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Oh, glad to here it. Batteries are at the heart of so many bike problems. Good luck with the restoration, whichever you choose.

I'm not sure how you would weld aluminium plate to steel tubes, but you won't need to really. If the aluminium plate is being used as an earth path, then you could just connect it with an earth strap to the chassis. How about relocating both plates to beneath the chassis rails, with the wiring...

Before you start replacing stuff: Make sure the battery is reading about 12v, then take the points cover off, switch on the ignition and look to see which one of the points is closed. Flick those points open with a small screwdriver and check for spark. If no spark then there must be a bad...

You have to be careful about measuring with a voltmeter, as some of the wires will be conducting pulsed current, which ordinary voltmeters will mis-read. You could have a faulty reg/rec if you are not seeing around 14V dc at the battery terminals when the engine is revved. But if you are not...

Just type 'xs650 maria' into google. Don't think its on this site. It was built by a European professional outfit. I just like the colours and the way it looks with its enormous tyres. What do you think?

Paul, thats looking damn nice! Its made me think more about getting another engine to rebuild. Have you seen those pictures of an xs650 with a white tank and brown seat called 'Maria'? I want to build one like that. I don't even care if it handles like a pig on its big fat tyres.

According to UK bike magazines, the higher ethanol content will be detrimental to older bikes because of its ability to detroy seals and gas tank liners.

Can't see anything in your electrical components that would generate heat. Where is the reg/rec located? It would be a good idea to make sure that the seat base does not rest on/rub any of the wiring though. If you have sufficient clearance between the seat base and the wiring, I would probably...

Could be the petrol cap breather is blocked. Had this happen on my first bike, a Triumph Cub. Lifted the petrol cap as soon as the engine died, fired up again almost instantly.

Yes, I think the ones I used were a standard 4mm id by 1mm thick. They came in a box of mixed (i.e nobody wants these any longer) sizes from Beaulieu Auto Jumble. To be honest, I never thought that I would find a use for a single one of them. To make matters worse, if you drop one on the floor...

5twins: Thanks for that. Hmmm...... fuel aint what it used to be. I suppose some lead-additive might help the valve seats a little too. There was an excellent article in our (UK) Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine recently, about how modern fuels are ruining seals, plastic floats and...

That Strappe article is interesting, but perhaps a little difficult for me to be able to read plugs like that. I suppose I am just going on the received wisdom of light grey =bad, whereas tan=good ?

They are definitely 1975 then, as they are only connected together with fuel and choke tubes. So the jetting isn't so far off stock? What is the best way to move from light grey to tan?

Hi, I'm pleased to say that my 1975/6? engine/frame no. 447-120904 is a joy to ride. She starts easily on the choke and when after 20 seconds or so, the choke is turned off, she settles down to a steady idle. Only done about 150 miles since new barrels/pistons,camshaft..... so haven't taken...

Leo, I could'nt agree more. I had no knowledge of the XS650 before I bought it. I just liked the look of it so much, especially in black/gold with the US style handlebars. I'm no artistic expert, but the proportions look right, because of the fuel tank and seat line, the wheelbase, and the way...

Peanut, I had never heard of the Haynes Museum! Probably because we are spoilt down here with both Beaulieu and the Sammy Miller museums a short ride away. It turns out that the Haynes Museum is only a couple of miles away from where my sister lives in Butleigh. I would definitely like to...

Peanut; Good luck with your rebuild. Yes the bike came together (too) quickly really, but don't forget that I am retired now so have loads of time to avoid decorating the house and spend in the garage instead. Plus, I actually threw quite a lot of money at this, and that cuts out quite a bit...

To be fair it wasn't a basket case when I bought it, in fact it looked quite nice,but looks can be deceiving. The engine ran but had a horrendous piston rattle on the right cylinder (oil starvation had made the piston to nip up), and it bogged when the throttle was opened. The front brake was...

Hey thanks folks! What an expert, helpful and pleasant forum this is.

Tried to add some pictures, don't know if it worked.:wtf: Yes!!! The key fob might be a clue as to its previous owner in New York ?