Friday, April 11th 2014

1981 Yamaha XT500 — Part 1

So far, I've done a terrible job documenting this XT500. I have already had the bike for (more than) a few months.

I purchased the bike on October 26th of last year (2013). I saw the bike on a local online classified site and decided to check it out. It was a 1981 Yamaha XT500.

The owner was only available at night. After hearing numerous horror stories, I always told myself that I would never look at anything for sale in the dark. I gambled and decided a bright flashlight would solve all my problems.

The bike ended up looking pretty clean. The owner seemed to have no issues starting the bike. At just over 6k miles, it didn't seem like the bike was really used a lot, especially considering it is over 30 years old. The XT mostly seems to have sat for awhile, most of which appears to have been indoors and maybe some time outdoors. The bike didn't particularly seem to be very up to date on maintenance considering it had the original tires on it (well worn and rotting).

After a short bit of haggling, we agreed on a price. I loaded the bike up and brought it home. Here's my girlfriend Val and my good friend Zach looking at the bike once it arrived back at my house. They were probably thinking something like "What load of junk has he brought back now…"

There was a fair bit of Utah dirt and clay crusted on the engine and anything on the lower portion of the bike. Some small details were missing, like the left side cover. Regardless, it started right up back in my driveway easily enough when it was cold again.

After owning an older Ducati Monster with a dented tank and the nightmare related to trying to find a dent-free tank, I was excited that this tank was in pretty damn good shape. Besides some small paint blemishes, dirt and a small bit of residue from a sticker (Canadian flag?), it looks nearly new. I've heard rumors of dent-free XT500 gas tanks selling for as much as $2000.

The morning after

I woke up and hesitantly opened the garage door. What looks like a pristine survivor at night could look like a pile of hacked up junk during the day. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. I think I lucked out.

It's not a true definition survivor, but considering the life that these bikes usually end up getting—being abused on dirt track in the wilds—it was practically brand new.

The plan

I have always had a soft spot for classic bikes. Having an interest in classic trials bikes is new for me. Originally, I bought it with the goal of fixing it up and selling it. However, the more I ride the XT500, the more I start to rethink selling it.

That's it for now. Next, I'll touch on a little bit of the history behind the Yamaha XT500 and why I think it's a historically important motorcycle•

Updated on Saturday, Feb. 15th 2020