1983 XS650 Heritage Special Restoration

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Just rescued a 1983 650 Heritage Special from a Friends sideyard where it had been sitting unloved for a long time...
Last ridden is 1992(last tag sticker).. when it was mothballed with a broken swingarm bolt.
I went over last week and finally pulled back the tarp it was hiding under and pulled it out, loaded on my truck and now its in my garage!
Pictures are worth a 1000 words they say..

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

So,
I got it home and gave it a quick clean up...

Now we can start, so any thoughts, comments, and advice are welcome!

nudude53

Now you've got something to keep you busy. Nice find.

cretin75xs650 · Full Member Joined: Dec 24, 2008 Posts: 99

Nice find, I found mine from a guy who had it stored under a cover in his garage for over 8 years. I enjoyed getting mine on the road, lots of elbow grease and a low budget to get it where it is at. Still looking for a seat. I currently have the stock seat strapped to the frame so I can ride it. Looking forward to your post and additional pics of your build.
AFTER:

BEFORE:

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

So, today I drained the oil.
It was pretty black and smelled strongly of gas.
The two grain plugs had a some sludge on the magnets, but not much.
What is the best oil to use?

nj1639

10,000 on the clock, my mentor says that's about the time for rotor failure. Could be why you see them with that many miles, sitting.
Gas in the oil suggests to me bad petcock. Did he ever say why he parked it? Still, the price is right! Your friend will envy you in no time. Like watching someone kissing your old girlfriend.Ha!
Cretin, NICE! Find a comfy seat to fit in the seat rails.

nudude53

Key650,
This is what I did with mine after it sat for about 18 years:
First of all change the sump filter, then 2 quarts of 10w-40 Valvoline oil and add enough Marvel mystery oil to it to bring it to the full mark. This will clean out alot of the old sludge and varnish. Don't worry about blow-by from the breathers. Run the bugs out of it, adjust the carbs etc. (about 100 miles) then change the oil again and replace it with 2 quarts Mobil 1 synthetic and adding Lucas synthetic oil treatment to the full mark on the dipstick. Change it again in about 500 miles and stay with synthetic oil from here on out, your engine will run quieter and smoother. Run Seafoam in the gas, 1 once per gallon.

Some people may not agree but it worked great for me, and the oil will stay cleaner longer between changes. Spend money for good oil, not for overhauls.

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Thanks guys.
The bike was put aside in '92, with a broken swinging arm bolt.
Here is the evidence...

So its been sitting idle for 17 years from what I know!

I am a BIG believer in MMO, so that sounds great!
I have a new sump filter and a new strainer from Mikes XS.
When I got it home it had about a gallon of old gas in the tank, which promptly flooded out of the air filter housings when I turned the petcock.
Just for fun I tried to start it(with a fresh gas, and a $35 Battery from walmart), and it did actually fire and run for a few seconds before stalling as the gas started to pour out of the carb mouths again.

So, here are a few questions to start...
1/ Why would the carbs flood like that?
2/The air filters are toast... all kinda mouldy and disintegrating.. New original style ones are stupid expensive... so should I get some airfilter foam and rewrap them/buy K&N/ or stick with originals?
3/ What is the rotor failure that you speak about?

Ok, so here is some more issues...
Wiring rearward of Battery was a Rodent Snack!

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Pulled the plugs..
Based on my silly attempt to start it with flooded carb and all... the condition is not a surprise.. sorry about this crap pic!

Then I did a compression test, cold..
RH reads 135psi.

LH reads 125psi.

Then I drained the oil.
The two plugs I mixed up so not sure which one was engine and which is gearbox..
Here is how they looked.

I wiped them off on a towel, the LH plug was "fuller" but most of it was silicon gasket junk, except the small metal shard I seperated out just to the left of it. The RH plug was just really fine junk.

Joseph · Full Member Joined: May 22, 2007 Posts: 767 Location: NY

Quote::

I am a BIG believer in MMO, so that sounds great!

what is MMO?

nj1639

Marvel Mystery Oil.

nj1639

Sounds like the carbs will need a total cleaning and possibly parts replacing. Floats are probably stuck allowing fuel to overflow. They're a pain to get out. Anymore, I remove the cam adjuster totally, drop the carbs down and out to the left ( sitting on the bike) side. Don't seperate the carbs from the structure that holds them together.
Rotor is part of the alternator, located on the left side behind the round 'yamaha' plate. Plenty of threads here about checking the rotor, get your wiring and carbs straightened out so's she'll start and then you can check the charging system.
Got a manual?

jayel

your compression will likely come up some more after you get it running, sludge on drain plugs doesn't look to bad, .... sparkplugs have been sitting in motor to long to get any meaning full reading from them, air filters and swingarm bolt (the full lenght 16mm one) from mikesXS, you got some work to do but look like it's worth doing, good luck

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

I have the Mikes swing arm bolt, and rebuild kits for carbs already, they were in my first of many orders!
Gonna pull the carbs soon and do a clean and rebuild.

Gonna slam a few oz of MMO in the cylinders and leave it to soak for a few days too.

nudude53

If you are going to rebuild it as stock I think you should spring for a new wiring harness, spendy yes and a PIA to install but it will eliminate problems in the future. Besides, if you strip it down to change out the harness you get to paint the frame which will make a big difference in the way the bike looks when finished. Go for it.

Pesky lil' varmits aren't they? I hate meeces to pieces!

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Where do I find a new Harness?

west24

seen them on ebay every once in awhile

nudude53

Key650:
You can find one here along with just about anything else you'll need.

www.mikesxs.net/produc...l#products

Part #24-6583

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Ok, how do you get the "oil strainer cover" off?
The two cap srews are out... It wont move.

nudude53

The gasket is just stuck, keep messing with it. Maybe a small phillips screwdriver inserted into the holes and wiggled a bit.

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Got it!
It was REALLY stuck... had to hit it with a punch inside the bolt hole to break it loose!
Ok... the strainer looked like this...

I scraped it out a bit, and again, mostly what looks like silicon sealant.
Normal?

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

Goodies so far!

key650 · Full Member Joined: May 11, 2009 Posts: 40

One of the big issues for me is how bad the engine covers look.
I feel stupid to ask how much work it is to pull the L and R covers off and refinish them?

nudude53

Lots of time well spent. Start by stripping any factory clear coat that is left on them with some stripper or acetone and a scotch-brite pad. Then it's just a matter of sanding out the scratches with progressively finer wet sandpaper and the final polish with a buffing wheel and the proper compounds. One of those red foam polishing balls in a drill work pretty good too.

Be sure to drain the oil before you pull the right cover.

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