New addition to the garage

bosco659

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Like I didn’t have enough to do already….! Today I drove over 400 miles (round trip) to pick up my new to me ‘79 XS650 Special. Bike has sat idle for about 2-1/2 years.

Overall condition quite nice. Rebuilt engine with next to no miles. Starter motor pooched. Started on 2nd kick. Needs battery. Needs timing, timing chain tension and valves checked and set. Needs tires. Brakes (master cylinders and calipers) rebuilt. Carbs need a rebuild (just in case). Need to replace sealing washers under head nuts. Original head pipes and mufflers. Right petcock leaks. Inside of tank 9/10.

Cosmetically: chrome pretty good. Front fender has some rash. No rust under fenders. Gauges not bad. Tach has a ding in the bezel. Frame and tank painted. Seat has a rip. I have the side covers - removed for the ride home. Bull horn bars will be replaced with lower rise bars, but not a priority.

Issue: the motor has a strange noise in the valve train. When the engine is turned over, there is a “clacking” noise in the head. Do not hear the noise if slowly turned over but will when kick started. Sounds like the exhaust side. When the engine starts, it‘s more difficult to hear it ( I only ran the motor for a couple of seconds because of the noise). I’ll set the valve lash to see if that helps. I’m not tech savvy enough to post a video of the noise. It seems like the “clacking” occurs multiple times per revolution of the motor (but. Oil d be wrong on this). Perhaps timing chain related? The noise is quite “metallic“ in sound - like someone is tapping a wrench on the front of the head. I’ll try to listen with my stethoscope tomorrow.
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Anyway - not a ton of work (I hope) to make this a nice looking rider. I‘ll report my progress.

If anyone sees anything that needs attention please lmk. Thx
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Sweet!!
If you post a youtube video of the sound, I'll walk you through posting it here.
Thanks Jim, unfortunately I’m too “challenged“ to make the video and get it on Youtube. Lol. Maybe I can find someone to help me tomorrow. A friend had an interesting theory. Could it be the advance weight flopping around and the noise is travelling through the head material?
 
Thanks Jim, unfortunately I’m too “challenged“ to make the video and get it on Youtube. Lol. Maybe I can find someone to help me tomorrow. A friend had an interesting theory. Could it be the advance weight flopping around and the noise is travelling through the head material?
Well anything's possible, but I doubt the weight would have enough "heft" to make much noise. Would be easy enough to check. Just pop the cover off and have a look at 'em.
 
Boy, you do find some nice ones. It shouldn't take much to put her right, but there's always something that needs doing, lol. I notice you have both petcocks on "PRIME". Don't leave them like that long, the carbs can overflow and make a mess if a float needle and seat doesn't seal.

These are, after all, 40 year old bikes, so even the ones that look good usually still need some things done to them. You have all winter to check it over then you can "ride and wrench" on it.
 
Well anything's possible, but I doubt the weight would have enough "heft" to make much noise. Would be easy enough to check. Just pop the cover off and have a look at 'em.
Will do tomorrow. Want to go out and look now but it’s cold out there! Lol. If I cant solve the mystery I’ll get a video going. Looked up how to set up a YouTube account but it didn’t work. Haven’t given up yet.
 
Boy, you do find some nice ones. It shouldn't take much to put her right, but there's always something that needs doing, lol. I notice you have both petcocks on "PRIME". Don't leave them like that long, the carbs can overflow and make a mess if a float needle and seat doesn't seal.

These are, after all, 40 year old bikes, so even the ones that look good usually still need some things done to them. You have all winter to check it over then you can "ride and wrench" on it.
Ok learned something already. Do I just leave them on “ON” or “RESERVE”?
Do you recognize what the had used for washers under the head nuts?
 
Yes, just leave them on "ON" or "RES". They are vacuum powered petcocks so they only flow when the engine is running and supplying a vacuum signal to them. When there's no vacuum signal to them, they are essentially off. The head washers look like the original rubber/metal ones. Yes, they seal the oil in the stud but are too soft to keep the head nut tight. That's why most of us change them out to copper or brass. They are soft enough to seal but hard enough to keep the nuts tight. You only need change the 4 outside ones. The 4 inner studs are dry and don't require a sealing washer. The plain steel washers Yamaha put on them are fine.
 
That does look really clean.
Petcocks on. But pull a fuel line, check to make sure the vacuum stop is actually working.
Front guide lost it's rubber? chain flops around n makes lots of noise when that happens. Take a look at the tensioner, take a pic before changing the setting.
 
That does look really clean.
Petcocks on. But pull a fuel line, check to make sure the vacuum stop is actually working.
Front guide lost it's rubber? chain flops around n makes lots of noise when that happens. Take a look at the tensioner, take a pic before changing the setting.
Will do. I plan to change the fuel lines anyway. The po used thick wall rubber hose and I’d rather replace it with Tygon tubing. For the front guide, is s motor tear down the only way to check? Is the tensioner set the same way as my ‘76? Thx
 
Yes, just leave them on "ON" or "RES". They are vacuum powered petcocks so they only flow when the engine is running and supplying a vacuum signal to them. When there's no vacuum signal to them, they are essentially off. The head washers look like the original rubber/metal ones. Yes, they seal the oil in the stud but are too soft to keep the head nut tight. That's why most of us change them out to copper or brass. They are soft enough to seal but hard enough to keep the nuts tight. You only need change the 4 outside ones. The 4 inner studs are dry and don't require a sealing washer. The plain steel washers Yamaha put on them are fine.
Going to hunt down those washers. Are they 8mm? Thx.
 
Great find Bosco - congrats!

Regarding that noise, my ‘76C (the redoubtable Lucille :yikes: ) started making a clanking noise while running and, as Gary said, it turned out to be the front timing chain guide had shed its plastic/rubber cladding. The sound is actually the chain slapping against the metal chain guide “shoe”.

If you check my thread entitled “Lucille pulls another one on me” I think you will find out everything you need to determine if the noise on your new bike is that particular issue.

Pete
 
Great find Bosco - congrats!

Regarding that noise, my ‘76C (the redoubtable Lucille :yikes: ) started making a clanking noise while running and, as Gary said, it turned out to be the front timing chain guide had shed its plastic/rubber cladding. The sound is actually the chain slapping against the metal chain guide “shoe”.

If you check my thread entitled “Lucille pulls another one on me” I think you will find out everything you need to determine if the noise on your new bike is that particular issue.

Pete
Thanks Pete. That’s a long thread. Skimmed through the first half quickly and will read the whole thing more carefully after I get some shut eye. On post #2 of that thread, Jim had posted a video that can no longer be viewed. Replied on that thread asking if he still had access to it. Would you still have that video? Thanks.
 
Thanks Pete. That’s a long thread. Skimmed through the first half quickly and will read the whole thing more carefully after I get some shut eye. On post #2 of that thread, Jim had posted a video that can no longer be viewed. Replied on that thread asking if he still had access to it. Would you still have that video? Thanks.

Yeah, I just looked it over and noted that the video link is dead. I’ll try to find that clip in the morning.

The meat of the thread starts at post #71 BTW.

Pete
 
Tried to sleep but couldn’t because all I could think of was pulling the engine ☹️

Indeed. I have checked and I cannot find the clip - sorry. @Jim May still have it (the date would be in early August 2018).

I had taken the video with my phone and emailed it to Jim - but now, it has vanished from my phone and from the email "Sent" file.

I did describe the noise early-on in the thread - and another way to check your bike would be to pull the sump plate off (an easy task).

On Lucille, parts of the plastic component of my front cam chain tensioner/guide was in the sump - in fact, there were two pretty big pieces in there.

Pete
 
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Indeed. I have checked and I cannot find the clip - sorry. @Jim May still have it (the date would be in early August 2018).

I had taken the video with my phone and emailed it to Jim - but now, it has vanished from my phone and from the email "Sent" file.

I did describe the noise early-on in the thread - and another way to check your bike would be to pull the sump plate off (an easy task).

On Lucille, parts of the plastic component of my front cam chain tensioner/guide was in the sump - in fact, there were two pretty big pieces in there.

Pete
Will check the sump Pete. Will be disappointed if I find those bits in there. It is a fresh rebuild and although I don’t know the details, I would be surprised and disappointed if the po (not current po but the one before him) didn’t replace that guide. When I fix things I try to make sure I only need to do it once. Using my stethoscope on the guide mounting bolts may tell me something as well.
 
Hey - I found it!

Here are a couple of clips of the engine noise taken in August 2018:



I will go and re-post these clips in the original thread.

Let us know if this is the noise your new bike is making - if so, you’re pulling the engine out.

Pete
 
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