Allow me to introduce myself

[wryland]

Here goes nothing -
I just dropped $200 on a 1979 XS650 basket case.

This is going to be my first "real" project bike, and I'm going to be working on it with my father. My intent is to build a street tracker, something I've been dreaming about for 15 years. I chose the XS650 for many reasons, the chief reasons being money, parts availability, and the anticipation of support and advice from experienced people like you.

I've been helping my Dad work on his old triumphs and suzukis since I was 10, but I'm no mechanical genius so I'll be relying on sheer force of will to make my street tracker dream a reality.

Anyways, I'm new to the forum and so I just wanted to take a minute for a quick introduction as I start the process of rebuilding this bike.

Is there anything I should know about this community before I start posting?

 

[Samuraiace]

Welcome!!, It's always good to have another XS'er around.
The XS is a perfect bike for the "First Project".
And this is the place to be when you build her. From what I've seen of my time here, the people are great, the advise is outstanding and sound, and everyone is either in or been in the same boat your paddling around.

P/s the only thing you should know is that we want some photos.

 

[XSJoel]

Nice, I just dropped $400 on my 2nd XS, a 75 basket case chop without a title. It will be my first real project, I did little stuff helping my dad build a ground up Harley build/resurrection. Best of luck.

 

[JAGUARGOD]

Welcome from Slower Delaware! Good luck on your project. Lotta smart guys here. They be helpful too. Me not one of em.....Kev.

 

[wryland]

Thanks for welcoming me to the forum.
Here are a few pics to give you an idea of what I'm starting with:

Mikuni carbs, model unknown

Mikuni carbs, model unknown

I suspect there are some missing parts

Boyer Brandsen electronic ignition in the red box, model unknown, functionality unknown

Our plan is to try to get it running and then start stripping it down for a full rebuild.
I've got a haynes manual, the parts fiche images, and that's about it. A long road ahead for this XS, but I'm really looking forward to the process. comments welcomed!

 

[pregrid]

Congratulations on the deal and welcome. Always need another tracker on here. Feel free to use the search function as much as you can but if that fails don't hesitate to ask! And pics, pics, pics. These guys here have a fetish for them.

 

[grepper]

Welcome,
An XS650 was my first project, now I'm on my 4th The more you read the more you get addicted.
Glad to see you have a Manual, check out the Tech section for good additional information. The thread search tool is pretty good and will keep you from asking the questions that have been asked 100 times before.

Good Luck

 

[XSJoel]

I believe those are Mikuni VM34 Round Slides.

 

[littlebill31]

Welcome aboard. Have fun with 'er. Great bikes to own.

 

[TampaSVT]

Welcome.


Rich

 

[OakBehringer]

Good news for you: Buying those carbs and ignition would cost more than what you paid for the entire bike. Lucky!

MikesXS and 650Central will have all the parts you need.

Welcome

 

[Shakey]

+1 on the Mikunis being Vm34 round slides. There is a really good Mikuni service manual online that covers this model - haven't got the link to hand but if you can't find it, shout and I'll look it up.
Otherwise looks like a very viable project - good luck

 

[pregrid]

got some jetting info on those carbs that has worked real well for me. When you get there just ask.

 

[wryland]

Thanks guys, this is all very encouraging. The story of how I got this bike was a series of great coincidences and so I thought I'd share.

Christmas day I was having dinner with my family and I was talking about the idea of building a street tracker. My dad mentions an article he read recently and that an XS650 would be an economical choice for building one. I thought little to nothing of this at the time, but it piqued my interest enough to start getting ideas of what people have done with these Yamahas.

Then lightning struck - I saw the bike locally on Craigslist two days after Christmas - minimal description, no pictures. I called the guy up to talk about his history with the bike for a while... and at the end of the phone call I found out that he was my old shop class teacher from high school 15 years ago. Hah! small world... small town!

Anyways, I called him back 10 minutes later to set up a time to see it, and he informed me someone else was first in line to look at the XS650 and the sidecar that he had previously attached to it.

A few days later it turned out that the buyer had only bought the side car, (must be destiny, right?) and when I went to check out the bike, it was just what I was looking for. He shared all the things about the bike that he could remember,

After I paid and loaded the bike onto the trailer, he told me to pull the trailer around the side of the house... he had a "special bonus" for me - I pulled around, he opened up his shed, and then he threw in his old motorcycle lift! What a guy!

 

[pregrid]

Kismet!!

 

[wryland]

Update:

I spent about four Sundays inspecting, cleaning, and replacing a few missing parts on this bike.

Tried starting it the week prior, but it wouldn't fire at all. Then this past Sunday I found a loose ground wire that I had overlooked - I cleaned it up and attached it to the frame and then...

I SIMPLY CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES AND EARS - IT STARTED RIGHT UP ON THE SECOND KICK!!!

I'm super stoked - this means I have a running bike, and I can get started on the project! I do have quite a bit more research and reading to do, but I'm planning to take lots of pictures while I remove all the parts from the bike and begin the complete overhaul.

I'll start a new build thread once I make some progress - but in the mean time I was wondering if anyone has any basic advice as to the best way to go about starting this project? How have you approached starting a custom project in the past? What decisions do I need to make before I start grinding and refinishing the frame? Any suggestions or warnings?

 

[kelso]

Wow, great find wryland. The bike lift is a huge bonus!

What are your plans for the bike exactly? Do you already have a pretty clear idea of where you are going with the build? Are you going to strip it out completely and rewire it all from scratch later?

 

[wryland]

Well now that I have proof that the bike is in running order, my plans are to dismantle everything.

And then the fun begins:

• grind off unnecessary frame parts, repaint
• find a 17" spoked rear wheel and modify the swingarm to fit the drum brake
• fabricate an alternate rear fender
• replace the rear shocks
• fiberglass my own seat pan and have a seat upholstered
• new exhaust - thinking TT pipes, or something bonneville style
• front end swap with modern upside-down forks, cafe or street-tracker bars, new speedo/tach
• supermoto front wheel
• new headlight, turn signals, brake light
• complete rewire, may do it myself or just buy mikesxs harness.