cegan09

New bushings it is then. I had just assumed that bearings would be better, but i see your point with loading.

Got the damn swing arm off. I'll need a new swing arm shaft, threads are toast after the pounding, and there is surface pitting all over it. I'll probably be converting the swing arm to needle bearings instead of using bushings again. Frame is loaded and i'm off to drop it for powder. should get it back looking better than new. In the mean time it's on to the engine.

The trick was a bigger hammer. and bracing the frame against something solid so all the force went into removing the bolt. Need a new pivot bolt. Not only is the threaded end a little banged up, but the shaft itself is not in good shape. I'll probably do the conversion to needle bearings instead of bushings.

I have to be missing something. The rod/axle/whatever you want to call it that the swing arm rotates on will not move. I'm supposed to take the frame for powder coat today, and i need this off. thoughts?

Yup, makes sense now, just needed to clean the gunk off. It looked like that was all one piece of the frame. Once i cleaned all the dirt and grease off i saw that it was just a piece pressed into the frame. Popped those out and i'm looking for the right ones now.

So as i disassembled my steering last night i was shocked to find how the bearings were done. Loose bearings sitting between the triple trees and the frame? I guess that's how it was done. Does anyone know if its possible to convert to a more modern setup like these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-XS500-1975-to-1981-Steering-Stem-Bearings-Kit_W0QQitemZ360235691848QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotorcycles_Parts_Accessories?hash=item53dfb86f48 this is how the top bearing surface on the frame looked. Yes, these were toast. The steering felt like it had notches in it when i had all the forks and bars off it.

Well, frame is almost ready. Quick question for those that might know. How does the swing arm come off? I took off the bolt on the end of what i assume is the rod that goes through. But it doesn't want to come out. Do i just have to wail on it with something to get it started? I presume i should take out the grease fitting shown here. Also, do the bottom parts of the steering bearing come out? (pictured below) I didn't want to pry on those and put dents in them. if the don't come out i'll just make sure the powder coater doesn't do that part. (yes these bearings were completely toast)

sorry to hear about your key problems. I don't know that i'm much help there. a tip i picked up working on old cars, some of the best penetrating fluid i've ever used for rusty bolts, stuck things, etc is a 1:1 mix of diesel and automatic transmission fluid. Actually picked that up from a guy that works for delta where they've used it for a long time.

I can't tell if that is implying a positive or negative experience. His isn't that bad. He actually owns 2, bought at the same time, both 1975, and both have under 5000 miles. We got one running in under 2 hours of refresh work (battery, quick carb clean, gas, oil, etc). That one we've ridden, and it's quite fun. Not much power (34 new?), but damn is it light and fun to tip through corners. The second one is the problem child. It has no spark (tested with known good plugs), and as such we haven't paid it much attention while we get the first to road worthy condition. The good bike

I was under the impression that the head issues got resolved at some point over the TX/XS500 life span? In fact i thought it was when they switched from the TX to XS model name. I'll check just the same, i'm just seeing if my history is correct. I do love the bike, it has a personality. So far that personality has been that of a 2 year old, throwing tantrums a lot, but when it wants to have fun, boy is it fun. Finalized the frame details, dropping it off Friday for a nice gloss black finish. While it's out and i'm waiting for some engine bits to come in i'll be tinkering with a friends 1975 kawasaki KZ400 this weekend.

an excellent question. that is one of the things i'm still looking for. Once i find one i will let you know.

Unable to find any specs on the stock gauges i just assumed that the ones on mikesXS would work, we'll find out if that is correct this spring. Be warned that the ones on mikesXS are significantly smaller in diameter than stock.

Small update (my hectic life keeps putting this on the back burner)Frame goes out this week for prep and powder coating. Probably going to be gloss black unless the guy talks me into something better looking. Ordering all the parts for the engine refresh this week as well as parts to completely rebuild the carbs. Bought the socket to hack up and extension to allow me to finally pull the forks apart and replace seals. Once the frame is back i should be able to get this thing moving back towards being a functional motorcycle again. The plan as of now is to refresh the current engine, and use that for a season. The frame is getting completely redone, new bearing and bushings everywhere (wheels, swing arm, steering, etc). New wiring harness to replace the one i pulled off (well, new to me, used off ebay). Then once it is together i will start a complete tear down and rebuild of the original engine. That one will be painted or powder coated. That engine will be put on the bike as soon as i complete it. Next winter i'll have the wheels painted since the existing silver paint is coming off. I feel that this plan leaves me with a functional and decent looking bike for this year, and a functional and great looking bike the following year. Pictures to come as i get things accomplished. Wish me luck in getting it back on the road by the end of march.

i keep bouncing back and forth on the engine issue. i realize there will be a decent cost involved either way, but i'm ok with that. right now i think i'll clean and refresh the engine i pulled out, and spend the summer completely stripping the other one, cleaning, painting, rebuilding. we'll see. made some decent progress today. would have had the engine mounted if i owned two batteries for my drill. unfortunately i don't, so i'm delayed till tomorrow. progress.

I'm continuing the debate as to which engine i should rebuild first. I have the one i pulled out of the bike, that i know will run. its dirty, leaks oil (finding and fixing that problem either way), but it works. i can clean it up and refresh it. I also have the original numbers matching engine that i know less about. I know it has a broken shift fork (ebay has them), and needs cams (one is broken in half). So, do i go ahead and just do the numbers matching engine from the start? Or do i refresh the engine that was in there, use it for a season, and at the same time do a really thorough job on the numbers matching? I'm leaning towards the second option. I'll be able to ride this season, and for the next season I'll have a perfect, like new engine. Really just thinking out loud, feel free to share thoughts. also, how hard is replacing shift forks? does the case have to be split? I really want the answer to be no.

i wish i could find a picture of that part so i knew exactly what it was. i may still make my own, simply because i'm an engineer, and designing things is what i do. That said, i'll have someone with the correct tools make it so it looks a little nicer than the engine stand mounts i made.

it sure isn't pretty, but its functional. i could have had something custom water jet cut and welded, but the cost to have that made was approaching the amount i paid for the bike. this was cheap and effective. I've never rebuilt motorcycle engines, but i became intimately familiar with a 1987 Porsche 924S engine a couple of years ago, so i have some idea of what i'm doing. picking up a new tool today to replace my dremel as metal cutting tool of choice. the dremel gets really unhappy trying to cut steel.

I'll have the engine up on a stand this week, and i'll take a look at what it would take to make an adapter. I don't think it should be that hard. If i can find a solution, and a place to make some at a decent price i'll let people know.

been a while, time for an update. not much has been done, i've been waiting till after Christmas to restart the rebuild. engine is inside, new wiring harness has been ordered from ebay. I've been working on making adapters so that i can mount an engine on my engine stand. unfortunately motorcycle engines don't mount the same way as car engines. Car engines just bolt on to the bell housing mounts, and it cantilevers out. my solution is two arms that will cantilever off the engine stand, and attach to the XS's engine mount points. Its easier just to show pics. Sorry for the low quality, camera was dead so these were done with the phone. It passed the industry standard full body weight test, which is far more than any one arm will ever see. no deformation, no immediate failures. lined up on the engine The engine i'm rebuilding is the numbers matching engine for the bike, it was partially disassembled when i got it, but i'll be able to completely rebuild it with a mix of new parts and ones borrowed off the engine i just pulled out. the two engines. Second half of the mount being built tomorrow and Monday. I'm limited by my drill battery, which doesn't last long drilling holes in steel up to 1/2inch in diameter.

mikesxs.net has a bunch of parts as well. Not all are compatible since its a site for the 650, but i've found a large number that are.

i was unable to find any at a place like autozone. Just go to a local bike shop or dealer. I got new caps at the local Yamaha dealer with the threaded ends. As for wires, you may be able to get them at the same place, i just orded wires off mikesxs.

unfortunately i'm not knowledgeable enough to be able to tell you what jets you need, just that you'll need bigger to account for the more air. i don't even know what ones i need for mine, and my work will be primarily trial and error to figure it out. i would say that if the bike runs well with stock jets and airbox, just keep it and save yourself the trouble.

I got all my jets from mikesxs.net and used the stock sizes, though i need to change those since i no longer have the airbox. However my bike has the Mikuni carbs, and according to the workshop manual i have, your bike (1975) has the Keihin carbs. I do not know if the jets are physically different between the two. however, stock sizes for the Keihin are main - #125 Pilot - #45 starter (Idle?) - #50 Needle Jet - 3.8mm Jet Needle - 302004 float level - .866in +/- .099in (22 +/- 2.5mm) Air screw - R: 1 3/8 +/- 1/4 L: 1.0 +/- 1/4 If somehow you do have Mikuni carbs the stock sizes are as follows main - #122.5 Pilot - #30 Starter - #45 Needle Jet - Y-6 Jet Needle - 4J24-3 Float level - 25 +/- 2.5 mm (0.984 +/- .099in) Air screw - 1-1/4 +/- 1/2

Good to know. My only other idea was a texture-less bed-liner. I've seen one or two spray on ones that don't have a texture or grit, and i always thought that would be a great thing to coat a frame in. Then again, that usually goes on super thick, so possibly not. There are a few places around here that will do paint or powder coat, so i'll talk to them and see what they recommend based on the prep my particular frame will need. Engines coming inside tonight. Once i have that done i can break down my forks again, completely strip the frame, and figure out how in the hell to mount a bike engine on an engine stand that was designed for car engines. I've got some ideas, just requires some time on my part.

Thanks Drewps. I learned a lot of lessons the hard way when rebuilding a porsche 924s, so i'm passing on the learned bits to this project. I have two work benches build to lay out all the bits, and i'm keeping everything organized. my plan is to get the engines inside tomorrow, and start with them. The frame will be sent out to be painted. that brings up the first question. I'm tempted to powder coat the frame, but i don't know if painting or powder coating is better for it. thoughts?