1980 new project teardown

Drew650

XS650 Enthusiast
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Hey guys,

I've been following a lot of builds on here along and have asked for help getting my ol girl running.

A little background. Picked her up about 4 months ago for $150 from a friend of a friend. Didn't run, got new carbs, went over and adjusted everything. Now she runs and rides great. To my knowledge she is pretty much stock besides the carbs which are off a EX500 running pods. Problem is, I want to go over all the wiring and nuts and bolts, etc before really taking her on the open road. Plus, she needs a real good cleaning as she is a little rusty and beat up.

The plan as of now is to tear it down and clean everything. Paint frame, fenders, tank, and everything else that the chrome is gone on. Replace parts as necessary remove what's unnecessary and put her back together. Mostly stock. Like everyone else, mostly, I'm on a budget. This is my first bike and I want something to learn on next season.

Is there any advice in the teardown or any step in the process a newbie like me should look out for? Can I paint side covers? They're both pitted, but polish smooth with aluminum foil. Also, the exhaust is rusted through on the ends. But the headers are good. May decide to run them straight as I'm a believer in a loud bike for safety reasons. Suggestions for that?

Thank you guys in advanced. I'll post many pictures along the way first to come tomorrow.
 
Take lots of photos. Take photos of everything before and as you disassemble it. Put all bolts back in their corresponding holes, or bag them and attach them to the part they go with.

Loud pipes do not save lives. They annoy the people around you and make it hard for you to hear what's going on. They also damage your hearing. Run some sort of louder than stock muffler instead.

These are great little bikes that pretty much anyone with reasonable mechanical skill can work on. Good luck with the project, and post lots of pics!
 
Also take lots of notes, especially on how the wiring connects up. There are mistakes in the factory wiring diagrams, not many but a few. I didn't do a complete dis-assembly like you plan but I did completely go through the wiring before I even started the bike. Good thing too because I found near a half dozen wires rubbed through to bare wire, problems just waiting to happen. I started at the tail light and worked my way up to and into the headlight, cleaning all the exposed wires and cleaning & dielectric greasing all the connections. I think it paid off. I'm just completing my 10th riding season on the bike and I've had zero electrical problems so far, other than a couple burned out bulbs.
 
Thanks for the replies and tips. I'll get some photos up today. Any advice on the new muffler? I do want something a bit louder I wasn't necessarily set on straight pipes for many reasons including back pressure. Or maybe even something I can modify with my current mufflers.

Drew
 
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Okay I started the teardown tonight. About halfway done with what I want to do maybe more. I'm going to leave most of the electrical alone except for that around the front end. I'll go through all that and clean it up.

Next time I'll remove swing arm, bars, headlight bucket, forward controls, and gauge cluster. From there I'll determine how much further to go or start cleaning the frame and engine.

What's a good way to seal off the exhaust and intake ports? I don't plan on hosing it down or anything just don't want to take any chances. [emoji106]


uploadfromtaptalk1442819118831.jpguploadfromtaptalk1442819138936.jpg
 
For basic block-off of the intake and exhaust ports after I've removed the carbs and pipes, I tear a paper towel in half, ball it up and stuff it in the port.
 
Hi Drew,
a picture is worth a thousand words.
That's a 1980 Special.
Yeah, clean everything, then clean the carbs twice more.
Lose the pleated tapered carb pods, UNIpods work way better.
Lose those rototiller handlebars, they lower the bikes rideability by ~50%.
Swap in a set of lower straighter bars.
The exhausts are a complete weldment, they only come apart at the head and at the cross tube.
What I did was give the mufflers the pointy bar treatment.
Grind a point on an ~18" length of 1/2" rebar.
Shove it up the muffler and whack it through the baffle with a BFH.
Easiest seat fix is a Saddlemens seat cover.
Check the tires age ID numbers. 5 years, OK. 10 years, dump 'em. In between? Up to you.
Old tires are dangerous tires even if they look good.
Good upgrades:- stainless brake lines, a smaller front brake master cylinder, a fork brace, bronze swingarm bushings, a full M16 swingarm thrubolt, Tapered roller head races.
 
Thanks fredintoon!

Carbs were rebuilt and cleaned by seller (separate, I bought them) then I cleaned them twice more. They work great. I'll look into the unipods. Handlebars I plan on replacing for sure. Tires are brand new just had them mounted a few weeks ago.
Do you have a picture of the exhaust mod? Mine are rusted through at the end of the muffler, after the baffle, on the bottom. I also do plan on those upgrades, but thanks for the list!

How does that seat cover work? Easy DIY install?

Thanks again
 
Hi Drew,
I've owned my bike since new so it thinks it's a Britbike and leaks enough oil that the mufflers ain't rusted.
The baffle modification is internal so it can't be photographed and I don't suppose a photo of a pointy bar would be of any help.
The ol' beans can and hose clamp trick will patch your mufflers but it won't look pretty.
And the stock exhaust is a really complicated arrangement with double wall headers and it'll need serious sawzall work to get at it's inner workings.
I'd look at going to a complete aftermarket system rather than trying to cut'n'weld the existing headers to fit slip-ons.
The Saddlemens seat cover install is simple, but I wouldn't say it was easy.
It took two pairs of burly wrists to install one on my bike's seat last fall (I had to call my son to help me, I had installed one by myself back a decade or so but I was younger and stronger then) to stretch the new cover onto the existing foam and base.
Once it's on it looks great.
 
I'll look into an aftermarket exhaust. I didn't notice the extent of the rust until I got it off the bike. So I think that's the best route.

What makes her a special? I was told by other forum members it was a standard. Based on the serial numbers, that's what I found also.
 
I'll look into an aftermarket exhaust. I didn't notice the extent of the rust until I got it off the bike. So I think that's the best route.

What makes her a special? I was told by other forum members it was a standard. Based on the serial numbers, that's what I found also.

Special tank, Special seat, Special cast wheels (rear 16", front 19"), high bars, etc.
 
- - - What makes her a special? I was told by other fomembers it was a standard. Based on the serial numbers, that's what I found also.

Hi Drew,
the photos show the same bike that my son has and that's a 1980 Special.
I don't think they even made an XS650 Standard by then, just the Special (lift-off seat, aluminum grabrail) and the Special II (Hinge-up seat, chrome steel grabrail)
Skull's sticky shows the photos.
Thing is, XS650 parts swap around like LEGO.
About the only things that won't swap are the lift-off and hinge-up seats and the plastic and steel side panels.
Everything else will move between years and models real easy; you see lotsa Frankenbikes around.
Some are collision damage repairs using available used parts, others are mods to suit the owner's requirements.
 
Standard is other than Special
A standard motorcycle is simply riding position and lack of fairings. Therefore a Special can be a standard.
 
Hey guys I got more of the bike tore down. Down to frame, forks, engine, and main harness. I'm at a loss of how to get this thing clean. I don't want to remove much else if I don't have to. Especially the engine. I don't have much time daily to work on it so I'm trying to use it wisely.

This thing has been sitting for lord knows how many years before I got her running. Looking inside the case and other parts the PO didn't clean it well when it last ran either. There is grease and dirt everywhere. I just need to know how to degrease and get this engine and frame looking good again. I got some heavy duty degreaser from work don't know if I should use it or not. I tried WD40 with elbow grease on the motor with minimal results. There also seems to be bits of paint on the engine from years ago that needs to come off. If it comes clean and looks good I won't repaint otherwise I may. I just want this thing looking and running good come spring, on a budget, of course!

Also, side note while the bike is torn down over the winter, what do I do to the tank and carbs? Bowls on carbs are drained. Tank has about 1/4 tank of gas. I'm going to strip and paint soonish. Is there a treatment for the inside of the tank to prevent rust? My garage will be heated, also.

Thanks for the guidance,
Drew
 
To get the worst of it get a couple cans of degreaser and lay down some newspaper or cardboard below the engine. Spray it down and a lot of crap will fall right off. For the tougher stuff use a heavy duty cleaning brush and give it a good scrub. It won't be spotless clean but it will look a lot better. For the paint brake cleaner or paint stripper will take care of that.
 
Brake cleaner will strip off baked on paint?

Hi Drew,
Yeah, most volatile solvents will soften and remove paint; right down to the metal.
OK, if the engine is out, put it in a big tray and go at it with kerosene and a paintbrush.
Take the bare frame (but not the wheels, high pressure water with detergent will contaminate the bearings) to a car wash and use the "engine clean" cycle to clean it up.
Oven cleaner will destroy paint and eat aluminum but works good to clean up a chrome exhaust system. Use rubber gloves & face shield unless you REALLY hate yourself.
Overwinter your gas tank by fully draining it then dumping in a quart jug of el-cheapo engine oil and swirling it around to coat the tank's interior.
Dump the oil out next spring and then completely fill the tank just before the initial start-up to maximize the remaining oil's dissolution.
 
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