XS650

Well, I went and bought a 1975 XS650 today. I've lusted after one for some time, and at the rate they are being chopped, it isn't going to get easier to find one, so I jumped on this one. It was on Craigslist not too far away, and at $800, not a steal, but a fair price for a runner. I wanted an early standard model, and something I wouldn't feel bad about modding a bit. It'll need a complete going over before I put it on the road. The carbs will either need rebuilding, or I might switch to round slides. I'm not sure what's up with the seat. It looks like possibly it is from a later model. I'm glad I got one with the shouldered rims. I'm hoping to have a presentable, reliable rider for about $1500 (including purchase price) total, but we'll see how it goes.

Update: It's neat how things work out sometimes. When I bought the bike yesterday, I mentioned an old tandem axle utility trailer I had that I'd trade, if he was interested. I haven't even plated it since 2006, but just never got around to selling it. As it turned out, he had been looking for one, so said to pay cash for the bike, and he might get back with me. I didn't think much about it, but today he called, came and looked at the trailer, and gave the money back for the bike, so an even trade. Cool! Anyway, the more I look at the bike, the more I'm thinking of making it into a scrambler.