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Everett's XS650 Revival Thread (1976 XS650C)
- Thread starter everett464
- Start date
Honestly man… No clue. Despite immersing myself in literature this weekend, I’m just barely cracking the surface of understanding the system. What I know is that when the stator is connected I blow fuses. I have no clue where my short is coming from, and it’s stressing me out. I need to find a trouble shooting thread I saw someone vaguely refer to, but I opened up the tech tab, started to read, and decided I didn't have it in me to try and hunt anymore this weekend.
I like the get it started plan better anyway. Onward and upwards.
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Comment's # 2 and 3...
2 explains the basics of charging.
3 gets into troubleshooting.
https://www.xs650.com/threads/rewound-alternator-rotor.54276/post-584934
I offered a solution, (with a link), to sort out problems in a loom and switches.
This should b done on all old bikes to eliminate on going electrical problems.
Fixing one problem and hoping the rest of the loom is good is another problem waiting to happen.
Ok… thanks for this link. I failed the slap test. I don’t get any magnetism. I won’t be able to do the rest of the tests until I get kicked over. Hopefully this week I’ll have some more answers
I did however do a bunch more testing with the meter and the fuses, and managed to isolate my short to the regulator. O’Reilly by me had a VR115, so I wired up a 3-pin connector, and… voila! No more short.
Sir… I am a first-timer who just swapped my entire wiring harness (because the old one had torched itself) and who now has a bike with several known issues, several of which (horn, flasher relay) I found using the method from your link.
I’m not sure what you are saying I’m doing wrong at this point, but I promise I’m not trying to be a whiner or a tell-me-what-to-do. I am using a meter (also for the first time), and moving methodically, and identifying issues, and trying to resolve them the right way. I’m reading and learning, and getting through things.
Ok… thanks for this link. I failed the slap test. I don’t get any magnetism. I won’t be able to do the rest of the tests until I get kicked over. Hopefully this week I’ll have some more answers
I did however do a bunch more testing with the meter and the fuses, and managed to isolate my short to the regulator. O’Reilly by me had a VR115, so I wired up a 3-pin connector, and… voila! No more short.
View attachment 375244
Sir… I am a first-timer who just swapped my entire wiring harness (because the old one had torched itself) and who now has a bike with several known issues, several of which (horn, flasher relay) I found using the method from your link.
I’m not sure what you are saying I’m doing wrong at this point, but I promise I’m not trying to be a whiner or a tell-me-what-to-do. I am using a meter (also for the first time), and moving methodically, and identifying issues, and trying to resolve them the right way. I’m reading and learning, and getting through things.
I saw you had acknowledged my post with a like.
Your ongoing posts didn't indicate any continuity testing or acknowledge you were using the link. seemed more live power testing.
You would b surprised at how many people ignore help
If my link helped, great.
I understand how electrics is mindboggling when learning from scratch. I think it pays not to try to understand the intricacies of how components work, just knowing things have to b in an order and how to test a part will save a lot of headache.
Keep going, when I first worked on swapping a good secondhand loom onto my bike, sometimes I had to stop for a few days because my brain was actually hurting trying to relate a wiring diagram to the actual bike. Also I had to sort the differences between an Oceania 80SG to an American wiring diagram. A US 78 Special loom went on my 80 still a couple of gotchas.
Thanks and I appreciate it. I have definitely used your link, and it has definitely helped. I’ve actually come a really long way. Unfortunately, what I’ve found at this point seems to be: “everything-broken.” I know that’s got more to do with my emotions than anything. It’s a lot. It’s what I signed up for and I’m stoked to be learning, but - like you - sometimes it makes my head hurt.
Don't give up. I bought what looked like a tatty but complete and original 650D. I thought it was going to be a straightforward recommission. How wrong is it possible to be?
But I got there in the end.
I got away from electricity tonight (or at least tried to…).
I changed the oil and both filters. Snapped a bolt while replacing the sump cover (cool cool cool cool). Ran fuel lines and put fuel in the tank. Both petcocks working. Carbs not leaking.
Put the battery in, turned the key, tried to kick it over, and… no dice. Gave it about 40 or 50 kicks until I was sweating and filthy. No good noises at all.
Finally pulled the right plug, and of course no spark… Spent too much time in the garage tonight and had to pack it up, but that’s where we are.
I changed the oil and both filters. Snapped a bolt while replacing the sump cover (cool cool cool cool). Ran fuel lines and put fuel in the tank. Both petcocks working. Carbs not leaking.
Put the battery in, turned the key, tried to kick it over, and… no dice. Gave it about 40 or 50 kicks until I was sweating and filthy. No good noises at all.
Finally pulled the right plug, and of course no spark… Spent too much time in the garage tonight and had to pack it up, but that’s where we are.
Remind me again, this bike have points or an aftermarket ignition?
Tomorrows a new day.
First order will be to see if you have 12v at the coils... and go from there.
First order will be to see if you have 12v at the coils... and go from there.
OMG... the spark plug has an aluminum cap on it... 
MikeyDeepXS
Livin’ in XS
what?!? On the end that goes inside the engine?!?OMG... the spark plug has an aluminum cap on it...
No... on the cap end. This might (and probably should) make you all laugh at me. At the very least, it will confirm that I am in fact an absolute beginner.
Long story short: I bought new NGK plugs and caps a while back, and was never all that impressed at the connection between the two. I was just checking all of my connections this afternoon - more fiddling around than anything - and I pulled the two apart to see if I could make the connection slightly more positive. In goofing around, I realized that one of the spark plugs had a loose terminal. Thinking at first it was broken (and maybe the source of my bad spark), I now know that it is in fact a "loose terminal" spark plug. Needless to say, I have much better cap to plug connection now.
Long story short: I bought new NGK plugs and caps a while back, and was never all that impressed at the connection between the two. I was just checking all of my connections this afternoon - more fiddling around than anything - and I pulled the two apart to see if I could make the connection slightly more positive. In goofing around, I realized that one of the spark plugs had a loose terminal. Thinking at first it was broken (and maybe the source of my bad spark), I now know that it is in fact a "loose terminal" spark plug. Needless to say, I have much better cap to plug connection now.
Make sure you have either a resistor plug or a resistor cap... one or the other, not both. Give us the plug number and the cap numbers?
