First XS650 Build, What to Look For

Grab an extra plug and remove your petcock. Plug the hole and let the excess drain out of the gas cap hole.
 
Hey guys, long time since I've posted on here, but things are still moving along at a decent pace. Here's a few photos of the frame which I've just hit with some satin "oasis blue" from rustoleum. Came out nicely.

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Tank is with the welding shop right now, who is installing a bung near the top so I can run a fuel sight gauge. Lucky for me the tank came with an extra fuel outlet at the bottom (would have been handy for those running dual carb) but since I've only got one petcock it saved me from having to have two bungs welded in.

Got some matching blue fuel line which I'll be using for that. Also decided to go with an inline filter in the hopes that it solves my carb issue. Went with a washable glass one from Emgo. Will post another few pics once I have the whole frame and tank setup together. Still not sure what to paint in the way of graphics. I know I want white accents on the blue tank, but whatever it is, it needs to be basic because my skills are limited lol.

Once the tank is painted, the bike is ready to go back together for final assembly and fine tuning. Hoping to have it ready for a 3 day trip I'm making in June. Really going to be cutting it close.
 
Hey guys, quick question for you. I'm about to finish up the painting on the tank and throw her back together for some carb tinkering and I came across something I'd not seen before.

The capacitor sold by TC bros (similar to the Sparx capacitor I have) had a warning on it that said it is NOT for use with pamco's that use e advancers.

I'd never heard anything that said you couldn't run batteryless with an e advancer, but I figured I should post this question here as well so I can confirm. I could have sworn I've read threads with people who have done so, but maybe I'm going crazy.

Thanks for the advice
 
The capacitor sold by TC bros (similar to the Sparx capacitor I have) had a warning on it that said it is NOT for use with pamco's that use e advancers.
I'd never heard anything that said you couldn't run batteryless with an e advancer, but I figured I should post this question here as well so I can confirm. I could have sworn I've read threads with people who have done so, but maybe I'm going crazy.
Thanks for the advice

Hi Nick,
of course you are crazy but ain't we all?
I'd go further than TC Bros.
You shouldn't run an XS650 on a capacitor at all.
Use a battery instead.
 
I can't give you an exact answer but I can tell you a guy local to me had an issue using a cap and an e-advancer. To solve his issue he ended running two caps in parallel. Another option would be to switch to 12v 0.8a battery. It's about the size of a pack of cigarettes and can be mounted in any direction. They run about $20 on eBay.
 
Haha, I had a feeling that was coming Fred. :laugh2:

I did some additional searching and apparently people HAVE run it this way without issue, though some do run into problems and Pete himself mentions that it may require one kick to "boot up" the e advancer.

I just bought an expensive timing light with a tach built in, so once I get her all back together I'll get the timing squared away with the bike connected to a battery, then swap in the capacitor and see how it goes.

Projects, projects, projects...

I'll also see if that larger pilot jet I got for my VM36 solves that issue of the bike dying when it comes off choke. I can already hear the "just run two carbs" comments being typed lmao
 
I'll also see if that larger pilot jet I got for my VM36 solves that issue of the bike dying when it comes off choke. I can already hear the "just run two carbs" comments being typed lmao

Hi Nick,
ignore those guys, none of my BSA twins had dual carbs and they ran just fine.
Will a larger pilot jet fix the dying when it comes off choke issue? Perhaps.
But not unless you clean the carb properly first.
No matter that you don't need to balance a single carb, you still have to clean the bastard.
 
Very true, I'll have it opened up anyways to put the jet in so I'll give it a cleaning, but it came brand new from the factory and looked spotless when I installed it. Maybe there are shavings in there blocking something up.

I already got the carb cleaner though, so when this new jet goes in I'll go ahead and spray some of that all around just in case.

Wondering if the float level may also be causing some problems because the bike dies when it comes off choke, but it also coughs some gas when trying to start it up. One issue sounds like a lean problem, the other sounds like a rich problem.

What's a guy to do lol, more experimenting is needed upon reassembly.
 
Pete himself mentions that it may require one kick to "boot up" the e advancer.

Some people have bad luck with installers, builds, advice, etc. and some have good luck, then we all form opinions. With the right PMA, and properly spec'd capacitor, it makes no difference to these ignitions between a battery and a charged cap (hence the one-kick "boot up") Electronics is electronics.
 
Glad to hear that. I've heard this bike run before I tore down for paint, and when it ran, it did so on a capacitor with an e advancer. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones.
 
Damn it feels good to see it back together again! I'll be re-wiring it tonight with the new (and hopefully last) electronics box that I got from Garvin per another user on here who suggested it, and hopefully I'll get to hear her run before I leave.

Paint came out great. Unfortunately I should have waited and ordered that spray max 2k clear cause the clear I used isn't very protective. That said, I will be using the spray max clear on the tank since it's likely to see some gas spillage. I'll probably do the rear fender too. Frame is a lost cause, definitely not pulling that engine again, but it will see less abuse than the other parts and I don't mind some scratches and patina on the frame. Wondering why the rustoleum clear didn't really do much, I can chip the paint pretty easily even with a few coats of it on there. Strange that it wouldn't adhere better as I sanded down to 400 grit bare metal, used a metal primer, several coats, and several coats of paint too. But either way, I'll get the heavy duty clear and see if that goes better.

Went for that retro 70's look with this one. Enjoy the pics and I'll be back with a video of her running! Thanks again for all of your help in getting me from a seized engine in a backyard in upstate VT to the beautiful chopper you see here. I couldn't have done it without you guys.

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And one additional question. I purchased a universal brake light switch but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be cleaner to utilize the stock setup. This is what was attached to my rear brake. Is this complete? I know I need a pull spring to activate it, but I don't see where the wires are supposed to come from to actually hook it up. What am I missing?

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