Did Cas Vanderwoude’s excellent history of the Yamaha XT500 get you interested in one? Here’s a well-preserved original example from 1980, the first year with electronic ignition.
This bike (VIN: 3H6000400) has just under 4,700 miles and it looks to be in excellent shape ignoring the header. The seller says it runs like new and he includes a video (though he commits the cardinal sin of recording in portrait mode and not landscape):
Find this XT for sale in Reisterstown, Maryland with an unmet opening bid of $2,500 here on eBay.
Post-Listing Update: This XT500 did not get any action at the BIN of $13,500. Yamaha's XT500 was an instant sales success and it led to a full series of XT bikes. Thanks to the big thumper of an engine and the ample ground clearance, this could be a fun bike…
Every time I feature a XT500, you guys and gals seem to love it. So I'm hoping you're really going to enjoy this example, which has less than 300 miles on the odometer. Yamaha’s XT500 was an instant sales success and it led to a full series of XT bikes.…
Post-Listing Update: Though the price was lowered to $8,500, this Yamaha XT500 (lovely as it is) got no takers this time on eBay. Alright, I'll preface this by saying the seller's BIN price is a little nutty - but that's what the "Make Offer" button is for. The Yamaha XT500…
