New Member - What have I gotten myself into?

Tinker Taylor said:
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'
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Thanks for the advice and the tale. Up until now, I've been blessed with good mechanic support. My model of Taiwan bike had been the main delivery vehicle on the island for nearly 40 years. And in a country with the highest rate of scooter / light motorcycle ownership in the world, every city block and every country village had a grizzled mechanic who had been keeping exactly that model of motorcycle on the road for decades. And at the time, the bike was still being produced, making spares cheap and plentiful. Labor was affordable, too. I really made a nuisance of myself with my preferred mechanics, always hanging around the shop and talking about repair and maintenance being done on my bike, chipping in on diagnosing problems. Most of those old guys seemed to appreciate it. They loved those bikes, and liked to see someone (even a 'furriner' like me) take an interest in them over the plasticy go-sled scooters most people wanted. My main mechanic's eyes would light up every time we got the bike up on the lift.

Then when I first moved back to the States, and I weighted myself down with my BMW cruiser, it had the distinct benefit of very few mechanical requirements. And locally I had a very good and very well-respected mechanic who really took care of his customers like me. I didn't need much. But what I did need, he took care of without fuss.

Things are definitely different here in this area. I've talked to a few mechanics here locally, and those talks haven't filled me with confidence. Most shops won't even touch a forty year old metric bike. Either they do dealer work and won't accept any bike over ten years old, or they only work on Harleys. A few independents work on old Japanese bikes. But either they don't strike me as a very good experience or they're in high demand and booked up for months. I figured I must be missing something. Maybe not. Was always planning to do as much work as I can. Was just looking for backup in case I got over my head on a specific task. But may be even that's not necessary.
 
Even though this is a pretty simple and easy to work on old bike, it's not without it's "quirks" and various little "gotchas". But it's all covered here (somewhere, lol). Keep in mind that even if it looks good on the outside, it's still going to need a thorough going through. It is 40+ years old after all. But, do all the needful stuff and you'll have a very nice old bike there.
 
FormosaRider said:
Thanks for the advice and the tale. Up until now, I've been blessed with good mechanic support. My model of Taiwan bike had been the main delivery vehicle on the island for nearly 40 years. And in a country with the highest rate of scooter / light motorcycle ownership in the world, every city block and every country village had a grizzled mechanic who had been keeping exactly that model of motorcycle on the road for decades. And at the time, the bike was still being produced, making spares cheap and plentiful. Labor was affordable, too. I really made a nuisance of myself with my preferred mechanics, always hanging around the shop and talking about repair and maintenance being done on my bike, chipping in on diagnosing problems. Most of those old guys seemed to appreciate it. They loved those bikes, and liked to see someone (even a 'furriner' like me) take an interest in them over the plasticy go-sled scooters most people wanted. My main mechanic's eyes would light up every time we got the bike up on the lift.

Then when I first moved back to the States, and I weighted myself down with my BMW cruiser, it had the distinct benefit of very few mechanical requirements. And locally I had a very good and very well-respected mechanic who really took care of his customers like me. I didn't need much. But what I did need, he took care of without fuss.

Things are definitely different here in this area. I've talked to a few mechanics here locally, and those talks haven't filled me with confidence. Most shops won't even touch a forty year old metric bike. Either they do dealer work and won't accept any bike over ten years old, or they only work on Harleys. A few independents work on old Japanese bikes. But either they don't strike me as a very good experience or they're in high demand and booked up for months. I figured I must be missing something. Maybe not. Was always planning to do as much work as I can. Was just looking for backup in case I got over my head on a specific task. But may be even that's not necessary.
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Check with https://www.hughshandbuilt.com/. Join the XS650 Society,There prolly are some real sharp helpful XS650 guys not far from you...........
 
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gggGary said:
Check with https://www.hughshandbuilt.com/. Join the XS650 Society,There prolly are some real sharp helpful XS650 guys not far from you...........
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Thanks for the heads-up on Hugh's Hand Built. Looks like great work. And located in the best riding country anywhere! He's on the other side of the state, though.

Will check out XS650 Society, too.
 
FormosaRider said:
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.
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Hi 'Rider and welcome,
I'd say first, do an oil change; see what comes out. Oil + water is bad. Oil + chunks of metal is bad.
Black nasty oil is better, just needs an oil change & filter check.
Check if the sparks work by removing the carbs & Manifolds, giving the intake holes a big squirt of ether-based
instant start and pushing the starter button. Loud, brief Vroom shows you the sparks & timing are OK.
 
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