TT600 didn't return under it's own steam, locked up [gearbox], & did a 100yard dump on the tar north of Forbes, John was OK & came home on back of my XS, picked up John's bike the next day. XT600 did OK, Macca bought it second-hand & as yet hasn't had any major problems, bit down on compression & starting to sound tired, so a rebuild probably in near future I'd say, Macca loved the dirt but was bored on the tar. I left my standard front end on but put progressive springs in [650 Central], running 13" progressive shocks [MikesXS], on both bikes. I swap wheels on the bikes depending on conditions, K70 Dunlops on front, K460 Dunlop [120x16"] / Mitas E-07 [120x18"] / Metzler ME-880 [130x16"] on the rear, still playing knobbies [ f & r ] for playing on enduros with '74, 17 tooth on front / 30t - 38t rear cog depending on playtime! Gotta like those clips you put up Gordon, shows how versatile an XS650 is! A lot of outfits out here run car batteries in the chair & have mounted electric winches. Cheers Baza
Gassed up and went in the prime of the day. At 10am Jw and I gassed up at the arco at Douglas and Sierra Collage. We did 155 miles. 25 or more were dirt of different varietys. With a little side stepping useing Cavett Stallman, Burton and Horseshoe bar Roads we made our way across the freeway and in to Loomis. Took Taylor Road through Penryn, newcastle and Ophir. We got on 80 to Bell Rd and jumped onto 49 N. Off at Nevada City's Sacramento Street ramp. Loading up some sandwiches and hot wings, we rode to Edwards Crossings to eat'em. That's where the dirt starts. Bloomfeild Rd, Grizzly Hill Rd, Old Mill Rd. We finaly got to this house. When we split, we took Tyler/Foote Crossing Rd, to Birchville Rd. Pleasant Valley Rd through French Coral and down to Bridgeport. Up past Lake Wildwood and over to Smartville. The cut off on the dirt roads through the Spenceville Wildlife Refuge and Camp Far West reached speeds over 50. From there it was a "mc courtney road return". The sun sinking to our right as we traveresed the cattlefarm back country lane to Lincoln and highway 193. We zig zaged over to Sierra Collage Blvd. I split off from jw at Douglas. This ride had just about every surface from racetrack-new type asphalt to dirt road washboards and mud. Wooden plank bridges and scenic green back country. I'll have to clean the bike.
Are both those XS's '76+ models? If so, how come neither have twin discs on the front end? All models from '76+ out here in Oz have twin discs. Also, we didn't get the Electronic Ignition on our later models. Cheers Baza
Isn't there are a difference in euro and us models? My Danish bike have twin discs as well. But I can't find a constant.
Your looking at a 77D and a 78E The 78E has a special front fender and pipes. An improper tailight. Having dual disc on front is posable on them but they didn't come stock that way here. To the best of my knowledge there's no "stock" twin disc model all the way from the first xs with disc, up through 83's in the states.
Dual disc came out in '76 on standards here in Oz, have a feeling '78/'79 Specials had a single disc + disc rear, '80 Specials on had dual discs + drum rear, we only Specials here until '82, no Heritage Special model in Oz [wire wheels, etc.] Probably get jumped on now for getting it wrong! Cheers Baza
OZ Specials had a drum rear in '80? I believe that American XS650's went to the rear mag drum in '81. I've wondered why mama Yamaha made the minor changes for the different markets. Dual front disks would have been awesome to get in the states
Did a check on year models, my mistake - it was '81 that they went to the drum rear, Yep, dual discs are great stuff, get twice the squeal when you get dust in them!, but they certainly work well. So, no models came out with duals over there? :huh Cheers Baza
Found a couple of photos of my '76 XS650C, [Oz model], back in '79, As you can see, I've aways got my bikes dirty Cheers Baza
Bought this 81 special for parts... Man was I surprised at how much didn't fit! Sold seat tank and side covers $80 Sold wheels, frame and harness $300 (with title) 16,000 on the motor. It went into this "test bed", (video below) got a pamco, some cocktail shakers, rebuilt a set of 77 carbs... and now the motor's back out of the "test bed" and waiting to go in my 77D. See and hear the 81 motor after ignition install...carb's not synced yet... with no packing on the baffles. It sounds like some kind of fire breathing norton dragster. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDob2DDK-g4 Then after a really tough go at muffler packing... a decent sound. Enough to have neighbors comment after a few trips up and down the street. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLa-exRi-0c Maybe, just maybe, when the fiberglass packing blows away, I might be able to get these baffles back out for a repack. Telling ya, it took a lot of WD40 and a rubber mallet to get them in!
Dang, I paid as much for it as 4 other STD's combined!!! I rode around on it a bit first. I absolutely could not stand it! My personal opinion... Stepped seats....ech...I move around on the saddle. Pull back handlebars....oh my, how can you stand it? What am I going to do with a 16" rear wheel? Being from before the days of what I call boulevard cruisers, I am partial to a "bike", not a laid back fake chopper. (just get a harley) And to think they dropped the STD with a limited production for 79....then...welcome to the boulevard! I'm sure others might chime in with the fact that that's exactly what they like! We all have our preferences. He she is on her way out the door to a bobber maker. Besides, the tank was riddled with bullet hole stickers!
I'm definately not a purist who believes that bikes should be kept stock. It's just crazy the $$ people will pay for a stock or close to stock bike. Every XS650 I have is heavily modified BTW . Personally I love the standard's and Special II's. I never cared for the Specials...
What was that 81 in the pic? special II ? I don't mind the mods. I use the stock stuff cause I picked up 3 extra std's before they became scarce. Just fixen em up and riding.
It's a Special. The STD's and Special II's have spokes. Every time I get a Special, I pull the mags off and put spokes on... That rear mag drum is fairly sought after BTW. I sold one for $100 a few years back...
They called Special II's by the name of Heritage out here in Oz,mostly imported from the states, dunno whether Europe got any after '82? Cheers Baza
Heritage's here had wire wheels with a 48-64 spoke count, whereas the Special II's had the standard spoke count. Both were great looking bikes. Parts of the bike(Heritage) were blacked out also.
