My 1975 XS650 project

CaseyH

CaseyH

XS650 Enthusiast
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Location
Smithville Ontario
As I said in my intro thread I would start a project thread
A guy at work asked me to get it out of his way for free.
As some one has said before there is no such thing as a free motorcycle
XS650 12.JPG

This is what I am starting with. It has sat in a shed for 20 years.
I hope to bring it back to original.
Engine turns over and has good compression.
12000 miles on the bike
Every cable is stuck - Throttle and clutch.
I am going to replace the ignition components.
Got started on the tank.
It had old tar from gas that was left in it in the bottom and lots of surface rust.
The tank is solid and cleaned up well on the outside.
Put a gallon of gas in it while we went on vacation and that softened it up and it blasted away with a pressure washer.
Filled it with pickling vinegar right to the top and left it to soak about a day.
Worked great and after drying the tank soaked it with WD40 and set it aside.
The petcocks were a disaster but cleaned up well.
XS650 5.jpg
XS650 7.jpg
XS650 8.jpg

XS650 10.jpg
XS650 9.jpg

The rust that came out surprised me.
Quick test fit just because:)
Will post as I go along
Casey
 
Yes, replacing the ignition components is a good idea. You have no idea how long those points have been in service so it would be best to start out with fresh ones. Points are a wear item and should be replaced every 10 to 15K miles. Even if they look OK, that strap steel "spring" that snaps them closed gets weak over time. It also looks like you still have the original plug caps and wires. I'd replace them as well. While I still had points, I installed silicone wires and non-resistor plug caps. You don't need resistor caps with the points ignition and you may get a bit better spark without them. NGK makes a good cap .....

yg3iLp9.jpg


When you remove the old wires, save the rubber protection sleeves from them. Yamaha covered nearly the entire wire but you don't need to do that. You only really need the protection sleeve in the area that exits from under the tank. That means you can make two from just one of the originals .....

MqskhcK.jpg
 
While you've got the tank off, you should check the torque on the head bolts and nuts. It's very common for them to loosen up and then you get head gasket leaks. One of the big reasons they get loose are the rubber/metal seal washers Yamaha used under the outside 4 acorn nuts. Yes, they seal but are too soft to hold the torque. Seal washers are needed on the 4 outside studs because oil drains down them from the topend. If you look at my pic above about the plug wires, you'll see the solution - replacement copper washers. These are still soft enough to seal but hard enough to keep the nuts tight.
 
Pretty sure that is an unused plug on the 75 model. Mine sits like that just under my coil with nothing plugged into it. Someone smarter may chime in as to what it is actually for.
 
The gauges have cleaned up nice.............

Yea, my 74TXA has the same plug that goes to no where............not on any diagrams either..............what I thought it could be for is the Japanese models have a Speed warning light and maybe/could be........??????????????................but it is in an odd place
 
Thanks for the feed back.
The head light ring was bent in and rusted during its long sleep in the shed.
I had bought a ring and holder last year.
The seller said it would fit my 76 GL1000 I was restoring.
It did not match at all.
Turns out it was a Suzuki part #
I pulled it out and noticed the ring it self was identical.
Love it when that happens

XS650 23.jpg
XS650 22.jpg
XS650 21.jpg
 
I replaced the coils condenser and points.
I pulled the carbs off and cleaned the jets and replaced the floats.
They were a mess.
Put it together and after 20 plus years it fired up but will only run with the choke on.
Nice thing is the charging system is working. 13.4 volts at idle and 14.5 volts at RPM'S.
I will be tearing them down again and making sure all the passages are clear in the pilot circuit.
The tech section has an awesome write up.
I am just happy to have it fire up and that it sounds solid and has no funny noises or anything.
This gives me the incentive to take this thing and spend the winter restoring it.
Installed the front signals and after cleaning connections they work.
Took off the horn. It was seized solid.
Took it apart about ten time and adjusted it and cleaned connections(notice the pattern lol.).
While I had it running it developed a solid short circuit.
The wiring is actually in great shape and It took me a while to figure out what was going on.
I hooked up the ohm meter at the battery connections and started chasing things down.
I noticed as I moved the handle bars back and forth the short would open and close.
The PO had a funny faring with some lights on it and had run a couple of wires back out of the head light bucket.
The vibration from running the engine had worn the insulation through on one of them.
Replacing the clutch cable and cleaning 40 plus years of grime.
A few pictures One of the offending wires.
XS65025.jpg
XS650 24.jpg
XS650 26.jpg
XS650 27.jpg
 
Last edited:

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