Hi there!

I’d love to find one of these in about this condition.

Last year I send you some pictures of my Honda shadow (https://motorcyclephotooftheday.com/2010/09/13/update-missed-a-good-pic-very-nice-low-budget-chop-from-the-netherlands/) The little Honda is now gone and this XS650 has been my new project ever since. I’m still frequent reader of your blog and thought my xs might be a good addition to your collection.

Around 1,5 year ago I bought this fairly stock 1979 xs650 and tried to turn it into a sixties scrambler. The xs is affordable and parts are easy to get. I stripped most of the unnecessary part to save weight and gain a clean look. Swapped the mag wheels for some nice spoke once to fit the new style. I am most proud of the scrambler-style exhaust, it took me a while to make it but i’m really pleased with both the look and sound. The battery is located underneath the swing arm to keep it as clean as possible. It’s a kick-only bike so a small battery does the job just fine. The original seat was an ugly chopperseat so we made a new one (thanks mom!). And last but not least the engine got a rebuild. When I opened here up I found some vw beatle pistons, so I replaced them with some fresh ones. Fitted new cam bearing and chain and she was ready to hit the road. Took quite a while to get the carbs tuned, but now she runs like a champ. Its a great little bike fore mainly the road and some light off road.

The tank is still stock and looks quite used, maybe a new paint job in the future but its fine for now.

Best regards,

Bjorn