Petey Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I was given a 1975 xs500 by my BIL, who got it from a guy at work who said it just needed new points. Well, it looks like it's going to need attention in other areas too, but it's not too bad looking. There was no title with it and I was trying to figure out if it's an xs500B. Is there some way to find out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrhendryx Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I was given a 1975 xs500 by my BIL, who got it from a guy at work who said it just needed new points. Well, it looks like it's going to need attention in other areas too, but it's not too bad looking. There was no title with it and I was trying to figure out if it's an xs500B. Is there some way to find out? if its a 75, im going to assume its a B. If you look at the top of the engine (right side i think) there will be a stamp that gives model number and serial number of the bike. The first 3 digits will be 371 if it is the 500b (from what i understand, they changed the 3 digit number for the c, d, and e models) how bout some pictures of it? another clue would be the wheels, brakes, side covers and gas tank (if its the original) the wheels on the 500b were wire spoke wheels, rather than alloys the b had a single disc brake on the right hand side, and drum brakes on the right rear. they switched to rear discs after 75. the side covers had rounded edges and some molding and trim made to look like air cleaner vents. finally, the gas tank was round, almost teardrop shaped, and later models had an overall more boxy look. hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petey Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Thanks. It has 371 in the number. I was thinking it might be a B....just wanted to be sure. I'll take some "before" pics this weekend and show the progress as it occurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeboy262 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 if its a 75, im going to assume its a B. If you look at the top of the engine (right side i think) there will be a stamp that gives model number and serial number of the bike. The first 3 digits will be 371 if it is the 500b (from what i understand, they changed the 3 digit number for the c, d, and e models) how bout some pictures of it? another clue would be the wheels, brakes, side covers and gas tank (if its the original) the wheels on the 500b were wire spoke wheels, rather than alloys the b had a single disc brake on the right hand side, and drum brakes on the right rear. they switched to rear discs after 75. the side covers had rounded edges and some molding and trim made to look like air cleaner vents. finally, the gas tank was round, almost teardrop shaped, and later models had an overall more boxy look. hope that helps. I have two. If the picture you have is correct, it is maroon with gold strips on the tank. That is a B. What shape is it in? Have more pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petey Posted August 3, 2008 Author Share Posted August 3, 2008 I have two. If the picture you have is correct, it is maroon with gold strips on the tank. That is a B. What shape is it in? Have more pictures? Sorry for dropping out of this thread for so long. The picture I have as my avatar is not my bike. I just copped a pic online of the same year and model. I basically put this on hold until just recently when I pulled it out of my pole barn and got it into my little work shop. Here are some images of it right after I got it. Looks like it took damage to the tach side of the bike. It doesn't look like it was dumped, unless on grass. It's been sitting in a guy's barn for a long time and I wonder if it got backed into or something. It had a windshield at one time. Doesn't show in the pic, but the back fender was sitting on the tire. Just a couple of missing bolts, so an easy fix. No tabs on the plates so I don't know when it was last licensed. At first look I thought it had ape hangers, but the handle bars were bent up that way from impact. The seat pan looks real good, but it looks like the seat and foam got ripped from the impact rather than wear and tear. The mileage is at 10,600 +. There is a small screw missing on the speedo face that holds the odometer and trip meter in place so it's a bit cockeyed. The bike looks a little better from this angle. I wondered about the engine though. I'm not going to spend the time and money to fix it if the engine is siezed and/or I can't get it titled. I'll post progress pics and info as I tear into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petey Posted August 15, 2008 Author Share Posted August 15, 2008 The battery is shot so I jump started it with my rider mower using starting fluid. Sprayed some in thru the air box, pushed the starter button and it fired right up....sweet! Headlight, non broken turn sigs, brake light and indicator lights all worked. Starter sounds good too. Picked up a handle bar off ebay that was from the same model and installed that. Also picked up an instrument cluster off ebay. It is in good shape except for broken glass on speedo. Was able to get the molding off and remove the glass. I need to decide whether I want to cop a little screw off it and fix the speedo on the bike or replace the glass and swap the whole unit out. Speedo on bike has lower mileage showing and I'd have to swap the ignition key unit as well. Got some gaskets too. Was able to find a factory service manual for this model off ebay for a decent price. The Clymer one I have isn't the best The throttle doesn't work well. I pulled the carbs off and I can open and close the throttle assy on the carbs but it is very hard. I'll have to figure out what the problem is there. Sprayed some cable lube on. Maybe that will help. Adjusting the nuts does nothing to help. It's cleaning up nicely. The chrome is in really good condition. One spot on the left exhaust pipe looks like battery acid spilled on it. Too bad since both pipes are in excellent condition otherwise. I am finding no rust or corrosion anywhere yet. The spark plug wells are deep on these engines so they catch a lot of debris. My air compressor is broken so I need to get them cleaned out before I pull the plugs. I checked the oil and it was at the correct level and the oil looks clean! Almost like the oil was recently changed....the engine must not have been run much since the last change. I'll change it again anyway. Took some pics but they didn't turn out very good so I'll pull it out into the sunshine and take some more and post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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