Demin wrote on 08/30/11 at 17:53:31:


Yeah, I've been a Lurking on Chop Cult for a while now.  Love that site.  Hopefully I'll get something together that I'd feel confortable posting about over there, but I'm still a little too new at this game, I think.

Some of the XS 650's I've seen on the "Japanese Bikes and Tech" forum are what got me thinking this might work, and the parts support was kinda surprising.

I've had both , the Savage and the SX-650 .   The race wouldn't even be close.   The SX- would give my Harley 1200 sportster a good run or leave it.   They both will do over 70 mph in second  and get it perty quick.    

The SX  I had burned out the  roter  part of the Altnator  the first time the battery went dead.   I wonder if replaceing the battery in time would have saved it ?   guess I'll never know !

used to ride with a guy on a 750 honda back then.  In a 50 mph poke he would have to downshift to keep up and our top-ends were so close we never found out which was faster ...
I did stretch out belly on gas tank and head between the handlebars one night on the interstate.   The speedometer started bouncing between 130 and 135 ... had me puzzled till I realized it was the front wheel leaving the road then retouching again.   That was enough to slow me down for a while .  

I built a '79 XS650 street tracker and a RYCA cafe racer in the past 9 months. Guess which one I'm keeping...

Buy the XS650 or tell me where it is.  These bikes have more aftermarket support than any other bike made.  Tons of parts available.

I love them owned 7 over the years

Try these:
Phil Little Racing … http://www.phillittleracing.com/
Omar's Dirt Track Racing … http://omarsdtr.com/index.html
(started & run by Phil Little for a long time but sold to another now, though they still support each other)
Lots of good stuff for the XS650 Yamaha

There was a complete XS in pieces here on Craigslist for $150 I almost pulled the trigger on last week, but he didn't have title and I didn't feel like going through that potential headache or registering.  Too bad  

XS650, hands down. Do the lighting coil eliminator mod and the electrical system is good, not great, but good. Keep in mind it is a knock off of a Triumph/BSA design exercise from 1954... yes, they were already experimenting in England with unit twins by the mid-50s. Yahama got the design in the late 1960s. Interesting article on the XS in A Century of Japanese Motorcycles.

If it is a 60 spoke Special, the wheels are worth more than the rest of the bike. Cast wheel versions are worth 1/2 of the cost of the spoked models.

The model IS in dire need of a weight reduction.

Check for XS twins on Do the Ton. 360, 400, 500 and 650 are worth the time to get your hands on.

XS650 was, bar none, the best bike Yamaha ever released.