classic motorcycle forum

This was my first motorcycle.  I bought it used for a song because the owner couldn't get it started. He said it had a 3-speed transmission.

I quickly found the problem and also discovered it had a 4-speed transmission.

This was a 2-cylinder engine that shared one common combustion chamber

Top speed was only 68 MPH so it was mainly to get my feet wet in motorcycles and I knew I wanted more bikes.

Mine was a '66 Yamaha YDS-3 250cc.  My first bike that parts didn't fall off or need daily repairs.  Loved It.

Here's an old shot of my green Kawasaki 400 triple.  I also had a '73 S-3 400 triple but it wasn't this pretty.

Just add throttle to lift the front wheel.

Oldgit,

Yeah, but the dog could be trained.

That Yamaha showed me it was possible to have a motorcycle that could be ridden day after day with no quirks, a bright headlight and very minimal maintenance.

One day, shortly after I bought it, I met a fellow who was riding a single cylinder Benelli 250.  

He looked over my Yamaha from one end to the other and said "Nice bike, but it's Japanese isn't it?  Mine is Italian."

With that I said "Yup, it's just a Japanese bike."

I motored off and turned onto the main highway.  I watched Mr. Benelli in my mirror and figured where he would make his move.  Soon he nailed it to pass me so I just gave my lowly Japanese bike full throttle and left him sitting.

Later on I parked my bike in town and along came Mr. Benelli.  He stopped next to me and said "Man, that thing is quick but the valves float real bad!"

I almost said "It's a 2-stroke" but thought better of it and said "Oh, thanks for the tip, I'll have to get the dealer to adjust the valves."

Hi guys, I'm new here and am thinking about getting back into motorcycles.  I live in Florida and most of the speed limits near my house are 50mph or less.

I think a vertical twin 650cc would be an ideal choice but there doesn't seem to be anything out there except V-twins of pathetic horsepower.

The old Yamaha XS 650 seems to be available in great shape from many used sources.

There is a place here in Florida called Mikes's that has many parts to keep a Yamaha running.

 http://www.mikesxs.net/

I have never ridden a Yamaha XS 650 and was wondering about the vibration level.  I ask this because I once rode a Yamaha XS 400 and the vibration level of the foot pegs was severe compared to the Kawasaki KZ440 LTD I was riding at that time.  I let the Yamaha 400 owner ride my KZ and he was blown away with the smoothness and power.

How smooth is a Yamaha XS 650?

I've only owned one Triumph in my life, this 500cc twin.
It was modfied for scrambles racing and featured dual carbs, special cams, hidome pistons and other bits and pieces.

The previous owner spent quite a bit on getting the engine modified but it had very little power.  He was very disappointed and wanted to sell it for 250 bucks.

My brother and I started looking it over and finally my brother, Ron, removed the cam cover.  He noticed the cams were improperly indexed, with one cam being retarded 4 teeth and the other advanced 5 teeth.

We reset the cams and this little beast came to life in a big way.  The mufflers shown were added whenever I took it out for a spin on the back roads.  Wish I still had it.