Yamaha parallel twin - modern version

Heh heh heh,,,
I can't touch the ground while sitting on any of those.
Even my original XS650 Special I had in the college days I was tip toeing it.
This is the primary reason I built mine as low as possible.
ALL the primary manufacturers should take note that not all riders are big burly 6'5" versions of HE MAN.
There are quite a few models I have had eyes on but when I climbed aboard it was a no go. If I do not feel safe while in the saddle,,I have no interest in riding it. No matter how badass it is.
 
Hey Fred, when I 'tried' on a '16 XSR900 with a 32+" seat height and told the salesperson I couldn't reach the ground
with both feet (even tip-toeing) he said and I quote "how often are you going to need to do that?" I laughed and rode
home on my '04 XL1200R Sportster.
 
Gentlemen, we are showing our age and, arguably, our idiosyncratic tastes. "The rock in the stream is eventually washed away by the flood" and our rocks are starting to roll. We live in a wonderful modern era. Progress is inevitable and it need not necessarily appeal to the staid, the reminiscent, the retro oriented. The XSR 700 is the face of the future. It will get "worse", at least for those who share our perspectives. We can't pretend to hunger after a revamped XS that imitates the appearance but lacks the character. The modern rider demands much more and they are the market influence. The re-introduced Bonneville, the America, even the BMW R 1200 C have done well but they don't comprise a significant market share. The XS 650, with its air cooled engine, single discs, analog instruments, excessive weight and moderate power curve sits comfortably amongst our flares, reefers, Ban the Bomb necklaces and Led Zeppelin collection. Let's leave it there and appreciate ugly machines like the 700 for what they are - silhouettes on the horizon.
 
I really don't think the XSR700 is that bad looking of a bike.

Between the A/C system, the furnace and flooring, I just dropped around $12K into house improvements but if I had money for a new bike burning a hole in my pocket I'd consider it.
 
Hey! Don't bring my LED Zep collection into this...:poke:
Watched the Grammys with the wife a few months ago... we invented a new acronym.
WATP.
Who are these people?

Much of what you say is valid... the only thing constant is change. ouch.
That said, in 10+ years of production Yamaha made around 400k to 500k XS650's, depending upon whose numbers you want to believe.
I would also bet a good deal of money that in 10+ years the XSR700 sales will not have equaled 1/10 of the XS650's, if it even lasts that long.
 
I'm with you guys. The new angular look just kills it for me. Man they are ugly. And have you seen the can on the new Suzuki GSXR 1000? They should put a side hatch on that thing for storage! Good grief.

I think both Triumph, Moto Guzzi, and Ducati have done a good job of building a modern UJM with a retro theme. In fact, I looked at them all and ended up with the scrambler. Great looking, light, air-cooled, decent pricing. There are some good bikes still out there that are not all "transformered" out but you have to look a little.
 
Sigh.

I LOVE my FJ-09 but it is buh-tuggly. Removing the goofy hand guards helps some, but the view from the front is enough to make an old fart like me retch.

Fortunately, I can't see it from the seat and any lingering distaste is quickly eliminated by a little twist of the right hand.

Also, after I'd had the FJ for a while, I had occasion to hop back on the XS. Ouch. The riding position on the taller FJ is SOOOOO much more comfy. I felt like a monkey on a greyhound on the XS.

Same topic, different bike: Neighbor who just started riding @ 55-ish bought a '16 SR400. Pretty bike, everything a 70's biker could ever ask for in the appearance department.

And it's a woofer. Okay for donking around town but at highway speeds that bike will put yer ass to sleep clear to yer ears. He's terribly disappointed. His words: "This bike is gorgeous, but it won't do anything my TW200 won't do, and my TW lets me play in the dirt!"

My point being: Retro looks are cool and I love them as much as anybody, but actual retro bikes are not as much fun as we remember.
 
A bit more on-topic:

Yeah the XSR700 is homely and like someone else said about the only commonality with an XS is the number of wheels and cylinders. Not even remotely interested.

Now, the XSR900, OTOH...me likey! Kind of wish I'd have ridden one of them before I bought the FJ...
 
Back
Top