No points but still running?

[Tbishop82]

Hey everyone. I Just brought home a non running 81 XS650. Apparently it had been sitting for a few months but ran before that. I cleaned the carbs, charged the battery and gave it fresh gas. It took quite a bit of cranking but finally started and after warming up it seemed to be running pretty well. The next day it was hard to start again but once warm I took it for a spin and seemed to run pretty well. The battery is only getting about 13v at 2500 rpms so started looking around and found I have no points and no auto advance unit. This is probably a dumb question but it wouldn’t run without those unless it has an aftermarket electronic ignition right? I’m not sure where to look to find whatever it is that replaces the stock points system. Any help here or advice on how to improve my charging would be appreciated!

 

[timbeck]

Hey Tbishop---Welcome to the fun house. 1980 and up Yamaha XS650's have no points but have a TCI type ignition. It seams like your bike has a bit of a charging issue, look thru the tech section there is lots of good info on testing. Good luck with your project......

tim

 

[650Skull]

Post #3 has a trouble shooting guide............Jim rewinds rotors if you find your defective..........Does a good job.....

http://www.xs650.com/threads/rewound-alternator-rotor.54276/

 

[Tbishop82]

Well now I feel pretty dumb. Ok thanks guys! I was just confused when I took the covers off and there was nothing there! ‍

 

[kshansen]

Well now I feel pretty dumb. Ok thanks guys! I was just confused when I took the covers off and there was nothing there! ‍

Guess Momma Yamaha didn't want to completely redesign the head just to install electronic ignition!
You want to see something strange? When I was disassembling the engine that came in my1981 XS650 I found it had the advance shaft and some of the parts in there. Seems after a bit of investigation the engine was not the original but actually a 1976 or some such engine!

 

[grizld1]

Word to the wise: Don't even think about trying to maintain a 40 year old motorcycle without manuals--and I mean more than one. You can download the factory manual and supplements free from www.biker.net, and Hans Pahl's book, The Yamaha XS650 Engine, available from Amazon, is another must-have. Good luck and welcome.