(yawn) ...just another new (old) guy...

Hi Rick and welcome,
no airforce memories here, I was 3rd generation on the civilian side.
My dad built Bristol Bulldogs in the 1930s my Pa-in-Law built Bristol Beaufighters in the 1940s and I (and 10,000 other guys) built the Concorde in the 1960s.
Bikewise I was a Velocette rider in the UK and a Triumph & Honda rider in Canada until I bought my NOS 1984 XS650 in 1986 because it looked like a Matchless.
So back to your XS650. 1981 is a good year even if it lacks the 1980's hydraulic rear brake it does have the electronic ignition so there's no points or mechanical advance mechanism to worry about.
Which means there's also nothing except the ends of the camshaft under the points covers so don't have a WTF? moment when you remove them.
And DON'T drink the PMA koolade. The stock system is better.
XS650 parts swap like LEGO. Any drum brake rear and any post '73 front wheel drops right in.
All Special gas tanks and post '72 (1 gallon larger) Standard gas tanks interchange.
1980 & newer "lift off" seats interchange but they don't look the same, the newer the year, the taller the hump.

Thanky, good info!
 
Edgewood. Small. Im in shelton and heard bent bike in auburn is gone. Good place for the usual goodies. A bit disorganized, but i will miss it. Lynnwood is a long ways for me. Swing thru shelton sometime. I may have parts u need.
 
Welcome Rick1956.... and you ain't that old Kid !
My 83' XS650"HS" (heritage special) took a while to get going, those carbs are the pickiest I've ever seen ! mainly because their hard as hell to get all the passage ways clean and clear.....
Fred in toon is right on the TCI unit being a good one.... don't drink the Pamco cool-aide ! LOL if I have one regret about my bike it's not getting the change over and licenses on it done the day I brought it home ! HAHAHAHA !
there is a technical section you will find most helpful under forums, garage and it's at the top.... very very handy !
...Yes the fuse boxes on the 80~84 XS are the pits.... i replaced my fuse block with simple female spade connectors and the proper amp automotive fuse... and wound up with flexible fuses I could tuck down out of the way so I could put my gloves and throat protector under the seat without any trouble.
I went through my carburetors 4 times... Yes 4 times ! and I am no stranger to carburetors ! but these gave me fits !
I found a plugged passage way in the float bowl that caused most of my problems ! ( in both carburetors mind you !)
.......and the coil needs to be grounded through a plug or you can fry the coil.....
the XS650 is a really Fine motorcycle, a bit low geared for a 70mph cruse but that can be changed with sprockets !
.....check and see if the tires are original... mine are and their quite hard .... safety says replace them ASAP !
..... good to have you aboard !
.....
Bob.........
 
Edgewood. Small. Im in shelton and heard bent bike in auburn is gone. Good place for the usual goodies. A bit disorganized, but i will miss it. Lynnwood is a long ways for me. Swing thru shelton sometime. I may have parts u need.

Thanks, Angus. Yeah, Bent Bike is gone, but to tell you the truth--I was never a fan of their business model. Their deal was buying mom & pop shops and taking them apart. Little by little all the good small motorcycle shops went away. Their store was in constant disarray, and the only new stuff they sold (helmets, bags, leather, gloves, etc were largely junk. Yes, they did occasionally have a part you needed, but I say good riddance. Ebay fills my needs pretty well these days, but I appreciate the offer!
 
Welcome Rick1956.... and you ain't that old Kid !
My 83' XS650"HS" (heritage special) took a while to get going, those carbs are the pickiest I've ever seen ! mainly because their hard as hell to get all the passage ways clean and clear.....
Fred in toon is right on the TCI unit being a good one.... don't drink the Pamco cool-aide ! LOL if I have one regret about my bike it's not getting the change over and licenses on it done the day I brought it home ! HAHAHAHA !
there is a technical section you will find most helpful under forums, garage and it's at the top.... very very handy !
...Yes the fuse boxes on the 80~84 XS are the pits.... i replaced my fuse block with simple female spade connectors and the proper amp automotive fuse... and wound up with flexible fuses I could tuck down out of the way so I could put my gloves and throat protector under the seat without any trouble.
I went through my carburetors 4 times... Yes 4 times ! and I am no stranger to carburetors ! but these gave me fits !
I found a plugged passage way in the float bowl that caused most of my problems ! ( in both carburetors mind you !)
.......and the coil needs to be grounded through a plug or you can fry the coil.....
the XS650 is a really Fine motorcycle, a bit low geared for a 70mph cruse but that can be changed with sprockets !
.....check and see if the tires are original... mine are and their quite hard .... safety says replace them ASAP !
..... good to have you aboard !
.....
Bob.........

Thanks Bob!
 
Bent bike tended to cost about 4x what the same part on ebay was. I went there twice and both times bought the part I needed from ebay before I left. If you need any help machining a part I'm down in frederickson between south hill and spanaway, don't have a big lathe or fancy mill but what I got works.
 
Bent bike tended to cost about 4x what the same part on ebay was. I went there twice and both times bought the part I needed from ebay before I left. If you need any help machining a part I'm down in frederickson between south hill and spanaway, don't have a big lathe or fancy mill but what I got works.

Thanks Ratranger, it's always good to have a machinist on the ol' contact list. I'll keep you in mind, thanks!
 
Thats part of the reason I went to school to be a machinist. The number of projects I had that were either hack jobs, or died because I couldn't afford a machinist and couldn't do myself, and it can make a decent living. Dove straight in after the army and haven't regretted it.
 
Edgewood. Small. Im in shelton and heard bent bike in auburn is gone. Good place for the usual goodies. A bit disorganized, but i will miss it. Lynnwood is a long ways for me. Swing thru shelton sometime. I may have parts u need.
Bent Bike in Lynnwood is gone too. :( Despite their mess of a store, I actually liked going and finding stuff. Part of the joy for me was in the "Search" for the obscure part that couldn't be found without rummaging through old motor and bits. Need a replacement in-tank petcock fuel filter from a '79 yamaha petcock...yep, found two! But that's for another thread, I suppose. :)

OH, Welcome Rick! I'm in Seattle... good to see another PNW'er in the mix. Give a shout if you need help!
 
Bent Bike in Lynnwood is gone too. :( Despite their mess of a store, I actually liked going and finding stuff. Part of the joy for me was in the "Search" for the obscure part that couldn't be found without rummaging through old motor and bits. Need a replacement in-tank petcock fuel filter from a '79 yamaha petcock...yep, found two! But that's for another thread, I suppose. :)

OH, Welcome Rick! I'm in Seattle... good to see another PNW'er in the mix. Give a shout if you need help!

Thanks, Brassneck!
 
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