Premium Member bornagainbiker Posted January 19, 2018 Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2018 A brief history of Yamaha's classic 650 twin: https://silodrome.com/5-minute-histories-story-yamaha-xs650/ Give Respect To Get Respect https://jeff-galbraith.pixels.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyribs Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 My, how Yamaha has grown. The 07 is simply lightyears ahead of the mighty XS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1limited Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Don Castro on his Shell Thuet Factory Yamaha Terra Haute and Sammy Haberts FZ. I dunno I like the Thuett “Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faffi Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 The XS650, especially the Euro version with smaller diameter twin front discs shown, is a beauty. Not particularly comfy or good handling, but very good looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 See the Don Castro pic. That is THE only thing you should do with an XS650 motor. Riding one in it's original frame is really really scarey. I had 2 friends that died on these things and they were good riders. Corner exit by the point and pray it would be still on the tar surface on the other side. The idea of a proper triangulated swingarm alxe mount was somewhat foreign. Onthe other hand I would LOVE to ride the Castro bike ( or the 07 version). LONG time since I went sideways on purpose. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1limited Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 1 hour ago, gregjet said: See the Don Castro pic. That is THE only thing you should do with an XS650 motor. Riding one in it's original frame is really really scarey. I had 2 friends that died on these things and they were good riders. Corner exit by the point and pray it would be still on the tar surface on the other side. The idea of a proper triangulated swingarm alxe mount was somewhat foreign. Onthe other hand I would LOVE to ride the Castro bike ( or the 07 version). LONG time since I went sideways on purpose. That is a Factory Yamaha OW72 built by Shell Thuet built frame all the parts in that engine could had been bought in the day through yamaha in the dealer catalog.. Donnie was with Yamaha and Roberts, Don raced as well that year the TZ250 while roberts was on the 750. Don got busted up pretty bad I believe Road Atlanta on that TZ and he never returned to racing. Don is one super great guy, got to know him well, he owns a shop called racers edge in Tres Pinos Calif. Shell Hall of fame http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=280 “Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.” --Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faffi Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 5 hours ago, gregjet said: See the Don Castro pic. That is THE only thing you should do with an XS650 motor. Riding one in it's original frame is really really scarey. I had 2 friends that died on these things and they were good riders. Corner exit by the point and pray it would be still on the tar surface on the other side. The idea of a proper triangulated swingarm alxe mount was somewhat foreign. Onthe other hand I would LOVE to ride the Castro bike ( or the 07 version). LONG time since I went sideways on purpose. Sorry to hear about your friends. The limitations of the XS650 until 1974, wasn't much to write about. After Percy Tait tested the bike and gave Yamaha some input they actually incorporated in the production from then on (the shame must have been next to impossible to bear), the handling was deemed pretty safe, if not exactly good. What I find interesting is that when we rear modern (as in post 1990, when radial tyres and decent chassis' had become the norm rather than the exception) ride reports of these old and scary bikes, the scare rarely surface. I suppose modern tyres, albeit still of diagonal construction, has a lot to do with it. My Z650 from 1977 was a very fine handler, but it was very sensitive to what tyres were fitted. With Heidenaus front and rear, a quick wiggle with the handlebars would have the bike shake enough to throw my feet off the pegs. And that was in a straight line doing less than 60 mph. With Michelin Active tyres, it was totally stable at all speeds. But mostly I reckon it is down to the classic bikes not being pushed to their very edge of performance. And perhaps also that the population is getting heavier? This video suggests that weight is a great benefit for stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregjet Posted January 23, 2018 Share Posted January 23, 2018 Faffi, I agree that the z650 was indeed a fine handler for it's day. They were pretty good on later Pirelli Phantoms or Dunlop K91's. Very underrated bike. I preferred it to the 900 to be honest ( same with the Honda 750F over the 900F ) because it handled better and even more so when you modded the suspension. Most jap bikes were still under the weight forward design philosophy, so are always going to be problematic when pushed, especially with cross ply tyres and tiny narrow tyres. It's part of the reason that RD250 and 350 could see off the bigger bikes easily ( part of!) especially in twisty situations because they were designed,even then, to be weight centred. Go forth and modify my son...go forth and modify... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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