Resurrecting My '79 XS650F

[jetmechmarty]

I'm ready to start finagling the carbs off of it and seeing if I can disassemble them carefully enough to re-use the gaskets, as suggested here. I think I've run into a snag -- a garage-related one. We've lived in this house for five years now, and the garage is piled up with everything that hasn't been stored anywhere else. My tools are still in boxes on the floor, for instance. But, the garage came with an old buffet-style cabinet as a "workbench," but it's covered about16" high with assorted...um....crap.

I literally don't have a place to lay out bike parts and have them stay put.

So I need to build some shelves over the "workbench" and move the crap to them. I figured I can do this with a sheet of plywood and some time with a Skilsaw and a hammer.

Except one of my work-stands broke, and I need to fix THAT...
...so I can cut plywood and make shelves...
............so I can install shelves...
....................so I can clean off my "workbench"...
..............................so I can disassemble my carbs.

I think this thread's about to turn into a carpentry/woodworking thread.

Bike paused for crap removal seems like a great idea to me.

 

[Raymond]

. . . I think I've run into a snag -- a garage-related one. We've lived in this house for five years now, and the garage is piled up with everything that hasn't been stored anywhere else. My tools are still in boxes on the floor, for instance. But, the garage came with an old buffet-style cabinet as a "workbench," but it's covered about16" high with assorted...um....crap.

Yup, yer gonna have to sort that one out. The garage is for bikes. Well, bikes, bike tools, bike stuff and space to work on the bikes. Everybody's got to understand that. Everything else is moved someplace else or chucked out. If there's stuff sitting in boxes since you moved in five years ago, do you need it?

Might have to build a shed to put the stuff that can't be flung. A shed is always useful - we now have seven sheds, including the garage.

 

[noodlenoggin]

Okay, step one done. I made a new top out of a leftover piece of OSB for the old Harbor Freight workstand... the reason why is sitting on it. The old top was made from compressed cardboard, I think. Now between that and the other stand in the pic, I can hold up a sheet of plywood and make shelves.

 

[noodlenoggin]

I was looking through our old photo chest for something else and found these, from 2000 or early 2001. (Forgive the old-guy cliché of taking-a-pic-of-a-pic.) Man I used to keep it shiny.

I'm calling them Incentive to Finish The Bike. Or maybe just Incentive to Wash The Bike.

Actually, I remember this day. The neighbor and I had gone for a ride. He had a new-ish Kawasaki Zephyr 750 - a 4-cyl UJM, basically. We traded bikes for a bit, of course, and his was way smoother-running. He told me he had trouble keeping up with me on his Zephyr when we dragged on a back road.

 

[AndersJ]

Not often do you hear the Z word! Welcome to the forum. Excited to see your bike restored to its former glory.

 

[noodlenoggin]

Not often do you hear the Z word! Welcome to the forum. Excited to see your bike restored to its former glory.
View attachment 252154

Hey, that's the bike! Zephyrs are nice looking bikes, I have to say.

 

[AndersJ]

Hey, that's the bike! Zephyrs are nice looking bikes, I have to say.

I think so too. Not much to take issue with unless you are used to a truly modern machine or must have wire spokes.