Dan Baldwin

Below is the ad for the guy I found in the VJMC magazine. While I'm not crazy about spending more than I have to, I'm also not crazy about paying more to fix stuff after I mess it up. I spoke to Blake on the phone and he said he'd done about 150 tanks with his process. I can't remember the details but it seemed a bit more scientific than me putting mystery goop into my tank and shaking it over my head for several hours. Call Blake at 760-732-3950 I'm sure he'll explain his process. He seemed pretty friendly. He's also recommended by one of the only local motorcycle repair shops that will even take a call about an older bike, North County Motorcycles at 760-746-7467. They say they refer business to him and use him themselves for old tank restoration.

Do you have a part number for what you ordered from BikeBandit? When I called they could only provide the whole gas cap assembly for my 1976 XS500 for $97

I'm having a guy derust & line my tank for $150. Found his add in the VJMC magazine. I'm cleaning the gas cap myself. The rubber gasket is a bit cracked around the edges. Anyone know where a newer or better one might be acquired?

I recently purchased a 1976 XS 500 with only 6,700 miles on it off Craigslist for just $700 (the same model bike I rode 25 years in college). The bike did not have a battery in it. I did a bit of research & decided to by a 14-A2 battery. The battery I bought has the positive terminal on the left side when it sits in the battery box. See photo below. When I hooked up the wires though nothing came on and I think it blew the 20amp fuse. When I trace the battery wires I draw the conclusion that the left wire is the negative lead as it appears to be connected to the frame. For anyone with a working XS 500, can you please look at your battery and tell me if the positive terminal is on the left or the right? Can you tell me what model or size battery you have so I can make sure I have the right battery? I found a German XS500 website at www.XS500.com and while I don't read German it appears that some XS500 models take a 14-3A battery which has the negative post on the left side. Also, can some one tell me if the 1976 XS 500 is a model "B" or "C"? Thanks! Dan Baldwin 951-251-5155