The Yamaha lives!
Today, a small box arrived from Eugene, Oregon with a second-hand BS38 carb slide, complete with tear-free rubber diaphragm.
Out to the garage to check it's the correct one. As you do. Re-assembled and fitted the carbs and thought it might be a good idea to check that the motor now starts. So, fitted the air filters and petrol tank. It starts, and soon settles down to a steady tick-over but a little bit too high. Because previously one carb was not working correctly? Set the tick-over down a tad.
Now, the bike is stripped because I've been working on the electrics as well as the carbs. But the little boy in me thought, you've put the petrol tank back on, all you need to do now is fit the seat and you're good to go. Bit of masking tape around the wiring in the headlamp shell, grab a helmet and off we go.
Only three or four miles, on a tiny lane lane mostly used by farmers. Narrow with right-angle bends and high hedges. Covered in wet leaves, mud, slime and gravel. Hardly the place to assess a bike's performance. But, for the last 1/2 mile back to the village, we're on a slightly wider & straighter country lane. Come on, will she take a touch of throttle?
Well, the good news is, this was the first time I've ridden the XS when it
didn't suffer from clutch slip, massive flat spot or a just plain refusal to run at all. For that half-mile, the Yamaha was
just beautiful. OK, we're only talking 50-60 mph on a slimy lane. But the combination of being on a bike, the engine responding to the throttle and all the emotions that go along with trying to fix something and making progress?
I'm probably still grinning like an idiot. And now I need to wash off all that no-doubt salty mud:
But all-in-all, a very good day.