good classic.

 

[CDNTX650]

Two awesome bikes. That's a gorgeous example !

 

[gggGary]

Your girl friend is getting the better end of this deal bud! Maybe you can con her into letting you ride the 650 now and then, ahem only for testing and safety checks, of course.

 

[scabber]

Welcome. That is a nice one. Lots of information here to help you.

 

[fredintoon]

Welcome. That is a nice one. Lots of information here to help you.

Hi blank slate and welcome,
Me too! I have an XS11SG and an XS650SK Heritage Special, both are in use as sidecar tugs.
The XS11 is good for ~130mph but it runs out of brakes and steering at ~85mph.
It also drinks fuel like a fish and weighs a ton.
You are going to love it but take care or it'll kill you.
While nowhere near as fast as an XS11 the XS650 will still easily get you a speeding ticket and it's far safer to use as a beginner's ride.
Yeah, keep the XS650 "as is" except I'd advise swapping the stock rototiller bars for bars that made more ergonomic sense.

 

[blank slate]

Thanks for the warm welcome and suggestions.

I'm glad parts are available for this bike and a forum like this exists. Bike came with the Haynes manual, but based on what I've read I want the factory manual.

I can definitely see myself on this bike more than the 11. Weight is a factor as I only weigh 165! I haven't caught the riding bug (bc it's foreign to me). But I'm loving spending time out in the driveway removing grease from the bike and figuring out what to replace. The tires are dated 2003 lol. PO kept it in good shape but wasn't anal like I'm gonna be.