'80 XS850 Special - Here we go again.....

[kboehringer]

XS11 Friends,

As usual at this time of year, I'd been looking for another project to bring back from the brink of death and turn it into a safe, reliable and good looking Vintage Yamaha. I made an offer on an XS650 Twin located over in Alabama but the seller had an unreasonable idea of the value of that beaten down old turd he was trying to sell. I would have liked the experience of learning the XS650.... just wasn't meant to be.

The owner of the local bike junkyard had created a post several weeks ago on craigslist offering to sell at reasonable prices several older repairables. Today I took a look at what he had to offer. He has a couple XS11's in pretty decent shape (79 Standard, and 81 Special), XJ750 Midnight (pretty rough), '86 FJ1200 PAINTED PINK UGH! and also pretty darn rough, a couple Viragos, a couple failed BOOBER projects, and a '80 XS850 in generally complete and unmolested condition. I picked the XS850 for $300!











She's missing the air box and a side cover but seems to be in decent overall condition. Once the 10+ years of dust and crap are washed off I'll get to see what I really have. Gonna tie on the trailer next Saturday and drag 'er home.....

I'll keep ya'll posted of the progress.

KURT

[Radioguylogs]

I'm always happy to see anther Triple get loved back onto the road.

I have a few airboxes over in the barn that will never get used. In the next few days, I'll report what I find via e-mail or text.

[kboehringer]

I'm always happy to see anther Triple get loved back onto the road.

I have a few airboxes over in the barn that will never get used. In the next few days, I'll report what I find via e-mail or text.

Mike,
That would be great. But, there is absolutely no rush whatsoever. I plan to wash her off on the way home and then let her sit for a while. I've got a few other bike projects to complete including a motor change for the Pensacola bike and big fat check to write to Uncle Sam this year so there will be very little work attempted on this machine until spring.

Thanks again,
KURT

[Radioguylogs]

OK, I'll take my time.

-Mike

[kboehringer]

XS850 is home today....





Actually doesn't look too bad after a trip through the car wash to get 10+ years of storage dirt and filth off of her. We couldn't find the Right side cover or any others in the storage shed the Junk Yard has for side covers (actually a trailer designated as "plastics"). I don't think the side cover will be too hard to find. I may actually already have one from a Standard that might work.

The junkyard has several parts donors for motors and bits. I absolutely LOVE walking around the Bike Junk yard. But, when I see one I loved as a kid, and I know it is done forever it is a little sad.

[cajun31]

Kurt, that is a very clean bike. Should be a great bike when you get done doing your magic on it. Do you have a left side cover? Not that I have any but I will be on the lookout for one for you if you don't have one. If I walked through that motorcycle graveyard in the pictures you posted I would probably go broke. Looks like there were a lot of good usable parts. Are they reasonable on their prices?

[kboehringer]

XS Friends,

Here's a QUICKIE update on the XS850 project (Very little has been done).

The darn front tire wouldn't hold air and having sat flat for so long the bike could not even be easily pushed by Nancy & I with a lumpy flat mess on the front. Removing the fender made it a LITTLE easier for us to move onto the back porch but we struggled a LOT.

I didn't want to spend anything on the bike until; 1.) tax season was over, 2.) I was sure it would run. Unfortunately, I had to bite the bullet and buy a new front tire just so the darn thing could be moved without getting a hernia. . Mounted and balanced it today, I'll get it on the bike this weekend and be able to push the XS850 into the garage....


Once I have the engine STARTED, I'll pull the wheel back off and replace the wheel bearings and seals. For now, just being able to roll the bike will be sufficient.

On the weekend I decided to do "Something" to the XS850 and polished the tank with my buffing equipment. Although there are a couple paint chips and scratches the OEM paint came up pretty darn nice..... Another great thing is the inside looks like the day it was born!!! Absolutely spotless inside the tank! No liner needed for this one!!!!!



I didn't have a chance to check but I have a full set of XS850 STANDARD parts (side covers and tank). I purchased these a couple years ago and they had been "Decorations" in my garage. They were only $20 at that time and I just couldn't walk away. I'm thinking MAYBE the standard side cover will fit the bike? The attachment points are all the same style/type in the same locations (I think). Haven't had a chance to check yet.......



I also found a replacement throttle assembly and a starter solenoid in my XS1100 part spares so those are already on the bike.......

Nothing much else to report

Might make a little more progress on the weekend.

KURT

NOTE: Pirelli Route 66 TiresON SALEat Chaparral Motorsports (chapmoto.com) . Front Tire 100/90-19 (Same as the XS1100) $72.47 - FREE SHIPPING! That's basically the same price as a crappy $hitnKo and a much better tire!

[kboehringer]

Ahhhhh Now we now why the guy brought this bike to the junk yard!!!!

Silly bastard apparently attempted to adjust his valves and was not up to the task.....





Stupid SOB put the valve cover back on without any of the cam keepers...... wondered what all that noise was up in the cylinder head.....

Damn..... this head & cams is headed for the trash can...

Might just give up on this one while I'm only $300 into it
(the new front tire can go on one of the XS11's)!

[Radioguylogs]

Might just give up on this one while I'm only $300 into it
(the new front tire can go on one of the XS11's)!

We know you better...

Sorry for the bad news. I've been PO'd enough times before.

If you decide to proceed, the cam chain must be split to pull the head- not a big deal at all. You just have to find the master link.

You will find used parts are cheap for a Triple because the demand is low.

Better luck whatever you decide to do.

[cajun31]

Might just give up on this one while I'm only $300 into it
(the new front tire can go on one of the XS11's)!







[/QUOTE]

don't give up too quickly. Here is a listing that might help you out and looks like the price is not to bad. 511 ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD W CAMS ETC 81 YAMAHA XS850 XS 850 MOTORCYCLE FREE SHIP | eBay

[kboehringer]

Jim,
Thanks for the link. I spoke to that guy (via ebay messges) yesterday. He doesn't include the valve buckets, shims, or the cam cover. The cam floppin around (while being kicked with the kickstarter) cracked the valve cover too so i need one of them too.

Having done this ground-up rebuild deal sooooo many times, my initial reaction to PUNT was probably the best choice. HOWEVER, Mike (and others) know me all too well and also probably know better than most people that I'm not all that bright!!! I took a good look at the bike top to bottom and decided to go ahead and fix the damn thing. I don't like being defeated or just plain giving up is not really in my nature..... Even if it is an OVERALL STUPID choice.

I actually purchased a replacement head this morning on Evil-Bay from a seller in Indiana.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12514255829...53.m2749.l2649

• The head includes absolutely everything: valve buckets, shims, cams, and valve cover.
• The price was $75, but the shipping is $53.
• The guy tossed in a right side cover (which is the proper color and in good condition) for $30 and no shipping costs.
• Of course, I had to buy the complete gasket kit with head gasket from Scrambler Cycle so there goes another $70.

I haven't pulled the junk head and am very hopeful I don't have piston damage. With an idiot doing a valve adjustment, there is good chance the bike was out of time and the valves hit the pistons...... I sure hope not!

I had to pull the exhaust to get the head off the thing so I spent my day cleaning the exhaust (first step of many).


I believe with a lot of elbow grease, a lot of XXXX steel wool, and a ton of polish this exhaust will come up pretty nice.

Like all my bikes.... the $$$$ will be pouring into this ole girl!

I'm TRYING not to spend $$$ on anything else until I can get it to RUN/START. Then, I will strip the whole damn thing, have the frame powder coated, and buy all the bits and pieces it needs replaced.

UGH....KURT

[jetmechmarty]

I believe with a lot of elbow grease, a lot of XXXX steel wool, and a ton of polish this exhaust will come up pretty nice.

With a lot less elbow grease, try this.
I bought this stock exhaust on eBay about a’hunnert years ago.

I painted the rusty bits with phosphoric acid.


I bought another gallon. Phosphoric is presented only in Spanish. It’s the same stuff.



Finish with wax or chrome polish. It looks great on my old XS650 now.

[kboehringer]

Thanks for the tip Marty!

I've been using this....



The Rustoleum "Rust Dissolver" has phosphoric acid in it as a main ingredient although I suspect the level of purity/quantity of the acid is likely less than the product you used on the 650. The Rustoleum product did break up a very large quantity of the rust on the exhaust and the gel nature of the product and the spay application was helpful at keeping it on the pipes.

Someone turned me on to "Bar Keeper's Friend" a few years ago and I find it also very useful at cleaning up rust. The Bar Keepers has "Oxalic Acid" in it (whatever the hell that is).

I want to dunk/submerge a few other parts and will get a pail of what you used and probably try it on the crossover area of the mufflers where there is still a bit of rust to remove or convert.

So far.... the pipes have come a long way but there is a lot more to do on them.



KURT

[cajun31]

Jim,
Thanks for the link. I spoke to that guy (via ebay messges) yesterday. He doesn't include the valve buckets, shims, or the cam cover. The cam floppin around (while being kicked with the kickstarter) cracked the valve cover too so i need one of them too.

Having done this ground-up rebuild deal sooooo many times, my initial reaction to PUNT was probably the best choice. HOWEVER, Mike (and others) know me all too well and also probably know better than most people that I'm not all that bright!!! I took a good look at the bike top to bottom and decided to go ahead and fix the damn thing. I don't like being defeated or just plain giving up is not really in my nature..... Even if it is an OVERALL STUPID choice.

I actually purchased a replacement head this morning on Evil-Bay from a seller in Indiana.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12514255829...53.m2749.l2649

• The head includes absolutely everything: valve buckets, shims, cams, and valve cover.
• The price was $75, but the shipping is $53.
• The guy tossed in a right side cover (which is the proper color and in good condition) for $30 and no shipping costs.
• Of course, I had to buy the complete gasket kit with head gasket from Scrambler Cycle so there goes another $70.

I haven't pulled the junk head and am very hopeful I don't have piston damage. With an idiot doing a valve adjustment, there is good chance the bike was out of time and the valves hit the pistons...... I sure hope not!

I had to pull the exhaust to get the head off the thing so I spent my day cleaning the exhaust (first step of many).


I believe with a lot of elbow grease, a lot of XXXX steel wool, and a ton of polish this exhaust will come up pretty nice.

Like all my bikes.... the $$$$ will be pouring into this ole girl!

I'm TRYING not to spend $$$ on anything else until I can get it to RUN/START. Then, I will strip the whole damn thing, have the frame powder coated, and buy all the bits and pieces it needs replaced.

UGH....KURT

I saw that listing too. Good to see you have decided to go ahead with the project. That bike really isn't in that bad of a condition and will be a nice compliment to your herd. Everyone loves your rebuilds and we are looking forward to it. I have had to resort to buying new until I can have shoulder surgery. Fell off a ladder and screwed up my main right shoulder. Hopefully be on the mend in a few months and also on the lookout for another project.

[kboehringer]

XS Friends,
It looks like MO MONEY! Seems the PO wasn't satisfied with destroying the Cylinder Head.....He needed to destroy the carbs as well.

Question? Does one screw the carbs and then destroy the head or vice-versa? Once you know you screwed up.....Why continue? Did he think the carbs were the issue when the cam was floppin' around or that somehow a valve adjustment would repair the broken post and MISSING needles?

I expected to have a real science project here with a bike that had been sitting several years. However, I was hopeful I could clean up the carbs to a state where the damn thing would start (even if very poorly) and then later rebuild the carbs correctly with all new parts. Unfortunately, the PO was in here and not only did he break off the post, he never re-installed the needles. Maybe the Hitachi carbs on my SECA uses the same parts as I have 3-4 spare sets of those. I'll figure out how to properly mend this post (even if it turns out to be a temp move) and no JB weld will NOT be a component of that repair. I think I can drill the post and pin it back in place with a spring pin and then possibly reinforce the side with a SS plat and screws (drill & tapped M2 or M3).

The XS750/850 used the Mikuni carb in previous years and I may swap over to those.... The Mikuni had better quarter mile times and better off the line acceleration according to reports from the day. The Hitachi was more fuel efficient and smoother than the Mikuni according to the same reports.




Punting on this one was seemingly more and more the better choice.

KURT