I suddenly wanted to get an XS650 this Summer and blindly bought the first project I found. I knew nothing. 74 TX650A. Advertisement said abandoned project and it only needed a seat and taillight, it had new flat slide carbs and electronic ignition:
Simple enough? I was out of town at the time and told my son to go get it. When I got home, I was happy with what I saw, but I could see this bike needed a lot of help. Bike was mine now in any event so I got right at it.
Combustion was caked with carbon and valves weren’t shutting(ish) so it made a scene. The old cam chain was super worn and the pamco ignition couldn’t adjust enough. Rebuilt the whole top end.
While motor was out: cut bunches off the frame, swap in hydraulic clutch, counter balance seat, new exhaust, flight controls, wiring, earthx battery, brake lines, tires, chain, the whole 9 yards. Several things gave me a hard time, but overall this bike is a pleasure to work on.
The original clutch was gonz’d, brakes frozen, new carbs were junk, forks blown out, swing arm was a loose tooth. Had my work cut out for me.
So this was my Summer project. I had it ready for the Oyster Run in WA which got canceled but I made the route anyway and now have snuck in a few hundred miles.
On the road now again. Big big smiles with it. This bike was out of service for about 20 years; feels great to free it in the wild again.
What a fun bike, thank you to those that provided help!
Simple enough? I was out of town at the time and told my son to go get it. When I got home, I was happy with what I saw, but I could see this bike needed a lot of help. Bike was mine now in any event so I got right at it.
Combustion was caked with carbon and valves weren’t shutting(ish) so it made a scene. The old cam chain was super worn and the pamco ignition couldn’t adjust enough. Rebuilt the whole top end.
While motor was out: cut bunches off the frame, swap in hydraulic clutch, counter balance seat, new exhaust, flight controls, wiring, earthx battery, brake lines, tires, chain, the whole 9 yards. Several things gave me a hard time, but overall this bike is a pleasure to work on.
The original clutch was gonz’d, brakes frozen, new carbs were junk, forks blown out, swing arm was a loose tooth. Had my work cut out for me.
So this was my Summer project. I had it ready for the Oyster Run in WA which got canceled but I made the route anyway and now have snuck in a few hundred miles.
On the road now again. Big big smiles with it. This bike was out of service for about 20 years; feels great to free it in the wild again.
What a fun bike, thank you to those that provided help!