1977 Restoration project

[xs650newb]

Hey everyone,

Picked up a 1977 XS650D today. Got it for 200 bucks with no title. The guy said he thinks he can find the title and if he does so I'm gonna pay him another 200 bucks.

I'm in WA state so I can register the bike without a title, but I definitely prefer to have the title.

The bike about 4,000 miles and is complete. It was last registered in 1996.

Engine has 150 PSI in each cylinder so I'm not expecting to have to do a rebuild or anything.

The main priorities are going to be to clean it up, give it a good tune-up, paint the tank and sidecovers to bring them back to their original condition, and to replace the chromed parts that are too rusty to clean up.

Here are some pictures of the bike before any work was done:





And a close up shot of the engine so you can see all the grime and dirt:





I've already begun the tear down and clean up so I'll post those pictures tomorrow.


By the way, I wen't through the carbureted today and I completely buggered the slow jet that resides in the float bowl. The jet was stuck and the PO stripped the head. I tried to get it out with a screw extractor and the extractor broke off so now I don't think I can remove the jet at all.

Does anyone have a float bowl fora BS38 they can sell?

Or. can someone at least point me towards the right jet to buy on MikesXS? I found a good float bowl on e-bay but it doesn't have the jet.

Best,
Adam

 

[gggGary]

Yeah that's got "patina" all right. I guess you now know that screw extractors don't work on brass or any small screw really. The go to is to cut a new screw driver slot in the jet to remove it. Buy only genuine mikuni jets.

Nice project, keep posting as you go?
Confirm that it has the original carbs so you get the right jet.

Read the carb guide found in tech. 5twins has an excellent year/jet chart....

 

[xs650newb]

Alright, spend another day cleaning. Only thing still left to clean is the back wheel.

Here are some before shots:







And here are the after shots:







I also went through the front caliper and gave it a cleaning. Doesn't need to be rebuilt by the looks of it.


I've ordered all the parts I'll need to get it on the road.

I ordered:
throttle cable
clutch cable
air filter material
pilot jet #45
carburetor float bowl
brake pads
sump filter and gasket
oil filter and gasket
2 fuel filters
exhaust gaskets
grips
drive chain

Should start it up this weekend once I get all the parts.

Best,
Adam

 

[5twins]

I can't positively I.D. your carb set from the info you've given and that one pic other than to say they look to be either a '76-'77 set or a'78-'79 set. Either way, a #45 pilot jet is wrong for them, way too big. Don't be buying carb parts before you positively I.D. what set you have. Chances are (like with the 45 pilots), you'll just be wasting your money. There's a good chance you bought the wrong float bowl too. The '76-'77 float bowl was specific to that carb set only. No other years will work correctly. They may mount up OK but won't be right internally.

 

[xs650newb]

5twins,

Here are some more carburetor pictures. Can you identify?

Also, I pulled the slow jet out of the other float bowl and it was stamped #45 and it had cross holes drilled into it.

 

[xs650newb]

Also, here is the internals of the float bowl I purchased.

 

[5twins]

OK, your carb set looks to be a '76-'77 one (linked with one throttle cable, 2 round holes on the intake bell at 4 and 8 o'clock), but the bowls look mismatched already. In your 1st pic, the one on the right with the metal drain nipple is probably correct. The one on the left with the plastic drain nipple is from an earlier carb set. I'm betting that's the one you found the 45 pilot jet in. Earlier sets used either a 42.5 or 45 BS30/96 type pilot. Your '76-'77 set uses a #25 VM22/210 type pilot. The two types flow differently and the bowls they fit in are designed to accommodate this. The BS30/96 type jets flow the already made fuel/air mix. Their air supply is fed to the bottom of the jet so this can happen. That's why they are sized in the 40s. The VM22/210 type flow straight fuel and the air is added after the jet. That's why they are sized so much smaller in the 20s. Here are the two bowl types compared, showing how the air path to the jet differs .....

The new bowl you got appears to be from a '78-'79 carb set because it's missing the overflow tube. It will work but if that carb overfills, the excess fuel can only escape through the main bore. It will come out the air filter or go into your motor.

 

[xs650newb]

You were absolutely right 5 twins. The undamaged float bowl, from which I got the slow jet #45, is not correct. It is for the pre-75 models, like you suggested.

I have on order now two float bowl, two #25 slow jets, and two #122.5 main jets. All of the necessary carburetor stuff should arrive Friday so I should be able to start the bike this weekend.

I'll make sure to post a video. Remember, this bike was last registered in 1996 so it'll have been 18 years since it was last fired up.

Also, I'd like to paint the side covers and tank their original colors. On this bike I believe it was the Yamaha 'bountiful blue'. Can someone confirm that? At the moment, I'd like to give it a cheap paint job that looks good in passing. Later on I'll spend the money and have someone do it professionally.

How should I go about doing it myself? Can I get the correct paint put into spray bottles? Does anyone know the paint codes?

Best,
Adam

 

[5twins]

Just make sure you get the correct VM22/210 type pilot jets. The BS30/96 type are physically identical in size and shape but since their metering orifice is located at the opposite end of the jet, they flow differently. They won't work right in bowls designed to use VM22/210 pilot jets .....

 

[xs650newb]

Thanks 5twins. I did indeed order the VM22/210 style jet.

I appreciate all of your help.

Best,
Adam

 

[xs650newb]

By the way, for the main jet I ordered the 'small round type'.

Best,
Adam

 

[5twins]

Yes, that is correct for all the BS38s. Only the pilots differed in type on some years.

 

[xs650newb]

Hey everyone,

I've been busy working on the bike.

Two questions before i get started on this post:

1) Are bs34 and bs38 carbs interchangeable on a given bike? do i need to switch intake manifolds as well?

2) what about wheels? I need to temporarily install mag wheels from a 1981 onto this 1977.


This past week I have:

1) cleaned
2) gone through the brake system. cleaned master and slave cylinders
3) gone through some electrical gremlins. turns out the left handlebar control was not grounding properly the handlebar.
4) finished the carburetor rebuild by installing stock jets and purchasing the correct float bowls.
5) disassembled both petcocks and cleaned them thoroughly. they were both so clogged with rust and other crap they didn't flow at all.
6) installed a new sump filter and pump filter with new gaskets as well
7) installed new throttle and clutch cables. also installed new, original style handlebar grips.


Here is what I have left:

1) bleed brakes. the master cylinder reservoir was full of crap. cleaned it real well. now i gotta run clean brake fluid through the system to clean out the lines. after that i'll bleed the brakes and install the new emgo brake pads I bought.

2) clean gas tank

3) source some turn signals.

4) put wheels back on bike

5) change spark plugs

6) check valves and timing

7) fire the bike up


Anyways, here are some before and after pictures of cleaning. I'm not trying to make this bike look showroom new, just trying to make it look decent at 20 ft away.

 

[nj1639]

The carbs will swap if you swap the manifolds too. The 34's are a little longer than the 38's, so using the stock airboxes will be an issue along with using the side tins. A little bit of mod will allow the tins to be used. Uni pods will do the job for the air filters.

16" rear tires can be put on but the chain guard and the brake stay are modded for the Specials fatter tire clearance. You'll have to swap out those too or at least the brake stay and run without the guard.
19" rear tires will swap out between the Standards and Specials all day long with no problems.

 

[Ghaniba]

1) bleed brakes. the master cylinder reservoir was full of crap. cleaned it real well. now i gotta run clean brake fluid through the system to clean out the lines. after that i'll bleed the brakes and install the new emgo brake pads I bought.

Check your hoses. Mine looked fine but were collapsing internally. After careful inspection, I found they were... original. I was chasing a front caliper draging situation -- didn't always do it -- turned out to be restriction in one of the hoses.

I put on about 120 miles on Memorial Day and had zero brake issues.

Dave

 

[xs650newb]

Thats good advice Ghaniba.

My plan is to actually replace all brake lines with modern, stainless steel and get a master cylinder from a yahama ATV. I'll hopefully have all of those parts by next weekend.

My biggest concern now is starting the bike up. Shouldn't be a problem but you never know.

It has 150 PSI per cylinder and a spark. Carb has been cleaned so now all I have to do is pray that the carburetor doesn't leak, the float needles are still good, and the ignition is timed correctly, or atleast, isn't so far out of spec that I cannot time it properly.

Adam

 

[xs650newb]

Quick questions:

1) I need to pick up fuel lines tomorrow. I'm going to get the clear yellow ones. is 1/4 inch the right size

2) I'm going to bleed the brakes. i need to get a clear tube to attach to the bleeding screw. anyone know the size? I can't recall and I can't go to the shop before I run to the auto parts store

3) it was mentioned two posts ago that to get the wider wheel of a 1981 special to fit on a 1977 I'll need to modify the metal rod that keeps the rear brake hub from moving. Does anyone know what type of modification has to be done? does it just need to be bent slightly to fit around the wider tire?

4) can i put that wider tire on the stock rim of a 1977?

Thanks guys,
Adam

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

1: http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26449

 

[5twins]

The Special torque arm is "dimpled" on the side to allow for that fat 16" tire. That's the only difference between it and the Standard version you have .....

If you could somehow manage to lever that fat 16" tire onto your stock '77 18" rim then sure, you could use it, lol.

 

[xs650newb]

Oops. Missed the part about the different diameters. Sorry.

Thanks for the info in the torque arm.

Adam