What have you done to your XS today?

Also... when you pull the main jet out, there's a brass washer under it (it's an odd size, don't lose it). If the washer's stuck to the body, your taps ain't doin' anything. Make sure the washer is out.
 
Rewiring - a couple photos of a rewiring of my 77D (my No 2 barn find - lots of work in progress).
Just finished installing Tri-Spark and sent a heap of parts away for chroming which will take 12 weeks, so good opportunity to do the rewire.
Its a very simple design - relay is triggered by the ignition switch, this connects battery with fuse box via a very short run. Fuse box distributes 7 circuits to where its needed.
Headlights are by nature a mess - thats the best I could do to try to organise it a bit.
All original wiring put away for safe keeping, but I am stuck with a lot of the original wiring, in the headlight shell, from the tacho, speedo and pilot box hence the number of unused connectors showing.
I put the original handlebar controls away for safe keeping and splashed out on aftermarket controls and cut out the wires I didnt need - to keep the minamilist approach.
Regards Ray.
P1030944.JPGP1030953.JPGP1030954.JPG
 
That’s the same BlueSea fuse box I bought. Perfect fit on top of the battery box in the pre-threaded holes. I’m also mid process of a complete rewire. Not much fun.
 
Also... when you pull the main jet out, there's a brass washer under it (it's an odd size, don't lose it). If the washer's stuck to the body, your taps ain't doin' anything. Make sure the washer is out.
@Jim and @jpdevol, thanks for responding... yes, from the bowl side. There is so much residue still stuck to the needle valve jet that I didn't see that there was a washer! Will have another go at it tomorrow.
 
I'll tell ya how I do it when they're all gunked up like that. I'll sacrifice the mains... they'll want replacing anyway.
Just unscrew the mains a turn or so and give 'em a smack. Needle jet pops loose, screw the main out the rest of the way and push the needle jet out... done.
 
Yes, once you get the washer off, screw the main part way back in and tap on it.
 
I'll tell ya how I do it when they're all gunked up like that. I'll sacrifice the mains... they'll want replacing anyway.
Just unscrew the mains a turn or so and give 'em a smack. Needle jet pops loose, screw the main out the rest of the way and push the needle jet out... done.
Tks Jim, 5twins, worked like a charm. Freed the washer, dislodged the needle jet. It was thoroughly glued in place with gas residue, like shellac.
 
Next project is a quick-and-dirty build-up of a 1983 Special that is barely a roller at the moment. Just needs to be running and operational for a roadworthiness inspection. Once declared roadworthy, it'll get a proper build.
- have a running engine that leaked oil badly from the sump plate despite a new gasket. Discovered it had a low spot on the sump plate mounting surface (> .025" low). Filled with JBW and filed flat. Its sump plate had been previously removed and used on another engine
- prepped a sump plate from another engine that needs a top-end rebuild and found that the repaired sump filter had come apart. Became determined to come up with a better sump filter arrangement! Has anyone done the KTM 620 paper filter mod?
- started the cleaning process on a set of BS34's, bodies currently soaking in carb cleaner
Worked on the engine referred to in the attached post:
- installed the repaired sump filter and then installed the sump plate
- checked valve lash
- replaced missing head nuts and retorqued the lot
- discovered that what I thought was a TCI engine has in fact a points cam and an advance mechanism. This is good as points was the plan for now
- working on a design/prototype of a new sump filter...more to follow on that!
 
Riding home from work yesterday I had a rendezvous with an officer riding a covert BMW who gifted me a fine and demerit points for the head gasket oil leak. So I have finally decided to remove the engine and replace the gasket. I hadn't cleaned the engine for a few weeks so it was quite oily. View attachment 225447
A fine and points for an oil leak? God I'm glad I live in Florida.
 
Loosenoose, your first mistake was buying your mufflers from MikesXS. The original Commando muffler is very nice but that's not what Mike's sells now. They sell an EMGO copy of it that only looks like it on the outside. The internal baffling is completely different and frankly, they're junk. Your second mistake was getting the 1 3/4" inlet size that needs reducers to fit. You've seen how well that works, lol. Instead, go to YamahaXS650.com. They still sell the original Commando with a 1.5" inlet (#07-0065) and nice 1.5" O.D. headpipes (on sale for $99 at the moment). These will mate together nicely without the need for reducers.
5 Twins, Have you used or heard the mufflers 070065? Like many I too fell into the Mikes muffler trap and agree they're junk and sound like crap. I have cruised youtube for sound clips but didn't find anything useful. Just trying to get a feel from someone who has heard them. The mikes units are just obnoxious too loud with baffles in or out and rattly sounding. Kinda like a bull dog sneezing in a can of marbles🤷‍♂️
 
Yes, I bought some and they are the original style Commando with the removable baffle bolt. Even though MikesXS still lists this muffler, it's not the same. It's the junky EMGO copy. They haven't changed their description either. They still claim this is the Heiden dyno tuned design. It's not, they're lying to us, lol. You want this Commando from YamahaXS650.com .....

https://yamahaxs650.com/product/commando-style-megaphone-muffler/
 
Yes, I bought some and they are the original style Commando with the removable baffle bolt. Even though MikesXS still lists this muffler, it's not the same. It's the junky EMGO copy. They haven't changed their description either. They still claim this is the Heiden dyno tuned design. It's not, they're lying to us, lol. You want this Commando from YamahaXS650.com .....

https://yamahaxs650.com/product/commando-style-megaphone-muffler/
Thank You, I had them in the cart waiting for your Blessing.:cool:
 
Hi All
I finally got my front brakes working from complete rebuild of front calipers on my twin disk 76C, I had bought new MC, braided lines T junction, inline switch and a caliper rebuild kit from Geoff's XS here in Aus, interesting to find that the pistons were 0.05mm over size meaning they were jamming in the cylinder leaving me scratching my head as to why my brakes were not releasing,:umm: I assumed that I had missed something but after reading an older post in here I checked the piston dimensions and found the fault, cleaned old pistons and installed but will have to replace eventually due to corrosion above the seal.
Thank god for this forum.👍
I guess I should have checked piston to cylinder fit before assembly instead of assuming new bits are correct.:cussing::banghead:
 
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