Bleading the front brake !

Fred....................you've gone over to the dark side, and joined the pod people:yikes:.
Its very lonely here, hanging out with the handful of air box dudes that are left on the planet. Yes, we're a small group, but we know that a revolution is coming, which will see air boxes raised up to their former glory. Pod people will return, hat in hand, pleading to rejoin us air boxers, on that triumphant day. :laugh2:

Hi RG,
comes that dreadful day I will sneak out to my garage and quickly re-install my XS650's carefully saved stock airboxes before the lynch mob starts pounding on my door.
 
HAHA !
thanks for the Help Fella's
I still got my old original air boxes..... I never throw anything away unless i'm really discusted with it....like the vaccuum operated petcock!
but I havn't taken that off yet ! LOL
that silly bike still don't want to start.... i did the choke on, petcock to PRI and key on it fired about 3 times and then nothing... hit it with quick start and got it to run for a second or 2.... that left cylinder is still not wanting to fire 90 % of the time.... so I think I'll quit messing with it till I can get a new sparklug for that side.... no sense in wareing out the starter after all ! its cold in the shop as well today.... which makes it even harder for starting that beastie
....
Hay Fredinoon !
on your side car do you have to have arms like a bull ape to steer that beast down the road ? I've made 2 side cars in my time and each one made it really hard to steer..... is that normal ? must be with no leaning but geez ....i was thinking of making another so I could go get grocerys at the grocery store instead of taking the car.......
....
5Twins :
my fork caps have a slot screwdriver slot in them and a do-hicky that turns I am guessing that is the preload setting right ?
i tried turning them all the way to the Right but couldn't get them to the mark bare handed I am thinking all the way to the right (clockwise)would be the hardest setting... am i right ? ....
....

gott'a run !
thanks guys !
Bob.........
 
....Hey Fredinoon !
on your side car do you have to have arms like a bull ape to steer that beast down the road ? I've made 2 side cars in my time and each one made it really hard to steer..... is that normal ? must be with no leaning but geez ....i was thinking of making another so I could go get grocerys at the grocery store instead of taking the car.......
5Twins :
my fork caps have a slot screwdriver slot in them and a do-hicky that turns I am guessing that is the preload setting right ?
i tried turning them all the way to the Right but couldn't get them to the mark bare handed I am thinking all the way to the right (clockwise)would be the hardest setting... am i right ? ....
Bob.........

Hi Bob,
solo bikes can only turn if you lean them over and there's very little effort needed to initiate the countersteering that starts the bike leaning.
Sidecar rigs can't lean over so you have to reef on the bars and they don't countersteer neither.
If you give a sidecar rig that initial instinctive leftward bar twitch that leans a solo bike to the right to turn right it'll turn a sidecar rig left into oncoming traffic.
So yes, it takes more upper body effort to steer a sidecar rig but exhaustingly so?
It depends on the rig.
My XS11 rig had heavy steering when I first built it.
Any XS series bike bigger than an XS650 has forward axle forks on Specials and bottom axle forks on Standards
I mix'n'matched Standard 'trees and Special fork legs on my XS11 to reduce the steering trail and it steers nice.
Alas, there's no such fork difference on the XS650 but WTF, my XS650 rig steers nice anyway.
And if 5Twins don't get back to you,
It takes a giant screwdriver with a tee-handle through it to move those preload adjusters.
If the slot is level with the outside of the cap it's set at it's lightest preload
Push the inner down and turn it right to lock it at mid-point.
Push down further and turn again to get the maximum preload.
 
Hay COOL thanks ! their on the lightest preload ! Sigh !
my big screwdriver and a pare of vice-grips will do the trick on that....
.... You said you reduced the TRAIL in your stearing ???? OOOOH I want that ! what did you do exactly ?
when I do the stearing head tapered barrings I'ed like to reduce the trail as well...make it a handlier ! i like that !..... right now it's a freeway machine I wann'a do corners ! LOL
C ya !
Bob..........
 
Hay COOL thanks ! their on the lightest preload ! Sigh !
my big screwdriver and a pare of vice-grips will do the trick on that....
.... You said you reduced the TRAIL in your stearing ???? OOOOH I want that ! what did you do exactly ?
when I do the stearing head tapered barrings I'ed like to reduce the trail as well...make it a handlier ! i like that !..... right now it's a freeway machine I wann'a do corners ! LOL
C ya !
Bob..........

Hi Bob,
do you want reduced trail enough to pay Steerite over a grand for their conversion?
Note that other propriatory trail reduction systems cost more. Some cost a LOT more.
What I did with my XS11Special to reduce it's trail was swap in the triple-trees from an XS11 Standard. That swap reduces the trail by ~ 2-1/2"
But that swap don't work on an XS650 because all XS650s have the same identical fork design.
But hey? You talking trail reduction for sidecar work or you want to ride solo that way?
I don't think you'd like riding trail-reduced solo as much as you'd suppose and I'd hate to advise you to do a really extensive parts swap or an irreversible frame modification that turned out to be not what you wanted.
How about a $40 quickie fix? 35" wide tracker bars.
 
LOL I see ! Well I'll live with it this way I guess.... I suppose if I really want I could cut the frame bend the neck and re weld it but
I really can't see doing that.... what I want is a Good handling machine like the older triumph 650 boniville's were the bike would actually turn the corner for you it's rake and trail were perfect you didn't steer that bike you had your hands on the handle bars but they didn't do anything
through the years I have yet to find a bike that handled that good I found out that those triumph's had a pecular rake and trail
even my honda 500 inteceptor didn't handle like that.. though it was probably the closest....
it may well be a pipe dream but I would like to have this machine handle like thatshort of cutting the frame and bending the neck down and re welding it I don't think theirs a way to do it that's why I jumped at the mention of your changing the trail for the side car.... Yes that would make steering the sidecar about 200 times easier ! .... but sinking any money into doing it is out'a my league ! I've been waiting for 3 months for sparkplugs ! LOL
( i'll get them this payday even if I have to eat Raman noodle for a week !!!!! )
thanks for your Honesty ! I appreaciate it !
catch'a later !
Bob............
 
There's lots of info on here if you keep looking but lower front, raise rear will improve steering, get rid of the 16 rear change to wider rims and modern rubber. She will handle fine or better for any street sane cornering work.
 
Pull the tank check plug wires and boots, the 90 plug boots are known to fail. sounds to me more like a lack of fuel than spark. READ the carb guide "til your eyes bleed" before you grab a screw driver.
 
Done that lready gggGary ! lower the front and raise the rear sounds Kinky but I'll give it a try ! LOL
thanks !
....
Bob.......
 
There's lots of info on here if you keep looking but lower front, raise rear will improve steering, get rid of the 16 rear change to wider rims and modern rubber. She will handle fine or better for any street sane cornering work.

Hi Gary,
yeah, I'd forgotten to mention that, silly me.
I can still do the 10-minute crossword in 5 minutes so the Alzheimers ain't hit me yet but oh my I do tend to forget stuff.
Nose down and arse up rotates the frame forward which reduces the angle the headrace meets the road at which reduces the steering trail and that lightens the steering.
But FWIW, a stock 130/90-16 rear tire is eff nigh the same OD as a 110/90-18 rear tire and a tire that's fatter than a 130 won't fit inside the stock swingarm.
 
the 18 specially if it's on a nice wide rim improves handling compared to a 16" by reducing the side flex. for about the same contact patch there is an INCH less of sidewall. The best handling XS I have so far is running on 110/80/18" front and rear spooned on 3" wide rims. I continue to explore "improvements" but my time is running short, soon I'll be planning out powered wheelchair mods........... Well not YET.
 
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thanks for the tips guys I shall indevor to remember all that !!!
......
OK I pulled the carbs and this time paid special attention to the pilot jets,holes passageways and adjustment screws....
after I got those plugs out ! YES one was 3/4 plugged up the one on the left that the cylender didn't want to run!!!! SOOOO !
I buttoned it back upafter re setting the floats the carb on the right I havn't touched the float setting so I ade the other float match it ...Accurately with a "T" ruler thingie......<GRIN> i got it all back together put it on PRI and no gas leaks.... left it there and let the dogs in to the house came back to a stream of gas coming out of the left carb.... I sopped up the gas, opened the door turned off the heater and waited a bit......
I then gave it a try when the wife got home with a new sparkplug !!!!! NO REALLY I got a new plug finally !!!! its an autolight but better than nothing !
..... I hit the starter ( a switch I put on the side because the one on the bars broke ) it made 1 rev and was running ! I was elated ! .... I noticed the idle was way low so I set it up it took many turns and the alarm went off in me head! the left cylender was running perfectly but NOW the right one was dead !
...... I know I should be able to tell if both are running or not but my hearing is so darn bad now that i'm lucky to hear anything ! anyway, I reved it a few times and then put my hand over the carb (air cleaners off) and tried sucking the shit out of the carb... it farted a few times then started picking it up
above 2 000 rpm it finally cleared out and ran fine .... below that the cylinder drops out ! ..... same complaint but on the OTHER SIDE NOW !!!
figure that one out !!!!! after I ran it for a bit the gas never did start pouring out again so I am hoping it was just stuck being dry going back in.
I had it running fine on both cylinders and it was running about 1800 to 2000 RPM.... I backed off the idle screw on the left side to bring the idle down
to a reasonable level and then the other cylinder dropped out !
..... Now ehrn I cleaned the carbs I put the pilot air screws back in at 1 turn from their seat I dunno what they should be they were at 3/4 but I figured it needed more..... it still might !
adjusting them on the bike is a P.I.T.A. no screwdeiver if mine fits I guess I'll have to make one !
.....it was running really good for a bit..... I'm getting closer now I can feel it !
.....maybe the other spark plug crapped out on me ! Not sure but I think their the original plugs ! LOL (or close to it)
sense it has only got 7400 miles on it Not very much has been done to it ...My Brother in law never had a complaint on it it was super reliable for him
he parked it and took the seat off for some reason I think the battery died on him and he never had it back on the road again.... in the mean time I gave him a Honda shadow 700cc he got cancer and the doctors killed him and I wound up with both of his bikes ! the honda I took home imediately
and it melted Litterly in the fire.... years later The Inlaws gave me the Yamaha 650 sense I wanted it and they had no use for it.
it set for a good 20 yrs at least... maybe more ! getting that beast home was a pain as the front break was froze as well as the back brake
I loosened the back and got it to roll but the front required that I removed the calaper ,,, the chain needed oiling and the seat was no where to be found....got it in me little toyota truck and came home ...been trying to get it to run right every sense and that been about 4 years now
have no fear...this year is the one... I got a battery now ! LOL
any sujestions as to why that cylinder would drop on the other side ? gott'a be plug in my mind !
..... I think those CV carbs are the pickyiest thing in the world..... if I can ever get them to work properly ......... HEHEHEHEHHE
C ya !
Bob..........
 
Great story love to hear the gory details of how bikes followed guys home.
Sounds like you are way lean on the idle screws 2 1/2, 3 turns is about normal. 3 1/2 is max, no effect after that. Just drilled a set of idle plugs out today, one screw was 2 1/2, the other 3 turns out. Did you blow out the choke pick ups in the float bowls? remove and clean those TINY holes in the pilot jets, are the rubber caps both in place on the pilots? Then carb syncing.
 
Thanks Pete !
gggGary ! IF that's normal then YAH, WAY, WAY.... too lean .....
I bet if I put them both at 3 it'll run like a top !!!
thanks man !
....
Bob...........
 
hay... drill a small hole say 1/8" or a tad smaller and screw a 3" drywall screw in them then use a flat prybar to lever them up and off
the head of the screw is just right for the slot in the prybar
I pulled both mine off like that before I pulled the carbs today.
just so you know !
....Bob.........
 
WOOO HOOO !
I turned those screws out to about 2.5 turns out from their seat and it fired up ON BOTH Cylinders this time and ran like it's supposed to !
Hot Damm ! Finally ! .....should'a known that EPA crap was giving me problems !
.... I think they need to go out a tad more as Idle is a tiny bit rough .... no smoke from the exhaust so it ain't too rich yet !
but it idles NOW !!!!! that is a major breakthrough !!!!! thank you guys!!!! couldn't have done it without ya ! !!!!!!
and darn it anyhow it's raining !!!!! and I ain't going to go get wet it can wait for the test run ! LOL
Later !
Bob............
 
the 18 specially if it's on a nice wide rim improves handling compared to a 16" by reducing the side flex. for about the same contact patch there is an INCH less of sidewall. The best handling XS I have so far is running on 110/80/18" front and rear spooned on 3" wide rims. I continue to explore "improvements" but my time is running short, soon I'll be planning out powered wheelchair mods........... Well not YET.

Hi Gary,
there's between one and two decades between the time the heaviest bike you can handle has to weigh no more than 300 lbs and the time the traffic Nazis pull your licence so you have to drive a powered wheelchair.
Those one or two decades are best spent riding a sidecar outfit.
Besides a sidecar rig's well known advantages of not falling over, coping with bad road surfaces, being able to carry a shitload of stuff and being a great chick magnet.
There's the greatly relaxed tire specifications.
Only two things a sidecar rig's tires have to do is have enough tread that the cords don't show and to stay pumped up.
 
Besides a sidecar rig's well known advantages of not falling over, coping with bad road surfaces, being able to carry a shitload of stuff and being a great chick magnet.
There's the greatly relaxed tire specifications.
Only two things a sidecar rig's tires have to do is have enough tread that the cords don't show and to stay pumped up.

Fred, are you suggesting I should put a sidecar on the 1982 Heritage I just dumped in the driveway monday? Probably would not have a problem with those 20+ year old tires loosing traction and sliding out from under me!
 
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