what is the average age of xs riders

[lordeoin]

I am 53, and I finally am living in a place where I have room to work on a bike, and not have it ripped off. I had to sell off my Air force time Sportster to move to Seattle and an Apartment. I also now have the excuse that Gas costs too much to drive the Blazer to work and a bike is cheaper...LOL. 1 80 Spec II that runs, needs work and 2 parts bikes.

[bobman]

43 and lucked into 2 XS650s. been a sidewalk commando(biker without a bike) for 30 years and the good Lord finally smiled down on me. first one was an 81' rolling frame and 4 boxes of engine parts that I had to assemble. It's running but needs some TLC to get her purring. the other is a 75' that is pretty much original except for maintenance crap(filters, points, etc.)
seen lots of mods on these sites and have a nice comfy 81' in mind but the 75' will stay as she is.

[cattrim]

39 here. Got my first,73 TX last year and have been amazed at how well they are engineered. Picked up an 82 XS with no engine about 8 months ago, found an engine for it about 2 months back. Not my first bike's but my first Yammer's

[650salvage]

20....got my first one my dad from last summer, who has a 1960 sportster and a 72 triumph bonny..he bought it from a neighbor who was supposedly a "motorcycle mechanic"....couldnt get it running, and i wanted it bad....mainly to replicate his triumph which i sbobbed, so when my dad needed money to get my brother outa jail...i got a bike....had it for two weeks and got in a tight spot and sold it for 350...so about a month later i saw one in the paper that didnt run for 400...it was an 83 hs that was MINT....shined it up got it runnin.....then lost my licene and sold it for 750.00... so then about three months later i bought another one that didnt run w/ out a title for 150, which is my current project........so it begins....now im working on a deal to get two 77's that both run, but one was wreckd....for 400.00....i think i got the bug...i love these bikes cuz there so versatile, easy to work on, and can be used for anything....tracker bobber chopper, rocket...whatever u can dream u can do...and there CHEAP.....i havent lost money on one yet....and i do mean yet...

[Bob]

I'm 40 had a about dozen different Japanese bikes over the years last few have been Yamaha's, xz550, xj650, xj750. Got my xs a few years ago in boxes from a mate and after much reading of this site, put it all together but alas after 12 months it was running like a dog. Went to buy a new Triumph, my dream since i was about 13, took a triumph America for a test ride was almost ready to hand over my $15000 but kept finding my self getting up in the middle of the night and walking out to the xs and just looking and thinking and realised that I much prefer the xs in a heap of different ways. so i saved myself $13500 got a rebore, new pistons, new exhaust some K&N pods and I haven't looked back since. Best decision I've made in a long time. Just need to get these bloody BS34 carbs jetted right and I'll have no complaints.

[sed27]

I'm 28 and picked up my 79' Special II (my first street bike) a little over a year ago. Originally, I had wanted to restore a Triumph or Norton, but most of what I found was over priced junk.

It was a sheer luck that I stumbled upon the bike. My Mom & Dad's neighbour was going through a divorce at the time and was selling off various things he had collected. As was the case, his wife wanted the bike out of the yard ASAP. Even though it was a little rough from sitting under a tarp and I wasn't familiar with the XS650s, the $500 asking price was right. Turns out that there was only 12,500km on clock and the engine internals were almost brand new.

[xs650rr]

iI'm 52 years young !!. Had my 1st bike (Honda S90) when I was 15, from there it was a steady progression of Honda's as my uncle owned a Honda shop in Toronto Ontario. My only mistake of all the bikes I've owned was selling my 80 CBX 6 .... still cry'in over that one.

Current ride is my 82 CB750F which is going through a full make over this winter. The other project is my 76 Yamaha XS650RR vintage road racer which is now about 90% finished. Spent way more $$$'s than I had plannned ... but isn't always the way

[leethal]

I'm 30 and my '79 special is my 4th street legal bike (Suzuki 100cc when I was in school, then a Virago 250cc, and a '77 RD400cc).
Had it for about 6 months now. I found it on the Australian XS650 Club Website, after riding a friends '81 special. My bank account has taken a beating ever since!! but I wouldnt have it any other way. These machines get under ya skin. Most of my working week is spent day-dreaming about my next mikes order or eBay watch-list. The rest of my time is spent in the shed giving it a pep-talk and removing other peoples finger-prints from its tank.
This site has fuelled my interest in home mechanics and saved me a LOT of money. Why send ya bike to an over-priced (and somewhat hesitant/clueless) bike dealership for maintenence, when ya can do so much yourself?

Thanx to all
Lee.

[xsleo]

i'm 51. started out with yamaha 100 , moved on to the bike that tried to kill me twice, a 74 kawasaki h2 500, then got a 75xs650b from a friend after a piston seized, bent rod. rebuilt it,rode it to death. tore it down to rebuild. ran out of money, sold it. suzuki ts 125. then traded an old rowboat for the 75 i now am working on. also have a 03 H-D FXDX.

[od650]

23, fell in love with xs's one nite at a local bar when i saw this guys "little" bobber. gorgeous '80 xs650 real clean. the owner was gettin some flak from the harley rub's but when he dusted a new 1200 sportster i had to have one( and since all my buddies ride kick start harleys i love the look on their faces when mine starts on the first or second kick...and ignore the looks on their faces when i once again forget to turn the gas on)

[CaptDan]

What is the average age of xs riders...

Old enough to know better...?

[projectcrawler]

im 28 and my 81 special is only 2 years younger than me. my xs400 is only 1 year younger. i run way better than the 650, but the 400 runs almost as good as me.

[tk]

I'm 40, turning 41 this Feb 1st. Been riding since 89. First bike was a Sportster. Been on Honda's, and Harleys. This is my first Yamaha. I liked the xs platform. It's versitile. Cheap, and with classic parallel twin lines. I'm trying to build a chopper out of my 73 TX with my son. I figured it was a good thing for us both to do together. He's 11 and I won't have him as a little boy much longer. I'm hoping he'll remember this time, and hopfully more times together as something special.

[desperado]

52 and gett'n younger, thanks largely to my 650. When having my mid life crisis, realized the only thing for it was a bike. Cut my teeth as a youngster on a Yammie 80 (farm), got a DS7 (250 Yammie, older brother of the RD), then a TX (should never have sold) followed some years later by an RD350. Looked for a 650 to restore, but found an RD400 which, being two stroke, was real easy to do up and heaps of fun to ride. But still hankered for a 650. Found a very original Heritage Special (imported from Canada) and the rest is history. Feel I have the perfect balance - the 400 for when I feel the urge to go silly (she's only happy when fanged and making light up front) and the 650 for cruisin about. Both invoke feelings of youth!

[yamdibo]

Let's see I believe that I am 63 and and closing rapidly on 64. I bought my 78E nine years ago because I wanted to be sure that I got something before I spent it all on my kids. I use to race scrambles as a kid back in 1957 and owned/raced James, Ducati, Maico, and Yamaha. I love the look, feel, and sound of this 650. It's a "real" motorcycle! Besides, what's the fun in having one if you can't work on it?