barn find - n00b with his first bike

[angus67]

cheeky. yes you are the one in the crowd,kop
You cant go batteryless unless you get a permanent magnet alternator. These bike need a battery, kicker or both.
Your prolly going to need a rotor and maybe stator, because it all sat so long, but then again, I got a 71 running and charging on original equip a couple summers ago. it had sat since 94. it also was in a shed, out of the weather

 

[kopcicle]

Okay seriously what he said . The additional cost of the PMA and electrical changes make the cost of a decent battery seem a drop in the bucket . Most problems in a XS charging system can be traced to a marginal battery so you might as well get a Yuasa , Interstate or some such and steer clear of bikemaster and Emgo ...

~kop

 

[weekendrider]

Most problems in a XS charging system can be traced to a marginal battery
~kop

kop you feeling OK? I mean you let a gem slip there. . .

 

[kopcicle]

I have my moments

~kop

 

[XSLeo]

You can get a cheapy at Wal Mart for around $35. It's not a very good battery but it will serve for testing.
As kop mentioned a bad battery leads to most of the stock charging system issues.
A weak battery needs a constant charge from the alternator. This overheats the rotor. Enough of this excess heat destroys the insulation in the rotor, shorting it out.
Read the charging system guide for test procedures on the rotor, stator and the rest of the system. You can find this info in your repair manual.
Often just worn brushes, easy fix, won't really now till you do the testing.
Leo

 

[ehjun]

... so you might as well get a Yuasa , Interstate or some such and steer clear of bikemaster and Emgo ...

~kop

thats what i was looking for!

next question, tire recomendations? also where to get tires?

 

[fredintoon]

next question, tire recommendations? also where to get tires?

Aaaargh! Don't start yet another a tire thread.
Better you post a video of your ritual suicide.
Seriously though, even the worst of modern tires are better than the best tires available 40 years ago.
Don't get sucked into buying V-rated tires, no XS650 will EVER go that fast.
Even H-rated tires are overkill but that's about the slowest most bike tires are rated.
Where to buy? Best bargains are on the net but not all net sellers are trustworthy and you still need to get the tires installed and balanced.
Your circumstances may be different but I take the wheels to my local bike shop to supply, install and balance new rubber.
Better that they pinch the tubes than I do and I get a discount besides.

 

[kopcicle]

If you do insist on buying from the web I have one tip. Insist on seeing and understanding the date code on the tire . Discount retailers will sell three and even four year old tires that have dried out in storage and are cracked in the sidewalls .

The XS likes a well rounded profile . Flatter , lower profile tires in the front slow steering . In the back they are unpredictable in the wet as they get up on edge the contact patch decreases with lean angle .

It you can find a more triangular or parabolic profile it will quicken steering and be a bit more predictable in the wet at the cost of the center wearing a bit quicker .

Tires are your contact with the road and can ultimately make or ruin the road manners of an otherwise good bike .

Just don't buy into the whole retro tire fad or try to use race compounds on the street .

~kop

 

[ehjun]

Aaaargh! Don't start yet another a tire thread.
Better you post a video of your ritual suicide.

Just don't buy into the whole retro tire fad or try to use race compounds on the street .

~kop

i will definitely keep this input in mind.



i finally got the bike out of the barn and home. pumped up the tires and removed the carbs, tank, seat, fenders ect. the left side carb is seized and both are so redicilously dirty on the inside that im thinking of just getting some vm34's from mikes instead of a rebuild kit.

question is, whats the difference between the vm34 xs specific jetting and the standard vm34 other than the 50 dollar price difference? does the universal kit have a selection of jets to choose from or will i end up spending the 50 dollars i save on new jets anyway?

next up, all the hand controls on the bike are seized. clutch, decompression lever and front brake. none of it moves. even the throttle sleeve was rusted onto the bar. i already found the new cables on mikesxs but i havent been able to locate a new decompression lever housing with switch. im not sure that ill need one but as a just in case, id like to have one.

related to all of this, ive been looking into swapping modern forks in. i found a frame conversion stem from cognitomoto and im wondering if anyone has any experience with it? if i get a gsxr front end it solves my issue of needing to get new handle bars, brake mc and a few other things, but it may or may not fit the decompressor lever on the bar. does anyone know what the size of the gsxr bar is? or are all handlebars universal?

lastly (for today), under the seat where there is usually a ton of negative space on builds ive seen around, there is what appears to be 2 giant relays. where do these usually get moved on builds without side covers?

 

[Sparky]

Cool find, and welcome aboard.

With carbs, most people recommend rebuilding yours. They are quite simple inside, and should clean up nicely. As far as jetting, whatever jets in there now will get the bike running. you'll have a million other things to worry about before jets.

Levers and controls are easy to find in the classified section and Ebay, but i'd for sure try cleaning up your first. and of course if you are drastically changing the look of the bike you probably dont want stock stuff anyway.

Swapping modern forks is a cool idea. BUT- you are new to bikes in general, and have never ridden this one. i suggest getting this thing running safely, and get out and put some miles on it before you start looking into doing massive parts changeouts.

handlebars are either 7/8 inch or 1 inch. most all the import bikes and sport bikes are 7/8. harleys and big cruisers use the 1" bars.

 

[ehjun]

it will be interesting to see if im able to fix the one carb. its so stuck im not sure i can get it apart.

as for the front suspension, it needs to be rebuilt badly. the tubes are pretty rusty and mikes doesnt have the right ones in stock. so i figured id be killing 2 birds with one stone by swapping to modern forks.

 

[lakeview]

I may have missed it, but have you told us the motor is seized tight or does it turn?

Have you established what you need in your state to replace the title?. Getting the title in your name should be job one. Without that all you have is parts.

 

[ehjun]

probably didnt miss it so its good to say. motor is not seized, just all the hand controls and the one carb. got it to turn with the kick starter fairly easily although i stopped as compression increased. i took off one of the valve inspection covers and it almost looks like the top end was rebuilt. its cleaner than any car ive had in years. there is some crud on the valve that i can see now that the carbs are off so im guessing its just luck that the springs and rockers are super shiny still.

i got the title before i brought the bike home. the process was super easy. just 3 forms a picture, six dollars and 6 days to wait for it in the mail.

 

[XSLeo]

As mentioned the tires have a date code on them. Look for a long number that starts out DOTxxxxx however many digits, then ends with an oval with some digits in the oval. When they started dating them they had three digits in the oval. The first two digits are the week of the year, the last digit is the year. As in 348, the 34 is the 34th week, the 8 is 1998. So 34th week of 1998.
In 2000 they changed to the 4 digit code. As in 2711, 27th week of 2011.
Before they started the date code the oval had some combo of numbers and letters that may have been a code.
The tire manufactures, most recommend not running a tire over 6 years old.
Tires over that old can self destruct any time. often without warning. They sometimes will tell you they are going bad by starting to vibrate or weave and wobble depending on speed.
You might save a few bucks by running those old tires that look good on that barn find, but as mentioned the tires are the only thing hooking the bike to the road. Is the few bucks you might save worth a visit to the hospital or the morgue.
Not to me. All my bikes have fairly new tires, the Honda has the oldest, they are starting the weave wobble thing so it's getting some in the spring.
Leo