New owner thoughts and questions

Scottrt

Scottrt

XS650 Addict
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Hey all, just had a super clean 83 heritage special delivered here in Minnesota where it's 30 degrees. Even with us Oso battery it started up pretty easily with the electric start ran good and everything seems to work except the gauge illumination so I'll guess I'll check the wiring on that unless there are bulbs that tend to go, in which case I'll lay in some first. the clutch pole seems reasonable, it's about the same as my Valkyrie, but my God, first gear sure is tall it idles at about 10 miles an hour. does that seem right or should I start counting sprocket teeth and see if a gearing change was made. Who was also very cold blooded took 10 minutes for it to idle with the choke completely off but then it idled real nice. Remember it's only 30 degrees here, what does that sound about right? It's a hundred percent original except for the coil wires and perhaps the coils, I'll have to look, with 16000 miles. The horn button is missing but if I put a screwdriver in there and short it to the little spring it will beep. I imagine the only remedy is to buy a new used left cluster to get the horn button. Over the winter I will most likely clean the carbs real good, check or replace the swingarm bushings, update the front forks innards with whatever is appropriate for 350 lb Rider, and service are replace the head tube bearings as required. Also, the cylinder head and rocker cover could use a fresh coat of black paint. Then it'll look perfect... Hell, the chrome on the exhaust pipes isn't he has colored. Thanks for reading, I look forward to spending some quality project time spiffing this baby up for spring.
 
Scottrt said:
irst gear sure is tall it idles at about 10 miles an hour. does that seem right or should I start counting sprocket teeth and see if a gearing change was made.
Click to expand...
Yeah, sounds like someone put a 31 or 32 tooth in the back
Scottrt said:
very cold blooded took 10 minutes for it to idle with the choke completely off but then it idled real nice. Remember it's only 30 degrees here, what does that sound about right?
Click to expand...
Sounds about right for my 80SG. It's almost as cold blooded as me. :rolleyes:
Scottrt said:
It's a hundred percent original except for the coil wires and perhaps the coils, I'll have to look,
Click to expand...
Yeah, original wires are fixed to the coil... not replaceable, so you have a different coil. Look at the top (chrome) cover on the left cylinder. Is there's wires coming out the rear of the housing? The housing is empty with the original TCI system, so there won't be any wires there. If there's wires, it's aftermarket.
Scottrt said:
I imagine the only remedy is to buy a new used left cluster to get the horn button.
Click to expand...
MikesXS sells a button for just a couple bucks. I'm using one on my SG on the starter... works fine.
We're nosy.... pics please. ;)
 
Here's a quick pic. Thanks for the heads up on the horn button! I will count some teeth tomorrow. Hopefully it has more than me, I'm down to 26 haha.
IMG_20191030_194035812~2.jpg
 
I had a 1968 Chrysler 300 in college that I bought from a 84 year old retired engineer.I didn't have it a week when the front brake hose burst just as I was parking it in the apartment parking lot thank God. I had it out earlier that week on the freeway to confirm it could still do 120 miles an hour with that 440 engine it had. It could. the good Lord wasn't so much protecting me as protecting society from me.
 
Talking about replacing old rubber, might be worth thinking about how old those tyres are. Especially if the bike has been sat for a while?
 
Looks great, Scott! (whoa, get it? Great Scott! :laugh: :doh: ...sorry.) Welcome to the party! That's a beauty-lookin' late-model, fer shure! Complete, and from what I can see, unmolested. If you're not comfortable with the ergonomics, there's a reason: there's a lot of people here that can't stand the "roto-tiller" handle bars. Bars from a "Standard", "Super-bike", or "Daytona"s (the last two are available from Mike's Xs) can change the whole feel of the bike for you. Although, for some people, the original bars work...
Again, welcome! And keep us updated (with more pictures, from all sides. We're nosy! :wink2: ) Best wishes, and regards! Cheers! :cheers:
 
Good find - Looks like PO took very good care of that bike! Those lower side covers are very rare now - as far as I know, only used on Heritage
Specials. Beware the fuse block if still the original one - the fuse clamps tend to loosen up and may break.
 
Scottrt said:
Hey all, just had a super clean 83 heritage special delivered here in Minnesota where it's 30 degrees. Even with us Oso battery it started up pretty easily with the electric start ran good and everything seems to work except the gauge illumination so I'll guess I'll check the wiring on that unless there are bulbs that tend to go, in which case I'll lay in some first. the clutch pole seems reasonable, it's about the same as my Valkyrie, but my God, first gear sure is tall it idles at about 10 miles an hour. does that seem right or should I start counting sprocket teeth and see if a gearing change was made. Who was also very cold blooded took 10 minutes for it to idle with the choke completely off but then it idled real nice. Remember it's only 30 degrees here, what does that sound about right? It's a hundred percent original except for the coil wires and perhaps the coils, I'll have to look, with 16000 miles. The horn button is missing but if I put a screwdriver in there and short it to the little spring it will beep. I imagine the only remedy is to buy a new used left cluster to get the horn button. Over the winter I will most likely clean the carbs real good, check or replace the swingarm bushings, update the front forks innards with whatever is appropriate for 350 lb Rider, and service are replace the head tube bearings as required. Also, the cylinder head and rocker cover could use a fresh coat of black paint. Then it'll look perfect... Hell, the chrome on the exhaust pipes isn't he has colored. Thanks for reading, I look forward to spending some quality project time spiffing this baby up for spring.
Click to expand...

Hi Scott,
that's my bike too.
Except mine's an '84 Canadian version with 7-spoke cast wheels instead of your steel-rim mega-spokes.
I swapped out the stock rototiller bars the day after I bought the bike but hey! if you like 'em, you keep 'em.
Stock sprockets on mine were 17/36, most earlier bikes were 17/34, Optimum is the Eurobike's 17/33.
Head & gauge lights are supposed to turn on automatically when the engine starts.
(actually when the alternator starts charging so start + no lights = not charging. If the engine stalls they'll stay on until you turn the key off)
Kiboko Joe makes metal starter/horn buttons. Replace stock plastic swingarm bushings with bronze ones & headrace bearings with tapered rollers.
Replace the way past "best before" date brake lines with a single full length stainless wire braided plastic line.
And the exhaust pipes are dual walled so the outer pipes don't discolour.
 
In case you don't know how to date tires, On one side of the tire is a DOT number. At the end of this number is a oblong ring. Inside this ring are digits. These represent the date of manufacture. Really old tires won't have the date code. Tires before 2000 only have 3 digits. After 2000 they have 4 digits.
An example or two to demonstrate. Lets say the digits are 347. This means the tires were made in the 37th week of 1997.
4403 reads as the 44th week of 2003.
You get the idea. Tires over about 6 years should not be used. Old tires even if they look brand new have gotten hard.
These hard tires don't grip well. They are also rotted. This can lead to sudden flats. Even blow outs. Not much fun.
On your brake lines there is a band. This band has a date of manufacture on it. The same rules apply to brake lines as far as it does to tires. The one good thing about a blown brake line. It won't cause a crash like a blown tire.
I don't like either.
I had a 1884 Dodge pick up that did the same thing as your Chrysler 300. A brake line blew just as I was pulling into my parking space in front of my shed. I was almost stopped when it blew but I still bumped into the shed.
Leo
 
Wow, those are cheap, or should I say inexpensive. I'm going to leave the stock buckhorn bars on the bike and keep it a hundred percent original. Does anybody know the proper length for the front brake hose for this 83 heritage special? Got2b close to four feet.
 
I’ve measured a low caliper hose at 52cm. Today in another thread Jim recommended a 50cm upper Master Cylinder hose. Those would together use the lower triple clamp coupling there. I suppose that a one piece 110cm hose would be the correct length for the one hose application.
:umm:
 

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I'm sticking with utilizing the coupler on the lower triple tree..sounds like a good idea... Less potential for hose floptitude, and stays with my desire to remain original.
 
Then I think the option of 50cm top and 50cm bottom is likely the best choice..
It was said that they sell in 10cm incrementals
 
To estimate brake line length, I use the white wire out of solid core home electrical wire. It bends easily and holds it shape so you can match it up to what's on there. The white wire is easy to mark with a Sharpie.
 
if anyone new is curious why the stock pipes do not "blue" or discolor, Yamaha made some pretty bad ass factory pipes, they are a tube inside a tube before they are bent, then once bent the two tubes cannot separate or vibrate , you will knotice they seem heavy in your hand and at first I thought Jeez these must be like .180 wall tube or somethin, but when I cut one short for a "drag" purpose I found the "secret" tube within a tube, Im not sure yamahas exsact reason for this, but I do know it keeps the outer tube from Blueing,, Just some trivia since it was mentioned that the pipes haven't discolered on the bike
 
Scottrt said:
Wow, those are cheap, or should I say inexpensive. I'm going to leave the stock buckhorn bars on the bike and keep it a hundred percent original. Does anybody know the proper length for the front brake hose for this 83 heritage special? Got2b close to four feet.
Click to expand...
One way to measure is to lay apiece of antenna cable along the brake line, note the end, then straighten and measure.
 
Scottry,
The lower hose is Mikesxs part # 29-6521, 20 inches. $26.98. The upper hose is part # 29-6520, 20 inches. $29.60
Thu
 
Honestly, I don't see why anyone would put rubber lines back on, unless maybe they were doing a 10 point resto. You can get the stainless ones with a black covering if you wanted the stock look. Personally, I prefer them in their natural silver color.
 

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