I bought a Yamaha a '78 Yamaha 650 a few years ago. It came in boxes. Mostly, it was a project for me (like I need any more). The 490 has move zip than the 650. But considering weight, newer tech and the altitude I live at, I’m not really surprised.
I didn’t end up riding the 650 at all. It’s just too damn cold where I live to use it as a way to commute to work. Christ, just 2 weeks ago the ice was so bad that I had to drive in the dirt on the shoulder in my 4x4 to get down the pass.
It would be kind of fun to strip it down and turn it into a ‘flat tracker’ though. I do like the vertical twin (for nostalgia). I’ll have to get it up and running again this summer. I hate to abandon it.
If any Colorado dopers would like a '78 Yamaha XS650, we should talk.
Yikes, a crash? Did you get hit (“sent flying”, rather than “I bollocksed it up” )? Hope you escaped with less harm than the VFR! And yeah, that dreaded feeling of a vehicle once involved in a serious shunt, it just never feels right again. Haven’t had it with motorbikes, but I had a rather nice Peugeot 306 (I think you remember that one, drove it to Hamburg a few times I think) that never was the same after I rammed a friggin’ Astra with it.
Anyways, as long as all the fleshy bits are fine, the bike is just that - a pair of wheels that can be replaced. Still, it sucks to have a fine machine like a VFR (test rode one last year, nearly bought it but went for the TDM because of its comfier riding position) compromised, especially when it wasn’t your fault. I mean, hey, if you highside it off a canyon road, at least you can say you learned something about your cornering technique that day.
Also, I seem to have pissed off the chrome lovers with my cruiser remarks.
Sorry about that. It’s just that I personally don’t find the typical cruiser position (let’s say on an average Harley) terribly relaxing in the long run. Your hands tend to be too high, your feet are too elevated, and the general posture is, well, more akin to taking a crap rather than riding a bike. IMHO.
On the other side of the spectrum, sports bikes wear me out too soon too, but then it manifests itself in sore wrists and lower back. Hence my preference for a more upright tourer bike. But to each their own, of course.
My husband LOVES his Royal Enfield, if you like something with a bit of a Vintage look, that is original, not something too many people will recognize. He was much in the same boat as you - hadn’t ridden in 15 plus years, wanted something to commute with. Many Harley dealers carry them, and they are affordable - new ones are about $5K. Most models are about 500cc and top out at 65mph.
Good luck in your search!
)? Hope you escaped with less harm than the VFR! And yeah, that dreaded feeling of a vehicle once involved in a serious shunt, it just never feels right again. Haven’t had it with motorbikes, but I had a rather nice Peugeot 306 (I think you remember that one, drove it to Hamburg a few times I think) that never was the same after I rammed a friggin’ Astra with it. 