What have you done to your XS today?

[gggGary]

Been meaning to get some of these.

thick tires with tubes on skinny rims are the pits.
Anyone tell me if the auto type bead mover-inners work well on bike tires?

 

[ShakerNorm]

I FINALLY broke down and (partially under orders) bought NEW CARBS for my XS! I was given $$ for my 61st Birthday, and ORDERED to use it for something FUN for ME.... So I gave it to MikesXS for a new set of XSPerformance 32mm carbs.
I'll FINALLY get the old girl BACK ON THE ROAD! She's been sitting in the garage for 10 years waiting for this moment!

She's had an engine rebuild - including porting, polishing, new cam chain & guide, New wheel bearings front & rear, Needle bearings on the Swingarm, Minton Mods to the front forks, new rear shocks, Banshee PMA Alternator, Electronic Ignition (An ORIGINAL BOYER-BRANSDEN setup!), Mike's Oil Filter/cooler, a whole new (modified and simplified) wiring harness, LED bulbs all around, new spokes (plus trued and balanced) wheels, but I couldn't justify new carbs , since I bought my Bolt the next year.

I tried and tried, but just COULDN'T get the old BS38's to play nice. Hopefully these will be an improvement, and get me on the road RELIABLY.

 

[bosco659]

Got this last Christmas - thought I should attach it before next season. I need all the good luck I can get.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Got this last Christmas - thought I should attach it before next season. I need all the good luck I can get.

View attachment 340474

As I understand it, those only work if gifted to you. I hope it hasn’t gone stale.

 

[bosco659]

As I understand it, those only work if gifted to you. I hope it hasn’t gone stale.

Yes my wife bought it for me. I used to shake it once a month to keep it fresh so I’m sure it’s fine.

 

[ssjody]

Anyone tell me if the auto type bead mover-inners work well on bike tires?

You can get these from Rabaconda. I don't know if they are different than the automotive ones but I do have a Rabaconda that came with these and they work well on bike rims
https://us.rabaconda.com/collections/street/products/drop-center-tool

 

[ShakerNorm]

You can get these from Rabaconda. I don't know if they are different than the automotive ones but I do have a Rabaconda that came with these and they work well on bike rims
https://us.rabaconda.com/collections/street/products/drop-center-tool
View attachment 340508

I found a Chinesium set of 4 for $25 Can on Amazon.ca

 

[bosco659]

I found a Chinesium set of 4 for $25 Can on Amazon.ca

Can u post a link?

 

[bosco659]

New tire and EBC sintered brake pads.

 

[willis]

Nothing done to the xs today, but I did build myself some nice shelves and a new workbench. A recent move left me with a blank workshop. It’s a 19x14 third bay. It already has some awkward cabinets that I’m using for now, but they take up a lot of room. Today’s work will greatly help me clean up and organize. Still got lots more I want to do. Baby steps.

 

[Mailman]

I did build myself some nice shelves and a new workbench.

Looks like a good start Rob! You can never have too much storage space!

 

[willis]

Pegboard is next Bob. I know you’ll appreciate that.

 

[bosco659]

Front caliper rebuild (unplanned)….. during the disassembly of the calipers, I came up with a slick way of picking the caliper seals out of the bores without marking the aluminum. The trick tool is a blade used by roofers, that fit into your retractable razor knife handle. This this curved blade, you stick it in the Center of the seal, pull on it a tiny bit to “set the hook”, then with a slight twist of the wrist, the seal pops right out. I discovered this after poking and prodding with a small screwdriver for a while. If you have open access to the seal, this tip may not seen all that great an idea, but with the 8 seals I needed to remove, in limited space, it was a great discovery. A small curved pick works too but I was too lazy to go in the house to get mine out of tge basement shop.

Hoping someone will find this useful.

Shined up the pistons and the caliper body is in the ultrasonic cleaner to cleanse the seal grooves.

Oh - unrelated to the XS, I was always fumbling to find a zip tie when I needed one, now I know where they are.

 

[bosco659]

When reassembling the calipers, what do you put on the pistons / internal seals? Just brake fluid or is this an application for red rubber grease?

 

[Guy]

Yes, just brake fluid.

 

[Jim]

When reassembling the calipers, what do you put on the pistons / internal seals? Just brake fluid or is this an application for red rubber grease?

Either one will work. I prefer the grease because it's easier to control than brake fluid.

 

[olewahrhorse]

Getting it together...Adjusted timing chain, and set valve lash. Hooked starter lead back up, and installed covers. Booked ferry crossings and campground for Isle of Mann TT! 2025 should be a good year! Tomorrow is set the timing and install carbs day...Goal is to fire it off by Friday...

 

[Dunc]

Just finished the crank & set it in place to look at it. Assembly starts Saturday.

 

[bosco659]

Caliper rebuild continues. One side done. Disassembly required a special tool to remove the caps - a friend made one for me. If anyone in the GTA needs machining done, I can give you a great contact. While apart, I sanded and polished dome of the bits. Close inspection reveals the flaws but nobody should be looking that closely. The finish (paint) that was on the calipers came off in the ultrasonic bath. I’m going to leave the factory anodized coating on there as it still looks ok. Hopefully the new lines and fittings will arrive by the weekend.

The original fork seal job has turned out to be quite the front end project.

 

[ShakerNorm]

I FINALLY broke down and (partially under orders) bought NEW CARBS for my XS! I was given $$ for my 61st Birthday, and ORDERED to use it for something FUN for ME.... So I gave it to MikesXS for a new set of XSPerformance 32mm carbs.
I'll FINALLY get the old girl BACK ON THE ROAD! She's been sitting in the garage for 10 years waiting for this moment!

She's had an engine rebuild - including porting, polishing, new cam chain & guide, New wheel bearings front & rear, Needle bearings on the Swingarm, Minton Mods to the front forks, new rear shocks, Banshee PMA Alternator, Electronic Ignition (An ORIGINAL BOYER-BRANSDEN setup!), Mike's Oil Filter/cooler, a whole new (modified and simplified) wiring harness, LED bulbs all around, new spokes (plus trued and balanced) wheels, but I couldn't justify new carbs , since I bought my Bolt the next year.

I tried and tried, but just COULDN'T get the old BS38's to play nice. Hopefully these will be an improvement, and get me on the road RELIABLY.

YAY - Just got my new Carbs in from Mike's..... Wish they had TUNING instructions..... Installing them shouldn't be too much of a puzzle, though (Hell - I've been a mechanic for 45 years - I SHOULD be able to figure it out!).

Not to worry - My Garage is shut down for the next 4-5 months, anyway - Wish I had an Insulated and Heated Garage! Would make Winter MUCH happier. Going to leave all the parts in their boxes for now.
I also bought a few bottles of Blinker Fluid for Christmas gifts for friends!