sleepyk

Wow..... wow....... Fantastic work.

I know Ebay is an easy answer but.... ...have you thought about setting up a saved search on Ebay? You can have it email you when the exact item is posted that you need. It saves you from checking periodicly or missing out on a great deal. I seem to save the most $$ via eBay and have found some real treasures on there for my oldies.

Wait till my wife sees the XS-500 t-shirt I had made at Zazzle.com..........I'm not kidding.

Thanks guys! Jim your right. After some research the XS500 is definitely 530. I have no idea what my relationship with this bike is going to be once I finish it. I purchased it as a way of learning basic bike maintenance. The process has certainly taught me alot about carbs, points, tires, brakes, pistons.......and now chains. I'm exhausted and exhilerated to be finishing it. I'm certainly going to ride the hell out of it once I'm done. Will it replace my beloved 400 or my gigantic Honda scooter?? I don't know. I have alot of time invested in it and I personally think it is the sharpest of the classic Yamaha's. I'll be certain to post some pictures and a possible YouTube video once we're on the road. Thanks again!!

I've never bought a chain before and the prices seem all over the place. I'd like to stay at $50 and below. It is for my '78 xs500. Any suggestions on brands or type (520, 530....)?

Wow! Thank guys! I have a XS500E (I think that's the only Xs500 they had that year), not sure if that matters. Jim, how did you find that part on that site? I went through the website to see what they carried for this bike an nothing came up. Super sport looks like it might be a good resource for parts too.

Dave, I'm enjoying your trip notes! I took a 4hr ride from Dayton to Toledo a couple weeks ago on my '81 XS400 and had a ball. I just had my factory issued toolkit though. Reading you post sounds like I might want to take more precautions on my next adventure. Have a great trip back!!

I've had some real breakthroughs working on this oldie this month and now have it running smoothly. I'm moving onto breaks and tires next and thought I'd redo the rear master cylinder since I noticed it was clearly bad. Powersport Superstore had this chart: http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/Produc...&Click=8320 ..which clearly states that 1978 XS500 rear master cylinder part number is 29-2989. That part is out of stock---everywhere. According to Old Bike Barn the part number is 32-4031. From what I've read Old Bike Barn does not have the best reputation though. Powersport Superstore carries the 32-4031 part as well but it is not listed on their chart. I'm tempted to buy it to continue my progress on my bike, but I'm concerned it's not the right part and I'll only get frustrated ordering it. Are there any other resources to try and figure out if this part will work with my bike? I went to the manufacuter's site (K&L Supply Co.) but it was no help.

Good info. My friend is going to give me his dwell meter the next time he comes up. Thanks again.

Thanks Jim! Do you know what the points gaps should be set to?

Hey everybody! I'm convinced I'm going to have my XS500 up and running this summer. I've enlisted the help of a BMW fanatic/engineer to come help me set the points tomorrow. The only problem is that the only documentation I have is a supplimentary service manual I downloaded via Bittorrent. Does anyone know of any documentation online that would help us tomorrow? Are there any other Yamaha bikes that have similar settings that I can use the manual for? THANK YOU!

I shouldn't look at Craigslist, but I just can't help it.. I woke up last week and saw that a 1978 XS500 had just been posted for sale in my neighborhood. I called the owner and hopped on my XS400 with my checkbook. $275 later I own my first project bike! Good- -bike seems complete (except the actual plastic start button is gone with the spring sticking out) -has some sort of cruise control on the throttle I'm completely baffled on how it works -The compression seems healthy -The seat looks great -shows 10k miles -the previous owner started cleaning he bike and I think it is going to look pretty sharp when finished - I changed some fuses and hooked the battery cables to my battery starter-and all the lights and dash lights worked. (Not So) Bad -Tires are dry rotted. but the previous owner gave me two new tires to put on. -I looked it the gas tank and there was no rust on the bottom of the tank, but there was some on the inside part of the tank that straddles the frame. It is not very deep and can be rubed off with my finger or soft sandpaper. I got to what I could reach and then cleaned out the tank and let it dry. -it'll need a new battery (surprise!) -one fuel hose is cracked where it attached to the petcock and the other seems WAY too short and I had to stretch it across the top surface of the carb and I was unable to get it fully on the petcock nipple due to the length (and it is missing the scissor clip) -the back brake makes a *squish* sound when you press down on it and leaks brake fluid from a piston-like item behind my heal -I attached the throttle cable to the carbs but the throttle grip slllooowly returns to the starting position after you pull back on it and release it I will probably attempt to start it once I get the fuel lines replaced. Should I worry about the light rust I couldn't reach inside the tank? Any thoughts on the throttle or brakes? Thanks for your help! Here are a link to some photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/flymfly/XS500e...ey=u2wsplkct58#

.............My bike goes 90 mph?

When might this happen??

Just a follow up (and help for anyone who may search this forum in the future). This was absolutely the problem. My bike starts without any thought of hesitation. The battery has not drained in the eek that it has been fixed. I am VERY PLEASED. THANK YOU! BTW: I think the Haynes manual is crap. I think they are trying to cover too many bikes/years. Oh well..

Fantastic. Thank you!!

Hello All! This is my first post on my first motorcycle: When we recently bought our 1981 Yamaha XS 400 the previous owner mentioned that he had put a newer battery in it b/c the old one seemed dead. It became appearent as I began to ride it at home that the battery seemed o be draining everyday. When we first got it the electric start butto worked like a charm. Days later the electric start would hesitate and dim the hell out of the dash lights. After awhile I would have to kick start it. ....It got to the point where if I had my foot on the brake (activating the break light) and the turn signal on-the bike would shut down completely, leaving me kick starting it at a stop sign or stoplight. I put my battery tender on it and noticed after two days that the battery would not full charge. Ah-ha! It's the battery! I bought a new battery and charged it up per the directions, installed it and started it up the next morning. It was like having a new bike. Soon I realized the same issues were happening. Today it stalled 3 times. I assume there is something wrong with the alternator, but I'd like to know for sure before I spend $$ on one. The other issue I have is less frustrating, but I will bring it up anyhow. From time to time when I am shifting from 4th->5th the bike goes into neutral. I shift down and back up and it's fine. Also the have ben times where I am shifting down as I approach a stop sign/light and cannot get the bike from 2nd to 1st. I asked the previous owner and he said that the first thing I should do is change the oil. Anyhoo... Pleasure to be here and I appreciate any help I can get. PS: Anyone have the Haynes manual for this bike. Is it worth the $30? I've seen some other older model Yamaha books that look terrible.