I Bought A 1975 Yamaha XS650 | The British Bike Made By The Japanese

I honestly love this bike. Coming from the Hondas it is different but still such an excellent bike. I need to get a couple more old Yamahas, maybe a 2 stroke?!
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[@lachlanmaccormack5427]

Best British Bike that Britain never made. Owned an American spec XS650 in the late 80s, lovely machine. Like a Meriden Triumph but didn't leak.

[@haxan6663]

I have owned 4 XS 650s. Love them. The best looking engine of any bike imo. Always considering getting another.

[@navscycles]

Definitely one of my favorites in my collection. They are great bikes

[@klassikfahrer]

A really nice bike! Congratulations! I wish you lots of fun with the Paralleltwin and always a good ride! Good vibrations! I have an XS2 from 1972. Great fun!

[@mattd5681]

That was the exact same color as my '77 650. Was my first bike. Loved it. 🥲

[@francoisrochette3808]

Major changes were made on the 650 for the 1974 (TX 650A) model year. It got's new frame, new exhausts, new tank, new seat, new hand bar, new fork, new starter, new electricity, a complete new design, etc. The 1974 was a complete new moto with much less vibration then previous ones. The engine was now mounted on rubber. From that year 1974 the bike looks longer, bigger and wider and was more heavier. I had owned my 1974 for 40 years. The 1975 is the same has the 1974 except it became black and with different stripes. The major problem was with strong winds at hi speed on the highway the bike can't stay straight ahead and leaned from the other side of the wind. They got better with the 1977 year. They improve it over the years. Congratulation for your purchase and thanks for the video.

[@stephensaunders4668]

Rubber.....naahh! Not even the Specials had rubber mounted engines and they were the last of the breed. There was a one off built in the UK by or with the help of the Norton isolastic guy with rubber mounts and the engine was canted forward several degrees and it looked great. Sort of flat tracking. The Yamaha people got to see it but as history shows it never went anywhere.

[@alanlake5220]

That is a nice bike, and a good honest review.

[@navscycles]

Thank you, she defiantly has been well preserved

[@michaelsorrentino9279]

I owned a few XS I called them 'My Japanese Triumph"

[@curlymaplebandit3107]

Cut my teeth working on these in the back of a Yamaha shop in the 80s. Weak link is the starter motor system. Use the kick as much as you can. And the oil filtration could be better, but there’s some options there. Have one getting a 750 kit, rephased, with some mild head work currently. Picking up another one tomorrow. A basket case that overall looks to be in fantastic shape, just the top end off. And the original owner.

[@Semajeshorter]

Just baught one for a café racer build

[@peterholthoffman]

I started riding in 1972 and owned quite a few from that decade, so the bikes of that period are close to my heart. The XS650 really is one of the best bikes ever made by any company. I never owned one but my group of riding buddies have owned seven of them over the years (two from 1974 and five from 1975) so we had a lot of experience with them. It makes me really sad to see how many are being ruined by being 'customized' into a street-tracker or a chopper so it's nice to see a pristine example like this one. This type of bike is what many people really want and I think the popularity of the Royal Enfield 650 reflects that. Yamaha is making a poor decision by not reviving it in a modern form.

[@navscycles]

I agree, so many peoples ruined many bikes from this time. Really is a great machine. I think Yamaha will make something like the cgt650 if they want to stay competitive in this field. Thanks for watching!

[@mark.e.p]

They'd have to use the CP2 engine from the XSR 700. The old engine as pretty as it was would never mert the Euro emissions.

[@pedlpower]

Agreed. They're doing the same with the CX500, GL500 Hondas. And when the chopper/bobber fad passes the bikes will be junk. I wouldn't even replace the scuffed stickers. It's a beautiful survivor. Clean it up and take it for a ride on nice days.

[@stephensaunders4668]

The ‘B’ is for beautiful!

[@mikhailwilkerson7822]

Bro I have a xs650 and I've dropped it like 23 times in the mud DRUNK and I'm 135 lbs 5'10" its like THE COOKIE MONSTER all stock I've done the carb floats and rotor stator and wheel bearings. The handlebars are crooked and I ride it with no shirt to work through the middle of town. Stay savage bro this bike is a Vikings bike stay true to the roots

[@marktiller1383]

I remember seeing them new in the showroom in East Grinstead, I was dreaming of getting an fs1e, but saved and waited until I was 17 and paid outright for a new blue kh 250 B2.

[@aaronbugaiski2487]

All the looks and sound of a British bike without the hassle of amal carbs and lucas ignition😂 i have the exact same bike color and year absolutely love it. Definitely a slightly underrated jem of the Japanese vintage motorcycle market. 👍👍

[@Charon58]

Great engine. Decent bike. Needs front springs, rear shocks and swing arm bushings and electronic ignition. A modern Brembo front brake would be the icing on the cake. Yamaha could still sell these with those changes. They could re-phase the crank to 270* and I would buy one.

[@navscycles]

I’ve road it a little bit now. For a classic bike it doesn’t really need anything. Those things would be cool if Yamaha were making it now

[@Mirrorlesslife67]

beautiful bike

[@2stroke438]

The xs650 is the perfect bike.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

Nice find. That engine seems to be pretty healthy. It seems nice and quiet, spins up nicely and would appear to have plenty of power. These things are real collector's items in Australia, these days. They were a dime a dozen 30 years ago, you couldn't give them away. One of my riding mates had an SE, which he remembers fondly. And you'll never get sick of that 360 degree twin, either. Actually, you will get sick of it, after an hour or so at speed, but once you have a break, you'll be hankering to get back on it. There's something about them.

[@navscycles]

Yah this one’s pretty nice. With such low miles it makes sense. Nearly all Japanese bike from this era got cheap then they got destroyed and now good ones are hard to find and they are fantastic motorcycles.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@navscycles Yep, that's the story, in a nutshell.

[@bakeredwards]

I've had 5 of these in the past, I've just bought my 6th but an SE which I've never owned before.

[@navscycles]

Nice. It’s my first 650 definitely want to buy an original one with the drum. Se is a later model right,like a 78?

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

Drum brakes hold up better in storage than disc brakes.

[@Don-lw4cb]

A beautiful motorbike.

[@user-ic7jr1pd4r]

I have 5 XS 650 , years 71 , 72 , 76 , 79 , and 81 they are realy nice to ride

[@navscycles]

If you ever want to sell the 71 72 you let me know

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

3 years ago I bought a BSA C-15 250 all original matching #,6,000 original miles and a alloy tank. $500 delivered to my house. Bargin are around. Yamaha bought a Japanese company that made a copy of the German motorcycle company Hosk 500. That's why it was so different from the rest of their range of 2 stroke bikes. Kawasaki bought out Meguro company that made their version of the BSA pre unit A-10. That's why the W 650 was different from the rest of their line of bikes. The Yamaha 650 was in production for 12 years. Very strong engine. They have 900 cc kits for them.

[@navscycles]

Thank for sharing! I see some people who turn these bikes into 750cc and 900s. Has me interested in getting another one and doing a fun project, in the future. Too many projects atm

[@alanhodge984]

i love mine best looking year IMHO

[@navscycles]

I love the drum break but I do love the 75

[@AdrianHorsfield62]

Yamaha XS650 was offered in various guises from 1968 until 1985. But the air-cooled, parallel-twin engine was based on a 500cc German Horex copied by the now-defunct Hosk Motorcycles. The Horex OHC parallel-twin engine was indeed destined for great things but not on behalf of the Horex motorcycle company which was purchased by Daimler-Benz and made defunct in 1960. But the technology of that 500cc parallel-twin engine found its way across the oceans and arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun around 1955 where a Japanese company called Hosk studied the engine design and had something of a “eureka” moment. They developed and improved on the Horex design and in that process the Hosk company was bought out by another name d Showa in 1960. Showa were in turn bought out by Yamaha in the same year and so Yamaha inherited the Horex engine design

[@stclairjones815]

I have had three last one I had I had it doing a hundred miles an hour in 3rd gr.

[@floydblandston108]

It's actually a 1950's German engine design (Horex) that Yamaha acquired.

[@takumisato7126]

Was considering buying a 1966 triumph T120R that i saw for sale to restore but its $5K and not running, may go with an XS650 instead because its leaps and bounds better in terms of reliability over the Triumph

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

I'm in Australia. I was keen on getting a T140 as they're a bit cheaper and a left hand shift. I've had more than a few friends over the years that have owned British bikes, and I just couldn't sign up for the problems that they had, despite my love of those bikes. The Yamaha was my next choice. They were everywhere here, 30-40 years ago. But I'd missed the boat. They're $6-$$10 USd. here. I ended up sating my desire with a 2015 Kawasaki W800. Press the button and go. And go I did, two weekends ago, to the All British Rally which was held locally. Man, am I glad that I purchased a Japanese bike. At the end of the day those old British bikes are old British bikes. I love them, but the British bike industry collapsed for a reason.

[@stclairjones815]

They call it the bulletproof Bonnie for

[@tomiossi8092]

You wouldn’t want to divulge what you bought it for? 5th year owner of an 80 G model. Going to sell it. Mostly original (exhaust/turn signals) with 6500m.

[@navscycles]

Yah I mean an 80 is a little different. I’ll say this, this bike was listed for more than $3,500. If you do list it send me an email perhaps we can make a deal.

[@jamesfarrell8346]

Score!

[@larrynorsworthy8582]

360 crank?

[@navscycles]

Yeah, I am pretty sure

[@lorimcquinn3966]

The only thing similar to a big British twin is the fact it's a 360 degree twin. That's it, nothing else. Your Honda 450 is a 180 degree twin and is a vibrator hence the broken covers. The replacement CB500T is even worse in terms of vibration.

[@navscycles]

Well yah the 360 gives it the thump like a British bike. The gearbox also feels like my bsa. What covers are you talking about on the 450?

[@lorimcquinn3966]

@@navscycles You mentioned the side covers cracking from vibration on your 450.......

[@navscycles]

@@lorimcquinn3966 No I said that this bike and the 450 have metal side covers, other Honda models like the 550 and 750 have plastic, and those break when you try to take them off from being too brittle not vibration

[@MarkFox]

Yes just like a British bike except the Yamaha won't leak oil or break down, smart move.

[@PaulRamone356]

Nah, its not a copy, its a Geman design before the British twins. Bought by the japanese, shelved then decided to produce it. The Brits cant produce that kind of engine, well not taking into consideration that there were Germans diaspora and went to the Brit Isles, lol

[@pavanm9137]

Yeah man, i am from india, could you please help me buy a xs650 and help me ship the same to india.

[@navscycles]

I mean I’ll find one and ship it over if you want to pay me a finders fee on top of everything.

[@pavanm9137]

@@navscycles ofcourse boss. I shall do the needful.

[@pavanm9137]

@@navscycles can i get your contact details like email watsapp number...or such.

[@pavanm9137]

How much would it cost.

[@navscycles]

Probably close to 6-10k usd. Email me at [e-mail].