What have I done...again?!

We all know the story.... Sell one or more bikes and suddenly cash money is burning your hands... Pay some credits off? Lighten the mortgage? invest? NAW...too simple!! So after selling 2 more bikes (T500 & H1) (God this is 4 since the beginning of the year!!!), I decided, unilateraly, that I needed, I mean I could not live without, a light bike with a good disc in front and an electric starter, 30 years old would be great and good looking a bonus... I will install an ES on my Commando soon so no MK3 (expensive anyhow), I already had a T160 long time ago... Italian? Darmah are nice but too expensive and not really light, Pantah are too racing for me... so it has to be Japanese!! I have a 450 Honda with a drum but still like the CB500T in a kind of pervet way... Finally I settled for this:



its a XS2 1972

Any knows anything about these cutties?? I am already looking around for electronic ignition + stock missing parts...

Philippe

You're in luck, I have a 75, did just about everything to it. Get the pamco pete ignition, cheap easy and bulletproof. Mikesxs.com for parts.

Did you change the coils?
Philippe

Yes I have a dual output coil now. I don't remember if this had to be done or not.

Good on you.
They are lovely looking bikes and bullet proof.
AC.

look after that chrome trim on the side panels, trying to replace is a bear - they are made of unobtanium these days. Good friend of mine just picked up the same model - paint not as nice as yours, but he is happy as a clam -

Hedre is a short list of the Must do's, in my opinion:
Swingarm BUshings- bronze or needle bearing conversion
Steering head tapered bearings
Petcocks- notorious for leaking
Cam chain adjuster- The cover for the adjuster on the 75 and older bikes was cast zinc, they crack and leak oil from age-replace with the 76 and newer version
Ignition- I can't recomend the pamco pete ignition. I chased an ignition problem for weeks until I got this. Took all of 10 minutes to install and astarted on the first kick.
Oil filter- Yamaha uses brass screens in the sump and side cover. The sump screen tears and allows swarf to run thru the pump. Get a new sump screen- they are reinforced, also a side filter conversion kit, it uses a honda paper filter and a cool finned extention/adapter.
There are spinon sump filter plate drawings out there, I made my own finned version.
Check your alternator, it's a 2 brush system, it sucks, I'm doing a 3 wire conversion using honda stator and banshee rotor. Said to be about 5 times the output.
Those are the real annoying problems. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

Thank you for the advices... The minute I receive the bike (from Michigan) I will check the mesh first as I never heard about it! Do you have any pics of your oil filter transformation and alternator? Don't you think a more modern reg/rectif will do the trick for the electricity? I had the same problem with my CB450, bought a new/rewind alrternator just to hear from our local Honda shop thant changing the reg/rectif was enough and he was right... I have a LED charge light and since then it never turned yellow/orange but stayed green indicating good charge!
The bike is 30000 miles... should I change the cam chain?
Thanks
Philippe

Philippe,

A '72 XS650 was the other machine considered when I bought my first Commando ('72) in early '73. Ride it and tell me if you agree a comparison will drive you back to the Commando.

XS650 is what the Brit twins should have been in the late 60s, were it not for lack of investment and development, which meant they were still fitted with motors designed 40 years earlier.

illf8ed said:

Philippe,

A '72 XS650 was the other machine considered when I bought my first Commando ('72) in early '73. Ride it and tell me if you agree a comparison will drive you back to the Commando.

Click to expand...

I am conviced that nothing compares to the Commando (in the 70')!!! I have owned or still own a few British bikes (Vincent, Enfield, Matchless, Trident, Hurricane, Bonnie etc) the Commando is still the only one to ride BUT... I wanted something less "intimidating" that starts easily, does not give the impression of being seated on an ironing board, good in tight slow twisties and more "plug and play" type! I've not tried to ride my Commando since my accident, I think I am a little bit scared of not being able to kick start (real embarrassing!!) it and I need some more transition time between the XT250 and a "real' bike.
That was a good sales pitch...I should have thought about it earlier it could has save some heated discussions at home
Philippe

I had a 73 XS650 and loved it. Too bad a burned a hole in one piston and blew out a valve guide. I was well on my way to doing a nice resto-mod on it when I joined the Navy; when I got home from boot camp, my Mom had sold it, along with a BRAND NEW full face Electro helmet, ALL for $100. That's the closest I ever came to killing my Mom.

I had a bad feeling when the shipper told me that they had to change driver( he was sick) for the pickup and then for the delivery... All together more than a month between buying it on eBay and the delivery (important as this is the delay offered by eBay to voice any problems with the vehicule)... Finally here... No juice what's so ever, fuse blown, carbs leaking, smell of old gas, burnt wires, rust everywhere...
Just took the carbs off: I swear they never been off the bike ! Traces of burnt plastic; mufflers from a Special... I am not really happy !!! Left a negative feedback for the seller... I basically bought a $500 turd with a $500 paint job for 3 times the price !!!
When will I learn!!!!
Philippe

It happens to us all Phillipe!

The price will be long forgotten once you get it on the road :mrgreen:

Webby

prmurat said:

I basically bought a $500 turd with a $500 paint job for 3 times the price !!!
When will I learn!!!!
Philippe

Click to expand...

Welcome to my world! That has been my experience pretty much every time I've bought a bike on ebay (I'm another slow learner). Ebay sellers are masters at polishing turds.

Those are neat bikes though, and I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it once you have it sorted.

Debby

Thanks Debby for the encouragements!!!
I bought a few bikes on eBay but I knew they were turds.... Bought as projects. But this is the second one where I am taken for an, expensive, ride.... I am an optimist and try to think that sellers do not know anything about bikes (often the case around here!) or that I have too high standards. Just thinking how bad I feel when I sell one of my bikes on eBay hoping I did not forget anything and wondering if I should not LOOSE more money on the sale... Never, ever made any money on a bike... Hope it is good karma!!!
Philippe
Ps: of course I started digging in the XS.... Parts starting to arrive, but I will NOT do
a complete restoration just a little clean up :roll:
Philippe

Maybe I should have the patience to put her on the bench (already something on it!) and not make a pig of myself on the ground... burnt wires in the loom, loom cheaply covered with electrician tape, rust everywhere... I WILL NOT START A FULL RESTO!!! (already installed a Sparx, bough a Boyer, a new battery, cables and brought the battery box to be powdercoated)



Philippe