U-turn
XS650 Member
Greetings xs'ers
I've been lurking around since picking up my first bike last month and figured it was about time to introduce myself and say thanks for the great resource that is the xs650 forums...
My friend's dad had this XS1B that he bought in '76 and rode until '90. It had been sitting tarped outside (pretty much in the woods) until I picked it up. I was a little hesitant with the corrosion situation, but having scoured the net and finding no history of frame failures (aluminum gixers aside) I decided to go for it. http://www.1971xs1b.com/ was pretty inspiring to me as well.
I've been looking for a cheap bike to just ride, and this pretty much fits the bill. Not the prettiest, but can't beat the styling IMHO. After getting the bike home, the sissy bar, crash bar, cans, rack, and windshield were the first to come off. Next it was getting the engine to turn. The clutch was also seized up, so the side cover came off, and the clutch plates wiggled loose from each other. 10 days worth of differing penetrants and rocking, tapping and twisting finally got the engine to turn- with what felt like descent compression. Now I could check for spark- having found none I went around the bike with the repair manual and test light. Simply dirty points. Excellent!
By far the nastiest part of making the XS a runner was dealing with the fuel system. The petcocks may as well have been filled with putty or glue, and you could smell the tank from a mile away. The carbs were not that bad... In need of cleaning but I opted for the spray can of carb cleaner and seem to have gotten away with just using that. The pistons were frozen up, but thankfully the rubber at the top looks serviceable.
Anyhow, I'm happy to say that after freshening up the systems on the bike, it's back running. I've not ridden any great speed or distance yet as tires are the next item on the list, along with a new rear drum connecting rod that did not want to be adjusted. I'm thinking of doing the brake and throttle cables for safety's sake, but beyond that I don't think I'll need much more.
That's the past month for my bike in a nutshell. It seemed to me a testament as to the quality of these bikes that one could sit 20+ years in a moist environment and be forced back to life with not even a teardown. Looking forward to hitting the road.
...and now a few pics!
XS coming home
A few weeks later
Cheers
I've been lurking around since picking up my first bike last month and figured it was about time to introduce myself and say thanks for the great resource that is the xs650 forums...
My friend's dad had this XS1B that he bought in '76 and rode until '90. It had been sitting tarped outside (pretty much in the woods) until I picked it up. I was a little hesitant with the corrosion situation, but having scoured the net and finding no history of frame failures (aluminum gixers aside) I decided to go for it. http://www.1971xs1b.com/ was pretty inspiring to me as well.
I've been looking for a cheap bike to just ride, and this pretty much fits the bill. Not the prettiest, but can't beat the styling IMHO. After getting the bike home, the sissy bar, crash bar, cans, rack, and windshield were the first to come off. Next it was getting the engine to turn. The clutch was also seized up, so the side cover came off, and the clutch plates wiggled loose from each other. 10 days worth of differing penetrants and rocking, tapping and twisting finally got the engine to turn- with what felt like descent compression. Now I could check for spark- having found none I went around the bike with the repair manual and test light. Simply dirty points. Excellent!
By far the nastiest part of making the XS a runner was dealing with the fuel system. The petcocks may as well have been filled with putty or glue, and you could smell the tank from a mile away. The carbs were not that bad... In need of cleaning but I opted for the spray can of carb cleaner and seem to have gotten away with just using that. The pistons were frozen up, but thankfully the rubber at the top looks serviceable.
Anyhow, I'm happy to say that after freshening up the systems on the bike, it's back running. I've not ridden any great speed or distance yet as tires are the next item on the list, along with a new rear drum connecting rod that did not want to be adjusted. I'm thinking of doing the brake and throttle cables for safety's sake, but beyond that I don't think I'll need much more.
That's the past month for my bike in a nutshell. It seemed to me a testament as to the quality of these bikes that one could sit 20+ years in a moist environment and be forced back to life with not even a teardown. Looking forward to hitting the road.
...and now a few pics!
XS coming home
A few weeks later
Cheers
The hook is set..... 
Money is gone, bike is gone....
