What have you done to your XS today?

^^ Yeah Azman, I'm a big fan of torquing but some of these PO's have done their ill will and we get to finish the blunder unbeknownst! Especially on those small studs.

Today I threw some rough '77 headers onto the '83, keeping the Dunstalls on. Added the chrome stock muffler hangars - swapping out some painted ones.

Put some older stock 12.5" shocks on, the pre-reflector model, took the 11"'rs off. Easier to get her up on the center stand. Also cobbled an early style grab bar on for a lift location.

Put a 34 tooth rear sprocket on for a bit better torque and less shifting.....slowly reconciling to the engineers and their grand design. Yeah , yeah, yeah, change all sprockets and chain at the same. I have a half dozen hanging around to choose from. Just pick the closest match.
Took her out for a run and all's good. Still have the '77 geared 17/32. Might just leave her be for now........
 
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Put in the 35mm Sportster springs, according to my calculations 13% stiffer than stock, so I just had to do a thorough test.

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Didn't go anywhere and spent 2 hours on the back roads getting there. Just love riding this bike! :thumbsup:

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I replaced the right side camshaft oil seal. And also the gasket behind that cover. The seal was pretty worn out and letting through a good amount of oil.

All better now though :)
 
Ok, I'm gonna beat this clutch slippage this weekend. All the new bits are here, 7 fiber and 6 oem steel clutches, NOS cable, +20% springs, replacement stock type screws for the tension springs. With all this, what's the next shoe drop bringing.
 
More of a what I've done in the last couple of weeks but, did the Bendix fix, swapped out the stock tci ignition for a pamco setup, replaced the wiring harness (still some issues there), and replaced the exhaust. Thought it was all good until I went to show the Mrs how it sounded and couldn't get it to start off the electric starter. Went to kick it and no resistance/turn-over off the kickstarter. Got ticked off and walked away from it. Remembered that I'd used the kill switch earlier so that explains the electric start issue but I'll have to tear into it tomorrow to figure out why the kickstarter stopped working. Pretty sure I tested it after putting the side cover back on.
 
changed my rear tube - got a mysterious flat the other day while riding and the back end felt like I was riding a flat track bike on greasy dirt. Rode it home very cautiously and put in a heavy duty tube - seems to be A-OK! Shinko 705 tires are tough! Really dunno what happened, other than maybe the tire pressure was a few PSI low.
 
Well, I didn't change the cable but all the rest (software) is new and the clutch doesn't slip. Seems the best way to reclaim your lost youth is to get your old bike back, undo and fix all the crap you did 40 years ago, go at it full throttle and note you haven't the cajones you once had. 60+ mph in second, that I had forgotten!
 
Well, I think I have a running bike. Thanks to Hugh for the swap out. Tremendous customer support. We had a run of about fifteen emails. Patience of Job. I know I contributed to the charging problem I had. This time, I was extra careful about running the wires behind the stator and soldering the male connections which lock into the Reg/Rec.
I finally got to experience the smooth firing of the Pamco and the EAdv with no worries about losing power.
On another note, Awhile ago I bought a new shifter pedal and when I installed it and tried to tighten it up, I broke off the head of the bolt. I was kind of pissed, but I finally revisited the piece and drilled out the sheared off bolt. I went to the hardware store to find a way to tighten it up without breaking the bolt off and found a hardened one that fit perfectly and did not break when I tightened it up. Finally a shifter that doesn't slip.
Oh and along the way I installed a glass gas filter, new reinforced gas line that flows and doesn't bind.
All in all, I think I have a well running and reliable vintage motorcycle with crazy new electronic parts. Thanks to this forum for all the help along the way. I hope to run into some of you on the road...not literally. But if any of you are in the Chicago area, PM me and maybe we can do a run.
Peace All and ride safely.
 
Removed my left side engine cover AGAIN because the clutch rod seal started leaking worse than it was. Replaced that seal, and the main shaft seal. Somehow my sprocket nut came loose, but thank God the keeper washer was in place properly. My 36mm socket magically disappeared (I suspect my shop mate misplaced it...) so I bought a new one, and I'll go torque the nut properly tomorrow.

Cleaned a ton of oil residue off the lower portion of the frame that arrived thanks in no small part to the leaky seals. Thanks, Obama! Looking forward to riding tomorrow.
 
Was having a great day til I got half way through tensioning the bolts and nuts on the refurbished top end. Then I snapped one of the cover bolts. Had been gradually tightening all in correct sequence but think I learnt something too. It would make sense to have the biggest nuts getting close to their recommended max to avoid having the lighter bolts trying to do too much tightening themselves. Can't stand looking at the engine tonight so enjoying a bottle of red instead. Bugger.
 
I took of the carbs. Check them over en clean them. Does someone know how far I should turn the idle jet in. How many turns does it needs?:confused:
 
Ritchie said:
I took of the carbs. Check them over en clean them. Does someone know how far I should turn the idle jet in. How many turns does it needs?:confused:
Click to expand...

Without knowing what carbs you have...........

On the other hand you don't turn the idle screws IN you lightly seat and turn them OUT. That said 2 turns out should let it run on nearly any carbs, then work towards the best idle with no fall off when you crack the throttle. Work both screws together till it runs best then you can mess with one at a time to see if it will do even better. Use the dead cylinder method, keep a grounded plug on the disconnected wire (keep track of where you are on both screws)
 

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