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Thanks everyone, great input and most helpful! The one rear engine mount bolt has been missing, so it was not the cause (but good eye Jim, a likely culprit if it wasn't known to be missing!). I got the rod removed and there are some deep gouges on it, as well as on the case as Garry...

No, just running the stock 17 up front. I would like to run an 18 front sprocket but as you said there isn't much clearance. I didn't feel safe trying the 18.

About a year ago, I replaced the clutch pushrod seal and bushing on my '81 XS to fix an oil leak. When I did that, I also replaced the 2 piece pushrod with the solid 1 piece pushrod. All parts came from Dime City Cycles (which I believe is Mike's XS). I've been riding the bike for a few...

I placed my bike on the lift, with the front tire an inch off the ground (no load) and with the adjusters at the min setting it measured 6 3/8” from the dust seals to the bottom triple. Lowered the lift so the bike was on the side stand (just the weight of the bike) it measured 5 1/8”. I then...

I guess I’ll have to do a little experiment and find out! I’ll take measurements and let you know.

Just curious, by adding more preload to the spring will that also 'extend' the forks slightly while the bike is on the kickstand? For example, I have stock length fork tubes with the fork adjusters set to minimum preload. There is about 4.5 inches between the top of the fork seal cap and the...

I ended up going with a 5.5 Ah SLA battery and it’s been running just fine for the last 7 months. The bike has been a joy to ride!

I have an '81 as well with a similar problem. Cleaned the filter and changed the oil, and putting some miles on it before re-inspecting. Hoping it just requires a few cycles of that to flush out probable years of bad maintenance. If it continues after a couple of oil changes (about 300 miles...

I'm south of you in Bradenton, FL. If you're not a member, check out West Coast Florida Riders on Facebook. Didn't realize so many events were going on in our area.

Thanks Jim, sometimes it's best to 'start simple' and progress from there. I'll clean the filter and change the oil and run it for a while. Costs the least in time and money and years of use/neglect is a very plausible cause. The sump screen looked clean. No debris or chunks of guide as...

Yes, there was. The original oil and filter was in pretty bad condition and there was probably more than that in the old filter. My other thought is that perhaps I need to clean the filter and run it some more and check it - to flush any debris out of the engine?

Seeking the advice of the 650XS gurus. I picked up a non-running 1981in rough shape a year ago. Did a lot of work to stop multiple oil leaks, overhaul carbs, adjust cam chain tension, set valve lash, new plugs, timing, fresh oil, new filter and sump, etc and got it running well a few months ago...

Thank you for the nomination, I am both honored and humbled as a noobie to have my bike considered! (Of course I accept the nomination!)

Thanks Jim, I’ve read through your many posts & replies on several topics and they have been most helpful to me in getting the bike together and running! I had seen your posts on electrical systems (and you :banghead: about some replies :)). I really appreciate your feedback, as I didn’t want...

Been on the forum for about a year; because of the incredible wealth of knowledge here I haven’t needed to post a question (until now) on my first restoration/modification of a motorcycle. What I’ve got is a 1981 XS650 with stock alternator and Boyer-bransden ignition set up for kick-only and...