What have you done to your XS today?

Thanks Bob. The bike is currently being disassembled to clean up the frame and brace the fork and powdercoat. Doing 3 XS projects at once. This one is the closest since it was running when I bought it and I was just going to do a low budget clean up and ride this summer?????
 
lol sounds like you have the BUILD BUG !!!!! you got it bad man ! 3 at once ? LOL
More power to ya ! hang in there
have fun !
Bob............
 
No. I just bobbed of the chain guard portion (eliminating the Yamaha Made in Japan logo) closer to the main case and drilled a few holes. The scrambler project case will have some "windows" with a perforated backing like the alternator cover on my tracker. I need these to let grease and oil out and dirt in. :umm:
 
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Your a Riot Halfmile...exactly my thoughts but it sure looks neet ! (let the greese and oil out and dirt in ! HAHAHAHA!)
Are you going to Bobb the fender tube up to the shocks ? if so how do you plan to hang the fender ?
....
Bob.........
 
well Today/yesterday I guess I don't know my days all run together ! anyway I pulled the carbs for the final time,
pulled them completely appart , every part I could get off I took off.... I cleaned the emulsifier tubes in both carburators and I'm glad I did
one was green with deposits and quite dirty but it was some what working still.... I poked small wire from a wire brush through the tiny holes and drowned them in carb cleaner.... My major reason for the tear down was to get the idle and choke passage ways clean and although i didn't find any blockages ai did reasure myself that the carbs are good to go now....
I put them back to gether and set the idle screws to 4 turns out and put them back in and tried to start it....
it fought me for 15 minutes and finally burst into life the right plug is foweled now ( yess gggGary ! I KNOW !!!! LOL it ran worse than last time with the air screws at 3.5 turns out so I'll try exactly 3 turns next time...... but now with all the other problems out of the way I can finally do the dead cylinder
adjustment of the air screws and be done with it..... well, in a week when I can buy more spark plugs ! ( I'm gunn'a buy 4 this time gggGary ! )
when the bad plug kick in and worked it ran very good and was quicker on the throttle than ever before so I accomplished something.
I will try to do the "Dead cylinder test" today sense it takes only one good plug anyway....I'll swap it back and forth ! LOL
trying to adjust those air screws under the tank is really hard but I will try my short screwdriver and hope I can get it to idle on 1 cylinder long enough to adjust it good ! then swap...
c'ya !
Bob.........
 
Doug79,

Don't you have to wonder how people manage to live without the basic necessities of life like a drill press, hydraulic press and a lathe?

My lathe is for sure an antique as it is a South Bend that is driven by a flat leather belt but for most of what I need it works as good as I can run a lathe.
I have a old South bend too. Got it from my Dad. It's older than me. The old lathes are just as good as the new ones, just a lot heavier.
 
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Rode the old 72 to Dixie Speedway to see AFT, American Flat Track and found this beauty in the tailgating section. That's me drooling in the striped shirt.
 
I have a old South bend too. Got it from my Dad. It's older than me. The old lathes are just as good as the new ones, just a lot heavier.
Yeah an ancient SB 9" inherited fro my dad. The ways are worn near the headstock, "good enough" for most work.
just added this toy, from a member here, so far so good, 4 tanks is sweet.
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BS34's ready to go back together.

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HI guys !
well I pulled the right cam bearing seal off and <CRINGE> Repaired it the best I could .... it's in relitively good shape but has a tiny hole in it ....
I cleaned it good with carb cleaner and put a tiny bit of high temp sylicone over the tiny hole and wiped it very carefully to get off any lumps and smoothe it out.... set it infront of the heater and went back into the house and had breakfast.... I gave it about 6 hrs to dry and checked it .... it was definately dry as the small dab i left on the work bench was and it wasn't in front of the heater! .... I put some white grease on the seal and put gasket cement on the back where the o-ring goes and the gasket surface put on the o-ring and put it very carefully back together ....
I fired the bike up it still does not want to start had to use quickstart to get it up and running.... but did get her idling on both cylinders nicely
and warmed up.... no oil leaks from that seal yet.... but I expect it won't last too long.... it's just a tempary repair till I can afford to get a new seal
..... I am out'a my league with that bike now...I do not know why it's not fireing up with the choke on and no throttle like it should be......
instead I have to beg it to get going and once it warms up it fires up fine...like it should....
I checked for vaccuum leaks found none, made up a sparkplug and clip for the "Dead cylinder test".... but figured doing that would be folly till I replace that one sparkplug .... ( i will buy more than 1 next time ! ).... i plan on buying 4 as I have one that's good now ! LOL
....... I will say this about the xs650.... it is the pickiest machine I thnk I have ever had !!!!! but it sure is a neat one !
.....Bob.......
 
BKIII Try turning the petcock to prime a minute or so before you try to start it, see if that helps. If so you probably have a slow fuel leak out of one or both float bowls. Seldom if ever mentioned but completely remove the bowl drain screws. Polish the rusty end where the taper seals against the bowl. See if that makes a difference. Do NOT leave the petcock on prime! Did you remove the float needles and replace the orings behind the seats? These are typical old o-rings from the 81 I'm bringing back to life. If they don't come out easy spray with lube, put a snug fit drill bit inside the seat before trying to grab and twist so you don't bend it.
 

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Hi gggGary ! glad to see ya ! and eager for your help ! ....
I didn't pull the drain plugs on the float bowl....should have but didn't ! didn't see any point at the time !
the float seals looked to be brass no O-ring in sight in there I did Not unscrew the float seat however as they were in there very tight.
I have left the fuel on prime for a few hours to see if the floats are leaking but no leaks are evident. could it be going into the engine and not on the ground ? that would be silly !!!! that would delute the oil and make it sound Dry too uh !?!?! hummmmmm i gott'a go smell my OIL now !
i've already done that with the petcock and no change that I could tell in starting....
everything but those drain plugs has been done and I'll go do that right now ! LOL
thanks for the help ! REALLY ! thank you lately I've been thinking the TCI unit ! but I have good spark !
I'll take this to another post gary....
.....Bob...........
 
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Well don't know how many recall my post about dumping my 1982 Heritage I have been working on a week ago last monday. Well I'm still a little sore and only able to work on it for an hour or so at a time. The rear brake lever poked a hole in the clutch side cover also some other somewhat minor damage on the right side.

Well finished installing a good spare cover today, made a minor repair to the foot peg and filled with oil. Well only took a few kicks to get it to start to fire and a couple more to start. Still sounds okay but did run out of what little gas I had put in temp fuel tank and even after adding some to it it was being stubborn and my right leg was starting to hurt from spill so I decided to call it a day.

A quick look at the handle bars and I was able to see they were "tweaked" a bit in the spill. Dug around in the barn and found the set off the 1982 I had stripped out for some guy needing a titled frame a few years ago. When held up next to the ones on this bike it is obvious my spill is not the first one this bike has seen. From tip to tip on the two there is about a four inch difference and I'd say less than half of it is from my spill. Thought they were a bit narrow feeling!

Just need to clean up the "new" bars a bit and swap them over. Might also see about mounting the real fuel tank and air filter next!
 
Those special bars are like limp pretzels never seen a set that was perfectly straight, You can bend them looking at a passing babe....
 
Did a bit of a mock up today after I got the handle bar mounts reinstalled. It is beginning to look like a motorcycle, but unfortunately, most of this stuff has to come back off but it sometimes helps to re-energize a project by reminding myself where I am headed.
 

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Hey Doug. Your project is looking Good! Your at that point on your build where you can stand back at the end of the day and see what you`ve done. It`s always inspiring to just mock it up then just take a look and decide what you do or don`t like and make changes. If your build is anything like mine, when you get the tires mounted you`ll mock it up again for another look. Good Job.
 
Spent the whole day making 4 exhaust spring loops and striping the paint off of a Radian swing arm and tacking on new shock mounts. Will TIG them up tomorrow and polish for the chrome shop on Mon if my 2 sets of HHB motor mounts arrive tomorrow.
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