crashcourse
XS650 Addict
Hey All,
Long time, no ride. Almost exactly three years ago I limped home on my XS650. I had only a 6 mile commute, and it died several times on my way home, any time I let the rpms drop. Every time I thought it might not start back up, but the old girl did not leave me stranded and I made it home. My son was born a month later, so I never had time to even troubleshoot. Two kids later, I'm finally in the mood to wrench again.
I started by checking the things that were wrong last time I had trouble like that; checked the ignition coil, resistance was right at nominal. Checked the alternator brushes, one is right at the line to replace, the other only slightly longer. Since I never checked the battery or charging voltage, it very well could have been the problem, but maybe not. I still suspect the coil, but I'll wait until I can try running the engine a while and get the coil warmed up.
For good measure, I pulled the carbs and checked for varnish and junk. So far it looks good. I need to get a battery and new brushes and see if I can start it and re-create the original problem.
Once I solve the problem of the engine dying at inconvenient times, I need to do some serious cosmetic work. Replacing worn, cracked parts, painting the tank and sidecovers, and just making this bike shine again, are all on my to-do list. I've got an engine oil leak that needs to be addressed, and maybe some reliability upgrades. So I hope to use this thread as a log of my efforts, humble though they be.
Progress will be slow, because most of my time to work on it will be when the kids are either playing outside or are in bed, but I'm not in a hurry. its just nice to be working on the bike again.
Long time, no ride. Almost exactly three years ago I limped home on my XS650. I had only a 6 mile commute, and it died several times on my way home, any time I let the rpms drop. Every time I thought it might not start back up, but the old girl did not leave me stranded and I made it home. My son was born a month later, so I never had time to even troubleshoot. Two kids later, I'm finally in the mood to wrench again.
I started by checking the things that were wrong last time I had trouble like that; checked the ignition coil, resistance was right at nominal. Checked the alternator brushes, one is right at the line to replace, the other only slightly longer. Since I never checked the battery or charging voltage, it very well could have been the problem, but maybe not. I still suspect the coil, but I'll wait until I can try running the engine a while and get the coil warmed up.
For good measure, I pulled the carbs and checked for varnish and junk. So far it looks good. I need to get a battery and new brushes and see if I can start it and re-create the original problem.
Once I solve the problem of the engine dying at inconvenient times, I need to do some serious cosmetic work. Replacing worn, cracked parts, painting the tank and sidecovers, and just making this bike shine again, are all on my to-do list. I've got an engine oil leak that needs to be addressed, and maybe some reliability upgrades. So I hope to use this thread as a log of my efforts, humble though they be.
Progress will be slow, because most of my time to work on it will be when the kids are either playing outside or are in bed, but I'm not in a hurry. its just nice to be working on the bike again.
. I did it by accident recently.
