What have you done to your XS today?

Today, I undid a "brainfart" from before. After finally getting my homemade rearset plates with Ducati rubber mounts and Cognito Moto pegs permanently fitted, I was not able to select neutral. Just no way. Note that i haven't ridden the bike since fitting these pegs (due to work, home refitting, and sailboat refitting.....)
Anyway, today I found the (embarrassing) problem......
I had set up the linkage backwards/ race shifting......Dooooh.......
 
Bought myself a C-Tek Battery Charger / Maintenance Unit


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I also fired her up......... Just to hear her roar; god love the sound this bike makes!
 

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Decided to splurge on a set of TM32 carbs for my '80. The BS34's are giving me trouble again & (the bike let me down on the Piston Rally in Spain in September - for the second time in 4 years) and as I've has the bike for 18 years & intend to keep it till the end of my riding days I feel the expense is worth it.
Rick at Smedspeed (15 miles away) had a set in stock & is currently jetting them up, making a 1 into 2 throttle cable & 1 into 2 fuel line. Should be ready this week. Old carbs & airbox are out ready. I need to source air filters but will wait to see what space is available.
The visit to Rick's emporium got me thinking about his 707cc 270 degree crank rebuild . He had a newly built one set up on a stand which sounded lovely, crisp & smooth. Didn't even ask the cost of that!
 
Decided to splurge on a set of TM32 carbs for my '80. The BS34's are giving me trouble again & (the bike let me down on the Piston Rally in Spain in September - for the second time in 4 years) and as I've has the bike for 18 years & intend to keep it till the end of my riding days I feel the expense is worth it.
Rick at Smedspeed (15 miles away) had a set in stock & is currently jetting them up, making a 1 into 2 throttle cable & 1 into 2 fuel line. Should be ready this week. Old carbs & airbox are out ready. I need to source air filters but will wait to see what space is available.
The visit to Rick's emporium got me thinking about his 707cc 270 degree crank rebuild . He had a newly built one set up on a stand which sounded lovely, crisp & smooth. Didn't even ask the cost of that!
Hi Jimbo
I have a the TM34's on my build, purchased as conversion kit specific to the XS650 from Mikunioz here in Australia, getting close to first start up. Keen to hear how you go with yours, fitting the throttle cables has proven to be a challenge due to the dual taps being so close, I think I have it sorted, šŸ¤ž
I bought a pair of filters from Ramair in the UK, they have a good range and good prices, these fit well between carb and bat box, I had to mod the side covers a bit, I'm not keen on the pod type filters.
 

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Adam, could you provide some of the build specs on your XS?
FULL BUILD THREAD IS AVAILABLE.
Thanks for the interest @46th Georgia
Also a list of components used here post No 153: https://www.xs650.com/threads/welsh-flat-track-revival.60449/page-8
More at: https://www.xs650.com/threads/welsh-flat-track-revival.60449/
The start joining this forum: https://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650-15-year-bike-chase.60202/
I stated chasing this bike for 15 years; the wife corrected me it was actually 23 years.
KR
Ads.
 
Phil, I've got the Mikunioz carbs on my ebay watchlist. There's a company called Allens Performance in the UK that do too them but decided to go with the local guy that took over Smedspeed a few years ago. Couldn't believe it when he set up so close to me. Bought his cartridge oil filter conversion as one of his early customers.
The carbs, cables etc are ready for me to collect but I may not have time before we go away for a few days. Will be next week before I can fit them. My bike only has 1 fuel tap so I hope it will be easy enough on that score. Have been looking at the Ramair filters but will fit the carbs & then see what room there is. Been advised to go as big as poss & to avoid the pleated pod type. Hope not to mod the side covers, they are steel ones but not the same as yours.
Will keep you posted.
 
Bought the rearsets that halfmile had for sale. It will go well with the Clubman handlebars I bought some years ago. Now if I could just find an XS750 tank in decent shape at a decent price...
Fixed the Lt rear turn signal. It wasn't blinking. Ground wasn't doing its job. Now it is.
 
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What a great looking bike Phil. That motor pic looks like a piece of art.
Thanks Willis
I'm hangin out to start her, I bought her about 18 years ago as a complete but badly neglected pile of rust for a $1 a cc, stripped her and then forgot I had her, pulled her out of her semi buried home in my tiny shed about 2 years ago and here we are.
It's funny, Mrs. Lucky hadn't forgotten about her and was quick to remind me when I started talking about buying another bike. BTW the paint is inspired by my favorite Mrs. Lucky's knickersšŸ‘™šŸ¤¤
 
I did a couple routine items, then rejetted my carburetors.

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I thought I was a bit lean in the spring, so I jetted to 45 and 137.5. At the same time, I replaced the chain and sprockets, going from 17/34 to 17/33. These are the plugs. Fuel economy had gone from almost 55 mpg to under 50 mpg and just a wee bit of a stumble at the changeover. Also, not quite as easy to start.

So, I jetted back to 42.5 and 135. The 33 tooth sprocket will stay. It started easily enough, but not on the electric leg. It seldom does when it's cold. I'm not going out in the cold. I'll just assume it will run as it did before.
 
Yes, those plugs look a little rich, and a drop in mileage is one of the signs you're jetted too rich. If you want to make the idle circuit a tad richer, reduce the air jet a size or two. When my '83 was basically stock (only mod was extra holes drilled in the ends of the stock mufflers), I went down two on the air jet and combined with the stock 42.5 pilot, it was good (put some color back on the plugs). Just that one little mod (drilled muffler ends) had the plugs looking pretty lean. I had also installed 135 mains and they were good.
 
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