My rebuild journey. (old title: Future owner - Help me identify this 650.)

[gggGary]

We can just rename this thread. and have it carry on, it's a nice touch to have the whole story from first date to the 50th anniversary ...all in one spot.
We'd be thrilled to suggest some thread /bike names.

Story of a Missouri mule?

 

[Sudonate91]

I also have two sons who have never shared my interest in mechanical things, not for lack of me trying. They are in love with technology.
I went over to my youngest sons house and he’s standing in the kitchen, I hear him say “ Alexa, turn down the music” , I look and the radio is literally on the counter in front of him! I mean, c’mon, is this what things have been reduced to? Neither of my sons would have a clue as to what to do with my motorcycles. I would much rather see my bikes go to someone who would appreciate them and use them. Rather than seeing them as something to unload, so they can buy a new laptop.

Hah that's and interesting perspective. I guess I'm an odd bird. I'm a software engineer by trade so I'm very in the weeds with technology. I grew up rural- so I feel that is where my passion of the outdoors and mechanics come from. I love tinkering and hobbies.

 

[5twins]

Yes, there's been some parts swapping going on, lol. These bikes were so plentiful years ago, you often stumbled upon parts cheap or even free. It still happens today sometimes (we just scored another "freebie"). That rear wheel has definitely been swapped and, in fact, may not even be from a 650. It has a 42T sprocket on it which is much bigger than the stock 34T. The axle head also looks different than a 650 one, and the brake plate is totally different.

The motor and carbs may be '81. The carbs because of the pull knob choke, drain screws on the float bowls, and unpainted bodies. '82 and later carbs were painted black and had a cable operated choke. '80 carbs had a drain bolt on the bottom of the float bowl, not that screw on the side.

As mentioned, checking serial numbers will tell you for sure. The frame and engine number would match if original. The frame number is up on the steering neck, both on a sticker and stamped into the frame. The engine number is on the lower front, somewhat obstructed from view by the front motor mount .....

 

[Sudonate91]

Yes, there's been some parts swapping going on, lol. These bikes were so plentiful years ago, you often stumbled upon parts cheap or even free. It still happens today sometimes (we just scored another "freebie"). That rear wheel has definitely been swapped and, in fact, may not even be from a 650. It has a 42T sprocket on it which is much bigger than the stock 34T. The axle head also looks different than a 650 one, and the brake plate is totally different.

The motor and carbs may be '81. The carbs because of the pull knob choke, drain screws on the float bowls, and unpainted bodies. '82 and later carbs were painted black and had a cable operated choke. '80 carbs had a drain bolt on the bottom of the float bowl, not that screw on the side.

As mentioned, checking serial numbers will tell you for sure. The frame and engine number would match if original. The frame number is up on the steering neck, both on a sticker and stamped into the frame. The engine number is on the lower front, somewhat obstructed from view by the front motor mount .....

Interesting. The bike is still at their house and not mine. I have to figure a trailer to get her here. Yall are making wanna drive down there and start tinkering and looking at serial numbers!

The plot definitely thickens. Seems to be a franken 650 when I was imgagining it being stock. Hopefully non of the modifications will make it hard to fix up!

 

[Jim]

It ran before he stopped riding it but it has been sitting for many many years.

Curious if you know why he stopped riding? Reason I ask is the rear tire still has the nubs on it... so most likely less than a hundred miles since it was changed? That suggests a fairly sudden decision to park it. You don't buy new tires and then stop riding. Could have been a personal decision or mechanical failure. I think the first thing I'd do is see if you have a runner there.

Fuse box is missing... replaced with a single inline holder. You'll definitely want to address that.

Helmet's seen better days. Might wanna relegate that to your memorabilia shelf.... and the bear too.

 

[Jim]

Rear wheel's gonna need a re-spoke...

 

[Sudonate91]

Curious if you know why he stopped riding? Reason I ask is the rear tire still has the nubs on it... so most likely less than a hundred miles since it was changed? That suggests a fairly sudden decision to park it. You don't buy new tires and then stop riding. Could have been a personal decision or mechanical failure. I think the first thing I'd do is see if you have a runner there.

View attachment 177876


Fuse box is missing... replaced with a single inline holder. You'll definitely want to address that.


View attachment 177877


Helmets seen better days. Might wanna relegate that to your memorabilia shelf.... and the bear too.


View attachment 177878

Good eye on the fuse box! I wonder if a new one would be hard to find... My understanding was. He bought this bike to drive to work. Then he got an offer to 'retire' with pension at 52 yr old from mcdonnell douglas and that's when he stopped riding it. Not much is known outside of that. I did see pictures of him and his sons riding hit at his funeral so I hope it was a runner. He did mention to me before he died that the back spokes need redone and it would need a new carb. I didn't ask for anymore details.

 

[Jim]

Correction, there's 3.... mebbe 4 in-line fuses there. I'd still upgrade to a more modern blade type fuse box.

 

[Jim]

Forgot my manners... greeting from the other end of I-70

 

[Sudonate91]

Here is the photo I saw of the bike being rode. I had to do some facebook creeping of my mother in law to find it. This is the only proof of it running at one point in its life.

 

[Sudonate91]

Forgot my manners... greeting from the other end of I-70

I'm about a quarter mile from the nearest i-70 ramp. Hello from the Lou!

 

[Jim]

More rear wheel drama.....
That spoke is just floppin' around. Might wanna tie/tape it in place before you roll it any... don't wanna poke sumpin'

 

[5twins]

Yes, that often happens with spokes. When one breaks, it puts more stress on the rest, and they start going like dominoes, lol. You'll need to give that wheel a good close look and decide whether it's even worth renovating it. You may be better off finding an actual 650 wheel to swap back in there.

 

[5twins]

Here's a thread about the 650 rear drum brake plates. They all have about the same, somewhat unique shape. They bulge out around the axle hole and have a smooth tab for the torque arm to attach to. The plate on yours has neither of those features .....

http://www.xs650.com/threads/650-rear-drum-brake-plates.51046/

 

[Sudonate91]

Where is the best place to look for parts? I imagine I will need to get lucky? I wonder how much I should bother restoring or just buying new. I would love to start a shopping list

 

[Jim]

OEM parts are a bit more expensive but well worth it in my opinion. I've found Partzilla to be reasonable.... there's others out there if you search for 'em.
Mikes XS sells aftermarket parts of... shall we say dubious quality.... Nah, that's not fair on my part... some of there stuff is OK... some is not. Always ask here before you order from them. Odds are someone is/has used that part and had an opinion on the quality.
Keep a constant eye out on Ebay. Lots of NOS parts pop up there for the XS. Some are pirates.... some are reasonable. Ask if you're not sure about what it's worth.
There's a classified section here on this site. Keep an eye on that. Put up Wanted ads and see who bites.
Lastly, our very own @gggGary has a 3 mile long warehouse chock full of XS parts he just gives away...
Before you order anything, you need to nail down the year of the bike and engine.

 

[Jan_P]

Yes, that often happens with spokes. When one breaks, it puts more stress on the rest, and they start going like dominoes, lol. You'll need to give that wheel a good close look and decide whether it's even worth renovating it. You may be better off finding an actual 650 wheel to swap back in there.

Also my first Thought Non stock wheel .Those spokes sitting there does appear to be rusty
I have done a few Bicycle wheels no Motorcycle wheels .It can be difficult and taking manhours to get it right.
I do believe two indicator clocks will be needed for the runout.
And if the rim itself has taken a hit it needs to be straightened or renewed.
Sometimes readjusting after a short while
Correct me if I am wrong. --- As I mentioned no specific experience for motorcycle wheels.
Here a replacement wheel can be bought for a fraction of the price the job + parts would cost.
For a Bicycle 2 spokes gone can mean a Pogo Stick ride Kangaroo jumping and may well be the reason for the " New " back tire.
Putting revs on giving a jumpy ride..
Don't know if there is a standard measurement for chain line or else it can be out of line to front sprocket.

By the way one way to check the wheel is to get it up in the air and hold a piece of chalk or a pen
against it spinning it slowly.. Se if it is out of plane.

 

[Sudonate91]

OEM parts are a bit more expensive but well worth it in my opinion. I've found Partzilla to be reasonable.... there's others out there if you search for 'em.
Mikes XS sells aftermarket parts of... shall we say dubious quality.... Nah, that's not fair on my part... some of there stuff is OK... some is not. Always ask here before you order from them. Odds are someone is/has used that part and had an opinion on the quality.
Keep a constant eye out on Ebay. Lots of NOS parts pop up there for the XS. Some are pirates.... some are reasonable. Ask if you're not sure about what it's worth.
There's a classified section here on this site. Keep an eye on that. Put up Wanted ads and see who bites.
Lastly, our very own @gggGary has a 3 mile long warehouse chock full of XS parts he just gives away...
Before you order anything, you need to nail down the year of the bike and engine.

Yep I will see if I can get to it and see if I can pull model/serial numbers. I will get the frame and the motor. What else should I be looking for that may need to be replaced?

 

[5twins]

Well, truth be told, sometimes surprisingly little. Everything needs to be checked, gone through and cleaned up, but much of the stuff can be re-used after renovating it. You will probably need to replace a few oil seals, some seals in the carbs maybe, but mostly it's going to be renovating what you got. And you won't really know what you need until you start going through things.

I suppose you could start laying in some supplies and maybe a few "specialty" tools. You'll want a basic solvent for cleaning off the oil and grease (I use kerosene), some chrome polish and aluminum polish (like Mother's). For the rubber, vinyl, and plastic parts, wiring especially, I use a product called the Tannery. It does a great job of cleaning and preserving all that stuff, and it's easy to use. It sprays out like a foam and you just let it soak a bit then wipe it off.

For tools, this is a metric bike so if you don't already have them, you'll want to get some metric wrenches and sockets. Also, one of those hand held impact tools you hit with a hammer. You most likely will need that for some stuck on fasteners you'll probably encounter. There's more, lots more, but this will get you started.

 

[650Skull]

Sudonate91
5Twins makes a good point about the rear hub in Post #34...............

The wheel has 40 Spokes, (XS650 wheels, 70-81 have 36 spoke wheels), and as pointed out the hub is different.........

This doesn't matter, only to an originally point........

what does matter is the size of the rear sprocket.......I counted it having 40 or 42 teeth........XS650 rear sprocket has 34 teeth, in the US, 33 or 32 tooth sprockets are used quite often............This helps to reduce vibration at certain speeds

The bolt spacing's need to be measured and compared to an XS650 sprocket spacing, (post on here and someone will help), and if they are the same then an XS650 sprocket can be swapped in. .........if the spacing's aren't the same, there are 2 choices, either get a sprocket made or change the rear wheel..........

These choices are also how much you want to spend on the bike............re-spoking costs, but also buying a second hand wheel the chances are that will need to be re-spoked as well