Am I capable of an overhaul??

cmyoch

cmyoch

XS650 Junkie
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Hello all,
I'm a complete newbie in the motorcycle world. I acquired a '78 Special as my first bike and I have fallen in love with her. I managed to get a few good rides in before the weather turned cold. Other than my carbs popping off (which was an easy fix by replacing the boots) I didn't have any other issues until now.

I notice oil dripping down the left side of the motor which I gather is a bad head gasket. Also, I'm fouling my left plug which leads me to believe it is still the gasket issue. I torqued the bolts to try to get the the leak to stop but I had no luck. The bike runs strong and I can live with an oil leak except the plug fouling concerns me. I need to mention also that she has 62,xxx miles on her.

I've been lurking around the theads for a while reading up on different things and I've just come to the realization that I really want to keep this bike for a long time and the right thing to do is to go ahead and put new rings and a head gasket in it. The carbs are completely rebuilt so I'm good to go on that end. I cannot afford to pay the local bike shop $600 to do this considering I paid only $500 for the bike and I know most of that cost is going to be labor. I understand I need to pull the engine to do this which shouldn't be a big deal. I am somewhat mechanically inclined but breaking into motors has always intimidated me.

Is there anyone here on this forum that lives near the Metro St. Louis (Illinois side) that can offer a hand to just oversee that I am doing things correctly or maybe just be available for advice? Part of me says to just take off my skirt and just dive into it but I like this bike so much that I don't want to make matters worse by screwing something up.

Sorry for the long winded post.:shrug:
 
At 62K I would do the basics. Dig in. You will learn lots here. If you can get away with a hone and fresh rings you will have a nice jump on costs. A bore with new pistons and rings brings it up fast. Lap the valves, new valve seals. Check the timing chain and guides and replace if needed. Fresh base and head gasket. Replace the 2 oil screens. That should get you going for a while. Most the rest that pops up can be done with the motor in the frame. Try not to keep count on your spending. Just do what needs to be done when you have funds and be paitient while learning. In the end you will have a nice ride and feel in control of what is going on. There will be lots more to learn besides the motor with time but everything is reasonable with basic mechanical knowledge.
 
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Once you get to know this crowd better, you'll realize that if we can do it, anyone can..... Get a good manual and dig in, just take your time and you'll be surprised how simple and straight forward the motor is. That's what always drew me to the XS, beautifully simple, classic engineering.
 
I've got a buddy of mine who own's his own atv/motorcycle repair shop locally. He's always said you only need 3 things to be a full blown mechanic. Tools, a service manual, and common sense. These manuals are so indepth that if you can read and follow directions you should be ok. Just take your time and good luck.
 
You have to go into this kind of thing with confidence. If you know you don't know what you're doing, then with the confidence that you can figure it out. Otherwise it won't happen. Confidence is the fuel....
 
dwyatt said:
Beer helps too. Makes it easier to figure out where all those cogs and bolts and springy things go.
Click to expand...



If Ive had enough beer I just throw away all those extra pieces...they probably weren't needed anyway. :thumbsup:
 
Up until the past few years, I've always owned older cars and did a lot of work myself using Haynes and Chilton manuals. I should suck it up and dive in. My main question was if there was any fellow XS'ers in the Metro St. Louis area that could lend a hand, only if I got stumped on something. I've seen a ton of explanations followed by photos so hell, someone in California may be more help via the forums than a local guy who is standing in my garage pointing fingers. I have already made a good friend on his site who sold me some side covers and a luggage rack. I can only imagine how fast my "family" will grow with advice on engine work.

I am going to start getting my inventory list together of things I need to acquire to do the job. Obviously starting with rings and a head gasket. I don't know anything about lapping valves and valve seats as well as timing chaing guides so I'll consult the forum or manual (when I get one) on what I need to do on that end. I better dive in soon because I'm really itching to ride!

Craig
 
There are several sites that have Factory manuals for downloads. biker.net is one.
If they don't have your exact year it won't matter much. The engine didn't change much ver the years. I might wait till I got the engine torn down and measured up before I bought any parts. If you by a set of stansrd rings then find the pistons and bore worn so a first or second over is needed then you have a set of rings you can't use.
With 62xxx miles It will probably need at least a first over.
Even if the cam chain and front guide look ok, I would put in new just because it has 62xxx miles. The book will tell how to check the side play on the rods and big and small end rod wear.
As others have said it is a good engineered engine. Straight forwad. Nothing complicated.
If you have a didital camera take lots of pics as you take things apart. This will help when you put things back together. LOts of sandwhich bags. Put all the nuts and bolts from a section of engine in each bag, Headbolts in one side cover in another. I like to label with a slip of paper in the bag. Writing on the bag can get wiped off.
 
I label the bags of parts with sharpie and drop a slip of paper inside that is also labeled. You should have no problems with all of the info available here.
 
Have you guys had good luck with internal parts from these sites like 650 Central and Mikes? My bike has 62,000 miles on it and I hope new rings from these sites are of the same quality to last another 62,000 miles. The bike runs strong so I assume I won't have to do any major internal repairs.

Craig
 
Yep, their engine parts are fine quality. And another tip. Use your digital camera and take lots of photos while disassembling. They will help a lot when you reassemble.
 
hi guys,, yes you can easily do a basic overhaul yourself,,, i put a 1st over set in back in about 2002 ,,a porky pine brush for honing will work great in a decent electric pistol drill remember you not trying too take 030 th.. out check you bore before touching it...and it its not leaving clouds of smoke riding it ..or dumping buckets of oil ..go for it ..... it is fairly easy..and remember your in gods country.. where mikes is ,, so buy new rings ... you only looking at removing 0015-002" at the most and new piston ring will work great.. 1-2 strokes of the porky pine brush is all you need .. and they definently worki,ve used them on windsors ,, and straight 6 commodore motors with huge sucess.. regards oldbiker
 
Thanks,
I figured I would have heard a lot about poor quality by now in these forums if there was any. Again, I'm not puffing any smoke and I'm only dealing with an oil leak and a fouled plug. I'm thinking I don't have a huge issue other than a needed top end overhaul. I better dive in soon because before you know it, it will be time to ride. I plan on putting some miles on her this year.

Once this is done, my brother specializes in interior work and will be doing a quality job on my seat. I don't plan on straying too much from stock other than losing the sissy bar and maybe different handlebars. I love the stock look. Thanks guys for the advice. Once I'm caught up on my work on her, I'll post some pictures.

Craig
 
I'm going to tear into the motor and I figure I'm going to go ahead and do it right with all new internals. Pistons, rings, cam chain, cam chain guide, gaskets and seals. Since it doesn't smoke do I go with a standard sized piston and rings or should I go to the 1st oversized (0.25mm)? Or, am I better off tearing it down and measuring before ordering? Remember that I've never done this before and I've been encouraged by the fine group here that I can get the job done. I'm going tonight to get my service manual.
 
Hello Cmyoch!!

Glad to hear someone else who isn´nt that used to engine work. I also got me a nice XS that runs very strong......it was "ONLY" in need of a new camchain guide.
But these engines are like The Superman....or something. Mine had a broken head due to a loose valve adjustment nut, metalshavings and a tiny spring from a broken valve stem seal in the oil filter and some other pieces of s-it in the sump. But still in runs (or ran) strong.

Once I started to take the engine apart I realized it´s pretty simple......and lot of fun! And all these guys at the forum are really nice and helpful. I have not have so much fun in a long time since started this re-build.

I guess the first time you´ll do this it´s get a little expensive. You know...some tools and stuff. Ohh...by the way. Get your self a real good engine stand!! That helps alot. I did my own out of wood and it´s......well.....not that good.

Good luck/BigBoreSwede
 
once you get the top end apart take the pistons and cylinders to a machine shop and have them measure everything to make sure theyi're within spec - shouldn't cost you more than a couple bux. check the measurements against the manual and you'll find out whether or not you need oversized pistons and/or cylinders bored out
 

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