New Member - What have I gotten myself into?

[FormosaRider]

New member and first time poster, though a long-time lurker.

Learned to ride during university study abroad in Taiwan.

Returned to Taiwan and to riding many years later, and toured the island extensively on a little 150cc Sanyang Wild Wolf - a locally-produced version of a 1970s Honda CB125.

Having come home to the States, I've sought out the same riding experience. The result - a 1979 Yamaha XS650 in need of a little love. I don't have much mechanical experience. But I'm looking forward to learning how to keep this girl on the road.

 

[FormosaRider]

And for anyone who's interested, here are a few pics of my gone girl, my Taiwan SYM (SanYang Motors) Wild Wolf. She carried me over some beautiful miles.

 

[Jim]

Welcome to the forum!
Tell us a bit about the bike... the XS?

 

[azman857]

Change all fluids and do a full tune-up. A Factory Maintenance Manual for your bike is a must. Chiltons or a Haynes manuals are OK but IMO the Factory manual is the best. The Tech section (top line) of this forum is great info.
BTW Welcome to our corner in the WWW and the XS 650 fold. IMO these bikes are the best backroads motorcycles. I've done many 200 mile rides on my '80SG. Wrenching is easy. Upgrades are doable. I've never had a problem finding parts.

 

[FormosaRider]

Welcome to the forum!
Tell us a bit about the bike... the XS?

The XS - Bought it from a dealership in Iowa just before relocating to North Carolina. They had done some basic maintenance on the bike, but it was far from a restoration. It was sitting in the back of their storage garage. I was very happy to rescue it.

It fired right up, and I rode it home before trailering it to North Carolina. That was a few months ago. A few rides in, and one cylinder started misfiring. The smell of gas leaking put an immediate stop to that ride. After that, new job, new hometown, and new baby prevented any sustained mechanical attention to the bike. I tracked the original problem to a cracked vacuum line from the petcock to the carb. Fixed that, but still not starting. Planning to run through a full diagnostic, as detailed here in the forum, as soon as other life factors allow.

But if anyone knows any good mechanic in the Raleigh area who works on these machines, I would love a referral. I think it won't take much to get her up and running. And since I don't have the time right now, I'd be willing to take a shortcut and have somebody get her going again for me.

 

[FormosaRider]

Change all fluids and do a full tune-up. A Factory Maintenance Manual for your bike is a must. Chiltons or a Haynes manuals are OK but IMO the Factory manual is the best. The Tech section (top line) of this forum is great info.
BTW Welcome to our corner in the WWW and the XS 650 fold. IMO these bikes are the best backroads motorcycles. I've done many 200 mile rides on my '80SG. Wrenching is easy. Upgrades are doable. I've never had a problem finding parts.

Thanks! I acquired a shop manual, a Haynes manual, and a Clymer manual as soon as I picked up the bike. I've also started collecting tools on an as-needed basis as I've started working on the bike. I don't have much mechanical experience. So the XS's ease of repair and availability of parts brought me to the bike. The Tech section is fantastic! I've been diving deep there, just figuring out which way is what. Can't wait to start the adventure.

 

[Jan_P]

Just a suggestion .Not Knowing your Skills and Wealth
But a misfiring and little petrol smell is nothing strange after a long standstill.
I Have that after every Winter
Does it not start at all ..on no cylinder then the first thing to do is getting the battery up to spec ..
Charging and / or replacing
It looks like a 78 - 79 something and with low power and points ( Or other ignitions for that matter ) they don't start Especially not with the starter.
Then I would assume some ignition on at least one cylinder to be there.
It did run not long ago.
Tank inspection so not dirt and rust goes down.
Then either try start and get it running. Which I would probably do. ( Some service had been done )
Or take the float bowls down for inspection and cleaning
Which can be done without taking off the carburetors
Nothing wrong with a professional mechanic but it can be expensive and prevents some people from having these
Fine bikes.
I think it was about 25 Years ago a Shop told me not to Put any money or time into the Bike
I still have the bike .He is out of Business since 10 -15 years
I have still not had the bike in a shop.
Saves money and is a part of the Hobby.
Electric bikes cant do it :then I get another hobby some sport most likely

 

[Adamc]

New member and first time poster, though a long-time lurker.

Learned to ride during university study abroad in Taiwan.

Returned to Taiwan and to riding many years later, and toured the island extensively on a little 150cc Sanyang Wild Wolf - a locally-produced version of a 1970s Honda CB125.

Having come home to the States, I've sought out the same riding experience. The result - a 1979 Yamaha XS650 in need of a little love. I don't have much mechanical experience. But I'm looking forward to learning how to keep this girl on the road.
View attachment 203246View attachment 203246View attachment 203247View attachment 203248View attachment 203249

Welcome aboard.
Everyone here is a willing helper, with usually good experience and advise.
Your machine looks to be a great place to start this journey and enjoy the ride.

 

[RustiePyles]

Nice looking Special you got your self there, welcome to the forum.

 

[nj1639]

That SYM looks like a younger, smaller distant cousin......I can see your attraction to the xs.
As far as finding a mechanic? You'll do no worse wrenching on your new antique than the most of them out there, and with love of the machine you'll do so much better.
I'd look for a fellow enthusiast in your area to share the experience than a paid mechanic.
As me old long gone Pigeon fancier buddy Clarence Sutton used to say with a smile "Two heads are better than one, even if one's a cabbage head." I was never sure which one of us he was referring to.......
Welcome aboard!

 

[ThatXS650Guy]

Welcome to the Forum. NC is chock full of some of the best roads in the Country and there are few bikes better for that than a XS650.
Having a new bike and a newborn brings back memories... You want to wrench but you are tethered to something far more important. Give it some time and they will be out there helping you before you know it.

 

[Adamc]

Welcome to the Forum. NC is chock full of some of the best roads in the Country and there are few bikes better for that than a XS650.
Having a new bike and a newborn brings back memories... You want to wrench but you are tethered to something far more important. Give it some time and they will be out there helping you before you know it. View attachment 203270

Fair play; by the time I was 4 years old dad taught me to open a bottle of Newcastle Brown with an adjustable spanner. Never looked back since then.

 

[motormike]

Welcome...looks like fork seals are needed...consider new springs if it's going to be a long-term keeper, better shocks and do the swing arm bushings. ... change the fluids.... with Specials I always go with a 32-sprocket on the rear. These old Xs units are great bikes, and you'll get years of adventures out of it. In time.. you'll get the " I need a bigger.. faster ... blah blah blah "... and sell the Xs. Later.. you'll regret sell'n it. So.. buy the bigger..faster... but pickle the Xs and put it someplace safe.

 

[FormosaRider]

Just a suggestion .Not Knowing your Skills and Wealth
But a misfiring and little petrol smell is nothing strange after a long standstill.
I Have that after every Winter
Does it not start at all ..on no cylinder then the first thing to do is getting the battery up to spec ..
Charging and / or replacing
It looks like a 78 - 79 something and with low power and points ( Or other ignitions for that matter ) they don't start Especially not with the starter.
Then I would assume some ignition on at least one cylinder to be there.
It did run not long ago.
Tank inspection so not dirt and rust goes down.
Then either try start and get it running. Which I would probably do. ( Some service had been done )
Or take the float bowls down for inspection and cleaning
Which can be done without taking off the carburetors
Nothing wrong with a professional mechanic but it can be expensive and prevents some people from having these
Fine bikes.
I think it was about 25 Years ago a Shop told me not to Put any money or time into the Bike
I still have the bike .He is out of Business since 10 -15 years
I have still not had the bike in a shop.
Saves money and is a part of the Hobby.
Electric bikes cant do it :then I get another hobby some sport most likely

After misfiring and gasoline smell, I confirmed actually gasoline on engine. After cleaning that up, the bike would not start. Tracked it down to that cracked vacuum line. Life intervened before any further work. Now it's been a few months, and the bike won't start. I have a plan for diagnostics and general maintenance. Just don't have time now, with our infant daughter to take care of. Only room for one baby right now!

Tank looks clean from visual inspection. Filled it with stabilized gas to hold out the rust until I can get back to the bike. Battery is low. Will pull it and recharge it. See how it goes from there, to get it started. And then when time allows, the full monty described in the Tech section.

That blue SanYang bike in my pictures above is owned by an old friend and riding buddy. He bought his bike with 135,000 km (84,000 miles) already on the clock. The mechanic that sold it tried to convince him to buy something more modern and fresher than that beat-up old delivery bike. Said that the bike was worn out and wouldn't last long. My buddy has since put 230,000 more kilometers on the bike. That's about 143,000 miles he's put on that saddle! Now that's a goal to aim for! Would be happy to get close on my XS.

The plan has always been to do my own maintenance and repairs. After all, isn't that the point of these grand old bikes? Just hate to see it sitting when I know it wouldn't take much to get it running.

 

[FormosaRider]

Welcome to the Forum. NC is chock full of some of the best roads in the Country and there are few bikes better for that than a XS650.
Having a new bike and a newborn brings back memories... You want to wrench but you are tethered to something far more important. Give it some time and they will be out there helping you before you know it. View attachment 203270

Isn't that the truth!? What a good helper you have there! Can't wait until mine is ready to hold a wrench with me.

 

[FormosaRider]

That SYM looks like a younger, smaller distant cousin......I can see your attraction to the xs.
As far as finding a mechanic? You'll do no worse wrenching on your new antique than the most of them out there, and with love of the machine you'll do so much better.
I'd look for a fellow enthusiast in your area to share the experience than a paid mechanic.
As me old long gone Pigeon fancier buddy Clarence Sutton used to say with a smile "Two heads are better than one, even if one's a cabbage head." I was never sure which one of us he was referring to.......
Welcome aboard!

That's it exactly! I was looking for something just like my old Wild Wolf, but able to handle US speeds and distances. (Taiwan roads are generally limited to 45 mph, and even slower on the incredible mountain twisties.) Something dead simple and from that same earlier time, with that same indefinable riding quality. Looked at all of the UJMs of the era. Narrowed it down to either a Honda CB or a Yamaha XS. Between the two, the Yamaha just felt right. Kept an eye out, and jumped when I saw a decent one available.

 

[FormosaRider]

Welcome...looks like fork seals are needed...consider new springs if it's going to be a long-term keeper, better shocks and do the swing arm bushings. ... change the fluids.... with Specials I always go with a 32-sprocket on the rear. These old Xs units are great bikes, and you'll get years of adventures out of it. In time.. you'll get the " I need a bigger.. faster ... blah blah blah "... and sell the Xs. Later.. you'll regret sell'n it. So.. buy the bigger..faster... but pickle the Xs and put it someplace safe.

Thanks! I saw the bad fork seal when I bought it, so figured that needed done. Confirmed when I trailered the bike to NC. Under pressure from the straps, the forks sprayed a big amount of fork oil onto the trailer bed. So new fork oil and seals are high on the list. Will look into replacing springs while I'm at it.

Swingarm bushings are done. Too much play in the swingarm. So that's on the list too. Before that, freshen the battery, replace hoses (since one's gone bad, there's likely to be more waiting), change the oil, freshen the gas, and see where we are. But that's all in the future. For now, I've winterized it, covered it, and tucked it away. It'll have to hibernate until I can get back to it.

As for the "bigger, faster, newer" bug, already caught it. Already recovered. My first bike after returning to the States was a big BMW R1200C. BMW's first attempt at a cruiser. More handy than a typical cruiser, I guess. But not nearly as fun as that little 125 cc UJM trooper had been. Give me more of that, please.

 

[Boog]

Hello @FormosaRider and welcome from Virginia

 

[gggGary]

This thread https://www.xs650.com/threads/guide...checklist-for-the-condition-of-your-find.367/
a good read, introduction, primer on the typical quirks, gotchas of the beast.

 

[Tinker Taylor]

Welcome. After such a good job of figuring out what should be done, your confidence level will take a hit by putting it into the shop. My belief is the more you put into the works the better acclimated you become to any upcoming problem. When I put new tires on my Bullet I wasn't prepared to do so at home. Leaving it overnight at the shop was not a mistake, but a fretful and worrisome moment. I knew the mileage upon dropping it off and knew the amount it was ridden to check the performance. If you do decide to leave it, this should not be forgotten.
'TT'