Hey guys, I need some bike buying advice (xs650)

[JPanichella]

Hey guys,

I just passed my MSF safety course in the fall and got my license. I just now have a bit of stability (and a steady job) so I want to buy a bike. I found an xs650 really close to my house but I need a little help.

Here are the pictures:

As you can see, it has a totally awesome king and queen seat, crash bars for my newbie ass, and about 14k miles. Pictures make it look a little better than it is. Paint on the tank is really nice, the side covers...not so much. And my biggest worry is the fact that the front brake shows no sign of life. I squeezed it and it gave me absolutely no resistance. He mentioned an issue with the front brake in the ad, so I expected there to be an issue. It looks like the master cylinder leaked brake fluid all over the controls and ate the paint. Otherwise it looks okay. Runs, shifts through all the gears, . Needs a battery but that's no big deal. According to the owner, it leaked the brake fluid while it was in storage, before that the brakes worked fine. What could cause that much fluid to leak out of nowhere, and what do I have to go about to get the front brake working?

Lastly, he's asking 1350 for it. Does that seem reasonable? If so, I might jump on it.

I appreciate your help!

-Jon

 

[Captmilk76]

My first bike was an 81 xs650sh and is the one I still ride. You can do pretty much anything you want to this bike. It has a great engine and there are a ton of parts available. The brake issues is there fluid in the reservoir? You can buy a new master cylinder handle bar control for under $100. I bought mine for $400 but it didn't look as good as the one you are looking at. Look in the tank for rust and check the compression.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[VonYinzer]

As stated above, the XS platform is amazing. Just look at the variety of machines built from it on this site alone.

Front brake could be a number of things, none of which are difficult or expensive to remedy.

If the bike has been maintained properly and stored indoors during poor weather, 14k miles is no big deal. If for some reason it did need engine work though, parts are plentiful and (usually) inexpensive. Also the XS motor was designed in the mid 60s basically, so its pretty basic as far as servicing it goes.

If possible do a compression check (don't have the magic numbers off hand but Google is your friend). Check for usual wear/corrosion issues like frame rust, electrical "fixes" and the like. Ask lots of questions regarding the POs upkeep of the bike. When was the last time it got a new chain or sprockets? Regular oil changes? Are the fork seals in good shape? Wheel bearings replaced at any point? How old are the cables? Its the little stuff along those lines that adds up and makes a cheap bike an expensive one.

As far as price... That's about going rate though id offer him $1000. The XS650 has become quite desirable in the past few years. And for good reason. Its an awesome machine.

 

[Wahoo650]

Great bike and a lot of support out there for it. Brake issue would nt be a deal breaker as parts are very available. Here's a few sites for info and parts:

http://xs650temp.proboards.com/index.cgi

http://www.mikesxs.net/

http://650central.com/

http://www.fidnet.com/~dlawson/yamaha650society/

http://www.650motorcycles.com/

Good luck with the purchase- I know you will enjoy it! I've always had a weird like for that Yamaha optional seat- very 70's looking.

Matt

 

[Tim]

The thing about that particular XS650 is it has a disk rear brake and a 16" rear wheel. If you're looking to 'cafe' it, you're going to want spoked rims with an 18" rear most likely. Not an impossible conversion - you'd want a drum brake XS650 swingarm and the brake linkage bits to go with a drum brake rear wheel. Or you can run a 2nd 19" mag front wheel on the back with the disk brake using an Omar's dirt track conversion kit (or make your own with a lathe if you can).

Anyhow - I love my XS650's. Nothing major on that bike that can't be changed out.