Rusty's Home!

[Shelby]

As of Friday, Rusty's back home, after a year in the local shop. Series of issues made her "couple months" carb and lowering rebuild job take longer than originally anticipated. Lead mechanic -- only one with XS650 experience at the time -- walked off the job, replacement diaphragms with pinholes, and other parts issues. But well worth the wait. Rusty's home, running strong, and 2" lower (Replacement shocks, fork lowering kit, reconstructed center stand). Adding the rebuilt seat, I think we took about 4" of the ride height. She feels good, runs strong, and she's PURPLE!

<< Star -- 2014 V-Star 250 -- because I never remembered to go back and post pics of her. Purchased new off the showroom floor in 2019 from a dealership in Alabama who somehow managed to hold on to her, despite Yamaha's dealer demolition policy.

As you can see in the side cover pics, Rusty's side covers aren't both original to this bike. They fit perfect, but one has holes for the badge posts, one does not. Near as I can figure from online parts pics, the one with holes is the replacement, likely off an 82 (I know my '82 had the emblems with the posts). The "original" badges both appear to have had their posts cut off. When I went shopping for replacement badges, the smaller black and silver script Heritage Special badges that came on the bike when I got her are easy enough to find, but showing as 80-81 badges. I'm having a hard time reconciling what I'm seeing online with my memory -- which I will freely admit has likely got as many pinholes as those diaphragms.

Far as I know the '82s all had the SPECIAL 650 black and gold badges. Heritage Special models were the final year of production, available only on the '83s. Obviously, something's wrong here. Likely my memory. Pretty sure I can drill holes in the second cover without messing up the paint, and I think I'd rather do that than put the emblems back on with double sided tape. Just not sure about the emblems. Would like to find the correct "originals" and also clear up my Special/Heritage Special memory warp.

 

[Mikey]

Looking good !!

 

[nj1639]

Hey Shelby, looks good!
Regarding the badges, there’s an ‘81 for sale in the classifieds……couple days ago posted. The ‘81 has the badge needing the two mounting holes and the cover is plastic. AFAIK the Heritage Specials are stick on for both years, ‘82 and ‘83.
‘80 came out with plastic and metal side covers, depending on the model. Someone will correct if I’m mistaken.

 

[grouchie77]

I spy a missing bolt on your oil filter cover.

Might want to fix that.

 

[JJames]

Nice! Good job of shortening the Special seat. And it's Purple! Have fun.

 

[Jim]

Very nice!

 

[Sparkyduc]

What do you mean by Yamaha‘s dealer demolition policy?

 

[Shelby]

I spy a missing bolt on your oil filter cover.

Might want to fix that.

Akc! Thanks!

The one right above the sight glass, correct? If so, the bolt's there (Just checked w/flashlight & an Allen wrench) but the cover's twice as thick on that edge, so the blot-head is really recessed. I don't have any extras of those bolts in the half ton bin of spare/replacement/leftover parts. The way the right's head beetles out just a tad makes me think if they're not identical, they might be reversed. Need to do a spring oil change on both bikes so I'll check. Should be easy to tell if they're reversed.

Any suggestions for getting the rest of the weathering polished out? Thought we had that side looking better than that. then again, she just sat for a year.

 

[Shelby]

Hey Shelby, looks good!
Regarding the badges, there’s an ‘81 for sale in the classifieds……couple days ago posted. The ‘81 has the badge needing the two mounting holes and the cover is plastic. AFAIK the Heritage Specials are stick on for both years, ‘82 and ‘83.
‘80 came out with plastic and metal side covers, depending on the model. Someone will correct if I’m mistaken.

That bike looks a lot like my '82, which had the plastic side covers, but the badges said Special 650 (black and gold with attachment posts). At the time (early to mid 90s) no one I knew referred to anything but the '83s as Heritage Special. Now I'm wondering if my '82 had the wrong side covers. Or at least the wrong badges. Seat doesn't look quite the same, either. Looked identical to Rusty's (before the sculpting work).

 

[Shelby]

What do you mean by Yamaha‘s dealer demolition policy?

Ever notice when you go to dealerships they have this year's and maybe a few last year model vehicles on the lot? According to the lady who owned the dealership in Alabama where we went to get Star, Yamaha had/has a policy that dealers have to return or destroy /convert to spare parts any bikes that aren't sold by whatever predetermined date. That's why you won't find new/untitled vehicles more than two years old on the lots. The owner was in her mid 80s, and said she'd been around long enough not to have signed that agreement, and she refused to part out perfectly good bikes. However even though Star had never been titled, she didn't come with a dealer warranty and wasn't eligible for Yamaha financing, which was part of why she hadn't sold -- anyone who'd looked at her recently (in 2019 that is) wanted to finance her. Title matched the odometer -- .2 miles, no previous registrations -- and they had to finish putting her together for me, so I took that story at face value.

 

[Shelby]

Very nice!

Thanks! Glad to have her home. Now if it'd just not rain 24/7...

 

[Shelby]

Nice! Good job of shortening the Special seat. And it's Purple! Have fun.

Thanks! There's a thread on that seat rebuild with a ton of pics somewhere.

 

[Mikey]

View attachment 351050Akc! Thanks!

The one right above the sight glass, correct? If so, the bolt's there (Just checked w/flashlight & an Allen wrench) but the cover's twice as thick on that edge, so the blot-head is really recessed. I don't have any extras of those bolts in the half ton bin of spare/replacement/leftover parts. The way the right's head beetles out just a tad makes me think if they're not identical, they might be reversed. Need to do a spring oil change on both bikes so I'll check. Should be easy to tell if they're reversed.

Any suggestions for getting the rest of the weathering polished out? Thought we had that side looking better than that. then again, she just sat for a year.

Try a little Blue magic polishing compound with a little elbow grease and if the oxidation isn't too deep it will shine it right up again
You will have to move the rag around as you will see the oxidation coming off as you apply it
https://www.google.com/search?q=blu...FGEAyBggCEEUYOzIGCAMQRRg8MgYIBBBFGDwyBggFEEUY
You should be able to find it locally ? And prices vary from where you buy from
I'm headed out to the shop to shine up a left side cover right now

 

[grouchie77]

Post in thread 'Rusty: Joint Custody, Visitation' https://www.xs650.com/threads/rusty-joint-custody-visitation.67557/post-865904

Maybe it's supposed to be like that???

I have an aftermarket cooler so I don't remember how my '77 standard was.

 

[grouchie77]

I suppose the easy way to find out is take one bolt out and see if there's free play.

If not, reinstall said bolt and repeat the process for the other bolt.

 

[Shelby]

Try a little Blue magic polishing compound with a little elbow grease and if the oxidation isn't too deep it will shine it right up again
You will have to move the rag around as you will see the oxidation coming off as you apply it
https://www.google.com/search?q=blu...FGEAyBggCEEUYOzIGCAMQRRg8MgYIBBBFGDwyBggFEEUY
You should be able to find it locally ? And prices vary from where you buy from
I'm headed out to the shop to shine up a left side cover right now

Thanks much! Sounds good. Doc Google says Advanced Auto carries it.

 

[Shelby]

I suppose the easy way to find out is take one bolt out and see if there's free play.

If not, reinstall said bolt and repeat the process for the other bolt.

Good idea. Need to do oil changes on both, so I'll check em then.

 

[Shelby]

Post in thread 'Rusty: Joint Custody, Visitation' https://www.xs650.com/threads/rusty-joint-custody-visitation.67557/post-865904

Maybe it's supposed to be like that???

I have an aftermarket cooler so I don't remember how my '77 standard was.

My '82's badges looked just like that. Bill reminded me she was the Euro model, which was why she was so much lower-slung than his 78. Likely why Rusty felt so much taller to me.

 

[JJames]

View attachment 351050Akc! Thanks!

The one right above the sight glass, correct? If so, the bolt's there (Just checked w/flashlight & an Allen wrench) but the cover's twice as thick on that edge, so the blot-head is really recessed. I don't have any extras of those bolts in the half ton bin of spare/replacement/leftover parts. The way the right's head beetles out just a tad makes me think if they're not identical, they might be reversed. Need to do a spring oil change on both bikes so I'll check. Should be easy to tell if they're reversed.

Any suggestions for getting the rest of the weathering polished out? Thought we had that side looking better than that. then again, she just sat for a year.

The screws on my "81 Special ll are identical length. The left one also is recessed in the hole.

 

[jetmechmarty]

The one right above the sight glass, correct? If so, the bolt's there (Just checked w/flashlight & an Allen wrench) but the cover's twice as thick on that edge, so the blot-head is really recessed. I don't have any extras of those bolts in the half ton bin of spare/replacement/leftover parts.

What you have there is correct.