New guy here

[05mudiak]

Hello all, My name is Jeff and I live in Haughton,LA (by Shreveport). I am a Yamaha fanatic you could say I even have the tattoo to prove it. lol Anyways I just picked up a 78 xs and am excited to start riding. The PO put it in storage 15yrs ago so it has a lot of dry rot issues to begin with. This weekend if its warm out Iam atleast going to get the fuel system straight, change the oil and see if I can atleast get it to fire off. Anyways if you guys are like other forums I belong too your a visual group and need some pics. I will get some up tomorrow

Things deffinitly needed is pretty much anything rubber, front fork rebuild and a new seat cover. everything elses is pretty clean.

OOhh I can't wait haven't been this excited over a bike in a while and the best part I picked it up fpr $400. and it included a old manual bike lift

[BA80]

Hey Jeff! Welcome to the forum.


PICS PICS PICS

Carbs, brake calipers and master cyls, and fork seals..................to start.

[jwhughes3]

Welcome.

+1 on pics.

John

[fredintoon]

- - - I just picked up a 78 xs and am excited to start riding. - - -

Hi Jeff and welcome,
pics are always good.
FYI this funny ol' site will only accept pics from photobucket or similar; pics sent from your own computer get bounced. It'll do links though.
While you are excited to start riding I'll admit to frustration. I only need two things to get my rig on the road.
1) Buy a new battery.
2) Wait for the effin' snow to melt.
It's the second day of Spring fer chrissake!
But in Saskatchewan Spring is just a coiled metal thing.

[barrelguy]

2) Wait for the effin' snow to melt.
It's the second day of Spring fer chrissake!
But in Saskatchewan Spring is just a coiled metal thing.[/QUOTE]

Hey Fred - Sunshine and blue sky here in the Okanagan! Been riding for 3 weeks already!

[tw1980]

Welcome aboard Jeff.Hope you enjoy your new bike!

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Jeff,

Congrats on your bike, but we would advise "curbing your enthusiasm" so you don't rush things and damage the bike!!! The fuel system is just the first part of your journey. Was it stored with fuel in the tank / carbs?? Being a Yamaha Fanatic hopefully means you're not new to bikes and wrenching, it would be helpful for us to know your level of experience in both.

Take plenty of time and review the tech tips....ALL OF THEM, maintenence, repairs, mods, etc.! These machines are great, fun, durable, but there are delicate sections/parts/ procedures, and if you don't know about them, you can do some pretty serious damage.

Hopefully you checked and the engine will turn over by hand/foot??? Depending on where it was stored, if it wasn't in an environmentally controlled area, humidity and therefor rust may have developed in the cylinders. Also, rings as well as clutch plates can get stuck.

Be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy, some folks have had fuel leaks that led to catastrophic fires!!

Would recommend pulling the spark plugs, squirting a few spoonfuls of Marvel Mystery Oil into each one, let it sit for a day or so, then slowly rotate the engine by hand/foot to spread it around so you won't catch a ring on a rust ledge! Before you actually drain the oil, it could be helpful to actually put some MMO in the oil, run the engine ONLY at idle till it gets to normal operating temps, then shut it down..do NOT RIDE it or rev it much at all. Then drain the oil/filter and fill with fresh....the MMO will help remove sludge/varnish and even help loosen the clutch plates.

The electrical system is the other major gremlin cause.....pulling apart EVERY connector in the harness, inspecting, cleaning with Deoxit or similar contact cleaner, apply dielectric grease and reassemble. IF it still has the OEM glass fuses, replace with a new ATCO solid fuse style holder.

Okay, I'll shut up now, have fun resurrecting it, but do it slow and right so it'll stay together and you'll then have a machine that will last another 30 years!

T.C.

[Cuda 69]

Jeff,welcome to the site.Carbs will neeed a good cleaning after sitting that long without being fired up.Check out all the tips on this site,some here know the bikes,inside and out.Good luck with your new ride.