jrhendryx

i have a manual, but i need to know which specific xs500 you have. b, c, or e? im assuming c, since its a 77, but it might be an e as well. *edit* this should help too.... if it is a B, the serial number will start with 371, C's start with 1J3-0xxxxx, and the E will start 1J3-2xxxxx point gap is easy, its the same on all 3 models: B: 0.30 ~ 0.40MM C: 0.30 ~ 0.40mm E: 0.30 ~ 0.40mm

*bump* any help please? the only local place that will work on a bike this old is trying to tell me that it has something to do with the alternator/generator, which i think is total bs. I guess i could see how it could be a firing issue electrically, but it seems to me as though that would happen all at once, not kind of build up over time as this did (oh, and now the bike wont even start). help!

i also posted this in the classics section, but it seems as though it might make more sense to be here. hey guys, im new to motorcycles, and am trying to teach myself about the engine, and engines in general. heres the deal. i own a 75 xs500b. it has been running fine, but yesterday i noticed a slight backfire when i rolled off the throttle. today, it was even worse, to the point where the engine actually died when i got to work. coming home from work, i was just wondering if i was going to make it. when i roll on the throttle the engine bogs down and tries to die (or just dies). when i pull in the clutch and roll off the throttle, all of a sudden the rpm's dont drop for quite a while (5 seconds or more) and then once it does die off, it just dies. doesnt want to start. backfires a lot. im hoping that this is just a carburetor adjustment issue, that its maybe running a bit lean. any ideas or help would really be appreciated. thanks. jeff also, roughly how much would it cost to get the pressure gauges that you use to sync up the carburetors? i would like to be able to do this kind of work myself in the future.

you are correct, in fact, i noticed that the engine was running a little warm at that point too, so after reading up a bit on what lean/rich looks like, im leaning towards lean, and since i dont have the right tools (the pressure gauges mainly) i will be having everything cleaned with new jets at a local classic bike shop.

hey guys, im new to motorcycles, and am trying to teach myself about the engine, and engines in general. heres the deal. i own a 75 xs500b. it has been running fine, but yesterday i noticed a slight backfire when i rolled off the throttle. today, it was even worse, to the point where the engine actually died when i got to work. coming home from work, i was just wondering if i was going to make it. when i roll on the throttle the engine bogs down and tries to die (or just dies). when i pull in the clutch and roll off the throttle, all of a sudden the rpm's dont drop for quite a while (5 seconds or more) and then once it does die off, it just dies. doesnt want to start. backfires a lot. im hoping that this is just a carburetor adjustment issue, that its maybe running way too rich. any ideas or help would really be appreciated. thanks. jeff

im unsure if its the stock handle bars, but the exhaust is stock (though someone has bobbed them down to the baffles). no oil leaks on the engine that i can see or find, no leaks at all

the guy i bought it from showed me the receipt, they were bought a year and a half ago, and have roughly 700 miles on them.

Hey there, ive already posted in a couple of other people's threads, and decided that instead of hijacking everyone elses, that i would go ahead and make my own. I bought my first bike on tuesday, and as mentioned above it is a 1975 xs500b. i did a little bit of research on this before i bought it, and still decided to go for it, even though everything i read said that the parts were a nightmare to find. $400 plus a helmet, and its in pretty good condition. apparently the story on it goes something like this: 1 owning family - grandpa got if for grandma brand new in 75. grandma promptly ran it into a ditch and it sat for the next 15-20 years. dad pulled it out, tinkered with it, and got it running. son tuned it up so it purrs, though i can tell by listening that the carbs are ever so slightly out of sync. the speedo was replaced a year or so ago, and wasnt working prior to that, so im not sure how many miles it has, but im guessing around 8-10k. here are a couple of pictures.... so far, only having had it for 3 days, ive already managed to tip it over in my storage unit, cracking one of the side covers and snapping the knob off the end of the clutch lever. DOH! its a noob move. anyway, i only have one question at the moment. on the petcocks (there are two for some reason) which end of the switch actually points at the selection? the tip of the switch, or the round portion? if im not being clear, let me know. i dont want to be running around on reserve all the time, and get stuck somewhere because i ran totally out of gas. thanks!

my bike is in decent condition, though today i cracked the left side rear cover (over battery) and snapped the knob off of the clutch lever when i knocked it over in my storage unit. here is a picture of mine. it has about 8k miles on it i think..... the odometer is wrong, by quite a bit, it reads just over 2k, and didnt have one until about a year ago. as you can see, it has a custom paint job (that im probably going to change in the near future), and cut down pipes. Its my first bike, and im using it as a learning tool mostly, but i really like it already. for what its worth, i bought a brand new one of these from a yamaha dealer.... you might be interested in this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Yamaha-xs50...sspagenameZWDVW

i also just became a yamaha owner with the exact same bike (my first bike too). 1975 xs500b. i think i got lucky that it was owned by someone who knew how to keep carbs in tune and do regular maintenance. the parts are very hard to find, like you mentioned, but you can do it if you find a good parts guy who knows what hes doing. i told someone on another post for an xs500, but here are two sites ive found while trying to find info about this bike http://www.oldbikebarn.com/motorcycles/index.php?bike=XS500 thats a parts site. mostly cosmetic stuff, but some engine and suspension parts too. http://www.laverda1000.de/xsfaqe.htm thats the only site ive found thats dedicated to just this bike. good luck

hey there, i just bought this exact same bike. heres what i can do..... 1. choke is on when all the way down. 2. i will go take a look. 3. i always check engine oil with it up on the maintenance stand 4. its somewhere under the alternator cover (i will know more in a week or so when i have a chance to tear into it). 5. yes, thats the idle screw. 6. unsure of fuel capacity. i will be getting the FSM in a week or so, and can tell you then 7. i thought that was pretty odd too.... rather than having it split from one petcock to two hoses, they made two individual hoses. i would assume that if one is shut off, that carburetor will not receive fuel. 8. here are some sites that i have found to be pretty handy. http://www.laverda1000.de/xsfaqe.htm -- this guy has one of the only devoted xs500 sites that i have found. http://www.oldbikebarn.com/motorcycles/index.php?bike=XS500 that site is a good place to find spare parts... i think you can find your seat pieces you need there. hope that helped. jeff