Rise of the machine...'80 XS650

[jfinnan]

Those of you on the old 650rider.com site may remember this thread I posted:
http://650rider.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7681&highlight=Cain

At the time, I also had an '81, but I sold that later in 2009.

Finally started rebuilding the '80. I had stripped it down to the frame over a year go, and it's been sitting that way until more recently. Here she is after being shod with new tires, and a major cleanup and some re-assembly.

What's new?

- Tires
- Bronze swingarm bushings
- Tapered roller bearings for the steering head
- Front/Rear wheel bearings

What have I done?

- Cleaned and polished entire frame. It really wasn't in too bad of shape, though covered in grime.
- Sanded/Polished both fork lowers
- Rebuild both forks. New oil seals, and 7oz. of 10wt fork oil. Slight "Minton mod" additions.
- A lot of chrome cleaning and polish

So, far, that is all of the new parts. I'm trying to reuse as much as possible, without compromising safety.

Next up

- Figure out how to route the wiring harness
- New fuse box
- Rebuild front/rear brake calipers
- Rebuild front rear master cylinders
- Drill brake rotors
- Machine down front/rear sprockets to accept 525 chain
(less madness than it appears. I have a brand new 525 x-ring chain, and I would prefer to use it than buy yet another chain.)
- Soda blast/clean engine
- Rebuild engine top-end
- Rebuild carbs

Will post more as I move along. AND..thanks to all of you who have helped me locate some parts already (center stand, carbs..etc...)

Oh..I do need an '80+ rear grab bar......

 

[jfinnan]

It's been a long six months.but my '80 has finally hit the road. I have some minor cosmetic things to do, like sanding/polishing the side covers, but that can wait till spring. I was more interested in getting the bike running again, so I could put a few break-in miles on it before parking it for the winter.

I can't begin to say how happy I am with my XSJohn needles (RIP). He was a truly smart fellow, and his advice for my carbs was absolutely perfect. I raised my main jets to 135, put in 45 pilots, dialed in the mix like he said, replaced the throttle shaft seals...and this bike started for the first time since the rebuild in just two kicks..and has been running smoothly ever since. Amazing.

Here it is:

 

[jfinnan]

I have more pictures of the rebuild progress on my blog. I wish I had taken more, but it's hard when you are so busy actually doing all the work. Go here to see more:

http://xsessive-compulsivity.blogspot.com/

 

[Shiffty]

Very nice work. I like the unpainted brake calipers.

 

[I am Carbon]

sweet you have a good looking bike. looks like we use the same fuel filter

 

[jfinnan]

Another good thing....NO LEAKS. I followed the "leakless assembly" from the XS 650 Garage, just like last time. The advice there is spot on. Checked the valve clearance tonight, and both intakes needed minor adjustment. Re-torqued engine bolts. Tomorrow, oil change at 70 miles. I will do the next one at 250, followed by one at 500.

 

[bluebikerblan]

Just wanted to congratulate you on the successful refurbishment. Looks like you took the time necessary to learn exactly what needed to be done and to do it right. Well done.
Thanks for your feedback and contribution to the throttle shaft seals issues as well. Blue

 

[jfinnan]

Thanks for the complements Blue. This is my second XS, so I had a pretty good idea of what I was doing. The last one was an '81, also stock.

 

[scabber]

Your bike looks Great nice to see a stock bike. I like the job you did on air filters never was fan of pod filters. What briggs filter did you get the foam from ?

 

[jfinnan]

Briggs & Stratton 394019S/272490S

I only used the foam filter media. I simply cut it in half, and used one piece for each filter. It will fit if stretched a little bit. Then, using the hot melt glue, i glued the two ends together with a little overlap. Works great, looks good.

 

[scabber]

Thanks ! The stock air box work good I don't see why people put pod filters on their bikes. I did the XS John mod. I get caught in the rain no problem like the pods where you need rain socks. I've got the 750 cc kit shell cam. I ran no filters for a while. Have mlkes stock replacment filters in now No power loss. Yours look like they will filter better.

 

[jfinnan]

They certainly don't seem to be creating any problems for me. I'm well over 250 miles now since my rebuild, and the bike is running great. I may do the XSJohn third inlet mod someday. But for now, since it is running so well, why bother.

I agree on the MikesXS filters too. I had them on the '81 XS I sold a couple of years ago, and I never liked the foam material that was on them. These definitely seem a bit better now, using this type of foam material, and are easy to replace.

 

[scabber]

I didn't do the mod when the bike was stock you won't need to mine always worked just fine.