1979 XS650 first time builder

[gene1219]

I've taken a hiatus from riding (sportbikes) for about 7 years now. I've been wanting something fun yet has decent aftermarket support; and most importantly, inexpensive. I think it was about 4 months of finding the right bike, at the right price. Watching craigslist daily and seeing prices for XS650s going way high, I did not think I'd find one. Then this one came up and actually the year I was looking for (my birth year) Price was right, it runs and rides, and it rode it home 25 miles without issue

here it is when i purchased it

Not very clean, little banged up but most important it runs and rides. 40k on the clock!!! however, i've seen cars/bikes with super low miles that are near junk because they've sat for so long.

i'm going for a clean type build, I might change the tank, but it will be slammed. So far I've added rebel shocks in the rear and will be lowering the front 3". There is a few issues that need to be addressed, like swingarm bushings, neck bearings and new tires. and an electrical mess. Not too bad

Stripping it down a little and added some rebel shocks

Knowing that I'll be getting rid of the huge 70s seat, i pulled it off and sold it on another forum. Then I uncovered this crazy mess of wiring

 

[gene1219]

I ordered some parts from Low Brow Customs and wow! Super fast shipping. I'll be sure to order anything I need from them.



Hacking away at the frame trying to find out what kind of direction I want to go with the bike

Playing around with a different set of bars.

 

[gene1219]

I won a freshly powedercoated front wheel off of ebay for cheap, now just need to the do the back and add a new tire. I ended up going with a Visual impact brat kit, easy to install and gave me the look I was going for

So far the bike has been running really well with the larger jets. It's not as fast as I thought the bike would be (compared to what I am used to; sportbikes) The bike gets a lot of attention where ever I go.

The one hitch i've had is that the OEM regulator failed, so I got one from an AMC gremlin from advance auto parts. For about 100 miles it worked fine, but the other day I was left stranded with a dead battery. Not too sure on what the issue is yet, but I do plan on building a new rectifier and installing new brushes so that my charging system is up to par. Over winter I plan on doing the PMA and capacitor but for now, there's a little more fab and a lot of finishing work.

 

[gene1219]

rattle bombed the frame and flaked the tank...

 

[gene1219]

Trying out one of those plastic abs fenders from ebay. I think it was around $30 for this fender




out for a quick ride.


before and after:

 

[gene1219]

and now it's current state:


being 6'2" tall, the bike is rather small for me, so the addition of the nomad bars from Zombie performance makes the bike fit me a little better. Now that we're in the dead of winter, it's time to tear it apart and grind down all the tabs that are no longer used, the rear foot peg brackets and send everything off the powdercoat. The engine does run really well and doesn't leak any oil, so nothing will be done to that other than painting it black. Not sure on what color I want to paint the fender/tank yet...

I'm also going to set up the bike to run two different fenders..depending on the mood