First Impression: the 1980 XS650 Special II

OK, I'll climb down off my soapbox now, lol.
I learn from soapbox talk. Your opinions are very welcome here with me. The truth of my own preference of course does rule my decisions. I have a valuable confession here to state. I first rode the "Beauty" one tenth of a mile, and I am located in a place with much privacy and off the beaten track. We therefore have a long driveway that is very bumpy and pitted, and it has two good size parking lots of gravel and broken concrete to turn around in. One is on a level near where I am parked and the other is up the hill. I have taken it and made the hill and turned around in both gravel lots, and then raised the handlebars so the brake reservoir was level. The handlebars had come set too low for my experience level on this motorcycle. My first tenth was enjoyably on edge. But I think I will get used to it, The main attraction for me was the seat and the handlebars aesthetically, and of course the twin cylinder design with the tank above it. The balance feels good after riding the Bullet for the past year and a half, and the clutch and throttle are so much more challenging with this powerhorse, in comparison. I am going to give it some time but I believe the real decision was made when I made the purchase. See what I mean?
Bullet Yamaha 7.JPG
 
For best fork action, the rise of the handlebar should be in line with the angle of the forks, and yours looks pretty good in the pic above. That way, any force you exert into the bars upon hitting a bump is transmitted straight down into the forks instead of pushing ahead and down or behind and down.
 
Anyone else ever discover the feeling of inertia when your stopped in a vehicle with one beside you, and he moves back giving you the impression you're moving forward? :bs:

Moving ahead slowly; it took a good two-day inspection to find the most obvious faults, as well as the worthiest discoveries. My first surprise covering both fault and worthiness was this. Yamaha 21.JPG and this. Yamaha 105.JPG The wiring delightfully appears to be in its original state, but the brace support for the bucket was used to cinch down the motorcycle during transport sometime previous to me. I took a 16- penny hammer and a block of wood and gave it more than a few good whacks, right behind the signal ear.Yamaha 100.JPG Nothing, but exasperation. Yamaha 101.JPG I know the joke; give me a sledgehammer, but more practically I asked around for a good size C-clamp to at least pull the bucket into round. No luck. I need to borrow a cinching strap and wrap it around the outer perimeter and try to seal the gap. This also sprang the tachometer cover a couple of mms and I tried to tighten those nuts back up. I need a few of those itty-bitty washers to back it up. A cinch. No joke, it really is. The bracket is not the worry, the bucket is. I should remove the bucket and bang it back to round. I just hate to mess with those electrical wires though. :eek:
 
https://www.xs650.com/threads/bent-ear-headlight-bucket-meatball-mechanic-fix.42119/
some links to other similar threads there. two things will need doing straightening the ears and then getting the bucket back in shape. Both can be done to some extent in place but a real top notch job requires a complete R&R. Doing the fork seals/ steering bearings would be the time to get the ear out for some quality sheet metal work. Straight not-rusted ears are one of those holy grail things.
 
Aye, the bent support ears.
I had them on my old '83 and are oft seen on the Specials. They need to be removed, put in a vice and carefully bent back, of course protecting the metal while doing so..... and yes, the bucket has a tendency to bulge and bend where those ears mount to it. Haven't seen the ears on the Standards bend, yet.
On the wiring in the bucket,
No two multi-connectors are the same so putting them back together is no issue....however, the pigtails can get switched when dark green or chocolate brown disguise them selves with dirt and grime to appear black.

Edit
Plumb forgot about the meatball repair of swinging the ears back to the tank mount......that would keep you from having to drop the forks to pull the ears..
 
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Doing the fork seals/ steering bearings would be the time to get the ear out for some quality sheet metal work. Straight not-rusted ears are one of those holy grail things.
That is a super suggestion. Meanwhile before that time comes I need to seal the bucket so no water gets in. The threaded rod suggestion would work the easiest but my ears aren't bent for that prerogative. This happened by a cinch down and not a fall, though it appears from the back muffler it has fallen once. It still has the highway bar brackets in place up front on the frame. Due to the angle of the bend in the signal/bucket bracket and the explosion of the casing outward, I based my assumption on a real meathead, not an accidental one. That bracket is heavy duty with a curvature for added strength. It is the curvature that was bent outward due to the cinch down. Here is a comparison of the two; Yamaha 99.JPG Yamaha 100.JPG I will probably choose the route first of removing the bucket.
 
Keep me in mind if you need a replacement.
Thank you I will do that. The ear tangs don't bother me so much as the good seal for the chrome rim to fit. I still may have better luck with the tangs when I remove the bucket. And I must not forget paint. The other worst fault I found was the arm on the center-stand was broken off, making it near to impossible to prop it up. I still have these leftover... Yamaha 26.JPG
 
Yes, your fork ears are bent. They should bend in at the ends towards the bucket .....

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Your left one does a little, your right one not so much, lol. The all-thread trick should help you out here.
 
@jetmechmarty after scrolling up to the site location (thought it was Amazon) are these of good standard from Mikes XS. I hear some of their parts are deficient or come low quality.
I did mine several rears ago and I'm afraid I don't know if I replaced with MikesXS or OE. OE is no longer available. Either way, they're still good.
Yes, your ears are bent too.
The threaded rod for your signal stalks is available OE. https://www.partshark.com/oemparts/a/yam/50041ed0f8700209bc786976/flasher-light

The mount kit is also available here, as well as a very good price on new signals. https://yamahaxs650.com/product-category/electrical/signal-lamps-reflectors/
 
@jetmechmarty thank you for the links. I will probably join the partshark site. Looking over there on the diagrams, I don't see one particular miniscule 'pin' that is missing from my rear left blinker assembly, numbered as 12. You know the 'pin' that is tapped in to keep the blinker body from rotating is missing from mine? It skewers the angle of observation. I don't have a close-up, but you can notice the angle now, which fluctuates with any vibration. Yamaha 2.JPG My current plan is to pull apart the bucket/blinkers and attack the bracket which is molded into the fork structure. I will look over each part and decide then what I need to replace. @5twins has a beautiful looking set of brackets with his photo above, and I noticed @nighthog had some as well, reading his thread earlier this morning. And if the bucket is beyond repair, then too a replacement will be necessary. I am still recovering from the purchase, keeping a tight grip because it is so easy to begin spending. Like flushing the commode. Let the water rise some before I flush again. I insured the "Beauty" the next day (Nov. 9) but I am waiting to next week to pay the tax, registration and Title. Within 30 days if it matters. Meanwhile I am piddling about and enjoying the experience, while trying to settle into this forum. Just looking for the proper pace and time for things to move forward. :cautious: So, here goes... :popcorn:
 
Those bucket ears can be straightened in situ. Use something like a half inch breaker bar to twist the holes until they're parallel with each other.
Then use a block of wood and some allthread to pull 'em in to the correct orientation.


(Ear set in the vise for demonstration... can be straightened in place)

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ears.jpg



bucket.jpg
 
Your bucket can be straightened too. You'll need to remove it, but it's doable. All it takes is a rubber, wood or leather mallet, some chunks of 2X4 and a little patience.


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