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Curly recently picked up a 1980 Yamaha XS650 to transform into a bobber. I took this baby for a ride Sunday night and was surprised at the performance. It was way faster than I had expected. It has the old eighty five mph speedo on it and I had it well on it's second pass around when I found out the brakes are shall I say, a bit on the soft side. It's been a while since I have rode a bike from this era and as soon as I pulled the brake lever I was wishing I had started my braking a bit earlier. I almost became one with a Ford Focus at the intersection of Thirteen Mile and Rochester Rd. The Focus driver was none the wiser, as I hauled the XS down from speed without any tire squealing. Just a bead or two of sweat on my forehead and some pretty wide eyes. By now you would think I should know better, but every now and then I still pull a bone head move or two.

Curly bought a set of the cast Yamaha wheels and they are being powder coated as we speak. He bought them not only for the looks, he wanted discs front and rear. Braided steel should improve the braking feel and performance right off the bat. He has been busy ordering parts of all description. Tc Bros hardtail kit, Biltwell black tuck and roll seat, sportster peanut tank. He is still figuring out the handle bars, headlight and a few other bits and pieces.

He has even talked me into building one of my own. I am currently looking for a suitable bike, right price, right condition. We should have the rest of the XT back together and ready to ride some time late this week or early next week. I need a hardtail bobbber like I need to be kicked in the head by a mule. Hey, maybe that's not such a bad idea.


Till Next Time..............