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What have you done to your XS today?
- Thread starter I am Carbon
- Start date
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- Tags
- maintenance
This morning I pulled the Black Bomber out to go for a little ride, I haven’t ridden much this summer, it’s been so blasted hot! Even though the heat has kept me cooped up in the house, at least sunshine can’t keep you off of the road.
I rolled the old girl out on to the driveway, turned on the gas and the choke and hit the starter button. It turned over , really slow. RUH RUH RUH
Fortunately it fired right off and idled perfectly. So after a short warm up, it was off I go! I had a nice ride.
When I got home I put the multi meter on the battery with the motor off, it showed 12.9 volts. I fired it up and tried it again and it was just over 13 volts at idle and just over 14 volts at 2000 to 3000 rpm. This seems a little on the low side to me, I plan to test it again tomorrow and see what I get. This battery is kept on a tender when not in use, but it is almost three years old and out here the heat takes a real toll on batteries.
I rolled the old girl out on to the driveway, turned on the gas and the choke and hit the starter button. It turned over , really slow. RUH RUH RUH
Fortunately it fired right off and idled perfectly. So after a short warm up, it was off I go! I had a nice ride.
When I got home I put the multi meter on the battery with the motor off, it showed 12.9 volts. I fired it up and tried it again and it was just over 13 volts at idle and just over 14 volts at 2000 to 3000 rpm. This seems a little on the low side to me, I plan to test it again tomorrow and see what I get. This battery is kept on a tender when not in use, but it is almost three years old and out here the heat takes a real toll on batteries.
Fawksey
XS650 Enthusiast
YIKES! That sounds like something that needs looking into...
Dirty Work
On the "good bones" 78 Standard. Removing the right side cover and the bottom filter plate showed the usual holed oil screen but no alarming sediments or shards. PO had modified the side cover (and painted it black) to accommodate a cooler; I will be putting a stock one back on. Thinking the bike may become a survivor style......
I thought "over there" a good belch was acceptable, and showed the bike enjoyed the ride?
Fawksey
XS650 Enthusiast
It wouldn’t be too bad but for the 15-20 minute at the side of the road waiting for her to clear her throat!
Got a voltmeter on it?
Fawksey
XS650 Enthusiast
Brand new battery on and the alternator is putting enough bolts back to the battery. I do have some new brushes but not fitted them yet. The faster I go the more acceleration the less she misfires. Problems start when I slow down and don’t use as much throttle
Have you had a look at the connections between the coils and the high tension (HT) leads and the between the high tension leads and the spark plug caps?
If any those HT connections are poor, the bike will miss, particularly at higher RPMs.
If you examine the connections, there is what looks like a big wood screw down inside the coil or plug cap connection point. You must ensure that the HT lead has a bit of bare conductor exposed and then you twist that lead down onto the “screw” while pressing it in. Then secure the connection with the little sleeve and then the screw-on nut (on the coil end) or the flexible rubber “boot” on the plug cap end.
Just a thought.....
A volt meter is a handy thing to have on the handlebars This is exactly how Madness started acting about halfway when I did the iron butt run last month. Volt meter pegged at 16-17 volts for about 20 miles then became erratic going from 10 to 13 and back. It didn't like lower RPMs, never quit, e-started at gas stops, but wasn't happy. One brush was worn down, replaced the brush 500 miles later when I got home, all good now.
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WOW - that looks like you mean business!
Very nice Beags! Something you think of selling maybe in the future? Love that hub cover you made that I got from you in the spring. JC
This morning I went out to the garage and before I fired my bike up I checked voltage at the battery, 12.9 volts.
Then I hit the starter button and got that same very sluggish turn over. Once again it fired off and I took voltage readings, 13.9 v at idle and 14.4v at 2500 rpm, so that certainly seems good.
The battery , even though it shows adequate voltage is just not pulling a load. It seems to be close to failure, so I ordered a new battery on EBay. $40 for a new AGM , should be here by the weekend. I’m pretty sure that’ll put the snap back in my starter.
I took the forks off yesterday. Did seals! Had to make a 17mm Allen with an extension to hold the shaft when I was impacting the bottom Allen off. Not too bad after learning how to do it. Heated up the old seals to the point of smoking and pryed them off with a flat head. Wet sanded and Polished my forks while I had them off! Put them back on and filled with 7.25 Oz of maxim 20w oil. It rides like a dream! No more massive brake dive!
Attachments
Well my old girl turned 40 the other day!
Put new Motion Pro clutch cable and throttle cable on her this morning.
Then 100kms on her in the afternoon... beating the p*ss right out of her and she loved it...but not as much as I did!!
Didnt miss a beat and pulled like a train!!
Put new Motion Pro clutch cable and throttle cable on her this morning.
Then 100kms on her in the afternoon... beating the p*ss right out of her and she loved it...but not as much as I did!!
Didnt miss a beat and pulled like a train!!
Just lubed the chain and topped up the fuel after todays 460 km ride. Even calculated fuel milage, 4.9 liter per 100 km. As I mostly was cruising at 100 km/h or 4100 rpm, and did a lot of full throttle overtaking of trucks, semis, mobile homes and other road debris, that is pretty decent imho. Just getting ready for another 50 km from my house/ homestead to the GF's apartment near town.
