What have you done to your XS today?

Spent a few hours trying to remove the old head gasket with a plastic scraper before reading tips here from 5twins and Jim to use paint stripper.
After a couple of coats it's looking like a bought one.
Got new valve stem seals to install after lapping the valves and copper coat spray for the head gasket, which I used last time but ended up with a head gasket leak for the first time with this bike.
I'm thinking maybe I took too long to get it torqued down?. Should I be coating both sides of the gasket?.
Both inlet valve stems are slightly pitted but the exhaust are fine.
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Good year, for parts or for fixing up. The carb set is the last and best of the 38's, and the speedo reads past 85, lol.
I have a set of those bs38s I don't need.
 
Oldfart, from the photo it looks as though the gasket surface is not perfectly clean. The surface must be spotless to give the gasket a good seal.
Some people use sealer some don't. 5Twins has a photo on this site (somewhere) showing where to apply sealer .
 
My oil smelled like gas, so I checked the petcocks and sure 'nuff, the left one was weeping. Shimmed the spring with a small washer and it is gas tight again. Changed the oil (Rotella is getting scarce again :mad:) Took her out for fresh gas and all is well.
 
Rewiring - a couple photos of a rewiring of my 77D (my No 2 barn find - lots of work in progress).
Just finished installing Tri-Spark and sent a heap of parts away for chroming which will take 12 weeks, so good opportunity to do the rewire.
Its a very simple design - relay is triggered by the ignition switch, this connects battery with fuse box via a very short run. Fuse box distributes 7 circuits to where its needed.
Headlights are by nature a mess - thats the best I could do to try to organise it a bit.
All original wiring put away for safe keeping, but I am stuck with a lot of the original wiring, in the headlight shell, from the tacho, speedo and pilot box hence the number of unused connectors showing.
I put the original handlebar controls away for safe keeping and splashed out on aftermarket controls and cut out the wires I didnt need - to keep the minamilist approach.
Regards Ray.
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Man that headlight bucket is a life goal. Including it in my 5 year plan. :cool:
 
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Nice wheel JesseeS
I wish I bought the complete Cognito wheel.
Getting the wheel built to the hub locally was a real PITA.
 
Nice wheel JesseeS
I wish I bought the complete Cognito wheel.
Getting the wheel built to the hub locally was a real PITA.
Thank you! And ya I can’t even imagine. Not sure of any place around here that could do that so didn’t even attempt it
 
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from the push button. I am using 76 components and wiring diagram.
Proof of Concept Complete
Some years ago a very heavy ( large quarter inch angle steel ) came with a parts bike and sat in a corner for a minute or two.
This week I thought given its weight, it would be a good base for an engine run stand.
The "dash" is half a squirrel baffle from a bird feeder, held onto the motor with a chunk of odd angle bolted to the top mount holes.
I am able to get spark to the plugs, ultimately hope to get the wiring finessed so I can spin the starter.
I can operate the starter with the power pack connected separately; the ignition has its own power pack so far.
Initial try this afternoon created one massive backfire in the exhaust pipe, so tomorrow I will recheck the point gap etc. and timing.
It's a bit of a make work project, but still may turn out to be useful. I have the makings of a couple motors in the shed and a run stand would be real handy if they ever get built.
 
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Rolled my xs650 off the bike stand and started it for the first time. I received this bike from my grandma when my grandpa passed a year ago. Still missing a lot of pieces, but threw new plugs and coils on it, and started right up. Now it’s time to get it back apart, repaint, and get all of the missing bits ordered.
 

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