Are we doing this again?

Twelve years ago, I started taking apart an old motorcycle. Today, I can't help but wonder if I'm still good at puzzles. The bike has been sitting in boxes gathering dust for about five years now. I would think occasionally about selling it but it would feel too much like failure.

While the this bike sat, I acquired a 1981 XS400 that ran but needed some love. I worked on it and spent the next few years riding it while this one sat. It was a lot of fun but, geometry wise, way too small. I sold it to a new rider and purchased a 2017 Yamaha FZ-07. It's a lot of fun too but I can't stop thinking about this one (partially because it takes up so much space in my garage).

I also was hesitate to sell it because I didn't have a title. I started the "registration without title" process here in Washington State. In the meantime, I was Googling the name of the person I thought might still be the registered owner. Ultimately, I reached out to him on Facebook. He agreed to meet me at the Licensing place and happily signed over the title. At that point, I had new plates with current tabs and fewer excuses. He even brought me a picture from shortly after he restored it. He had picked it up at a garage sale.

We then moved to a new house and the bike moved with us. After spending two years rearranging boxes, I finally build some decent shelving and, now have room to move around in the garage again. Fewer excuses all the time.

As of today, the parts boxes have been sorted. Additional lighting installed. Tools sourced from Craigslist. Global pandemic keeping most people inside. I'm officially out of excuses.

Soda Blasting [part 2]

I've never been accused of being speedy while working on this bike. Usually, as these posts reflect, it will sit for a number of months before I spend a day or two on it. Then, it's back under the drop cloth.

Today, the jugs, head and value covers are cleaner than they've been in 32 years. I met an extremely friendly and knowledgable fabricator who had the perfect blasting cabinet to restore this...

back into this...

Soda Blasting [part 1]

Now that I've disassembled the top end of the engine (mostly to replace a failed cam-chain tensioner), I have three large, heavy-ish and dirty parts. I cannot bring myself to reassemble it without some serious cleaning. I would like to simply drop these pieces off at a small local business on my way to work, and pick them up clean and ready for reassembly after work.

...and below, before the disassembly.

Warning: Rant

I'm nearly certain that one cannot find soda blasting prices online in the Spokane area. I understand that the price will vary by project but I am really surprised at the overall lack of available information. If a fledgling web-designer is looking for a terribly under-represented market, look into the media blasting industry. Though it may be silly, I often prefer to not do business with companies that are not represented by some amount of online media and or information. More importantly, a willingness for email correspondence should be a requirement when obtaining a business license. Not really. I just had it in my head that I could email a hand full of pictures to a few companies and end up with a number of quotes (or at least rough estimates) in my email inbox by the end of the week. Oh well.

Removing the engine's top end

I realized quite awhile ago what a huge waste of time and energy it would be to have cleaned up this bike without getting into the engine. I found a few terrific YouTube videos by the users nightflyer12345 and claymonsta on disassembling and reassembling the XS650 engine. The videos gave me the a push into doing the same. The front cam chain guide has (I believe) been completely stripped of its rubber coating, an issue that I've read is quite common. As far as I understand, I must remove the cylinder head covers, head, and jugs to access the guide. Then it's a matter of a few gaskets, a Popsicle stick (see previously linked-to video) and  a couple of filters.

 

Happy New Year!

I reached my goal of having a rolling frame before the end of the year. What you cannot see are the minute details that make the previous statement only partially true.

I found a number of loose ends that will need wrapped up before it's truly there. You'll notice a lack of front disc brake. It's in the bathroom (warmest room in the house) waiting for paint to dry. I'm also missing a spacer on the rear axel, which reminds me--are there really no good diagrams or pictures of the spacer layout for an XS650? I have seen the manual and black and white line drawings but not one definitive "here's the answer you were looking for" picture. Finally, I'm not 100% sure about how I have the forks and triple-tree set up. Something seems off.

Either way, I am still very happy with the progress and what I've accomplished this evening. A night on the town, partying with friends is always fun but it's not every year that you put your first motorcycle back together. My wife jokingly said this morning, "You love your bike, more than me." I said, "Don't say that dear. It's an XS650, not a bike."

Rolling frame in 3, 2, 1...

In short, the shocks you see below are the same pair. I had them disassembled by Allen's Cycle here in Spokane before I spent a few days sanding and wiping and painting. They quite nicely surmise all the work I've done on the bike so far. The entire thing was generally quite dirty, multi-colored and, as they say, ridden hard and put away...well, you know. Now, with the tires remounted after cleaning up the rims, it's time to start bolting things back together. I will admit that I skipped painting the front wheel. I'm going to have it sand blasted, then paint it, but my goal for this year has been to get it back to "rolling frame" (on tires, that is) status. I certainly should have an update tomorrow evening or I'll be kicking myself.

Ordered first part!

I've taken great care to keep from spending very much on this project. I didn't want to start buying parts, only to find out that the engine was seized or otherwise screwed up. When the bike came to me, no one was sure it even ran.

Recent posts outline the process I went through to determine that the electrical system and then the engine, were in fact worth investing time in. While in this phase, I continued to spend little money on it, only purchasing small, inexpensive parts, wiring and cleaning materials.

Last night marked the first time I purchased a part that was needed in the reassembly phase. I purchased a steering bearing kit from p-k-n on ebay. After shipping, it came to about $50 and as of this morning is listed as "shipped". Now I'm waiting.

In the last post, I featured the painted items that are now needed to be reassembled. Next, I'll need to clean up the wheels, paint, new rubber for the rear tire and I'll have a rolling frame. This was my goal for this summer.