What have you done to your XS today?

Oh glorious day of defeating the red tape bureaucracy in Virginia, the bike is officially mine now with the title in my hand.

I waited 30 minutes to be called up and then stood by for another 30 minutes only to have her tell me it cant be done. The lady actually told me all that I have done since August is too much hassle and I should just cut my losses and scrap the bike. She said I needed to wait longer before I could apply for the title.

I left frustrated and once back at work, I called the DMV direct line; after 45 minutes, all straightened out.

Back to the DMV office where I stood at the manager's desk for another 45 minutes while she learned how to do an abandoned title process.

But now I am clear to begin Project Rusty!
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Still riding...took a freezing spin to the gym tonight, and planning on riding into work tomorrow and friday. (Forecast in the 40’s) A friend of mine offered their garage for storage, but I can’t bear the thought of not even being able to see the bike daily. I told him this Friday, but I may have to postpone.
 
Oh glorious day of defeating the red tape bureaucracy in Virginia, the bike is officially mine now with the title in my hand.

I waited 30 minutes to be called up and then stood by for another 30 minutes only to have her tell me it cant be done. The lady actually told me all that I have done since August is too much hassle and I should just cut my losses and scrap the bike. She said I needed to wait longer before I could apply for the title.

I left frustrated and once back at work, I called the DMV direct line; after 45 minutes, all straightened out.

Back to the DMV office where I stood at the manager's desk for another 45 minutes while she learned how to do an abandoned title process.

But now I am clear to begin Project Rusty!
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That must have felt great to triumph over the State employee. I can't imagine to be told all your efforts are in vain and to scrap your bike. Congrats on getting your long awaited title!
 
What's wrong with this picture...?
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Wheels are off. Rims are being powder coated and then a reface with new SS spokes. New wheel bearings, new drum pads. In the mean time I am going to get the swing arm bushings done and rebuild the fork. New rear shocks (no gas can) new speedo/tach combo and then it's time to paint. Not riding sucks, but this is going to be fun!
 
What's wrong with this picture...?
View attachment 129643
Wheels are off. Rims are being powder coated and then a reface with new SS spokes. New wheel bearings, new drum pads. In the mean time I am going to get the swing arm bushings done and rebuild the fork. New rear shocks (no gas can) new speedo/tach combo and then it's time to paint. Not riding sucks, but this is going to be fun!

That’s a very good list of jobs to do. That’ll really pay off. Good looks AND performance! Good luck and don’t forget the after photos! ;)
 
What's wrong with this picture...?
View attachment 129643
Wheels are off. Rims are being powder coated and then a reface with new SS spokes. New wheel bearings, new drum pads. In the mean time I am going to get the swing arm bushings done and rebuild the fork. New rear shocks (no gas can) new speedo/tach combo and then it's time to paint. Not riding sucks, but this is going to be fun!
That paint looks great! What’s the plan for new paint? New color? Decals? I’m toying with the idea of using that plasti dip style peel-off paint to play with the look of my bike without actually messing with the original finish. I think it would look awesome in black or a muted green with gold decals.
 
The paint is good from 5 feet. The previous owner painted the bike this color but didn't do a professional job. I had originally intended to go back to the black and gold, I think the 75 has a great look. I have to say that the copper/orange has really grown on me though and I'm thinking about something similar like the Duplicolor color below or maybe even Light Candy Rootbeer. Otherwise I also like the light teal/blue I Photoshopped below. I think these both have a very vintage look to them. I am leaning towards a solid color scheme with a black stripe down the middle of the top of the tank.

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Both of those are nice colors. I’ve been a fan of copper/orange for a long time. I painted a stingray with duplicolor’s “metalcast” spray paint system, and it turned out pretty nice. I like the look amd simplicity of a tank without decals, but I think the gold “650” decals on the sidecovers look really good.
 
Winter's Coming!
Actually it will be a few weeks yet before any snow sticks around, but because I have a bunch of small jobs to do, I set up a work bench in the furnace room and started to clean a couple sets of carbs.
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Finished a set of 76 77's, but the choke actuation was really stiff. Did my research and will check the choke plungers to make sure they are not worn out.20181117_184200.jpg
 

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Update on sticky choke actuation. Thanks Gary for the suggestion to check that the rod may be binding, it was fine. I took the plungers out and more thoroughly cleaned both the plungers and the housing until they moved freely in situ. Once done, the choke lever system works as it should.
Colorful hoses sourced from Canadian Tire in the ATV and snowmobile section. A few cross over bits there.
On to the next set.20181116_163558.jpg
 
I adjusted my chain and attempted to replace a few burnt out bulbs last week, only to find I’m out of spares (I had about 5 working spares from the tachs and speedo I bought from Jim). I skimmed through the forum and bought 3 boxes of those little LED style bulbs from Hong Kong, due here
Early January. I’ve been running stabil treated gas for the last couple weeks. It’s almost time to refill the 4 gallon gas can of treated fuel. I have a four day weekend starting tomorrow, and it’s supposed to be in the mid forties, so I’m planning on going for a thanksgiving ride to wherever I want. I have the whole day off, daughter and girlfriend free, so it’s happy trails for me :) I’ll try really hard to get some pictures.
 
Oh! PS- My girlfriend has now accepted that I already own the bike, and that it makes me happy and wouldnt make a lot of sense to sell it, so The bike is officially off the market and I can enjoy it guilt free. The icing on the cake is that some 21 year old twurp backed into my parked car last Monday while I was performing at an open mic. I was very lucky and a couple witnesses actually hung around and were there when I came back to my car. I called the cops who knew the perp already and Filled out a report. The claims adjuster for his insurance called me last night and I’m getting a check for 1700.00! I bought the bike for 1900.00, so it basically cancels it out. I own my car, and it’s dependable and nice looking, but not perfect. The hood can stay dented and I can deal with some scratches in the paint. The whole ordeal turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I can pretend that I got the bike for free, and my savings just got a much needed injection! I think this is the first time I’ve been on this end of an “accident”, and it turned out pretty awesome!
 
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