First Time Build Thread

[Junkyard Jake]

Hello all! New member and first time XS owner. I bought this '76 a couple of weeks ago and have been tearing into it little by little since then. As you can see it's been modified in the past and needs some love. I'm 25 and this is my first Yamaha and restoration/modification of a vintage bike.

My first goal is to get it running and we're getting close (I hope). I wasn't getting any spark on the left side so I started troubleshooting. The coils tested good without the spark plug wires but read 0 when the wires were in. Am I really that lucky? I replaced the 8mm silicone wires with some 7mm wires and now we're getting good spark on both sides. I also threw in some new plugs for good measure. Next on the agenda was addressing the fuel.

I rebuilt the carbs this past weekend, put them back on, and tried to start the bike. It must know how excited I am to hear it run and wants to mess with me a little bit because now absolutely nothing happens when I press the electric start. It was working just fine before I took the carbs off. I'm guessing that I knocked a wire loose when removing the carbs. I will be looking for that gremlin later tonight, but first I wanted to introduce myself and my project. I will update the thread as I move forward and I'm sure I'll be a regular around here. Here are some more photos of the bike as it sits now.

 

[Jim]

Welcome!!!
You're exactly the kind of young man we like to see here. Most kids your age never heard of a carb. You on the other hand... can rebuild 'em.
We're a bunch of old men here. When we're gone, all our knowledge goes with us unless someone come along and want's to learn what we know. From the looks of it, that'd be you. Ask questions and you'll get all the answers you need from this bunch.
Excited to see your bike come back to life. And again, welcome!

 

[willis]

Welcome to the madhouse Jake. Great looking project you’ve got there that should cleanup real nice. You’ll find this forum very active compared to most. A real great bunch hang out here with an amazing amount of knowledge. A lot of these guys were riding these bikes when they were new. Make good use of the search function and be sure to visit the tech pages. Oh yeah, we like lots of pictures here too!

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Welcome to the madhouse Jake.

Excited to see your bike come back to life. And again, welcome!

Thank you gentlemen for the warm welcome! I’m excited to learn and soak up as much knowledge as I can.

The red wire attached to the fuse was unplugged. I reconnected it and now it shows signs of life but only for a moment. Seems like maybe the battery is bad because it tries one good time to start and then slowly fades until nothing happens except a click. That seems odd since the battery is basically brand new and was totally fine before rebuilding the carbs.

 

[Jim]

Seems like maybe the battery is bad because it tries one good time to start and then slowly fades until nothing happens except a click. That seems odd since the battery is basically brand new and was totally fine before rebuilding the carbs.

Take it to a parts store tomorrow and get it load tested?

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Take it to a parts store tomorrow and get it load tested?

Lucky for me there's a parts store right next to where I'm working on the bike. I'll take the battery by there tonight

 

[JJames]

Yes. Welcome Jake. At 58 I'm the second youngest member on the forum lol. But seriously, most of these guys have forgotten more about bikes than I'll ever know. Good to see some new blood here.
Good job staying organized on the carb rebuild. I'll leave you with my usual rant about batteries. I can't overemphasize the importance of a good healthy battery in these motorcycles. If you don't own a multi-meter. Get one. Just ask and someone can recommend a good one. Check the tech section to evaluate/ diagnose your charging system. Have fun.

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Yes. Welcome Jake. At 58 I'm the second youngest member on the forum lol. But seriously, most of these guys have forgotten more about bikes than I'll ever know. Good to see some new blood here.
Good job staying organized on the carb rebuild. I'll leave you with my usual rant about batteries. I can't overemphasize the importance of a good healthy battery in these motorcycles. If you don't own a multi-meter. Get one. Just ask and someone can recommend a good one. Check the tech section to evaluate/ diagnose your charging system. Have fun.

Thanks James, excited to be here. I just had the battery charged and tested at O’Reilleys and it has a bad cell. That’s what I get for cheaping out on the battery. I was hoping it would last long enough to get the bike going but here we are haha thanks for letting me know about the tech section. I hadn’t seen it before you mentioned it. Looks like a gold mine.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

Really nice looking bike. Welcome.

 

[JJames]

Good deal Jake. I see too many posts where people start throwing parts at the bike but continue using the battery that came with the bike.
The Tech section truly is a goldmine. Hundreds of years combined experience with these bikes. Guys that really know thier stuff. I don't think you'll find that kind of support for other motorcycles. Have fun.

 

[TbirdIV]

Sweet looking bike, I love that paint-job!
Good luck with the resto, that'll be a neat bike to see on the road.

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Really nice looking bike. Welcome.

Good deal Jake. I see too many posts where people start throwing parts at the bike but continue using the battery that came with the bike.
The Tech section truly is a goldmine. Hundreds of years combined experience with these bikes. Guys that really know thier stuff. I don't think you'll find that kind of support for other motorcycles. Have fun.

Sweet looking bike, I love that paint-job!
Good luck with the resto, that'll be a neat bike to see on the road.

Thanks guys! After getting a new battery in place we officially have some life.

 

[Jim]

Thanks guys! After getting a new battery in place we officially have some life.

Nice "thumper"....
You can hold the back of your hand close to the header pipes where they come out of the head. That'll tell you which side ain't firin'.

 

[Wingedwheel]

Welcome Jake, I love my ‘76 and you’ve got a great start. I looks like the rear wheel has been changed to a 16” Keep plugging away you will love the results.

 

[Adamc]

That’s a great start to your restoration. You seem to have a good aptitude to fix things; and also document your progress. We love pictures / videos here so keep em coming. Watching with much interest.

 

[CaptCardboard]

Love the color!
I'm slowly rebuilding a '75 while I'm also enjoying riding it. This forum is a treasure trove of knowledge, and I'm finding these bikes are a treat to service too. Everybody party!

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Nice "thumper"....
You can hold the back of your hand close to the header pipes where they come out of the head. That'll tell you which side ain't firin'.

Thanks for the tip! It was the right side that wasn’t firing. I opened up the petcock to find it was gunked up.

I cleared out the passageway and put it back on. Now the right side bowl is dumping fuel out of the bottom drain hose when I turn the fuel on. Does that mean I did something wrong with the carb rebuild?

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Welcome Jake, I love my ‘76 and you’ve got a great start. I looks like the rear wheel has been changed to a 16” Keep plugging away you will love the results.

That’s a great start to your restoration. You seem to have a good aptitude to fix things; and also document your progress. We love pictures / videos here so keep em coming. Watching with much interest.

Love the color!
I'm slowly rebuilding a '75 while I'm also enjoying riding it. This forum is a treasure trove of knowledge, and I'm finding these bikes are a treat to service too. Everybody party!

Thanks guys, glad to be here! I was eyeballing a swap to a black and gold tank from a 75 but the blue is growing on me for sure.

 

[Jim]

Now the right side bowl is dumping fuel out of the bottom drain hose when I turn the fuel on. Does that mean I did something wrong with the carb rebuild?

Most likely. You have either a bad float (leaks), float valve needle and seat or the level's not set correctly.... or any combination thereof.
Did you replace the float?
Needle and seat?
Adjust the float?
Individual parts or a "carb kit"?

 

[Junkyard Jake]

Most likely. You have either a bad float (leaks), float valve needle and seat or the level's not set correctly.... or any combination thereof.
Did you replace the float?
Needle and seat?
Adjust the float?
Individual parts or a "carb kit"?

I used this kit from Mikes. I purchased prior to reading the forums thoughts on them.

https://www.mikesxs.net/carb-rebuil...html?fits-motorcycle=Yamaha/XS650/XS650C/1976