First Post - A few Questions

XS1 Rider

XS1 Rider

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Hello! I recently acquired a 1971 XS1 for sentimental reasons. I've attached a photo of it on the way home in my truck.

My first bike many years ago was a 1970 XS1 that I got for $100. That bike was disassembled when I got it and I put it back together one summer with the help of some friends. I rode that old XS1 all over the western US for several years. I sold it after I had purchased some other bikes that were bigger and newer...a decision I have regretted for a long time.

So when I saw this '71 for sale, I thought it would make a fun project that could bring back some memories as it is very similar to the '70. Plus '71 was the year I was born.

Anyway, I have a few questions for the group:

First, has anyone purchased and used the capacitor kit and PMA kit that Mike's XS sells to eliminate the battery? I am very interested in this set up, but would appreciate any feedback from someone who may have already tried it.

Second, this bike is missing the dust cover (part number 256-25127-00-00) from the front brake drum. Does anyone here have one of these they would like to sell or know a source for one? I suppose I would need the gasket as well.

Lastly, I realize the '71 did not have fork boots like the '70. But I wanted to install a new pair to remind me of my first bike. Does anyone have any advice for which boots would fit best?

Most of everything else this bike is missing I am either finding on EBay or plan to buy from one of the online vendors like Mikes' XS or yamahaxs650.com. Parts are easier to get now that we have the internet...

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you can share on my questions.
 

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Welcome! Fair warning- I'm 5 years ahead of you, and I think you're gonna find the ride quality is, well, tough on these old bones vs. when we were in our 20's. That said, I love short hops around the countryside, just nothing over an hour. The classifieds here on the forum are well stocked and oriented toward keeping the bikes running vs. major commerce.

Check the "Technical details" sticky, I'm pretty sure there is a thread on how to rig fork boots in there somewhere. here we go- https://www.xs650.com/threads/how-t...ng-parts-found-at-the-auto-parts-store.12653/
 
Its been a long time said:
Is there anything wrong with the stock charging system? IMHO it's going to be cheaper, easier and perhaps more reliable to fix what you have than to fit a (probably?) Chinese made PMA. More authentic too.
Click to expand...

Yes
It looks as there is a spare motor also lower right on the picture
So if there are alternator and rotor parts ..new Auto rectifier and regulator that don't cost much as per recommendations
here on the forum
and a Voltmeter on the bike Would be a cheaper and better solution. You need the battery though
 
Thanks for the info everybody. The discussion on fork boots options was very interesting. I may go with rack/pinion boots as the look is interesting and different from the standard boots.

As for the charging system modification, I just thought it would be nice to not have to have a battery on a bike that was kick start only anyway. It's not a prime concern at the moment. But if I could get rid of the battery, that would be neat.

First thing I need to tend to on this bike is cleaning out old gas from the tank, rebuilding the petcocks, and cleaning out the carbs. Those are indeed VM carbs, which is nice. The only bad thing about this particular set up is that the previous owner put two left-hand side carbs on the bike! So actuating the choke on the right-side carb is a pain. I may just convert the right-side carb to a pull-up choke lever. Once I've gone through the tank and carbs and changed the oil, I'll give it a tune up and see how it fires up.

Then I'll need to tend to the front forks. New springs and seals, as it very saggy. And I will be adding turn signals. Some other maintenance items...

Yes that is a spare motor that was included in the sale. I was told it was a 1975 motor, but I haven't checked the numbers. Now that could be a whole other project: make it a 750cc! We'll see. One thing at a time.
 
XS1 Rider said:
The only bad thing about this particular set up is that the previous owner put two left-hand side carbs on the bike! So actuating the choke on the right-side carb is a pain. I may just convert the right-side carb to a pull-up choke lever.
Click to expand...
To my knowledge, all VM34's have the "left-facing" choke (enricher) lever...I have never seen one that actuates from the right side. So, as you have said, the best solution is to put the plunger-type actuator on the right hand carb.
 
I noticed that Mike's XS sells left-hand and right-hand versions of the VM34 carbs. I assumed that meant the choke controls were reversed. But I honestly don't know and haven't researched it.
 
XS1 Rider said:
I noticed that Mike's XS sells left-hand and right-hand versions of the VM34 carbs. I assumed that meant the choke controls were reversed. But I honestly don't know and haven't researched it.
Click to expand...
Hey, you could be right, I have just never seen a true right-hand VM34.

Edit: Ok, yes there are RH and LH VM34's ( I forgot this tidbit even though I have a pair on my XS650 🙄), but the choke/enricher doesn't change sides, only the idle speed screw does. The pilot mixture screws don't change sides either.
 
Last edited:
Here are pictures of both carbs. I haven’t taken them off for cleaning yet. But at first glance I don’t see any difference between the two.
 

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XS1 Rider said:
Here are pictures of both carbs. I haven’t taken them off for cleaning yet. But at first glance I don’t see any difference between the two.
Click to expand...
Here is a right side carb with push-pull choke replacing lever. You'll note idle speed and pilot air screws are both there.

PXL_20260417_225553797~2.jpg


Here is left side carb with standard choke lever and idle speed screw is there but pilot air screw is on the inside.

PXL_20260417_225521308~2.jpg


I see pilot air screw on your RH carb, so can I assume pilot air on the LH carb is inside (pretty normal), but are both idle screws on the inside? If so, I'd swap carbs side to side, change "new" RH carb to a push-pull choke, and you'll then have a pretty standard setup i.e. what most peeps with VM34's have.
 
Thanks for the info. I checked today and yes, the previous owner installed these with the idle adjustment screws on the inside facing each other. I can’t imagine why one would do this. But I’ll be reversing these when I take them off for cleaning.
 

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Something to keep in mind....

The slides are different left and right because of the cutout for the idle screw. You can easily interchange between sides... but don't do that, the slide and idle screw have to match or you won't get a good idle.

More than one person has popped up on the forum wondering why their idle won't go lower than 3000 rpm after they removed the carbs for cleaning. It's because they (inadvertently) swapped the slides. So when you swap the carbs around, make sure the slides follow.
 

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