maintenance

I'm hoping someone can give me an idea what's going on here, I've been searching for a while and come up with nothing. So I just got my chop running and have back making some trips around town and down the road testing out various things before I trust it on a longer run. Well I noticed a few...

I'm looking at getting an LED tail light to give my alternator a bit of a rest, and was wondering which bulbs people have had the most luck with. I'm currently looking at https://www.mikesxs.net/product/10-1181.html or https://www.mikesxs.net/product/10-1182.html But open to suggestions. What do...

I have an 81 xs650. Its super clean but has been nothing but a pain in the ass. The latest issue is the charging system. I cleaned the stator ans checked the brushes. All are good. Through it back together. And now it wont turn over. Started in two kicks prior to cleaning the stator. Any...

Hey guys: quick parts list so you know where I'm at: hughs handbuilt pma boyer brandsen micro electronic ignition ballistic lithium ion battery lowbrow hologen headlight dime city tail light dime city led speedo NO electronic ignition Custom wiring harness was riding the bike and the lights i...

I got my 78 a couple of months ago and the PO did let me know that the starter bendix gear needed to be replaced. I already had a new one so I installed it and. I am not even running the electric start but I figured I should replace it just in case I wanted to use it later. So I haven't...

I was wondering if anyone could point me to a caliper rebuild how to for a 1978 xs650. My front brakes stopped releasing out of the blue. Tried cleaning out the reservoir and flushing the brake system without results, so my next step will be to try and rebuild the caliper. I've used the search...

Hey XS! I've got a (new to me) 1979 xs650 special. I took it out for a spin the other day and when I accelerate quickly the clutch is slipping. What would you suggest replacing? plates, springs, drive plates, etc? What are your thoughts?

Wisely or not I just got in a bunch of piston sets from cruzinimage. I want to have my local engine guy bore a bunch of cylinders to match. Nothing is simple, looking for some opinions experiences on cylinder boring. He has bored three sets already for pistons I bought last year and one set...

Here is a project to regrind 4 valve adjusters and 2 clutch adjuster screws. This project uses the grinding fixture in the Valvetrain Geometry thread: http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40042 The valve adjusters are reground to a radius of 19mm. The clutch pushrod adjuster...

Pulled the carbs hoping for the best. I did drain them before I put it back under its cover oh so many years ago. The verdict: Not horrible. Would have been better if I had pulled them and blown them out, but so it goes. The left one: The right one: One nice thing is they are so...

I'll be as brief and informative as I can about this because I'm still frustrated as hell. lol This is my first real motorcycle and after three months of restoration I've finally got it started and running. A few days ago I attempted to ride it, or at least fiddle with it in the neighborhood...

I've been working on the 79 survivor. With only 9400 miles the PO's were having clutch issues, there was a new cable, what looks like a new factory worm assembly. And they still had it fuggled up, First I backed off the cable adjuster all the way, then reset the worm screw, that got it back...

The problem is with my 77'D with 6700 miles on the clock. I've searched the forum and read about the damper springs on the back of the clutch and their willingness to break and cause driveline snatch. Mine however seem to be fine. When I'm idling around in first gear the snatch is quite...

You know the ones. . . they have been dropped, bumped and abused to the point the pin holding them is bent or broken. Leaving them at best to rattle on the stalk while riding or at worse turn on the stem till they are pointing at the ground. Perfect candidates for shorting by cutting the stalk...

how difficult is the clutch supposed to be to pull? im trying to go through and replace everything thats not gonna work perfectly before i try to start my barn find. its my first bike and up until today i couldnt even move the clutch. i pulled off the LH cover and cleaned everything and...

Need to put some new pads on the 73, nearly all stock, I'm not racing it. Anyone have some input on how various pads work/feel? Here's what I've found so far No name from mikes Part # 29-3508 Brake Pad Set 1973-76 XS650 TX650 Brake Pad Set 1973-76 XS650 TX650 (#29-3508)...

Hey Everyone. I have a 75 XS 650 that I've owned since 1996. Due to work circumstances, it hasnt been started since 2010. Now that I have a bit more time, I've decided to build a scrambler. I have purchased another frame and modified it while keeping my original 75 Standard rolling chassis...

I've done the following; installed new plugs/wires, ignition coils, battery, fuses and had the carbs cleaned. My bike will start one day but not the next. What else should I investigate?

So I just adjusted my cam chain tension and set my valves on my '75. I hear this noise coming from the top end. Seems to go away off idle. Granted, that may just be because the bike is louder. It sounds a bit worse in the video, but it is still concerning. Any ideas what it is? Thanks!

I forgot to screw my gear selector lever back in and it came loose. Had to stop on the side of the road because I couldn't change gears. Stripped the thread on both the lever and the gear selector mechanism. Definitely will be buying a new gear lever but my question is, how easy or hard would it...