cegan09 Posted November 6, 2009 Share Posted November 6, 2009 I started my rebuild project on the XS500, which should take me the better part of the winter and involve repainting the frame, making a new wiring harness, thoroughly cleaning the carbs and getting them finally jetted right for not having the airbox, replacing all bearing and bushings, and rebuilding the engine. Actually i need to decided which engine to rebuild. I have the one that is on the bike, or the original numbers matching engine that is sitting spare right now. I started by stripping most of the bike, which sits like this right now The wiring harness that was on it was custom made by a friend and previous owner. Honestly it is a miracle that it worked, but it did. Its a real piece of art, and i think i'm going to frame it, in honor the time that they spent creating it. Here it is with the casing cut off. I have ordered a harness off ebay that claims to be correct for my bike that i will use as a template to create a new harness with fresh wire and connectors. anyway, i expect i'll be updating this for a while, with the occasional questions. Feel free to pass on any tips or must do projects while i have everything opened up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted November 6, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 6, 2009 looks like you are going the right way about it. don't forget to take LOADS of pictures as you go. break the work into modules, eg brakes, engine, electrical, dials etc, label and box everything in its modules with bubble wrap. list every thing you need and tick it off when bought, I find I buy at least 2 items of the same part try not to rush, but don't stall the project or you'll get peed off with it. have fun..... drewps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted November 7, 2009 Moderator Share Posted November 7, 2009 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? as always there are 2 thoughts as to what to do. TBH powder coating is great and so far mine has lasted really well and shines up nice with a plastic/vynl cleaner. the issue is if you cut it then the water can leach in and corrode under the coating ( i have touched up with blackpaint and you can't see and its kept the water out). Also it goes on thick so be prepared to trim caliper slides etc along with retapping threads. If you use a reputable powder coater they should seal all holes and threads. see www.triple-s.co.uk/ for info. painting is not so forgiving and will show up rust lumps etc and is more expensive. you can touch it up but i think it doesn't take knocks as well as powder coating. if powder coating get all the stuff done in one go as there can be slight differences in black between each supply of powder!! drewps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted November 7, 2009 Author Share Posted November 7, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalfanatic Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 What jets did you use on your carbs and where did you get them? Any help would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalfanatic Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Thanks for the info, very helpful. I was thinking about not running a airbox, so which jets do I need to run? These are Keihin carbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 17, 2010 Moderator Share Posted January 17, 2010 if your engine skills are as good as that mount sytem, that's gonna be one hellava engine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted January 17, 2010 Moderator Share Posted January 17, 2010 shift forks? if its in the box then yes, if you mean the quadrent that spins the shift drum then no. if you are lifting the gears out, you might as well strip the case down and get it vapour blasted, don't paint it but leave bare, there is no paint good enough to paint with when PJ1 stopped doing yamaha silver you can rebuild an engine in a month, which should give you plenty of time for riding on your bike for summer!! its expensive to rebuild egines, it cost me £200 just to swop over all the innards with an NOS case off ebay ( gaskets and oil seals etc) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Share Posted February 27, 2010 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pennyless Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 great thread just starting a rebuild of an RD350 and I have picked up some useful tips here about labeling and organisation.. nice pics too very helpful..good luck with the rest of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1946415cd Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 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. Where did you find a cam chain link? I'm going to replace the timing chain in my bike and need to find a link. Thanks. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegan09 Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 an excellent question. that is one of the things i'm still looking for. Once i find one i will let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted February 28, 2010 Moderator Share Posted February 28, 2010 some more rebuild tips use food bags with the white matt label background and keep things together and in logical order. photgraph everything ( especially inside the headlamp bowl) make note of wring runs and tube locations. have somewhere to keep finished parts ie the loft! don't throw anything away even if knackered, you may need to destroy something to get at a hidden bit! better to do that on a knackered part! make a list of things to do and cross off when finished don't set a budget or time limit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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