Of course I should’ve remembered this! This is the definitive article! Everything you ever needed to know all in one article!
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Of course I should’ve remembered this! This is the definitive article! Everything you ever needed to know all in one article!
Good job 5twins I had forgotten about the rear brake masterpiece!
Well thanks guys but I've got to give a shout out to 2Many. He put the icing on that cake when he discovered the rear brake cam is not symmetrical, and that there is a dot stamped in the top of the shaft that must point towards the axle for a correct install .....
I know, it is so thorough and well-organized! Any reason that is not in the tech section?
Well folks... I have looked high and low for an early brake arm and have had no luck in finding one. So naturally, I put the later model arm in a vice, put some heat on it, and gently "reconfigured" it to my needs. Didn't turn out all that well
I suppose it would work, but it looks like 
and is not in keeping with the rest of the bike. It also has an uncomfortable level of play in the barrel end. eBay to the rescue!Should be here by the time I get back from vacation. Somehow my wife talked me into driving to Florida with three young children...
If I make it back (with my sanity) hopefully this exhaust can be finished up!
- - - Somehow my wife talked me into driving to Florida with three young children...
Hi Rhy,
I learned during my first long car trip with my new wife and her two young sons that ;-
your co-pilot should be able to read a map.
Children should be cushioned up so they can see out of the windows.
Buying an air-conditioned vehicle costs less than paying a lawyer to defend you on a murder rap.
Hello all,
I am happy to say that my entire family made it back alive from the Great American Road Trip. As expected, the driving was the real challenge... 2,550 miles roundtrip. Luckily, my wife and I were armed with an arsenal of technology that we normally limit our children from extensively using. Tablets, Nintendo Switch, the DVD player in my car - all without limit. This is how you keep kids happy in a car, at least in 2021.
Just look at their little brains rotting!
The real fun began when my alternator called it quits outside of Atlanta (probably due to the increased load of continuously charging all of the aforementioned devices). I've had my Honda Pilot for years and it has never given me a bit of trouble... Of course, if would happen driving cross-country
. I managed to keep it running (barely) while we phoned around for shops, no easy task on a Saturday at 3:00 pm. Found some good ole' boys that agreed to the job. I pitched in and we got it done in a couple of hours.
Kids had a blast at the beach. To a land-locked Missourian - the ocean is an amazing thing.
We were in Manasota Key in Florida and found it to be a wonderful, family-friendly location. Nice calm waves and generous sandbars.
Now. Onto more important matters!
I finally got a minute to finish installing the mufflers. If you are keeping up with COVID-19, you may have heard that SW Missouri is a hotspot at present for the Delta variant. As I run one of the few labs in the area that can test for this, I was greeted back with an absolute frenzy of testing
Nevertheless, I was so pleasantly surprised when I finally got the time and worked up the nerve to try and start this bike:
Haha! It worked, even with the DIY wiring job!
I think this is a tribute just as much to my Dad as it is to the fine people on this site who have helped me along the way. I made it pretty clear that I had no idea in hell what I was doing with the wiring, or the carbs, or paint, or anything else, but you guys got me there. Thank you.
Still plenty to do on it, but hopefully the next time you see it... it will be out in the sunshine on the open road where it belongs.
I am happy to say that my entire family made it back alive from the Great American Road Trip. As expected, the driving was the real challenge... 2,550 miles roundtrip. Luckily, my wife and I were armed with an arsenal of technology that we normally limit our children from extensively using. Tablets, Nintendo Switch, the DVD player in my car - all without limit. This is how you keep kids happy in a car, at least in 2021.
Just look at their little brains rotting!
The real fun began when my alternator called it quits outside of Atlanta (probably due to the increased load of continuously charging all of the aforementioned devices). I've had my Honda Pilot for years and it has never given me a bit of trouble... Of course, if would happen driving cross-country
. I managed to keep it running (barely) while we phoned around for shops, no easy task on a Saturday at 3:00 pm. Found some good ole' boys that agreed to the job. I pitched in and we got it done in a couple of hours.Kids had a blast at the beach. To a land-locked Missourian - the ocean is an amazing thing.
We were in Manasota Key in Florida and found it to be a wonderful, family-friendly location. Nice calm waves and generous sandbars.
Now. Onto more important matters!
I finally got a minute to finish installing the mufflers. If you are keeping up with COVID-19, you may have heard that SW Missouri is a hotspot at present for the Delta variant. As I run one of the few labs in the area that can test for this, I was greeted back with an absolute frenzy of testing
Nevertheless, I was so pleasantly surprised when I finally got the time and worked up the nerve to try and start this bike:
Haha! It worked, even with the DIY wiring job!
I think this is a tribute just as much to my Dad as it is to the fine people on this site who have helped me along the way. I made it pretty clear that I had no idea in hell what I was doing with the wiring, or the carbs, or paint, or anything else, but you guys got me there. Thank you.
Still plenty to do on it, but hopefully the next time you see it... it will be out in the sunshine on the open road where it belongs.
Last edited:
Triggerton III
XS650 Enthusiast
wow, love this thread.
Nice looking family! Bike's easy on the eyes too.
Great feeling when they start for the first time, isn't it?
Great feeling when they start for the first time, isn't it?
Scripto VU
Dukes Speed and Custom
Hello all,
I am happy to say that my entire family made it back alive from the Great American Road Trip. As expected, the driving was the real challenge... 2,550 miles roundtrip. Luckily, my wife and I were armed with an arsenal of technology that we normally limit our children from extensively using. Tablets, Nintendo Switch, the DVD player in my car - all without limit. This is how you keep kids happy in a car, at least in 2021.
View attachment 195153
Just look at their little brains rotting!
The real fun began when my alternator called it quits outside of Atlanta (probably due to the increased load of continuously charging all of the aforementioned devices). I've had my Honda Pilot for years and it has never given me a bit of trouble... Of course, if would happen driving cross-country
Kids had a blast at the beach. To a land-locked Missourian - the ocean is an amazing thing.
View attachment 195155
View attachment 195157
We were in Manasota Key in Florida and found it to be a wonderful, family-friendly location. Nice calm waves and generous sandbars.
Now. Onto more important matters!
I finally got a minute to finish installing the mufflers. If you are keeping up with COVID-19, you may have heard that SW Missouri is a hotspot at present for the Delta variant. As I run one of the few labs in the area that can test for this, I was greeted back with an absolute frenzy of testing
Nevertheless, I was so pleasantly surprised when I finally got the time and worked up the nerve to try and start this bike:
Haha! It worked, even with the DIY wiring job!
I think this is a tribute just as much to my Dad as it is to the fine people on this site who have helped me along the way. I made it pretty clear that I had no idea in hell what I was doing with the wiring, or the carbs, or paint, or anything else, but you guys got me there. Thank you.
Still plenty to do on it, but hopefully the next time you see it... it will be out in the sunshine on the open road where it belongs.
"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory"
Dr. Suess
wonderful family !! bike's not bad either
Congratulations Rhy! Your vacation and your family look wonderful and your bike came out great! Well done!
I
I
Thanks, guys! They are great kids and most days we have a blast.
I plan to go through this carefully before attempting to ride it. There is a good chance there is a loose bolt or two somewhere on it. The last major task is the gauges, but that is purely cosmetic. Stay tuned!
It certainly is. There is something really special about pouring that much work into something and have it boil down to a single press of a button. Well, technically, I had to kick the shit out of it for awhile before it would reliably start, but you get the idea...
I plan to go through this carefully before attempting to ride it. There is a good chance there is a loose bolt or two somewhere on it. The last major task is the gauges, but that is purely cosmetic. Stay tuned!
Hello All! My apologies for dropping off the radar... Work was absolutely crazy for the past month with the rise of the Delta variant in Missouri. Also, after getting the '71 started, I realized I was tired and needed a break. I am a firm believer that garage projects should never turn into work... totally defeats the purpose. My shop hovering around 90-95 degrees was also a factor.
That being said, I have recently gotten back into this bike. I went through it very carefully and I am so glad that I did. Made some "useful" discoveries, such as the motor mounts and the front axle clamp not being torqued down!
Eventually, I did get it on the road:
Not my best bike pictures, but I don't really trust it enough right now to go too far from the house. Why you ask?
The oil hemorrhage is one reason
. After a 10 mile ride I noticed that a fair amount of oil was getting blown out of the engine. It was hard to tell from where, but I think the cam chain tensioner assembly and/or upper cam shaft seals are likely culprits. Any other places you think I should check?
The front brake was the other big issue. And by that I mean it hardly works at all! I set the linkages as described in the Clymer manual, but I am clearly missing something here. I will probably just take it all apart and go from there. Any tips?
The good news, the engine runs pretty damn good and it sounds great! The only issue is that it will occasionally fall on its face at higher revs. Hopefully a little tinkering with the carbs will take care of it. It is amazing how differently it handles as compared to the '80, much more nimble and responsive. Is there a big difference in weight between the two models or it is just tires/chassis/suspension?
That being said, I have recently gotten back into this bike. I went through it very carefully and I am so glad that I did. Made some "useful" discoveries, such as the motor mounts and the front axle clamp not being torqued down!
Eventually, I did get it on the road:
Not my best bike pictures, but I don't really trust it enough right now to go too far from the house. Why you ask?
The oil hemorrhage is one reason
. After a 10 mile ride I noticed that a fair amount of oil was getting blown out of the engine. It was hard to tell from where, but I think the cam chain tensioner assembly and/or upper cam shaft seals are likely culprits. Any other places you think I should check?The front brake was the other big issue. And by that I mean it hardly works at all
! I set the linkages as described in the Clymer manual, but I am clearly missing something here. I will probably just take it all apart and go from there. Any tips?The good news, the engine runs pretty damn good and it sounds great! The only issue is that it will occasionally fall on its face at higher revs. Hopefully a little tinkering with the carbs will take care of it. It is amazing how differently it handles as compared to the '80, much more nimble and responsive. Is there a big difference in weight between the two models or it is just tires/chassis/suspension?
Shock angle and wheel size make standards handle a little better than Specials. Nice work, bike looks fantastic!
The frame is almost 15 lbs lighter. The swingarm is shorter. The shocks sit vertically instead of angled forward. No starter is also weight reduction.
First of all, congratulations for getting out and getting some miles on that beautiful bike! You have much to be proud of!
Some photos of the leaks would be helpful. If you’re seeing oil underneath your motor it could merely be the vent tubes that run from the head and exit under the motor. On my XS2 those tubes deposit a lot of oil vapor under the bike that I have to work to keep clean.
Narrower tires make bikes more nimble, the older bikes had a little hotter motor than later years, and I’m not sure what your gearing is, but if your XS1B has a bigger rear sprocket, that does a lot for making a bike feel snappy.
As for the brakes. I know that the angle of the linkages makes a big difference in leverage, I’ve never had a drum front brake, they are known to be weak. You might scuff up the drum with some sandpaper to increase the bite.
I smell calendar!
Some photos of the leaks would be helpful. If you’re seeing oil underneath your motor it could merely be the vent tubes that run from the head and exit under the motor. On my XS2 those tubes deposit a lot of oil vapor under the bike that I have to work to keep clean.
Narrower tires make bikes more nimble, the older bikes had a little hotter motor than later years, and I’m not sure what your gearing is, but if your XS1B has a bigger rear sprocket, that does a lot for making a bike feel snappy.
As for the brakes. I know that the angle of the linkages makes a big difference in leverage, I’ve never had a drum front brake, they are known to be weak. You might scuff up the drum with some sandpaper to increase the bite.
I smell calendar!
Beautiful! A real credit to all the work you have done.
The bike will feel more nimble because of skinnier tyres? But also must be significantly lighter.
Don't know if this helps but my observation with a drum front brake on a Triumph TR6 - it had the twin-leading shoe brake and at first I was very disappointed, it felt like there wasn't much stopping power. But I learned that with the drum brake you had to use much more squeeze than with a disc. I called it fear assistance - if you really wanted to stop and braked like you meant it, the bike pulled up plenty fast. Any more braking force would probably have overcome front tyre adhesion. So that might be an innate difference between drum and disc brakes. Or it might be that you need to improve the set up or invest in better brake shoes or scrub up the shoes a little.
Hope this helps.
The bike will feel more nimble because of skinnier tyres? But also must be significantly lighter.
Don't know if this helps but my observation with a drum front brake on a Triumph TR6 - it had the twin-leading shoe brake and at first I was very disappointed, it felt like there wasn't much stopping power. But I learned that with the drum brake you had to use much more squeeze than with a disc. I called it fear assistance - if you really wanted to stop and braked like you meant it, the bike pulled up plenty fast. Any more braking force would probably have overcome front tyre adhesion. So that might be an innate difference between drum and disc brakes. Or it might be that you need to improve the set up or invest in better brake shoes or scrub up the shoes a little.
Hope this helps.
Thanks, guys!
Very interesting to learn about all of the different factors that go into handling. I think I prefer the early model, but that could be influenced by how VERY AWESOME I feel riding this old bike around. It definitely turned some heads...
Very interesting to learn about all of the different factors that go into handling. I think I prefer the early model, but that could be influenced by how VERY AWESOME I feel riding this old bike around. It definitely turned some heads...
I'll check this out. Based on where I have it venting, it is definitely a possibility. Any thoughts on that O-ring on the tensioner cap? Does that seal commonly wear down?
Ha! Dad said something similar when he first got this and I remarked on the drum up front. He swore that a properly setup drum could give all of the braking force you would ever need. Clearly this one needs a little tuning - I squeezed it for all it was worth and each time the rear brake had to come to the rescue.
Well you have done a very good job. Always a few bugs to work out. If its any consolation the XS2 disk has a little to be desired. It fads pretty quick.
An important adjustment on a front brake like this is the rod tying the two brake arms together. It must be set so both arms apply their shoe at the same time and with the same amount of force. If off, you're braking mostly with just one shoe, and that doesn't work very well, lol.
