Marbles Motors failed gas tank liner, then screwed up the warranty repair!

And to think there are still guys trying to emulate those bikes (hardtails) with the 650's.

Indeed. What often strikes me is that these folks write into the forum for help - always with great enthusiasm and plans for a "bitchin'" / "mean" / "ragin'" / "knarly" / "sick" ( :wtf:does that mean?) ride as they take some nice old motorcycle that never hurt anyone and go at it with a sawzall.

Not always, but more often than not, they run out of skill, time or money before finishing it - and then it becomes a "PROJECT BIKE for SALE" on the forum....OR....in a few cases, the bike is actually completed and they find that they cannot ride it for more than five miles without suffering pain or a major injury to their back / kidneys / knees / etc. and the bike becomes a "HARDTAIL for SALE" on the forum.

The thing is: if they had just taken a little time to ride the bike in stock condition, they would have found that the XS650 is really one of the nicest bikes around for profiling down at the local Dairy Queen or roaring up and down the main drag of town annoying the blue-rinse set in their Lincolns and Camrys.

There IS a reason that no manufacturer builds hardtailed bikes any more - and hasn't for decades....

Now, I acknowledge that it is a free country and a fella can do what he wishes with his motorcycle and I also grant that some of these bikes are completed and ridden and loved by their builders / owners - and that is great. Some of the examples on the calendars are really well done - not my thing - but clearly a lot of art and skill went into them. Such an outcome is certainly much better than having another nice old XS650 simply scrapped.

Nonetheless, the wastage of old motorcycles doesn't seem to be decreasing and it is sad - especially when the outcomes are so predictable, based on our collective experience.

The folks who want to build a hard-tail should just wait until someone else's failed project comes up for sale on this forum - it won't take long - and then they can carry on with their dream without ruining someone else's.

Anyhow, back to my dungeon for more meeting prep...:banghead:

Pete
 
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Indeed. What often strikes me is that these folks write into the forum for help - always with great enthusiasm and plans for a "bitchin'" / "mean" / "ragin'" / "knarly" / "sick" ( :wtf:does that mean?) ride as they take some nice old motorcycle that never hurt anyone and go at it with a sawzall.

Not always, but more often than not, they run out of skill, time or money before finishing it - and then it becomes a "PROJECT BIKE for SALE" on the forum....OR....in a few cases, the bike is actually completed and they find that they cannot ride it for more than five miles without suffering pain or a major injury to their back / kidneys / knees / etc. and the bike becomes a "HARDTAIL for SALE" on the forum.

The thing is: if they had just taken a little time to ride the bike in stock condition, they would have found that the XS650 is really one of the nicest bikes around for profiling down at the local Dairy Queen or roaring up and down the main drag of town annoying the blue-rinse set in their Lincolns and Camrys.

There IS a reason that no manufacturer builds hardtailed bikes any more - and hasn't for decades....

Now, I acknowledge that it is a free country and a fella can do what he wishes with his motorcycle and I also grant that some of these bikes are completed and ridden and loved by their builders / owners - and that is great. Some of the examples on the calendars are really well done - not my thing - but clearly a lot of art and skill went into them. Such an outcome is certainly much better than having another nice old XS650 simply scrapped.

Nonetheless, the wastage of old motorcycles doesn't seem to be decreasing and it is sad - especially when the outcomes are so predictable, based on our collective experience.

Anyhow, back to my dungeon for more meeting prep...:banghead:

Pete

When I was searching for my XS650 ( My 60th birthday present) I absolutely could not find one near me that hadn’t been badly modified.
I wound up shopping a multi state area and eventually buying my ‘77 from a dealer in Colorado. Nice unmolested bikes are getting hard to find. Especially here where bikes didn’t get stored for winter, guys ride year round.
 
Indeed. What often strikes me is that these folks write into the forum for help - always with great enthusiasm and plans for a "bitchin'" / "mean" / "ragin'" / "knarly" / "sick" ( :wtf:does that mean?) ride as they take some nice old motorcycle that never hurt anyone and go at it with a sawzall.

Not always, but more often than not, they run out of skill, time or money before finishing it - and then it becomes a "PROJECT BIKE for SALE" on the forum....OR....in a few cases, the bike is actually completed and they find that they cannot ride it for more than five miles without suffering pain or a major injury to their back / kidneys / knees / etc. and the bike becomes a "HARDTAIL for SALE" on the forum.

The thing is: if they had just taken a little time to ride the bike in stock condition, they would have found that the XS650 is really one of the nicest bikes around for profiling down at the local Dairy Queen or roaring up and down the main drag of town annoying the blue-rinse set in their Lincolns and Camrys.

There IS a reason that no manufacturer builds hardtailed bikes any more - and hasn't for decades....

Now, I acknowledge that it is a free country and a fella can do what he wishes with his motorcycle and I also grant that some of these bikes are completed and ridden and loved by their builders / owners - and that is great. Some of the examples on the calendars are really well done - not my thing - but clearly a lot of art and skill went into them. Such an outcome is certainly much better than having another nice old XS650 simply scrapped.

Nonetheless, the wastage of old motorcycles doesn't seem to be decreasing and it is sad - especially when the outcomes are so predictable, based on our collective experience.

The folks who want to build a hard-tail should just wait until someone else's failed project comes up for sale on this forum - it won't take long - and then they can carry on with their dream without ruining someone else's.

Anyhow, back to my dungeon for more meeting prep...:banghead:

Pete
You are right on the money but, among certain age groups the amount of Kudos one can achieve is doubled if you ride a bike that is uncomfortable and even trebbled if you have to leap up and down on kickstart to awaken a snarling beast that will wake the dead. Myself I’d rather press a button. Absolutely no offence is meant or implied by my comments. Each to his or her own.
 
00a0a_dcfWtPF3kiz_0CI0lM_1200x900.jpg
https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/mpo/d/kirkland-yamaha-xs650/7197103500.html
:D XS650
 
Chopper owners are a good source for stock body items as the owners usually sell the stock stuff off.
I remember in the 60's finding lots of BSA & Triumph stock body items at the city dump. Try to find
those stock body parts now - Only peanut tanks.
Like a friend of mine once said - "If you ain't got the bodywork you ain't got nothing " reefering"
to tanks, seats, fenders and side covers . I am considering a production run of 70-73 stock tanks
and side covers - Is anyone interested ? The early Tank is the best looking and can be made to
fit All years. The 650 is the best : Blast around town " bike and is not a long distance tourer,
Moto- Xer, Hyabusa or chopper . Price ? about $300.00 with paint. Joe L @ 650 Trader.
 
3 bills for a brand new early tank and side covers? I'm in for 1 and maybe more. How bout you let us know how we can order the early muffs you say you have?
 
I’m curious 650trader, when are we going to see some info on these items you are speaking of. You’ve been talking about being a new vendor for quite a while but no mention of when you will actually be offering items for sale or even a company name. Inquiring minds want to know....
 
I am considering a production run of 70-73 stock tanks
and side covers - Is anyone interested ?

Price ? about $300.00 with paint.

Those tanks and side covers are so hard to come by , I would certainly think there would be a market for them.
For me, restoring my XS2, the restoration of the tins was the most challenging and expensive part. And as the subject of this post attests, the struggle continues.
 
My, :twocents: truth be told I didn't read entire thread but I've been thinking about this every time I read a tank liner thread.
It seems better to me to use electrolysis or an acid solution to clean the tank than use a liner.
 
My, :twocents: truth be told I didn't read entire thread but I've been thinking about this every time I read a tank liner thread.
It seems better to me to use electrolysis or an acid solution to clean the tank than use a liner.
The tank originally had a coating on it from the factory. I don't know what it is, but a new dry tank may not rust at all. My cousin recently acquired a 1978 NOS tank. There is zero rust in it. It's new! If that was bare metal, it would be all rusty.
If you have a tank with a few spots it it, I recommend cleaning it up with Metal Rescue or Evaporust and drive on. If it's bad, once you clean it out with acid, electrolysis, or Metal Rescue, you have bare steel. It's going to rust. It needs a properly applied appropriate liner.
BTW, I watched a video last light. Chrome fenders derusted in hydrochloric acid. They flash rusted immediately. Phosphoric acid will leave iron phosphate if I'm not mistaken. It's a much better option.
YMMV
 
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GLG and other interested parties : No sale but still working on it. 1. Hired web site developer last year and after about 10months of hearing him
saying soon and asking for more cash I found out he had completed Nothing 2. Thought about e-Bay next but first add had product photo and then
8 photo's of other peoples products inserted before my add's text ( You may also like these ! ). 3. Asked this sites owner if I could pay him Fee per
sale ( 10 % ! ) to post here - He declined as he was getting a regular fee from another company ( I Just wanted a click thru to my listings and thought
maybe every supplier would like that ), 4. Hired Go- Daddy to do a site as I thought a big international company would be reliable ( WRONG ! ) -
Go- daddy asked for all money up front and said the "Team" would have it finished in 3 1/2 weeks - 4 month's later and many conversations later
NOTHING accomplished ! . Have just hired another site builder so we will see. Shipping companies, Wifi service, Banks, credit card companies and
everyone else needed have been a nightmare - Covid's the excuse - The simplest thing takes weeks ( 2-8 ) to get anything done - It seems anyone
left working Do Not, Can Not get things done - unbelievable ! In the meantime we are burning thru mountains of cash and have just about packed it
in. So target is end of year but not holding my breath . We have most of the inventory but want to see some moved first. New company to be called
Yamahaxs650.com Have samples and specs for hundreds of new items but that has been all put in storage for now. Pray for US .
 
64-7702_gas_tank.jpg
20-0019-petcock-non-vacuum-type-1978-1983-xs650-01.jpg


It's nice that MikesXS has a new tank, but the fact that I can't buy a right and a left petcock puts me off. Right and left are available for the earlier bolt spacing. I'll probably use the earlier tank because I'm that fussy. (I don't like OFF in opposite directions.) It means rust removal and liner. I'm confident I can do it and come out ahead in the wallet.
 
64-7702_gas_tank.jpg
20-0019-petcock-non-vacuum-type-1978-1983-xs650-01.jpg


It's nice that MikesXS has a new tank, but the fact that I can't buy a right and a left petcock puts me off. Right and left are available for the earlier bolt spacing. I'll probably use the earlier tank because I'm that fussy. (I don't like OFF in opposite directions.) It means rust removal and liner. I'm confident I can do it and come out ahead in the wallet.

I have one of those tanks with the funky petcocks on my ‘77D. Made back when they came with graphics, I bought it off EBay. It was owned by this guy who bought it for a project, but never used it. Earlier in this thread, when I was talking about packing tanks for shipping, I offered the guy more money than he was asking, with the request that he took extra care in packing it, and man was I glad I did. The box arrived with two edges of the box, crushed with penetrating cuts, but the tank was not damaged.
65E123CB-AF3E-426D-9C51-E5129DD9408A.jpeg
 
I have one of those tanks with the funky petcocks on my ‘77D. Made back when they came with graphics, I bought it off EBay. It was owned by this guy who bought it for a project, but never used it. Earlier in this thread, when I was talking about packing tanks for shipping, I offered the guy more money than he was asking, with the request that he took extra care in packing it, and man was I glad I did. The box arrived with two edges of the box, crushed with penetrating cuts, but the tank was not damaged.
View attachment 175998

Word on the street was those tanks were kinda thin, any comments mm?
 
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