What have you done to your XS today?

SAAQ can be quite the adventure! You seemed to have found :)
I go up an hour north from where I am, instead of the the one 20 minutes south, they speak better “bike” up there!
LOL! The local SAAQ inspection mandate-holder is notorious for senseless and baseless inspection failures; case-in-point, an acquaintance had his mid-60's car fail inspection because the inspector deemed that the windshield-washer output was inadequate. WTF??? I was therefore dreading what they were going to object to on my SG.

The inspector looking at my bike told me right off the bat that he didn't know much about bikes. He checked the serial numbers, the operation of the headlight hi/lo, flashers, horn and brake lights, the presence of fenders and a chainguard and the odometer reading. That's it... inspection took no more than 5 minutes. There are of course a number of other checkpoints on the inspection list, but these were checked off summarily. Needless to say, I was tickled!
 
LOL! The local SAAQ inspection mandate-holder is notorious for senseless and baseless inspection failures; case-in-point, an acquaintance had his mid-60's car fail inspection because the inspector deemed that the windshield-washer output was inadequate. WTF??? I was therefore dreading what they were going to object to on my SG.

The inspector looking at my bike told me right off the bat that he didn't know much about bikes. He checked the serial numbers, the operation of the headlight hi/lo, flashers, horn and brake lights, the presence of fenders and a chainguard and the odometer reading. That's it... inspection took no more than 5 minutes. There are of course a number of other checkpoints on the inspection list, but these were checked off summarily. Needless to say, I was tickled!
The first example is the kind of person that should NEVER be given any power. People like that should be shoveling poop at the zoo.
 
Significant day for me... I finally got around to getting my '80 SG inspected and plated. This bike was imported from the US last September and therefore had to go through a mechanical inspection before being deemed roadworthy by the SAAQ, our licensing authority here in QC. I'm happy to report that the bike passed without issue, other that the fact that it required rear side reflectors. The inspector remedied this himself by applying a little strip of prismatic reflective tape to either side of the rear fender... and then ticked the box!

To make this bike truly roadworthy, the forks need to be dramatically improved. It is currently so stiff that my eyeballs vibrate to the extent that I cannot see anything! I suspect that a well-meaning mod to the fork spring (a severe shortening probably) to improve the "stance" was performed, as there is no no more than 3" of fork travel before the lower tube hits the bottom triple clamp. Pulled a set of forks of a 'beater' frame that I have to harvest a set of fork springs. Much to my surprise, I found the forks to have been freshly rebuilt with new seals, fresh oil and new dust boots. Pulled the springs and started cleaning up the forks for reassembly for the next project. Springs to be installed in the SG forks in the next day or so and then a real ride!

On the way back from inspection...

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Decide to freshen up the beater-bike forks rather than do a spring swap...less agro that way. Worst part of the beater forks were the seized preload adjusters. Freed them up, full clean of all parts, Minton mods + machined 13/16" pre-load spacers, clearcoat strip and Scotchbrite finish on the lowers which are actually in great condition (unblemished) and installed on the SG with the bobbed black fender that was on it when bought. Only fly in the ointment was the brake line that was so short that it would not reach the Brembo caliper installed on the new longer forks. Had a new stainless line in stock, installed, caliper bled and ready to go tomorrow morning!
 
Although I wasn’t due for an oil change, I was anxious to try out a different oil, with the goal of reducing clutch drag. Ever since I’ve owned the bike, I have run BelRay EXL 20W50 mineral oil. I decided to try Shell Rotella T4, 15W40 (JASO, MA2). I dropped the sump plate and was pleased there was only dirty oil in there and no plastic or metal bits on the sump screen. Similarly, the pleated filter was just dirty and no extra bits were stuck to it.

After the change, I went for a spin and tried to work the clutch a lot to squeeze out the 20W50 and work in the 15W40. After riding it until the engine was hot, I tried shifting to neutral. I still can’t do it from a standstill but it “appeared” to be easier when rolling to a stop. I didn’t notice any significant increase in valve train noise as reported by others.

Much more riding is needed to see if the viscosity change has really benefited me, but so far the results are encouraging. The other good thing is the cost per oil change is lower and the 5L jug will take care of two changes for me.

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Although I wasn’t due for an oil change, I was anxious to try out a different oil, with the goal of reducing clutch drag. Ever since I’ve owned the bike, I have run BelRay EXL 20W50 mineral oil. I decided to try Shell Rotella T4, 15W40 (JASO, MA2). I dropped the sump plate and was pleased there was only dirty oil in there and no plastic or metal bits on the sump screen. Similarly, the pleated filter was just dirty and no extra bits were stuck to it.

After the change, I went for a spin and tried to work the clutch a lot to squeeze out the 20W50 and work in the 15W40. After riding it until the engine was hot, I tried shifting to neutral. I still can’t do it from a standstill but it “appeared” to be easier when rolling to a stop. I didn’t notice any significant increase in valve train noise as reported by others.

Much more riding is needed to see if the viscosity change has really benefited me, but so far the results are encouraging. The other good thing is the cost per oil change is lower and the 5L jug will take care of two changes for me.


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Remind me, is that a Heiden Tuning sump filter? I like the looks of that.
 
Taffy Tipple...

My attention has been focused on Merlin the GL1000 of late.

I am still messing around with a replecement TCI system for Taffy (XS650). I still have issues but it is progressing.
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Whilst tinkering I noticed the fuel filter looked a little odd. I have been using metal / glass cased filters for years as my go to of chioce.
I noticed the glass was cloudy; looking closer the filter is suffering from the effects of ethanol in the fuel. What I thought was glass is actually plastic and it as well as the fine filter inside are degrading. Oh Dear. Ethanol is a pain in the ass for any bike or car that is not in regular use.
It says OMG on the casing and it certainly OMG for me.

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My 80 Special ll is back among the living. Frame received a paint job and the original engine replaced after a freshening up. Some pieces still need some grooming attention, one at a time. My six year old grandson helped with the project. Now he gets a ride.
That's a great green colour!
 
Although I wasn’t due for an oil change, I was anxious to try out a different oil, with the goal of reducing clutch drag. Ever since I’ve owned the bike, I have run BelRay EXL 20W50 mineral oil. I decided to try Shell Rotella T4, 15W40 (JASO, MA2). I dropped the sump plate and was pleased there was only dirty oil in there and no plastic or metal bits on the sump screen. Similarly, the pleated filter was just dirty and no extra bits were stuck to it.

After the change, I went for a spin and tried to work the clutch a lot to squeeze out the 20W50 and work in the 15W40. After riding it until the engine was hot, I tried shifting to neutral. I still can’t do it from a standstill but it “appeared” to be easier when rolling to a stop. I didn’t notice any significant increase in valve train noise as reported by others.

Much more riding is needed to see if the viscosity change has really benefited me, but so far the results are encouraging. The other good thing is the cost per oil change is lower and the 5L jug will take care of two changes for me.

View attachment 331757View attachment 331758
New filters arrived for “inventory” as well as this gadget for fork oil levelling. The fork oil tool actually looks to be of acceptable quality, especially for under $20. The hose is silicone and there are laser etched graduations on the metal tube.

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Decide to freshen up the beater-bike forks rather than do a spring swap...less agro that way. Worst part of the beater forks were the seized preload adjusters. Freed them up, full clean of all parts, Minton mods + machined 13/16" pre-load spacers, clearcoat strip and Scotchbrite finish on the lowers which are actually in great condition (unblemished) and installed on the SG with the bobbed black fender that was on it when bought. Only fly in the ointment was the brake line that was so short that it would not reach the Brembo caliper installed on the new longer forks. Had a new stainless line in stock, installed, caliper bled and ready to go tomorrow morning!
Well, got around to that initial full test ride a few days later than planned. The new un-lowered forks made a world of difference. With the Minton Mods, very smooth ride even over some horrendous asphalt. Bike is very responsive up to 4000 rpm, then gets "flat". I suspect that there are jetting changes needed to get smooth continuous acceleration up to the redline. Braking is great with the Brembo caliper and aftermarket disc. May have a little too much preload on the rear springs.
Now I need to delete/reverse some of the mods made for the sake of inspection compliance, such as the ugly rear fender and plate holder. Looking forward to longer rides!
 
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