Big thank you to all of you guys.

TheRunaway

TheRunaway

XS650 Enthusiast
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Using this forum (and a lot of other sites, but mainly this) I have been able to do so much work on my XS. I'm a brand new gearhead and I'm falling in love with it already. So for those of you who are new(er) than me let me just break down what I have learned thanks to so many of these guys.

- Valve Adjustment
- Cam Chain Tension Adjustment
- Carb cleaning/sync
- Swapping out parts (Petcock rebuild, new ignition switch, etc.)
- A ton of general maintenance!
- A ton of info on my specific model (clearances, oil type, brakes, and more.)
- How to read first and ask questions later. Believe me I was bad at that for awhile.

These are all things that I have been able to do myself, in my garage. I didn't even have any tools at first. Now I have quite a collection. It's only been a few short months.

Now I'm ready to get my second 650 and do a cafe build. So excited about it. :thumbsup:

So again, a big big thank you to you Gurus and other members who have helped me so far. I know I will have more questions in the future, but right now I'm rollin smooth and steady with a bunch of new parts. See you out there :bike:
 
Most of us are willing o help a newbe in his (or hers) learning curve on these bikes. Enjoy the riding and wrenching.
 
+1 with TheRunaway.

TwoManyXS1Bs, I just about fell off the chair laughing when I read your post. So true!

Yamimoto
 
Tools are the thing ..... really they are. To roll this back to a very basic level, you couldn't even wipe your ass without that roll of paper, THAT tool.

I will admit, I have most that are needed. That doesn't stop me from buying more, more specialized tools. Most of the local guys I help have nothing. They wonder why they can't fix their own bike? Maybe that's it? IT IS. I know it is. You need tools, wrenches, sockets, snap ring pliers, you need all that stuff. Or else pay the shop to do the work and don't complain about the cost.
 
TooManyXS1Bs hahahaha you're absolutely right too. I can't stop. It's like working out. If you never start, you won't really care; but once you do start, you'll never be big enough. I'm just LOOKING for stuff to do to her now. Like, "what's that little rattle?" "What can I replace now?"

weaselbeak - I just put on some tracker bars yesterday. I'll post some pictures a little later., but for now my avi is pretty much what she looks like. Minus a few minor changes. I got rid of the turn signals and mirrors.

5twins - Your wisdom is limitless. That actually reminded me that I'm out of toilet paper too.
 
@therunaway - I've got the same story! I got my '82 in boxes and brought it home where I think I had a few wrenches, a screwdriver, a hammer - I didn't know shit from shinola...I still don't, but fast forward a year later to today and I'm calibrating my torque wrench for the cylinder head bolts which will finish off my first ever rebuild on any engine.

I'm confident I could whip a barn find XS into a daily rider at this point - not because of how much I know about these bikes from my limited experience, but because this forum exists. Anything I don't know I can learn here, and I'd say that is what makes this engine is so valuable. To me, anyway.

Yesterday I tried to imagine what it would be like if we "uninitiated" had come into one of these bikes in the pre-internet days...
 
Man you hit the nail on the head with that one. I feel the same way. I would be so nervous to try an engine rebuild without this forum/the internet.
 
luckynumber0 said:
Yesterday I tried to imagine what it would be like if we "uninitiated" had come into one of these bikes in the pre-internet days...
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, we had to use THESE things:

rotary-phone.jpg
Sledge.jpg
Wizzard.jpg
 
TwoManyXS1Bs said:
Oh yeah, we had to use THESE things:

View attachment 46391
View attachment 46392
View attachment 46393
Click to expand...
I know, I know...It wasn't as hard as us youngsters think it was, and honestly you probably had to use more of your brain to get it done, in a way. My friend is a guitar collector and his stories about traveling around based on rumor and word of mouth in the pre-craigslist/ebay days are almost magical. I think it utilized way more interpersonal relationships and I think you learn much more through those.

I was marveling at the fact that you can basically learn how to rebuild a bike from scratch without any experience from just about anywhere with an internet connection and - of course - the dough for shipping...
 
With the right tools and service manual the ability to read and comprehend and a mechanical ability you have saved one. You have amassed the knowledge and joy of doing your own work. My hat is off to you for taking the time to learn how. The Forums are your back up. Your new project we need pictures. We need pictures and a build thread to show what you have learned. Pictures give the ones among us who can't read to look at. :D
 

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