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

[kboehringer]

Is mixing the brands front/back really out of the question?

That's what I would do in your situation. I've never noticed anything deleterious when I mixed brands before. Of course I am not the most demanding rider either.

Mike,

That's likely what I am going to do and I've been thinking about it a great deal.

In all honesty, with these older machines of mine, most of them see no more than 200 miles per YEAR anyway. The "Ugly Duckling" XS1100 (Green One) is the standout exception to the herd of "Old Bikes", she is on her second or maybe third set of Pirelli's with the current set being less than a year old.

My son Karl relocated to TEXAS, when he was nearby, the XS11 "Dead Duck" (Gold one), SECA 650, and Maxim 550 got a lot more riding time as those were his favorites and he was experienced enough to control those bikes. I would not mix up the tires on the bikes Karl was riding.... just in case!

There a a few others that get a good bit more riding mileage and this would not be a good choice to mix up the brands/tread patterns on those: The FZR1000 & FJ1200 get a lot more miles than all the other older bikes. I also drive those rather aggressively in the corners and at VERY MUCH higher speeds. There is also, with that much more riding, a greater chance to be caught out in the rain where the mixed tread patterns could result in a control issue.

I was going to write a "bitch letter" to Pirelli, see how they respond, and then just mount something else to the XS850 rear. As a bike with the potential to be ridden only ~200 miles a year, it will very likely never be out in the rain, and the tires will "age out" long before they wear out anyway.

Kurt

[cajun31]

Kurt, You should looke into the Bridgestone Battlax BT46 ply tires. They are rated the same as what came stock on both the xs850 and xs1100's.

[Radioguylogs]

I put Battlax BT46 on the XS1100SF this year. So far I like them.

[cajun31]

I put Battlax BT46 on the XS1100SF this year. So far I like them.

I have been running the spitfires on all my bikes for years now and I have to say I like them. The Battlax BT46 are basically the same tire as the spitfires other then the tread pattern. They are both rated the same as well as being rated the same as the original Bridgestone Mag Mopus tires that came on the Midnight Specials when factory new.

[kboehringer]

Picking up the pieces during Holiday Vacation.... WHERE THE HECK DID I BUY THIS?

Happy Holidays XS11 Friends!!!

I'm looking to spend a little time with the XS850 during the holiday time off. I've had the 850 set aside for several months mostly due to personal travel and the three GT80's I'm trying to build. There has been great difficulty finding useable parts for the GT80s so I'm going to jump back into the XS850 for a while. Once I have everything "WORKING" I'll completely strip the frame and have it powder coated. Until then, I need to get all the broken and poorly operating parts repaired.

As I started looking through my box of new/used/reconditioned parts I found the NEW rear brake piston and kit I need to finish that rebuild of the rear caliper. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase new pistons for the front calipers and they are an absolute must. I know I was recommended a place by one of ya'll here but can't remember who sold me the rear brake piston?

• Looks like MikesXS has them for rear but none for the front.
• PartShark has the rebuild kits but no pistons.
• I know it wasn't evil-bay!
• Maybe the rear came from MikesXS / Z1?

Anyone have a line on new pistons for the front calipers? These are the same as the XS11 and I need a pair of good FRONT caliper pistons very badly for this machine.


KURT

[Schming]

For starters, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!!, and for the caliper pistons here's a couple options :

https://hvccycle.net/yamaha-xs750-xs...on-hvc200106f/

https://www.brakecrafters.com/collec...eel-piston-kit
I've used both with great results

[kboehringer]

https://www.brakecrafters.com/collec...eel-piston-kit

Hi Schming,
Thanks for the links! I purchased two of the full kits for the from Brake Crafters using your link.

Strangely, I don't think I've actually ever purchased new pistons for any of my bikes. This is the first bike where pitting was clearly evident and I didn't have a good spare in my boxes and boxes of extra parts. Having stripped not less than a half-dozen XS11's as parts donors that were eventually kicked to the curb as scrap, it's extremely unusual that I didn't have a set of decent calipers requiring only a seal kit to be properly functional.

Even with a crappy photo, it's easy to see the severe pitting on the OEM pistons of the front.


Rear is even worse than the front. Fortunately I purchased a new piston somewhere and it's ready for rebuilding.


Kurt

[Schming]

Hi Kurt, the same situation, corroded caliper pistons, is why I took my "80 XS1100G off the road in '94 as they weren't available anywhere I had access to.

In '05 my daughter showed me how to turn on a computer and within 15 minutes I found this site which helped me to find the parts necessary to get that first XS road worthy.

Four XS's one XJ and a YX later I'm glad to help when I can as I've spent countless hours researching and enjoying every minute.

I almost bought an XS850 for my first street bike and the second test ride was on the '80G in '92 still got her

[kboehringer]

WHERE AM I WITH THIS BIKE???

Well I started asking that question a couple weeks ago when the FZR was finally finished. Honestly, this thing has sat again for about 1/2 year without ANY interaction so I REALLY didn't remember where I was with it.....

Took a look around, remembered a few things I did but had to really look to understand what the status was....

Decided to go ahead an address a couple OBVIOUS items like the crappy looking gauges and the seat cover (ordered but not yet delivered).




Typical for these style gauges (Identical to XS11 Special) the insulators are complete crap and the chrome looks like it has NEVER seen a touch of wax. The insulators are still available new from Yamaha but they are DARN PROUD OF THEM at $27/ea!!!

Cleaned them up completely, re-painted both the rusty insides of the chrome covers with some paint to protect them and then re-painted the top ring. I've learned a trick to glue in the mounting bolts with Gorilla Glue to avoid the hassle of the bolts dislodging inside the gauge when trying to remount them... a DEFINATE MUST DO when rebuilding these!

With quick ride on the buffing wheel, a little wax, a pair of nice new insulators, these now look presentable......




Next job... replace the crap seat cover and then get some SS brake lines....

Best Regards
Kurt

[kboehringer]

We're making SOME progress toward the Vintage Yamaha Rally

Purchased a seat cover from Flea-Bay and then realized I hadn't the skills to install the thing properly. So I reached out to my upholstery guru only to find he had moved back to ALABAMA!!! What a stroke of luck for me! He wasn't too happy with the quality of the stitching or the design but said he would try to improve it a bit and install it for me. Although not STOCK, I think it looks GREAT and much better than anything I would have been able to do..... It really is an art only those with great experience can do well.





Also purchased a pint of paint and will start painting on my GUNINEA PIG XS850 Tank. I received this extra tank from a friend and after removing multiple layers of paint, I'll prepare this one for the first shot of the simulated OEM single-stage PPG paint.



Tank had some pretty significant damage hidden under bondo. But, the tank is serviceable and the bondo (hopefully done better) will be returned to this area. Not sure if this one will become the primary tank or not but I have a "spare" properly painted tank for almost every machine so this will be a good addition to the selection of hanging emergency spares in the garage.



I also made a few more flea-bay purchases and found a NOS front headlamp support (Left) and a much nicer rear fender as mine is full of rust spots.



I've had ONE self-induced problem I need your help with.

While cleaning the OEM shocks of rust I damaged one of the reflectors. The reflector has been repaired to better than new with SUPERGLUE but I can't figure out how to get it back on. Looks like I need a spring compressor to remove the top and then replace the reflector. I can't find a compressor this small AMYWHERE..... Any back yard ideas on how to get this back on?




Kurt

[bikerphil]

I'm surprised you've never taken the shocks apart before Kurt. I've been using this type compressor and works pretty well....

https://www.partsgiant.com/p394103-d...hoCVhwQAvD_BwE

[kboehringer]

I'm surprised you've never taken the shocks apart before Kurt. I've been using this type compressor and works pretty well....

https://www.partsgiant.com/p394103-d...hoCVhwQAvD_BwE

Hi Phil ,
Thanks for the information. I found that compressor on Amazon searching for DHC Compressor. I immediately purchased it, using my Amazon points it was basically free and should be here later this week.

On a few of my bikes I have been able to clean them up without damage. Honestly, 40-year old factory shocks are pretty worthless for performance of any kind and typically just get tossed in the trash and replaced with new. However, with this machine (and one or two of my others) I want the factory look of the reflector top shock. They cleaned up pretty good so fixing this broken reflector is necessary.

Thanks again,
Kurt

[bikerphil]

Yep, it's nice to be able to take them apart if needed for whatever reason.

[kboehringer]

My upholstery guy had an engine in his storage shed he thought was a Yamaha but wasn't sure. Said I could have it if I wanted it...



Strange strange strange coincidence it's a Yamaha Triple! Been in the shed 20 years! Not sure if there is much I can use here except a few bits as there were many changes in these machines over the run of triples. This is an EARLY model 1J7 which seems to indicate 1976. Although I haven't screwed around with this yet, I think this one had THREE sets of points... that would be a mess to tune!!

[Radioguylogs]

That's really ironic!!!! The Triples are not very common.