The XS650 is one of the most reliable motorcycles ever made. It has good torque also. It is an excellent all-around bike. Because it is just 650 and not 1000 or larger, it is not an ideal bike for very long trips (hundreds of miles) on the highway since it runs at higher rpm at highway speed. Evenso, this would not prevent you from driving one across the entire country. It is large enough for you, especially if you added highway footpegs on the frame so you can stretch out your legs.
I remember first seeing a Yamaha 650 back in the mid 1970's and becoming completely besotted by it! 650cc was a "big" bike back in those days. My mate bought a TX650 . Beautiful machine. Unfortunately I was only had a learner motorbike licence at the time and had to wait a bit longer before experiencing the joy of big bike riding.
@650verticaltwin I would also like to mention that I "borrowed" your waist bag camera mounting technique on a 7000km ride through Europe with my '68 Honda CB450 this summer and it worked great. Again, thank you for sharing. :-)
in 1972 i rode a s2 kawa 350 coming from state college pa up over the mountin to philpsburgh pa i ran one well i could out accerate it pretty easy but as we went up the mountain i could here that 4 stroke comming and he wennt past me like a steam train. my bike would top out about 105 and he flew by me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
fortunately for him it appears that everyone else where he lives is crazy too. They're ALL on the wrong side of the road! (I would assume that everyone else in that land has their speedometer upside down too. That would make sense.
Thanks, it brought back some great memories. And about the reliability it was great. Such a simple machine but your dads bike may be worth too much to use as a starter bike.
This video looks great, and the sound is not bad at all. You can actually hear the engine over the wind noise. What kind of camera did you use, and how was it mounted? Those gauges are trick, BTW.
The Yammie XS650 was a great 653cc twin, w/ great sound too. Didn't handle like the Brit. 650's, but reliable & had good power for the time. This bike appears to have '71 BSA or Tri. forks / front end.
>touge242 Well maintained the bike is not a bad choice, but you need to know the weak points. >arctsv Thanks for your comment. The Smith-type gauge's design is originated in GB. >sartoriusrock Since original carbs did not work well, I changed to the vm34. The VM carbs do not make a drastic change. However, they work well (^.^)v.
the XS650 is a great bike it used to be a common choice for a starter bike but they are 30+ years old now and need a lot of maintenance to keep them going. They are also a heavy bike to maneuver around and suit the heavier larger rider I would say.
I owned one for years. Hard clutch, batteries die causing carb to leak fuel, from end bearing fails at 20-30k, and front brake locks up when wet. A better alternative is the Yamaha VMAX.
>SuperFancyketchup The gauges were replaced from originals to those of SR400 with Smiths-type panels. When I changed the panel stickers, I also replaced the stopper needle on the panels and indicator needle positions putting on the center needles to the correct zero places of the smiths-type panels. Thus the gauges display correct running and rotational speeds.
ive got a question on a project im doing. im making a small sand car/dune buggy. its frame will weigh more twice what the bike dose plus it will carry 2 people. I need it to reach 60mph. do you think this engine would do it?
HEY you are riding on the wrong side of the road! LOL..... Good sounding Bike, I don't know if Euro bikes were different but here in the US if it was a 1975 it was an XS650B stock color here was Star Black/Gold Decals, European bikes were Red/Gold Decals.. So that must be either a different year or it was put together from different bikes.
I am 6'2,but I have shorter legs then most people my height it seems and I fit fine,I am also a larger guy and my XS 650 is perfect.I am running mids only,no highway pegs or forwards.
>leoncito2799 Thanks for your comment. (^_^)/ The sound of the video is not so good, because the video was taken by commact digital camera with monaural sound. Although the another uploaded monochrome video with stereo sound taken by pocket video cam was much better, the sound contained noises... I am now trying to take a video with noiseless sound. I hope I can show you a new better video in a tunnel near the future.
I had one , kept dying out when stuck idling in traffic, had to let it cool down for like an hour, but if I rode it hard it was fine , sold it for 100 bucks , I know so dumb , my parents wanted it gone
Thank you for your comment and question. It is 1973 model having 34 mm diameter fork. After changing rear suspension from progressive-412 to YSS-362, the wobbly handling and vibration were alleviated.
Thanks for the ride. Nice bike. I like it's sound. Thanks for no music. Some people just don't get that.
My first motorcycle was a 1978 Yamaha XS650. Wonderful little critters. Well balanced, light, agile, with a bit of twin grunt.
The XS 650 is truly a sweety and surely good to ride. Nice video, thumbs up.
I like these kinds of videos. It shows me what the bike sounds like and how it accelerates.
The XS650 is one of the most reliable motorcycles ever made. It has good torque also. It is an excellent all-around bike. Because it is just 650 and not 1000 or larger, it is not an ideal bike for very long trips (hundreds of miles) on the highway since it runs at higher rpm at highway speed. Evenso, this would not prevent you from driving one across the entire country. It is large enough for you, especially if you added highway footpegs on the frame so you can stretch out your legs.
How would it be with a passenger?
Had a used XS-650 Special and Loved it 😁
Very nice video. I just bought an all-original French blue 1976 that I will be picking up in Los Angeles next week. Can't wait!
Enjoy the new old bike.
I remember first seeing a Yamaha 650 back in the mid 1970's and becoming completely besotted by it! 650cc was a "big" bike back in those days. My mate bought a TX650 . Beautiful machine. Unfortunately I was only had a learner motorbike licence at the time and had to wait a bit longer before experiencing the joy of big bike riding.
What a fantastic video. Very well filmed. Great camera angle.
Why hasn't there been any more comments?
Beautiful bike. I'm hoping to buy one tomorrow. Those roads look like Japan. I lived in Shizuoka for 16 years...
Beautiful bike. I had a 1980 xs650, and other bikes. It is one of the finest bikes ever made.
I put mikuni VM34 carbs on my 1978 XS650 and it made a world of difference. Much more reliable than the CV carbs.
@650verticaltwin
I would also like to mention that I "borrowed" your waist bag camera mounting technique on a 7000km ride through Europe with my '68 Honda CB450 this summer and it worked great. Again, thank you for sharing. :-)
in 1972 i rode a s2 kawa 350 coming from state college pa up over the mountin to philpsburgh pa i ran one well i could out accerate it pretty easy but as we went up the mountain i could here that 4 stroke comming and he wennt past me like a steam train. my bike would top out about 105 and he flew by me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent video, great roads and a beautiful bike! Thanks for sharing.
Good vid! Nice XS, love the paint, front disc & caliper mod.
Scary riding with you on the wrong side of the road lol. Cheers
fortunately for him it appears that everyone else where he lives is crazy too. They're ALL on the wrong side of the road! (I would assume that everyone else in that land has their speedometer upside down too. That would make sense.
mumtaz jiddan bro....same my bike xs special type....continue
Thanks, it brought back some great memories. And about the reliability it was great. Such a simple machine but your dads bike may be worth too much to use as a starter bike.
@Znabb
Thanks for your kind report.
It's my pleasure for the mounting application.
Please show us your trip video with the mounting.
This video looks great, and the sound is not bad at all. You can actually hear the engine over the wind noise. What kind of camera did you use, and how was it mounted? Those gauges are trick, BTW.
いい音です。
ところで、メーターが逆さまなのは何故なのですか？
The Yammie XS650 was a great 653cc twin, w/ great sound too. Didn't handle like the Brit. 650's, but reliable & had good power for the time. This bike appears to have '71 BSA or Tri. forks / front end.
>touge242
Well maintained the bike is not a bad choice, but you need to know the weak points.
>arctsv
Thanks for your comment.
The Smith-type gauge's design is originated in GB.
>sartoriusrock
Since original carbs did not work well, I changed to the vm34.
The VM carbs do not make a drastic change.
However, they work well (^.^)v.
Japan is beautiful place for bike riding!!!P.S-I hope ,it´s a Japan...P.P.S-Nice sound!Need to buy one immediately!
Would one of these be a good starter bike? My dad has one he would sell to me.
I think riding wise it would be good starting bike dunno if they are reliable though.
Did you end up buying one?
the XS650 is a great bike it used to be a common choice for a starter bike but they are 30+ years old now and need a lot of maintenance to keep them going. They are also a heavy bike to maneuver around and suit the heavier larger rider I would say.
Nice bike and very nice video. Thank You for posting.
Chris
Seattle
Think God, a xs that wasn't butchered into a ( never leave town bobber)
Chopper guy took your girlfriend huh? 🤣
Why are the instruments upside down?
They're for the southern hemisphere.
are the 1980 650 good bikes, i'm looking into getting one myself, i'm 6'1 would i fit well on it?
I owned one for years. Hard clutch, batteries die causing carb to leak fuel, from end bearing fails at 20-30k, and front brake locks up when wet. A better alternative is the Yamaha VMAX.
>SuperFancyketchup
The gauges were replaced from originals to those of SR400 with Smiths-type panels.
When I changed the panel stickers,
I also replaced the stopper needle on the panels and indicator needle positions
putting on the center needles
to the correct zero places of the smiths-type panels.
Thus the gauges display correct running and rotational speeds.
ive got a question on a project im doing. im making a small sand car/dune buggy. its frame will weigh more twice what the bike dose plus it will carry 2 people. I need it to reach 60mph. do you think this engine would do it?
It looks a little bit wobbly in the turns, is that model prior to the handling modifications that Yamaha made in 1975?
wonderful video
i dont know the word for it but where you read your kmph???never seen that! its like upside down..
HEY you are riding on the wrong side of the road! LOL..... Good sounding Bike, I don't know if Euro bikes were different but here in the US if it was a 1975 it was an XS650B stock color here was Star Black/Gold Decals, European bikes were Red/Gold Decals.. So that must be either a different year or it was put together from different bikes.
Perhaps the carbs had been tinkered with before you got the bike. XS650s never had any inherent carbouration problems.
>2048JB
Thank you so much for your words of praise.
ｘｓ-650は、カワサキw-1と同じように振動は有るけど、これもバイクの魅力ですね、ヤマハはＯＨＣツインで加速が伸びやかですねコンパクトで乗りやすいバイクでした
セルモーターが後期に付きましたので始動が楽になりました。長距離ツーリングにはいいバイクですね！
Awesome bike! I'm jealous! but why do you ride it on the wrong side of the road?? X-P X-D :-D
People here in Australia just nod. It also depends what kind of bike you ride over here.
over here in the UK we just nod to each other unless your on L plates in which case you can try and nod but no one will nod back.
why do you drive on the wrong side? :-)
＞Cowplunk
Thanks for your comment and questions.
I used panasonic LX3 mounting on gorrilapod for this video.
The tripod was wound on a waist bag.
>Scrapheap71
Because it is a traffic law in our country.
Anyway, thanks for your comment !
has the vm34 carb affected your performance at all?
Yep had one back in 81 brill..could not afford a bonnie at the time.
How did you get your gauges to look upside down?
Nice 😎
Is it a difficulty to work with? I'm looking at an investment of about 700 but it needs some tlc
have you ever ran this bike to its top speed and if so what was it???
I had 3 of those bikes ..one of them burned 1 liter of oil every 12km ..it was crazy
I am 6'2,but I have shorter legs then most people my height it seems and I fit fine,I am also a larger guy and my XS 650 is perfect.I am running mids only,no highway pegs or forwards.
Excelent
Lovely one !. :)
Nice video! Which mirrors are these? They look perfect and shorter than originals! Thanks in advance!
Thanks for your comment. The mirrors are stadium round-type.
Thank you very much for your quick reply, I was looking for these mirror for so long!!! Have a great day!
>diabhal
Thanks for your comment !
Did someone say "chop it"? Please,please don't! Much too nice to be molested. Looks and sounds beautiful just as is.
>YukikazeShikanosuke
Thanks for your comment.
Because I replace the panel of gauges.
Please read my answer to SuperFancyketchup.
>leoncito2799
Thanks for your comment. (^_^)/
The sound of the video is not so good,
because the video was taken by commact digital camera with monaural sound.
Although the another uploaded monochrome video with stereo sound taken by pocket video cam was much better, the sound contained noises...
I am now trying to take a video with noiseless sound.
I hope I can show you a new better video in a tunnel near the future.
sweet sound
fork on backwards??? Caliper should be on tail side of rake??? Reminds me of Walmart bicycles danger ⚠️ danger!
Japanese Boneville.👏👏👏👏
so I'm wondering. how bad of an idea is this as a first bike?
>TheBONZOID
Thanks for your warm comment !
thanks appreciate the information
>Mrtriumphchopper
I appreciate your kind comment.
>uncutsquid
Although it's your wrong side, but it's a correct side in our country.
Thanks for your kind comment. (^_^)/
thanks man, really appreciate it
I had one , kept dying out when stuck idling in traffic, had to let it cool down for like an hour, but if I rode it hard it was fine , sold it for 100 bucks , I know so dumb , my parents wanted it gone
>mellowmestenio
Thanks for your comment.
Very nice video. Thinking of getting a bike instead of a car. thanks.
@oldspam well u are right u cant travel with a bobber but boy they look mean!!! :)
TX650 was ONLY made in '73. if its a 75, its an XS650. Unless that's a TX tank + seat on a 75 xs.
It's right and wrong, because you only know exported models.
The domestic models have the name of TX until just before pull back XS models.
what the hell is a vm34 ?
carbs
12 tahun 🗿 saya baru berumur 4 tahun 🗿
Try to listen Yamaha rx100 sound you won't regret
>thedanned
Thank you for your comment (^_^)v
>Znabb
Thanks for your watch of my video and your comment (^.^)v
I need one bike
>SKITZERLOKS
It's a vibrator.
Oh my gosh, you're on the wrong side of the road!
🇹🇭❤️🙏👍
ping ping ping ping pipipipipipiipipipipiping ping ping ping
welcome back to 2005 with 480p
Please help me some one
Thank you for your comment and question. It is 1973 model having 34 mm diameter fork. After changing rear suspension from progressive-412 to YSS-362, the wobbly handling and vibration were alleviated.