My First Bike & Build

Ryca

Ryca

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Hi Folks

I just picked up my first bike ever. You could call it a barn score (minus the barn), A 1977 xs650d! The owner didn't have much memory as to the bikes running conditions, where its keys were, or why he hadn't ridden it since 1988 (a year after I was born)... but the price was right (free) ! It looks to me like he laid it down and never picked it back up (it has a broken clutch lever, bent peg, and a few bumps and bruises on one side).

The Goal: I would like to lighten this bike up, and build it out as a cafe/bratt. As its my first bike, I am not looking to harness every last drop of horsepower with engine overhauls, or get too crazy with the geometry, I am looking to build a reliable and clean looking bike. I would like to do as much of the work as possible, and spend under $1000. I would like to have the bike in running condition in the next month and a half ( and hopefully its never finished. )

The Plan: Thankfully I am mostly unemployed for the next month, so time is on my side! I know next to nothing about bikes so I recruited my Old Man to the team. He is pretty damn handy with a wrench, as motivated as long as I keep feeding him twix bars. I am counting on his guidance and garage to get these wheels turning. With me googling wiring diagrams and him trying to fit a square peg into a round hole I think we make a pretty solid team, you could call it a bonding experience ( assuming we dont catch the garage on fire ).

The Current Situation We are a few days into this thing, and finally we got something to write home about. Without keys it took some trial and error getting gas into the engine, and spark to the gas... And some more trial and some more error. We kicked it till we turned blue, then hot wired the starter. Got lost in a maze of wiring diagrams, snipping here and twisting a few wires there, a few bruised knuckles, some freshly cleaned points and she fired right up. If it wasn't for the cloud of smoke and spiders that came crawling out, i wouldn't have believed it sat for 26 years!
Now that its alive, I am proceeding to strip it down to bolts.

I have been compiling a tentative shopping list for the obvious things: new chain, seat, lights, bars, tires etc... and I have a few questions which probably sound obvious, such as:
What is essential to consider replacing at this stage?
Should I rebuild my forks?
Do i need new shocks?
Will lowering my forks a few inches improve or destroy the handling?
Is ditching my electric start with a PMA system a bad idea? ( Dad says it is, but dad is over the hill)
Is painting my wheels flat black, tacky?
( and the list goes on... )

I would love to hear from you all what you wish you had known before you started your build ?

Thanks for tuning in. Plan on hearing more from me as the month unfolds, as questions come up... I have familiarized myself with the search button and found a lot of great information already, don't hesitate to direct me to recommended reading. I keep pics up if people are interested.

I made a short video to waste some time, check it out if you want to hear the bike fire up!!

https://vimeo.com/119102168

DSC02374.jpg
 
Right on man. The only experience I had with bikes before mine was attempting to rebuild the top end of a Dnepr MT-16. My XS was a 75 that was literally in pieces in my father-in-laws barn. I mean the largest assembly was the forks and front wheel were still together. I completely rebuilt with the help of a parts bike in less than a month. Now it up and running and if he wants my father-in-law can take it out. You can do it!

Samgar
 
Very nicely done! You're way ahead of the game by getting it running. On a limited budget, I would focus on items pertaining to safety (brakes, tires, wheel bearings, etc.) instead of the cosmetics. You can sort that out later... Then on to reliability concerns: the PMA is always a good start, and replacing the points ignition (Pamco or Boyer). The suspension depends on the condition of the original equipment, The forks can be rebuilt with new seals, change the fork oil, etc. The original rear shocks were never that great, so that's up to you also. Everybody has to start somewhere, and this forum is full of people who can help. Get a shop manual (if you don't have one already) and check the classifieds here for any other parts you may need. Good luck, and welcome!
 
Hi Ryan and welcome,
First thing before you spend any money is to get the thing papered in your name because if you can't all you got is a pile of parts.
First bike? Do the least you can to get it roadworthy and go ride the thing!
After you have ridden it for a few thousand miles you'll have a far better idea of what you will want to do to it.
Never mind a repaint because beginners tend to fall off a lot and the money you save on paint should be spent on good riding gear.
And listen to your dad, nothing wrong with the stock alternator, even if it needs fixing and E-start is a GOOD thing.
 
I wouldn't throw away a good stock system for a Pma. Get it running and rideable. Don't cut it apart and struggle with no airbox and carb tuning when you have nil experience.
 
Congrats, that's a great find!

I echo what's been said...get it rideable for min. cost and learn to ride it...plan on dropping it (hopefully not at speed) as everyone learning tends to make silly mistakes that may result in the bike being dumped...once you have a better sense of the ride, and feel, you'll have a lot better idea of what you like and what modifications to make. In my opinion, a flat tracker is a lot of fun to ride...cafe's tend to be less comfortable. ..but I tend to lean towards Cafe's style-wise.

Good luck, and have fun!
 
Ryca welcome to the site. Enjoyed the post and video.
A key code is stamped on the gas cap and a locksmith can cut new keys from that number.
Retorque the head bolts and drive sprocket. Both are known to loosen.
Drain and replace the fork oil.
Longer rear shocks may work, as opposed to lowering the forks. As mentioned you won't lose anything replacing the oem.
I am in the stock alternator is fine if working camp. Check the brush length.
When you change the oil remove both drain plugs. The transmission will hold about a cup of old oil otherwise.
Remove the sump plate and check the condition of the oil strainer. They are repairable with jb if torn.
Consider the DIY reg/rec swap.
Save everything you take off.
Even with the cost of new shocks, tires and various other bits I think you should have nice bike for less than your target $$.
 
The 1977 was a very good vintage for these bikes.

If you're on a budget, as most of us are, don't get caught up in these marketing fads that are designed to separate you from your money. In other words, there is no need to replace the stock alternator with a Perm Magnet type. The stock alternator was made in Japan from high quality materials, and has been very reliable for me for 8 years now. Buy some new brushes and clean the alternator's slip rings.

A new battery is a must. Also the electrical connectors have oxidized over the years. This may sound like a lot of work, but you need to take apart all of the connectors, and clean them so that they have low resistance. The ignition key and kill switch should be opened and cleaned as well.

The original regulator and rectifier, while they may still be partially working, are old designs and rob you of voltage. They may only put out 13.5 volts, which means your battery will never be fully charged. An inexpensive way to improve this is to buy an automotive NOS regulator such as the VR-115, and a new 3 phase rectifier. This will ensure you charge at 14+ volts, and your battery will be very happy.

Can you get by with the points ignition and original coils......................yes they likely still work, but you will have low voltage to the plugs, maybe 12k at best. If you want instant starting, every time, then a Pamco ignition (especially with the E-advancer) is a great addition. This allows you to get rid of the mechanical ATU fly-weights, which work, but can be troublesome. A new high voltage coil and new spark plug leads is a smart way to go.
 
Seems like the original system works! No need for a PMA then eh! Saves you Couple of $$!

I would replace:
-Tires
-All the bulbs(just me wanting to KNOW they all ok!)
-Replace the old glass fuses with the blade type
-New Battery
-New fuel lines
-Upgrade the brake lineS to a single stainless braided hose
-New pads front and rear
-New chain and sprockets, unless you feel the chain is still good. They all need to be replaced simultaneously because old sprockets/chain will wear out new chain/sprockets quicker.
-New brake fluid( as in bleed the brakes)
- Also all the bits and bobs as stated in earlier posts.

But do get the paperwork out the way first! So many guys get a bike, build it, and can't get it on the road. Wasted.

Good luck with the build! Like you, my first bike EVER and firs ever build, with NO mechanical experience at all, all apart and in boxes, ended up in my sweet bobber, thanks to this forum, a lot of reading and research, and amazing help and support from the guys here! You can do it!!
Hell, if I can do it, it can't be that hard!!

Go get a boat load of twix bars and have some fun with your dad!! Always great to have a helping hand!
 
Great intro post and nice score on the bike.
Perfect candidate for a reto-mod. Get that baby running in it's original colors and then get ready for the nostalgic admiration. There may be some around here that would love those stock tins and tank if you were to consider spray bombing them. .....getting harder to find as the years march on.
On the rims? Just clean them up and make them shine!
I believe there may be a neglected Special out there somewhere waiting for you to modify........
Welcome aboard!
 
Status Update:

Well we got the bike stripped down to a frame and box of parts... exciting and daunting at the same time. Spend the last day getting the frame prepped for paint and evaluating the condition of crusty old rubber parts that will need replacing...

Have any of you seen oil buildup like this? I plan to test compression to see if its coming from a head...

2lkeafb.jpg
 
Oil down the front of the engine like that is pretty common on these 650s. The usual causes are a leaky head gasket and leaky valve covers. It was mentioned you should re-torque the head bolts. This is a must-do on these engines. Yamaha sort of screwed up by putting rubber washers under the 4 outside acorn nuts on top of the head. This is what causes the nuts to come loose all the time, and then the head gasket leaks start. It will always keep happening unless you replace those rubber washers with brass or copper ones .....

ButtonHeads.jpg


The valve covers have an o-ring for sealing. These wear flat but many times can be "renovated" by simply popping them out and flipping them over, exposing the unworn rounded side to the sealing surface. For the 4 hole cover, if that doesn't work, a new o-ring will be needed. For the 3 hole covers though, there is another option. They are symmetrical and can be fitted in three different positions. For some reason, some positions seal better than others. If still leaking after flipping the o-ring, remove, rotate 120°, and try again. If still leaking, rotate another 120°.
 
That's good to hear, I've been assuming the worst.

I re torqued and was hoping that was the culprit ...
 
Looks to me like the lower case has a hole in it. Center front section.
 
Well I am about a month into this project and reckon its time to check in...

Since my last post I have been mostly scrubbing ancient grease off parts, getting trigger happy with the bead blaster, shooting sparks @ my old man with the angle grinder, and selling my soul to every motorcycle part supplier on the internet.

FINALLY as of this week this nebulous mess of parts has started to gravitate back together into something that looks vaguely like the motorcycle i set out to build... Feeling good about that, although there is still quite a bit to do ( stripping rust outta the gas tank, constructing a wiring harness etc. )

So of the bigger things that have happened are --- Got all of the hardware coated in 'black zinc', installed some fresh mufflers, fabricated a seat pan and sent it off to my friend at http://www.lehsplymfg.com/ to have a leather seat made, installed a HHB PMA, welded a HHB headlight mount on, new seals through the forks, new chain and sprockets, NGK plugs and wires, oil filters, pod filters, brakes, tires, bars... Copper washers on the head bolts ... there a few more but i wont bore you. I stripped the gas tank and rattle canned it with some different color samples, i like the 'ivory' thats on it now and will probably strip it and shoot it for real soon enough.

So far so good, but i expect y'all will start hearing from me a lot more in the next three weeks as I try to get this thing to run again...

I rebuilt my forks with new seals, put 7oz of oil in each one, and they arent fully rebounding to the top ( maybe 3/4 of the way up )... I wonder if I put in too little oil, too much, or if its something else entirely - im getting ready to tear them apart again.

Im going to spend the day working on a wiring diagram to hopefully get some feedback on.

Well ill stop talking heres the work in progress --- look back to the first post to see it a month ago.

24e9lsn.jpg


2lk40lh.jpg
 

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