what is the average age of xs riders

[billspirit]

Will be 62 in july, Starting to slow down a little only have 2 bikes right now. 76 streetracker 750 @ 03 honda shadow spirit 750. I ride the tracker the most , its like running a good old GM V8 from the sixtys. a lot of grunt & all the young guys on Ninjas ash what kind of harley is that. THEY MISSED SOME GOOD TIMES & GREAT MACHINES. Bill

[garyr]

43 -Some of you guys are not posting how old you are. My first street bike was a 1978 Yamaha XS750 triple back in 1981. When a buddy was interested in selling his 1978 XS 650 Tracker project my eras parked up. I had no idea 4 months ago the 650 was a British twin knock off ( Yam they did it better) but when I saw the engine I thought how cool. I love the simplistic nature of the bike. When I was a kid this is how bikes were made and felt to ride. I enjoy that about this bike. I will probably keep this bike for a long time when my daughters are old enough to ride it on the street.

[Harry]

52, going on 16 (according to my wife ) ((that's thinking like a 16 year old, not having any extraordinary, uh, prowess... ;D)) I've been riding motorcycles for 37 years...

[orforester]

I have to post again, as we fix these 650's up the next generation will find them and ride them like we do. I am having a hard time keeping mine out of my son's hands (21) and have told him to buy his own!

[19d]

Well....
Im new here today, and I might just as well spit it out: 43 years young.

[zara]

35 here.

[jeepurze]

well looks like boomers 40-65 are out in front with the genx coming in a close second. but all in all seems like the bike draws a mix crowd I would be curious to know what drew younger riders to the xs a bike built before some were born, but then Id go in the cycle shops in the late 70's and snicker at these things as it was all fours then. anyone know who built the first street tracker , was it the king himself??

[cautioninc]

daedalusfilms said:

My '81 xs650 is older than my girlfriend.

Don't brag

[jeepurze]

daedalusfilms said:

Why I chose a XS650 - I bought my xs650 specifically for travelling through North Africa and the Middle East over the next 2-3 years. Countries require a deposit when you enter so that you won't sell the bike without paying taxes, and this deposit can be as much as 5 times the value of the bike (it is called a carnet). You get the money back when you leave, but if the bike is stolen or destroyed and they don't (or won't) believe you, they can keep your money.
My Suzuki Marauder is worth about $3,000. A KLR 650 is about $5,000. A 1981 Yamaha XS650 Special II has a fair condition book value of $400. Makes it a low risk bike (financially) when crossing borders.
So why a XS650 over a similarly valued Honda or Kawasaki?
1. Being a popular bike, it is easy to quickly and cheapy obtain parts.
2. Being a popular bike, there are alot of owners like those on this board and the email lists to get quick advice from.
3. Parallel twins are simple engines and easy to repair. Actually, the entire XS650 is easy to repair - I went from not knowing how to change a sparkplug to being able to adjust my ignition timing, rebuild the entire clutch, and rejet my carbs in a short amount of time.
4. It gets 50-60 mpg, giving me 200-240 miles per tank (standard tank). With my spare fuel bottles full I get another 425-470 miles before refueling.
5. The XS650 is a tough bike and hard to physically break when dropped, and hopefully also able to drive away from minor crashes.
6. With my desert sand custom paint (same exact color as US military uses on Humvees), my xs650 looks like something straight out of a Mad Max movie - st53.startlogic.com/~daedalus/Leila8.JPG Even more now that it is filthy, scratched, and looks like its been to hell and back (and I still haven't even left Spain yet).
7. It looks cool, and fits the image of my film perfectly. Sport and adventure touring bikes look wimpy to me. Nothing beats a loud, dirty, Mad Max looking cruiser. Plus with all my modifications my XS650 is a match for most adventure touring bikes, even offroad.

daedalusfilms

dang I dont know what you do but I want your job, Ya dont even have to pay me!!!!!!

[NIGHTMARE]

NIGHTMARE
60 on July 13. Been building and rideing sinse the 60's. Hope to be rideing or building at least another 25 years Lord willing. Thanks to all the guys here that helped me along the way with my 81XS. It's finally ALMOST done.
Al

[zara]

.

[WA1DH]

I'm 17 and my '79 Special is my first bike. Put about 5k miles on since I got it last August. So far i've added a windshield, swapped out the instruments, changed the exhaust, changed the gearing, added a rack and a sissy bar. More to come

Doug

[kardon]

My '81 xs650 is older than my girlfriend.

LOL, i wish the misses was the same age as the XS

39 here btw

[82sidehack]

Been riding my '82 xs 650 for about a week. (took 10 months to get it in decent, safe shape.) Over the past 40 years there's been a lot of strange bikes, from a mid 50's Sears Puch 125 to a 1641 cc VW trike, to a 70's Aermacchi, with a sprinkling of Hondas, and my long timer, an '83 Virago 920. Eventually the '82 will pull a custom sidecar. I'm 56.

[Rob & Ray]

16. First bike. Saw it on E-bay. Had to have it. Love it.

Ray