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Okie

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Let me start by saying hello to all. I am new here. I have been reading for days in this forum and can't believe the amount of knowledge available. To the point....I recentley aquired a couple of engines, one is I believe a 79'....2FO106xxx, the other however has a strange number. The best I can make out is 5V4-003xxx. Has anyone got an idea what this is? Thanks for your help.
Mike
 
- welcome

- 5V4 is an 82 or 83 XS J or K heritage...003### is an 82 XS-J...when you see these on the street you can recognise them by the 64 spoke front and 48 spoke rear wheels
 
Thank you inxs, I knew it had to be a newer engine, has tci pickup on alternator. The 79' appears to be locked up, have not torn into them yet. The 82' however rotates freely and seems to shift fine. Looking to build a rephased motor with a pma and take advantage of some of your excellent wiring diagrams. This is a great site.
 
Welcome, Okie! Nice to have a couple of donor engines, eh?

When you got your '79, did it have the carbs and/or the exhausts removed? I bought a '77D a few years back that had been sitting outside for years with no carbs and no exhaust. The motor wouldn't turn over because some of the valves had been open and water had gotten down into the bores, and over time cause enough corrosion to seize things up. When I dismantled the motor, however, I found that I was able to free up the pistons and they came free from the bores without scratching things up much more than they already were. They were serviceable, but my goal was to install a Wiseco 750cc kit, so I had the cylinder block sleeved. The rest of the engine was in excellent shape.

So, just letting you know that there's a chance, at least, that you 79's motor may still be serviceable. You can try pouring some Marvel Mystery Oil down through the spark plug holes and let it sit for a week or two, then see if it'll turn over. Can't hurt, I reckon.
 
There were no carbs, exhaust or side cover's on these motors, but I believe the 79' had been inside for some time, oddly enough the 82' was sitting outside this guys shop when I went to get it. This is going to be a hobby project...to build a motor, take my time as $$ permits, and hopefully get to a point where I might consider putting a whole motorcycle together. I have several projects that I have been saving. I have a 75' H2 Kaw that needs to be done first just to fund some of this other stuff. If I ever get to that point.. I envision something light weight... something I could take the lights off of, and go do some track days with my son down at Barber. I would much rather put 6 or 8K in a nice XS than go spend that much on a new one. Not to mention the satisfaction of building and maintaining it with the support that this community has. Time to go buy Marvel Mystery Oil.
 
Sounds like you'll want to go the cafe or street tracker route. Me being partial to the whole cafe scene, I prefer it. Also, I think a cafe bike will serve better for track work than just about any other sort of genre, short of a full-blown race bike. But to each his own.

So am I correct in assuming you don't have a frame yet? For track duty, the standards are set up a bit better than the Specials -- mostly having to do with the rear shock geometry. The '77 to '79 standards are the best because they have the later 35mm forks and the later brakes, for which more aftermarket stuff is available. However, any frame '74 and later is a good candidate and you can always swap the later components (like triple trees and forks) to the earlier frames.

If you're willing to spend $6k to $8k on this project, you should have an outstanding bike when all's said and done. I figure I'll have about $3k invested in my cafe project by the time I've finished, and I've spared very little, expense-wise. This includes a 750cc big bore kit, a cam, VM36 Mikunis, and even a rephase of the crank.

Good luck, and let us know how things are progressing.
 
I had a 75' XS, rode it for about a year and a half and then sold it to a gentleman in Sweden with an extra motor. I've regretted getting rid of it. I don't really intend to spend that much, just comparing what average cost of a 1/2 liter or so bikes cost now. I've never owned a new bike, close, but never show room new. Had a 550 Honda back in 78' that only had 2k mikes on it. Smooth little bike,but you've really got to keep that oil clean with those plain bearings. I agree with the cafe style, much more practical. I have nothing against chopper's, altho I wonder how some of those bikes corner on a street with potholes. Roads are real crappy here. I'm sure I will have many more questions . thanks
 
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