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OK, so my left petcock was leaking when I got the bike. 75 XS650B, manual (on/off) petcock, NOT VACUUM. Got a rebuild kit from Mikes XS, took it apart, polished every surface, put in all the new gaskets, put it back together, still leaking. One thing that got my attention is that the gasket on...

OK, when I first joined up, some helpful people steered me to a couple of threads about waking up an old bike, checklist of what to look for when buying a bike, kind of a beginner's guide to this whole experience. I had them in my watched threads list, but accidentally removed them. Haven't been...

OK, so I searched the Forum but didn't find an answer to this specific problem. 1975 XS650B. When I got it, the electric starter didn't work. I'd press the button and hear a click, but that's all. Laid it on a crate on its side, thinking to take a look at the starter. Turns out I could have...

OK, so I have a "procedure" that I like to use. I have a link to my subscribed threads when I access the board. If there's nothing new there, I click the "New Posts" link at the top of the page. But it only shows twenty posts at a time. Granted, it's not a major hassle to keep clicking Next to...

Still working on getting this '75 XS650-B started. I think I read somewhere that there's an interlock in the clutch requiring that the clutch be disengaged (lever pulled in) in order to start the engine, so I've been pulling the lever when trying to start. However, I accidentally tried it today...

OK, trying to bleed the front brake on my '75 XS650B. PO said it worked fine when he parked it (of course), but the reservoir was dry. I put a wrench on the bleeding nipple (looks like a grease zerk, is that right?), got a tube onto the nipple, other end in the standard peanut butter jar. Filled...

I'm new to the community, so please forgive some ignorance. I know what a chopper is, from watching Easy Rider in the '70, but I don't know the details of all the terms I'm seeing here. I think a cafe racer is a bike where you lean forward and scream through police blockades, but I have no idea...

When I look at subscribed threads, I see a link to the beginning of the thread, and an icon to read the Last Post, but sometimes there has been more than one post since I last read it. Is there a way to go to the first unread post, rather than the last one?

Getting this '75 XS650 ready to ride, I took off the air filters. The boxes and screens are fine, but the foam inserts are pretty rotten. Looked on MikesXS, but I don't see just the foam inserts for sale, and the boxes are too expensive to replace for no reason. Can I just cut some furniture...

Just acquired a 1975 XS650 and I'm looking forward to some good times. First impression is that I really like it, but I would prefer slightly higher handlebars, similar to the Yamaha Special. Not a full "ape hanger" chopper style, but slightly higher and more upswept than the stock handlebars...

What a great forum! Glad to meet you all. I was sitting on a friend's back patio, drinking beer with some friends, when one of them happened to mention that he had a 1975 Yamaha that he'd part with for $200. Not running, uncertain history, but $200? I mean, how could I turn that down? Haven't...

Just joined, looking for a way to access only unread posts. I've used this option on many other forums, but I don't see it in the menus. Am I missing something? TIA