It's gettin there

Here is the Mistress with a little more jewelery
 

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I figured considering the amount of questions I ask, I should show a picture from time to time...just to let everybody I actually am working on an XS.
9k mile 76, starts and runs although I haven't ridden it yet. Once I get the carb sorted out on the stand then I will remove the battery box and replace it cuz it's rusted out. Didn't want to mess with the electrical until I got everything sorted out with the motor otherwise if I couldn't get it running I wouldn't know if it was the motor or electrical. Then after that I'll reverse it on the stand and work on the front end.

G'day Mate,

Looks like you have worn your fingers to nubs with all of that excellent polishing.

You also may have to join Mailman in the "Turd Polishers Union".

I too have a '76C and just love it.

Keep on keeping on and more photos.

GeeDub
 
G'day Mate,

Looks like you have worn your fingers to nubs with all of that excellent polishing.

You also may have to join Mailman in the "Turd Polishers Union".

I too have a '76C and just love it.

Keep on keeping on and more photos.

GeeDub

Considering your location, does this mean your 76 is red?
Regarding your thoughts on polishing, picked up this polisher on Craigslist, best $45 dollars ever spent!
 

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Finished my touch up frame spots, around the battery was poor on both sides, before and after shots
 

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Well she is now turned around on the stand, so the forks are the next project. While taking off the wheel, I discovered one fork stud is missing, using a bolt instead. Do the studs sometimes get pulled out / get stuck nuts?
 

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Sacramento so your local Fastenal or such should have a stud, or cut an all thread bolt to length by removing the head, dress, clean threads at your cut, install with red loctite using the double nut method, use care, blow out the threaded hole with air, carb cleaner, perhaps CAREFULLY chase the threads in the fork with a bottoming tap. The stud SHOULDN'T have come out, it had some sort of "loctite from the factory so that threaded aluminum might be a bit sketchy. Don't go ape tightening the cap when done. Note the cap has an arrow that faces forward, and the gap between cap and fork leg should be at the front rear, some handlebar and front MC clamps also are made this way. A straight edge across the clamp faces quickly reveals the "gap" side
 
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. Note the cap has an arrow that faces forward, and the gap between cap and fork leg should be at the front, like handlebar and front MC clamps.

I did not know that, including handlebars, why wouldnt the gap be designed to be the same on both sides?
 
Actually, the gap goes at the rear. Snug the front nut up so there's no gap and start tightening the rear. If a gap starts to reappear at the front, tighten it some more. The arrow points towards the "no gap" side .....

full


If you take a close look at the clamp, you'll see the end with no gap is made thicker. But, do take a good look at it. Later models were made like this but the early ones weren't. I'm not sure what year they started using them. So, look for the direction arrow on the bottom and the different thickness ends.
 
I did not know that, including handlebars, why wouldnt the gap be designed to be the same on both sides?
Hey Norton7d , good to see more of your 76 ! .
The handlebar clamps do not have that arrow so I set them just even to each other. If an arrow is seen such as that fork axle pinch the front facing arrow side is set with barely a space seen and then the gap in the rear turns out to be bigger.
I’m thinking a turn signal stalk stud would be similar to the missing fork stud ? Have one of those around to cut to length ?
Cheers -R
 
I can guess at a couple reasons for the gap on one side clamp. Making the concentric hole in both pieces is easier if one side can be clamped together in tooling before the hole is bored. Strength, rigidity; a pair of faces clamped together by a bolt is much stronger than a joint with a gap.
 
Just a trivia item about handlebar riser clamps.

On the period Hondas, one side of the upper clamp has a longer leg, like the later XS650 front axle clamp. The longer leg goes to the forward position, and is tightened first.

The Honda's longer leg would be identified with a dimple.
This same marking would be used on axle clamps.
HondaHandlebarClamps.jpg

That Honda clamp design has a purpose.

During acceleration, the rearward torque on the handlebars from the clinging rider induces a tighter clamping force, resisting rotation.

In case of a frontal impact, rider and/or especially his legs smacking the bars forward, causes the clamping force to lessen, allowing the handlebar to rotate forward, hopefully saving the rider and bike some serious pain. A safety feature.

Think of it like a hook spanner.
HookSpanner.jpg

The XS650 handlebar clamps aren't like this, and simply mount with equal clamp gaps front and rear...
 
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Another topic, are the barrel and or head painted from the factory? Or is what I'm looking is a natiral finish?
 
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