Bleading the front brake !

From all the reading I've been doing on the xs650's I found a few things that should be addressed ASAP with the bike.
First is the Rear swing arm bolt and bushings Plastic bushings just don't make it ! and a bolt that can sheer off is a NO-NO
the Ignition coil may well be in the near future sense starting the bike is alwayse a problem but I'll replace sparkplugs first.(I've cleaned the carbs and done everything else I can think of already and it's till hard to start cold)
Both front and rear suspension are the pits ....
and drilling holes in the mufflers isn't going to help a bit ( as I have already done) to help it breathe because the headder pipe is shrunk down to 1" at the muffler connection....) so after market pipes are a must...
and the fuse box ! who in Gods creation ever designed such a goofy POS ???? straight in line fuze holders from radio shack would be an improvment!
.....
and I have one more question..... on the petcock there are stamped letters all the way back says PRI does this position allow gasoline to flow into the carbs at all times regardless if the engine is running or not ? ( I don't have a manual , can't find them on line even though people have said they are there.... nor do I have the owners manual.... so I'm guessing I'm used to the 3 position DT1 type petcock off on and reserve
but this petcock has 4 positions and I can't make out what they mean.... i am assuming its OFF, on reserve and PRIME ????? used when starting the bike after it's been setting a long time ...no vaccuum no gas flow ,carbs half empty , no start! ... a Prime position would make sense!
....
Alwayse remember it's too late when you've gone too far !!!
.....
Bob.............
 
The vacuum petcock has 3 positions. On, which relies on vacuum, Reserve which relies on vacuum and Prime which is gravity feed.
 
OOOh THANK YOU ! I was hoping it had gravity feed in there somewhere !
I appreaciate your responce !
Have a good'ern !
Bob........
 
Thanks Pete !
I still need to get the XS650 to start and run reliably though... right now t's a bit Iffy some times it takes forever to fire up and run because it wants to run on only one cylinder....... I think it's just the sparkplug so swapping cylinders with the plugs should switch the dripping cylnder to the other side if it is indeed the plug..... once it's warm it fires up ok.... but it's still not right yet...
I think most of the problem is ME I am used to not using the choke and would rather just barely crack the throttle to start the engine
but on this beast that seams to be the wrong thing to do..... originally you had to start it with the choke and run it till it sounded a bit fat and then take the choke off slowly and it was ready to go ..... but that doesn't work right now if I put the choke on it might fire once or twice and then never again
.... I may well have to pull the carbs off again and go through them with a fine tooth comb..... the float level on one is questionable because the float neddle was rusted badly and the clip area fell off I found another float needle and replaced it and re set the float but I noticed fter I left the petcock on PRI that I had gas on the lip of the carb after it set for an hour or so... telling me it's float is a bit high....
this may well be the reason for the trouble starting......once running above 2000 rpm it's responce is great at idle that cylender drops completely
...... so I got more work to do on it obviously..... but I'm getting there slowly.... sure ain't like I used to be 20 years ago I'ed have had that thing purring the first day home ! LOL ....
its also possable that the coil is weak, but it gives a nice blue spark on both sides so I don't think so.....
I may pull the carbs off in the morning again and give those pilot jets and passage ways extra attention this time. and make darn sure those plastic floats actually FLOAT ...lol
..... new fangled contraptions anyway... and you guys think your playing with Vintage machines ! their NEW TECH to me ! LOL !!!!!!
C'ya !
Bob...........
 
Yes, I would go through the carbs again. Follow the carb guide, www.amckayltd.com/carbguide.pdf Pay particular attention to the idle circuits.
If everything is doing ok, when you start the bike use the PRI position on the petcock, this ensures fuel is getting to the carbs. Especially if left setting for awhile. Once it starts turn to the ON or RES position. In these positions fuel flow is stopped when not running.
The float valves are not fuel shuts offs, they are fuel metering devises. Even if they are working right when the petcocks are in the PRI position and bike is not running the carbs can over flow.
How is the battery? A low battery can make hard starting. The starter draws a lot of current, this can draw down the battery voltage low enough the TCI, electronic ignition used on your bike, won't fire the plugs. One indication of this is it won't start as you crank it but starts just as you let off the stat button. Once you let the button up the battery voltage goes up and if the engine is in the right place the plugs fire and the engine starts.
If your battery is low it maybe an old battery or a weak one. I would suggest fully charging the battery with a motorcycle type charger. One that has a 1.5 amp charge rate. Any higher such as one for a car and it can damage the battery.
Try with a fully charged battery and see if it starts better.
Leo
 
Thanks XSLeo ! I appreaciate your advice ! and I down loaded the PDF thanks much for that it will be handy indeed !
.... I went out to the shop a few minutes ago put the battery back in ( it's a new battery about 4 weeks ago and now freshly charged over night with an automatic 2 amp charge) anyway.... I put the battery in turned the petcock to PRI and turned the choke on full and turned on the key and hit the starter
.....it didn't make a full revolution and was running on both cylinders ! at a slightly high idle ( my tac is broken i don't know the RPM probly 800rpm or so) I let it idle for a few seconds then tried givine it the gas and it did it's usual cough but took off nicely I turned off the choke and made sure the choke on the right cylinder was all the way back ..... i reved it a bunch of times and then noticed the left cylinder trying to drop again
...... holding it at about 2000 to 25000 rpm usually clears the plugs but it still acted like it wanted to quit fireing.....
i turned it off..... let it set for about 1 min turned it on and hit the starter and touched the throttle and it fired right up...... it's not even warm yet but is acting like it's supposed to all except that pesky sparkplug ! ..... which is soon to be replaced !
I did not notice any fuel over flow from either carb ( the left one being the one that concerns me looked fine this time)
I will pull the carbs again for the 5th time , and do a real through cleaning and not be in such a hurry this time.... seams these CV carbs are more picky than the older Mulkini carbs....
thanks for the help !!!!
Bob.....
 
weekendrider:
Buying anything nowdays is a risk ! only places like this forum is anything free !!!! and I thank you guys (and gals ) for it !!!!
.....
although I doubt I can afford it any time soon, I'ed like to get new exhaust pipes for this machine
2 into 2 is what I'ed like ...adding another 7hp from a bolt on sounds really nice to me.
do you have any recomendations as to what pipes and where to get them ? anyone ????
I am not a power freek..... I mean the bike has enough power for me already, but a Motorcycle that can't get out of its own way is a discrase !
I do not want an over powered machine now..... my wants have changed I used to live for the power in the wheelies and ripping up the dirt
but I don't ride like that any more..... what I want is a handlier..... like the old triumph boniville of old a bike that turned corners for you
my one and only trip down the road on this machine told me that this thing has the potential to do just that
the list to make it do that is a long one.... but do-able with time.....
what I am wondering is should the front tire be changed or perhaps lace on a new rim ? or would lowering the machine be a better way to go ?
I ride allot on dirt roads so I don't really like the idea of taking away ground clearance but it is a street bike not an enduro machine and I can see lowering it if it's nessarry

.... and another question...... if I get new exhaust pipes for it do you think I will have to re-jet the carbs ? I am at 3400ft ASL here and it already burns DARK so re-jetting is probably in the future anyway.....
thanks for your time !
and gggGary ! your Zomby picture still tickles me every time I think of you I think of that Zomby comming to get me ! LOL
HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Later all !
Bob........
 
You won't go wrong with wider rims, (stock rims are too narrow for stock sized tires) a lighter front disk, smaller MC ss line tapered steering bushings, better fork or internals, swing arm bushings, stiffer swing arm rear shocks. It's (an enjoyable) journey. At the end of the day, the frame will be the weak point.
Jetting needs to go leaner with altitude. There were SB's about jetting for altitude for at least some years of the XS.
http://www.jetsrus.com/FAQs/FAQ_rejet_elevation_and_temperature.htm so a pipe with more pull may balance out your fat jetting. (MAYBE LOL) CV carbs are rather forgiving, close is often good enough. The XS has somewhat oversized exhaust ports, don't blindly stick on bigger diameter headers, it will move the power band up into an area unsuitable for fun street riding. Revving the snot out of an XS on the street is not good for MANY reasons.
 
gggGary ! thanks for the post !
I thought larger pipes would give it more low end not move the power band higher..... it's already too high to use ...(in most cases)
I have alwayse subscribed to the theory that less back pressure is a good thing making the engine breathe is what you want to do in just about every case sense the stock pipes are pinched down to about 1" where they enter the muffler there has to be a huge amount of back pressure at the valve
this isn't good for HP or high RPM's
A good set of pipes should reduce back pressure and give more HP all the way through the power band .... compaired to stock pipes
....Yes some exhausts are made to TUNE to higher RPMS and one for useable RPMS that I ride would be 6ft long i think ! but you'ed still have MORE hp over the entire range as a whole.....
I think I'll just modify my exhaust rather than buy expensive after market ones...first order of business is remove that restriction pipe !
its cheaper that way LOL !
I will wait on the other things as income will provide,... bolt and bushings is major on my list shocks can wait, unless they lock up ( had one do that and it twisted the back swing arm !!!!) that was a fun ride home.... talk about strange cornering !
.... as for the front forks I read something about putting PVC pipe inside as a spacer to stiffen up the front end... do you know how long they need to be ?
this thing is mighty soft in the front ! hitting the front brake may well launch me !!!!! LOL
.....and Yes tapered stearing head bearings are also on the list !!!!
c ya !
Bob........
 
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the cheap front fix is 35mm sportster springs. Keep reading on exhaust, common wisdom, isn't for the XS. More advice for the power hungry: Keep the stock airboxes, the cheapest horsepower available anywhere. I like UNI foam fitted on the stock filter frames after you get rid of the mouse hair crap. Will be doing this for the 81 that just came into the shop.
 
Hi RG, Gary,
while this particular old crusty ditched his XS11's airbox during the initial attempts to get the poor derelict thing running
(The airbox removal worked like magic:-
With the stock airbox it took a half-hour of bloody knuckles and blasphemy to get the carbs off to clean them yet again.
After I swapped the stock airbox for Unipods not only did the carbs come off real easy, I only had to clean them once.)
OTOH, I bought my '84 Heritage Special new and kept it's stock airbox until last spring.
Swapped the XS650 to Unipods for the same reason as I previously swapped my XS11.
I have not noticed any change in the XS650's performance.
 
It's a hack Fred you probably wouldn't notice if you got hit by a meteor! Sides, you got those tasty canadian needles STOCK!
 
Hi Gary,
you say "hack" like it's a bad thing?
As the only Meteors still around are mounted on plinths outside RAF bases in the UK most likely I would notice being hit by one.
And yes, I am properly thankful that my Canadian model XS650 didn't suffer the full EPA strangulation.
 
Fred....................you've gone over to the dark side, and joined the pod people:yikes:.
Its very lonely here, hanging out with the handful of air box dudes that are left on the planet. Yes, we're a small group, but we know that a revolution is coming, which will see air boxes raised up to their former glory. Pod people will return, hat in hand, pleading to rejoin us air boxers, on that triumphant day. :laugh2:
 
BOB: I've just read your thread and would only like to add that as far as I know, starting any cold XS650 without the "choke" is nearly impossible. In fact, it isn't really a choke, it simply provides a very rich mixture which the engine needs for starting (as you have found).

So, here is a reasonable starting drill based on my experience:
Petcock - PRIME;
Choke - ON;
Throttle - CLOSED;
Clutch - IN;
Fingers - CROSSED;
Ears - PLUGGED (to drown out the noise of the starter which Mailman said sounds like a spoon being dropped into a garburator); :lmao:
Starter - PRESSED.

If everything is well organized, it will start quickly and if not.....come back to the Forum.

Cheers,

Pete
 
Your forks can be improved for next to nothing. Give them a thorough cleaning inside and a fork oil change. It's best to take them apart and clean them because just changing the oil doesn't really flush them out much. You change motor oil when hot because that usually gets more of the sludge out. Forks never really get very hot. That's why disassembly for cleaning is best on them.

Use a little more than the stock amount of fork oil. Stock spec is just under 6 ounces of 10wt. fork oil. Use around 7 ounces. This gives you less air space in the fork which translates into a greater "air spring" effect. The forks will be a little stiffer. You also should have preload adjustable top caps. They have 2 stiffer settings and each adds 10mm of spring preload. Try the cleaning, more oil, and playing with those stiffer settings. If still too soft, you can safely add a 1" spacer, but that's about it. Any longer and you risk the springs becoming coil bound under heavy or full compression. Any shorter is rather silly because you can accomplish that with the caps. An inch is about 25mm. You can already get 20mm more preload with the caps. Adding a 1" spacer starts you out about a half step stiffer than the stiffest stock setting. This is probably right where you want to be if the stiffest stock setting is still too soft. And then you'll still have 2 more stiffer settings after that if need be.

Another basically free mod many of us do is called the Minton Mod. It involves drilling the oil holes in the damper rods a little bigger so they flow better and more. This really smoothes the forks out, especially in daily riding over all the little bumps. Do a search for the details.
 
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