“When it's not always raining there'll be days like this
When there's no one complaining there'll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this”

Van Morrison

Ok....my last entry I wasn’t exactly my chipper self. I’ve been a little beat up physically and it was affecting my mood. Well I took some days off and rested and I’VE GOT MY MOJO BACK!!! :sneaky:
So, I’m done whining, it’s back to work for me!

The first thing I did today was assemble my new Harbor Freight workshop stool. Woo! Every shop needs a stool with flames on the seat!
99F11BE4-9846-46D0-B8A1-D4E1DA2CDFA1.jpeg CE6CFC7A-CCAD-4EE3-85E0-37AB45487F3A.jpeg

Then I went to work on pulling my airboxes and carburetors off again, so I could rework my fuel lines and new smaller cone shape fuel filters. I no sooner had the carbs off and on my bench , when the mail man pulled up with my new 3/16” ID Tygon fuel line and filters. Perfect timing, my Postal brother!
I pulled off the super stiff Emgo fuel line that was on them and those boxy filters and set them aside.
EA1FD0DE-59F5-407A-BA8E-D3D6AD34AA11.jpeg


And made up new lines, this time trying out a suggestion from Pete, I will make these lines criss cross in an effort to eliminate any kinking and provide a little more space for the filters.
34F40F02-0DFB-49A3-BA07-A4AEC50925F4.jpeg


And here they are with the carbs mounted back up and the airboxes in place. Everything fits really nice, no issues at all. 2M, thanks for the recommendation on that Tygon fuel line. I would not have believed how much different and nicer this Tygon line is. It stretches and really grips, and is really flexible. I can’t say I’m real crazy about that yellow, but it doesn’t show much.
048AADEB-99EE-40D2-B9B8-D32E56E9A65D.jpeg
155E6AB9-5FD4-4294-8878-8449701F13EC.jpeg


After that I worked on installing my two throttle cables, it’s been a while since I’ve had a motorcycle with more than one throttle cable.
B0FD778C-8F7A-46D9-8BAB-F6FA08D9C610.jpeg
428DFF06-A7AE-4372-A4CF-BECA0288D731.jpeg


The cables on my new throttle cables must’ve been just a little larger in diameter and they wouldn’t fit my throttle without being opened up just a little with a file.
809BCC15-0610-4680-9FC5-DB02F046F530.jpeg


Ok, the cables are installed, the cables have been adjusted and secured to the frame. Now to take care of a detail that’s been bugging me. The main wiring harness up by the steering head is very floppy and the clutch cable will not stay in place. So I stole an idea out of Jim’s playbook, I mounted a hose clamp to secure the harness, which in turn traps the clutch cable close to the frame, right where I want it. :thumbsup:
Before......
3CEF23B5-5086-49A1-A3D7-CA2BC855189E.jpeg


And after......
0DCF68F6-A2DE-489A-B13B-D095443EBDCA.jpeg


So that’s it for today, all of my cables are now installed, all six of them. Oh and my front brake has got a really nice firm lever feel, no drips, no runs, no errors! I checked my front brake light switch, that inline pressure switch and it works perfectly. Yay!

I am getting dangerously close to being ready to start this thing. I’m running out of details to nail down. Soon, soon, soon.
E07FE9A0-BAC4-4A59-88F4-85F641CF48B8.jpeg
9D4AFC75-CF44-465A-A38C-45A3FA8DDF86.jpeg


I’m back and I’m enjoying myself and despite what I said earlier, I am not burned out. I was just having a bad day.
But that was yesterday and yesterday’s gone!
3AE48CC7-D7E4-4C00-9D35-89ED49DA7EB8.png
Until next time,
Bob :)
 
I am getting dangerously close to being ready to start this thing. I’m running out of details to nail down. Soon, soon, soon.
I am in no hurry to see the completion of this cool project, as it means that the restoration process will be coming to closure, which will be a loss.

But I eagerly await your eventual trips aboard your XS2 into the outback of Arizona !
 
I am in no hurry to see the completion of this cool project, as it means that the restoration process will be coming to closure, which will be a loss.

But I eagerly await your eventual trips aboard your XS2 into the outback of Arizona !

Yes, I too will miss having a project go get lost in. I do have some plans to revisit my ‘77 after this, and I am looking forward to finally being able to ride this one!
 
Bob, glad you like the tygon hose. Mine are taking on a brownish color, but still quite flexible.

Do your throttles have a smooth, snappy action? The original throttle cables had a 1.2mm core wire, and aftermarket cables are thicker and stiffer.

 
“When it's not always raining there'll be days like this
When there's no one complaining there'll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this”

Van Morrison

Ok....my last entry I wasn’t exactly my chipper self. I’ve been a little beat up physically and it was affecting my mood. Well I took some days off and rested and I’VE GOT MY MOJO BACK!!! :sneaky:
So, I’m done whining, it’s back to work for me!

The first thing I did today was assemble my new Harbor Freight workshop stool. Woo! Every shop needs a stool with flames on the seat!
View attachment 136781 View attachment 136782

Then I went to work on pulling my airboxes and carburetors off again, so I could rework my fuel lines and new smaller cone shape fuel filters. I no sooner had the carbs off and on my bench , when the mail man pulled up with my new 3/16” ID Tygon fuel line and filters. Perfect timing, my Postal brother!
I pulled off the super stiff Emgo fuel line that was on them and those boxy filters and set them aside.
View attachment 136783

And made up new lines, this time trying out a suggestion from Pete, I will make these lines criss cross in an effort to eliminate any kinking and provide a little more space for the filters.
View attachment 136784

And here they are with the carbs mounted back up and the airboxes in place. Everything fits really nice, no issues at all. 2M, thanks for the recommendation on that Tygon fuel line. I would not have believed how much different and nicer this Tygon line is. It stretches and really grips, and is really flexible. I can’t say I’m real crazy about that yellow, but it doesn’t show much.
View attachment 136785 View attachment 136787

After that I worked on installing my two throttle cables, it’s been a while since I’ve had a motorcycle with more than one throttle cable.
View attachment 136788 View attachment 136802

The cables on my new throttle cables must’ve been just a little larger in diameter and they wouldn’t fit my throttle without being opened up just a little with a file.
View attachment 136792

Ok, the cables are installed, the cables have been adjusted and secured to the frame. Now to take care of a detail that’s been bugging me. The main wiring harness up by the steering head is very floppy and the clutch cable will not stay in place. So I stole an idea out of Jim’s playbook, I mounted a hose clamp to secure the harness, which in turn traps the clutch cable close to the frame, right where I want it. :thumbsup:
Before......
View attachment 136789

And after......
View attachment 136790

So that’s it for today, all of my cables are now installed, all six of them. Oh and my front brake has got a really nice firm lever feel, no drips, no runs, no errors! I checked my front brake light switch, that inline pressure switch and it works perfectly. Yay!

I am getting dangerously close to being ready to start this thing. I’m running out of details to nail down. Soon, soon, soon.
View attachment 136795 View attachment 136797

I’m back and I’m enjoying myself and despite what I said earlier, I am not burned out. I was just having a bad day.
But that was yesterday and yesterday’s gone!
View attachment 136798
Until next time,
Bob :)


G'day B-O-B,

Bring it on..............kablata...kablata
 
Wow! Details, details, details... You've done all the big stuff, now you're down to all the "little" stuff. This has been such an awesome trip, with so many tips, tweaks, and upgrades, that anybody building one of these will be way ahead of "just a restoration".
Great song, by Van Morrison (it was the "father & daughter dance" song at my daughter's wedding).
And, BLAZING BARSTOOLS, Bob! One of these days, when I get the garage cleaned out (it could happen), I gotta get me one of those! My bikes are elsewhere, because there's too much "junk" in my garage, but that's where all my home repair projects happen. It'd be nice to have a clean bench and a barstool like yours to tackle those "honey-do's".
Your XS2 is something to be proud of! It took years for it to get to the state it was in when you acquired it, so now that it's like new, it'll be much easier to maintain, and will give you years and years of pleasure. Enjoy the ride! :bike: [ : > )
 
Bob, glad you like the tygon hose. Mine are taking on a brownish color, but still quite flexible.

Do your throttles have a smooth, snappy action? The original throttle cables had a 1.2mm core wire, and aftermarket cables are thicker and stiffer.


Hey Steve, you know I forgot that I had seen that photo before ( I think I was rummaging around in your archive )
But yeah, that was pretty much the same results I had. It was a tight fit getting my new cables in the housing, and I thought the cables were a little long also, requiring me to use up quite a bit of the adjustment to take up the slack.
I drip oiled the cables and greased up the throttle tube, so the action is good. When I let go of the grip it snaps back on its own.

G'day B-O-B,

Bring it on..............kablata...kablata

Thanks Gary, I’m getting there!

Wow! Details, details, details... You've done all the big stuff, now you're down to all the "little" stuff. This has been such an awesome trip, with so many tips, tweaks, and upgrades, that anybody building one of these will be way ahead of "just a restoration".
Great song, by Van Morrison (it was the "father & daughter dance" song at my daughter's wedding).
And, BLAZING BARSTOOLS, Bob! One of these days, when I get the garage cleaned out (it could happen), I gotta get me one of those! My bikes are elsewhere, because there's too much "junk" in my garage, but that's where all my home repair projects happen. It'd be nice to have a clean bench and a barstool like yours to tackle those "honey-do's".
Your XS2 is something to be proud of! It took years for it to get to the state it was in when you acquired it, so now that it's like new, it'll be much easier to maintain, and will give you years and years of pleasure. Enjoy the ride! :bike: [ : > )

Thanks Tebo! I am both excited and nervous about the day I fire it up for the first time. This was my first engine build, and good or bad, I’ll put it out there for you guys to see. ( I sure hope it runs ! ) o_O

Nice to see you back at it. I like that stool. That's what I need too and I think I will pick one up. Should come in handy when I get to the buffing stage.

Thanks Shawn! It’s good to be back hammering away. That stool was like $35 and I really like it. For me it’s a back saver. Standing in one spot for long periods of time is hard on my back. This allows me to sit and bend my knees which takes a load off of my lower back.
 
PROGRESS REPORT!!

Ok it hasn’t been all work over here, but......

I started a couple days ago working on my gas tank, trying to get it ready to mount. It has been tedious, slow going.
As I mentioned before, my painter very thoughtfully failed to plug every single threaded hole on my tank and the threads were filled with tank liner, primer, color, and lots of clear coat.

The first thing I did was take an exact knife and carve out all I could, then for the petcock threaded holes, I had to chase them with a tap. I ran a vacuum right next to the tap, to try and keep debri out of the tank.
6B351430-267A-4F18-94D2-73563CF14903.jpeg


When I was done, I turned the tank right side up and continued to run the vacuum up around the tap opening.
Then I installed my taps, do you think I should’ve re used these original bolts? They had been slathered with silicone!
9142C15F-8A18-4EDF-82E7-A47BACC7D9C3.jpeg
C54CD4A3-225F-4AD8-8A16-7F1C1BBEB967.jpeg


Then I reassembled my gas cap. This was a big chunk of rust when I got the bike. I broke it down cleaned and polished it and replaced the rubber gasket. This is typical of a lot of parts on this bike, overly complex! There are 19 components to this cap. ( some are not in the photo )
59C18881-6F0F-4B36-B8EB-9DA12AC71B93.jpeg


When I went to install the cap, I realized that the painter got me again. The paint was so thick that the flip latch didn’t fit in its space and the gas cap hinge wouldn’t fit in its place, I had to use my Dremel with small bits to shave down the paint at the foward hinge point and the rear latch mount. I had to drill out the holes that the mounting pins went through. I had the top of the gas tank covered with blue painters tape and the opening covered with tape, so I wouldn’t accidentally Knick my fresh paint. It was slow going and a little nerve wracking grinding on fresh shiny paint, but it had to be done or nothing would fit. It’s all hidden under the gas cap


AB537DBA-A042-4ED2-B271-9E9117AC7FAC.jpeg



Then I wanted to install my side emblems, but again the screw holes were almost completely filled with paint. I was able to clean it up enough with the X-acto knife to get the screws in it.
6A269ADE-E2C0-460C-A054-F01598311C7F.jpeg
29B38218-B2A4-4835-9E49-7DB1906EE031.jpeg
E4B35EB8-6580-4296-A6AB-8F8D361E307D.jpeg


Now I’m able to FINALLY INSTALL MY GAS TANK !!! :smoke:
34FA7B5D-FBF5-4090-93B2-B974EC3F2A57.jpeg
1333B9D0-6224-4AB1-B19F-20C286847E88.jpeg


Next up , I oiled up my foam filters and got them installed.
9683A98F-FB2B-4B3A-99E4-2CB1B7684EA0.jpeg
ACD893D2-3DF2-442E-B5A5-06508874ACD6.jpeg



I’ve made so many non stock changes under the side covers that I wanted to do a test fit to check for any clearance issues. I had to push a little wiring around but they fit just fine.
BD9D5C46-BD70-4440-A7DF-ABF4D462E6B3.jpeg


These old side covers have some pretty unique mounts. These long tapered bolts with captured washers and lock washers on the end.
C36ACE10-04B7-47E9-AB87-C576AB35F32B.jpeg


Then I wanted to start fitting some of the trim on my side covers. Again, I had to trim out all of the mounting holes with an X-acto knife.
0EE71197-C772-4732-8CD0-D4088BDAE5D9.jpeg
AC46018A-2CDF-435B-AB93-AFD154ECCCDD.jpeg


This is where I ran into a stop. I thought I had bought push clips to attach all these trim pieces, but NO! I’ll check my hardware store , but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find the right size. The posts are 4mm in diameter. I’ll check online also.
So that’s where I am right now. The gas tank is all hooked up, if I wanted to I could pour gas in there and fire this pig up right now. But I really want to have a finished bike when I start it up. Finish the side covers and a little work to do on my seat and that’s it! It’ll be done! Stay tuned......
Until next time,
Bob
573F7945-18D7-4289-BFBE-DF1B92FE0511.jpeg
 
Looking absolutely great there, Bob!

Ok, now the nits...

You'll likely get some fuel leaks from the petcocks.
Ggggary advises to remove the paint from where the petcocks abut the tank.
The steel and fiber washer combo has a history of leaking.
See if you remember these.

http://www.xs650.com/threads/petcock-fiber-washer-leak.50677/

Posts ##106 to ##120
http://www.xs650.com/threads/review-of-some-parts-purchases-from-mikesxs.10849/page-6#post-532180

Thanks Steve, I’ll give those a read. I took brush on super glue and used it to seal the edges of the paint that I cut for those petcock mounting holes.
 
Something you may want to consider, concerning your gas cap.

Normally, the gas cap sets a bit high, at about a 30° - 45° angle.
Mine was actually setting higher than this pic.
GasCapHigh.jpg

During closure, the front edge of the rubber gasket (#15) will scuff on the fill neck, and the floating nut (#17) that holds that gasket will tilt, stressing and scrubbing the center bolt (18).
70-72-TankCap.jpg

Fitting a spacer washer under the head of the center bolt (#18), spacing against the hollow nut (#17), will lift the whole floating section, including the rubber gasket (#15), and will let the gas cap set lower in the opened position, maybe at about 20°.
GasCapLow.jpg

With this setup, there'll be less scuffing of the rubber gasket, and less binding/scrubbing on the center bolt. Besides, it's easier to close. This only spaces back the sealing assembly, the spring pressure remains the same, and sealing remains the same.

Speaking of the sealing gasket/washer, I found the MikesXS rubber gasket to be too small in outside diameter, about 56mm, barely covering the fill neck opening, and subject to distortion at the front edge during closure. I cut my own gasket from neoprene sheet (in my gas cap gauge thread).
XS1B-GasCap-Gasket03.jpg XS1B-GasCap-Gasket04.jpg

This should be the correct dimensions.
256-22612-00 OEM01.jpg
 
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