Speaking of vintage motorcycles...

[scott s]

 Here's my latest distraction. Last year I helped my girlfriend fulfill a lifelong dream and buy a motorcycle. It didn't take long wrenching on it and watching her until I had the fever myself.
  I was the "40 year old virgin" when it came to motorcycles. I hadn't ridden anything with two wheels and a motor since I was about eight years old. Even then, it was a mini-bike or something with 50cc's or less.
  I searched around for a while and came across this '83 Yamaha XS650. I didn't know a thing about them but the guys at our local bike shop praised them highly. They had both owned several over the years and said they were bullet-proof and I was unlikely to outgrow it anytime soon. So, next thing you know I was towing it to their shop (no WAY was I riding it home down I-77 during rush hour for 40 miles with old tires!).
  New tires, chain/sprocket and a tune-up quickly progressed into new paint (hey, the tank was off...might as well paint it), new exhaust, shocks, roller bearings in the steering head, a new seat(cut down and recovered), fork brace, etc, etc.....
 I took it for my first real ride today....about 35 miles through the country on some back roads. Lots of fun.
 Here's a before pic. I just HAD to change that periwinkle purple paint or else I'd have to fight my way out of every bar I went to!


 

[scott s]

 And here's the after. I still have to change out the mirrors for some bar-ends. All I can see now are my shoulders.
 I was amazed at the following these bikes have; much like the VW world. Lots of forums, mailing lists, used parts, aftermarket stuff....you name it.
 And people do EVERYTHING with them....choppers, bobbers, street-trackers, flat-trackers, cafe'-racers(one of my faves)....if you can think it, people have done it.
  Big twin "thumper", often called "The best British bike the Japanese ever built", they are a copy of the old Triumph. Lots o' fun!

[TRM]

Scott Sweet Thanks for sharing Love the new look

[sinikl]

all i have to say is
1. clubman bars
2. rearsets
3. butt-stop cafe seat

dunno if i told you, scott, but i have a 73 rd 350 that is in progress (it blew a crankcase seal and is waiting for me to rebuild it after we move into our new house).  if i ever get it straight, we should go ride sometime.

[scott s]

 Hey Sean....yeah, I new you had bought an old 2-stroke.
 I seriously considered the Clubman and Cafe' bars, but since this is my first "real" bike in over 30 years, I went with the Daytona bars. Lower than the "buck-horns" that came on the Specials, but not too low for a novice rider. The position is really comfortable.
  The seat was a two-tiered seat like the one in the first pic and I ha it cut down and recovered.
  I'm putting on the bar-end mirrors today.
 What's it like riding with the rear-sets?

[a-67vdub]

Nice! The after pics look waaayy better. Good job!