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XS650 Gravel-tracker

lars509

New member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Location
Diablo Valley
Moto(s)
monster, streetfighter, supermoto, scrambler
Name
Lars
As a fall project I took a chopper style 1979 Yamaha XS650 Special II that had been stored in a shed since 1993 and made it into something I found more useful.

I made it into something that is not quite a dirt-bike or a scrambler or a dirt tracker so I guess I will just call it a gravel-tracker.

I did a lot of changes on this bike. The bike only had 5500 miles on it so I left the engine pretty much stock except for K&N air filters and jetting the carbs. Apart from that I think I changed pretty much every bolt on the bike. I lighted the bike almost 100lb by getting rid of most of the old crap. Built new wheels (19" front and 18" rear with Karoo 3's), repainted the frame and everything else, changed the tank to a Honda tank I had laying around, built a new exhaust, built a new seat including seat pan, replaced the original skinny rear swing arm with one from a 1988 Radian, new Shorai Lithium battery, new rear sets, new shocks, new wiring harness, new controls, new cables, new filters, new mini speedo, built a new rear end, new brakes, new chain, new lights, new tires, new... it seems like I changed everything including every bolt.

It was/is a fun project and it's just about done.

Thanks for looking.

Added some new pictures:

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  • xs650_larsmeyer_2 (900x645).jpg
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  • xs650_larsmeyer_3 (770x900).jpg
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Last edited:
Awesome! Build thread! Build thread! Build thread! Build thread! Build thread! Build thread! Build thread!
 
Love this build and colors. Simple goodness.
 
Thank you all for your kind words.
Here is a picture of the "beauty" when I found her.

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Super cool! I bet that is really fun to ride! Congrats!
 
Thanks for rescuing it. Have you named it yet? Yolanda, Meridith, Agnes? :teeth :laughing
 
I love what you did with it! I have a weird soft spot for the XS650.
 
Great job on the build. Love the result.
 
Seriously awesome!
I'll bet that thing sounds like a lifted Suburban going down the road on those tires.
 
XS650s are great motorcycle, lots of fun even in the stock trim. I'll bet at 100lbs. lighter it really gets up and goes. Great job, looks like a lot of fun.

Dan
 
Wow, beautiful build. I second the build thread!!! Great work.
 
It's a bit late for a build thread... I will try to remember to make one for the next bike I build. (there will probably be a lot of pictures of me waiting for the UPS guy...)

Also, I added some new pictures to the first post in the thread.
 
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those pipes look just right - - - who is the vendor?
 
Thanks. I think I got the reverse cone from dimecity, I made the middle section and the brackets and pieced it together with a 1.5" 2 into 1 header. So I guess the vendor is me.
 
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