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Gone to MedicWild! Thanks for giving me the extra garage space!

I've had this bike in the garage for 20 years, always meaning to fix it up. Not gonna happen. Apparently a Canadian model, judging from the speedo (reads 99,xxx KM). Seized engine, missing parts, but rolls, not crashed that I can tell. Clear title. Comes with a Windjammer fairing but no mounting...

You could try tapping them out with a long punch (I'd use a brass rod to avoid scarring the inside of the swingarm) after removing the steel sleeve. IIRC, I partially sawed through mine with a hacksaw blade held in a pair of visegrips. 2 cuts 180 deg apart from each other, and the pieces pried...

I had a problem like that recently; turned out to be leaking oil line banjo bolts on the head cover; with the tank on I couldn't see the source, but oil showed up under the ign. and advance covers. Just a thought.

I had a Martek years ago on my '75. IIRC, I got about 40k miles out of it before it lost the right side. I'd agree with XSLeo; run it til it breaks. I wonder what ever happened to the company?

IIRC, none of the bearings in my '75 have plastic cages, though that could have changed by '81. Like mouser, I can't think of any white plastic bits in the engine either.

I've had problems with that site, too. It looks like it's up to the readers to update it. I've also heard that there's a federal mandate to sell ethanol gas; either that, or it's getting too hard to come by "real" gasoline; 2 stations near me have switched to E10. I was getting about 5% better...

I've got a Star Firestar in 40 S&W; after a trigger job and night sights, I've been pretty happy with it. Durable, controllable, and no problems so far. As ArcherSix mentioned, parts might be a problem, but nothing's broken on mine yet.

Cpkid, that's a very nice array! I'm envious. Oh, and +1 on the XS1. Though I personally lust after the '72s, I agree that the first year would have more value.

I used a stock rear brake foot lever cut down and rewelded for mine. Sorry, I can't remember what brand they are; they're pretty ancient. Anyway, it works for me. HTH

And make sure you turn the allen bolt and not the damper when loosening. I broke the head off a damper ass'y turning the wrong piece once. Use whatever tool you need solely to hold the damper.

Not sure just what those are; they look a little different than my VM36s. Not sure if 2 stroke carbs would work in a 4 stroke, but they might be worth a try. And I'd think you'll need that enrichener circuit.

I don't think so; it'd seem that if the cam was off for one side, it'd be off for both. But, like you, I'm generally wrong, too ;-). Have you checked to make sure your carb is opening all the way for that left side?

Also, check out this thread: http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10260

I converted my '75 to twin disc, using a stock caliper. IIRC, several years came standard with twin discs in Europe, and in the US both lower fork legs had the mounts. Don't know about the third question; I would love to find a set of calipers that would take more modern pads.

rjb, I've also got a '75 with the dual disc setup, but mine are behind the forks, and I've got an aftermarket fork brace, so it might not help you too much. Also, it's been a few years since I removed the front wheel, and I might not be remembering correctly, but I [I]think[I] I removed the...

Thanks, Sundie. I didn't know they were still fooling around with cam profiles that late in the evolution.

Thanks for posting that. One of the legends of motorcycle tuning; he always had a place in my pantheon of motorcycle folks.

+1 on that. Same thing happened to me when I ran low on oil on a road trip, and didn't have an extra quart with me. Locked up the crank about 500 miles later, even though I'd added oil as soon as I could. I hope you're luckier.

That's what I was thinking. My shop manuals show variations between 0.002"-0.003" for intake, depending on the year, and between 0.004"-0.006" for exhaust. Surprisingly, they varied the exhaust setting at least twice, closing it down to 0.004" for the TXA and XS-B, then back up to 0.006" for the...