Sargent Carter Paints His Bike

Ol’ Sgt. Carter learned how to paint last week. Other than a rattle can, he had not laid a single coat of paint with a paint gun. Little did he know, this was all about to change. His side covers came off without a hitch, no problems from primer to finish clears. The fuel tank was another matter altogether. Other than fixing the few dents, there was a substance on the left front of the tank that kept wrinkling the paint. I took it down to the metal and carefully cleaned and repainted the area three times and whatever it was kept bleeding through. It covered an area about the size of a quarter and did not seem to want to go away. I suspected a small pin hole in the tank, but we pressure tested it and it held air overnight. So the Sgt. decided to media blast it back to bare metal and start all over again.

Well in the time we got it stripped and primed, I went and had myself a myocardial infarction. Clearly he would not be getting any painting out of me for a while. Luckily for me, it was a mild one and my hospital stay was just three days. Last week the weather was cooperating and I was moving around pretty good so we decided to get the tank finished. I really was not keen to be in such a chemically rich environment so soon after my episode, so I asked the old Sgt. how he felt about trying his hand at painting. He really wanted to get his bike back on the road so he agreed with my proposal.

As students go, the Sgt. is a quick study, he took to painting like a Labrador Retriever to a duck pond. As teachers go, I am less than an ideal one. But I guess I must have made the right noises and pointed at the right things because the paint job turned out like he had been painting for years. The Sgt. added another skill to his well stocked inventory and I got the satisfaction of watching a new painter blossom right before my eyes. His bike is back together and he is out riding it as I write this. By the By, his ride is a 1982 XS650 Heritage Special.

Till Next Time................

That Should Be Good For at Least an Extra 20 MPH

While waiting for a snot rag of an XS to appear, I decided to throw a new set of bars and bar end mirrors on the '77. From what I hear, they add about twenty miles per hour to the top end. I'll leave you with the before and after.

While it may not go any faster, I kinda think she looks a bit more sporty.

Till Next Time..................

Oil on my driveway what to do

Those stubborn oil stains, you try scrubbing, rubbing and they are still there on your driveway or garage floor. Just a little reminder that you weren't as careful as you could have been when changing your oil. A little Dawn dish washing soap will change all that.

Just put a bit of dawn on the offending spot, let it sit for a few minutes and scrub with a stiff brush or your trusty old garage broom. Don't add water just yet, this will be the last step. After letting the dawn do it's thing for a few more minutes, it's time to get the garden hose involved. Turn the hose on it and watch the stain disappear. You may have to do this procedure twice for those really stubborn stains, but I have yet to find a product that removes oil stains like dawn.

It also does a great job of getting oil and grease off your hands after you are finished working on your bike. Just put some strait Dawn on your hands and work it in. Like the driveway procedure, you want to wait until last to get any water involved. After you done scrubbing simply rinse your hands and your ready to go.

Till Next Time................

The Old Isotoners

I’m not what you would call an all the gear all the time rider. But I am a some of the gear most of the time sort. I have a pair of Tour Rider brand gloves that I bought in 1989. I wear these gloves most every time I ride. They are also almost indestructible, but they are getting a little long in the tooth. They are twenty one years old after all, so I picked up a pair of new gloves recently. River Road Swindlers to be exact. I like my gloves on the lite side, I’m not big on the gauntlet style. So Curly is always calling my gloves Isotoners. I don't mind as long as I am comfortable and these gloves fit that bill. These Swindlers are perforated to keep you hands comfortable on those hot summer rides. The palms have a good amount of padding to lessen fatigue on those long rides. Like any new leather glove, they will need a good break in period before they will be able to replace the old Isotoners. Will they last twenty one years, only time and my riding skills will tell that tale. They are put together well, so I expect to be using them for years to come at any rate. I picked them up at Rider's Discount for less then twenty five bucks, so they are easy on the old wallet as well.


Till Next Time........................

Everything Old is New Again

Well the XS carbs are clean and all the bits and pieces that needed replacin’ have been replaced. I procured a can of Gunk CC3K carburetor and parts cleaner to do the dirty work. If your about to rebuild your carbs, I highly recommend this stuff. It makes you parts look like new. I suggest that you remove all your silicone and rubber pieces before your carbs take a bath. I left my parts to soak overnight and in the morning they were as clean as the day they were born.You need to neutralize the cleaner with some hot soapy water after they soak. Don’t forget your gloves either, this stuff will stay with you all day, and the scent it cast is hard to get off your skin. Plus this stuff is pretty nasty and one should not absorb it though one’s skin if it can be avoided.A word of caution if any of you are about to do a rebuild of your XS650 carbs. Be very carful with your BUTTERFLY SHAFT SEALS. Mike’s XS and 650 Central are fresh out of these puppies and as far as I can tell, you will need to purchase the whole butterfly assembly if you need to replace them. Mine were in fine condition, but I wanted to replace them anyway because of their age. I could not find a set anywhere, if someone knows where to find a set without buying a whole butterfly assembly or set of carbs, drop me a line and I will share the info here.
I still have a bit of work to do before putting the carbs back on the bike. Mainly just cleaning up some bits and pieces of the bike, like the air box, battery cage, chain guard and some nicks and scratches here and there an she will be road worthy . I can hardly wait.


Till Next Time........................

Time for a Little Spring Cleaning

I have decided to keep the XS stock. It was a pretty unmolested bike when I purchased her last fall. And I am having some issues with taking a thirty three year old bike and chopping it up. I know, I know, these bikes do not carry a high collectible value, but they do have a very large and faithful following. So I am going to get this bike in pristine condition and look for a snot rag to build a street tracker out of. I have accumulated most of the pieces for the conversion, so I am half way there. It will not take a whole lot of trouble once I find a suitable donor bike.
The weather around here has been improving at a rapid pace and has allowed me to work comfortably out it the garage. So I went to work pulling the bike apart, much to my dismay, when I popped the carbs off, they where dirtier than one of Larry Flynt’s Hustler Clubs. Well a different type of dirty anyway. I am really surprised how well this bike ran at the end of the year with the carbs in this state. I guess this is a testament to the bullet proof reputation of the XS650.

Apart from the carbs, the rest of the bike is in pretty nice condition. It won’t take a whole lot of effort to get her to showroom shape. Thanks in large part to this being a two owner bike and spending it’s down time in a garage. All that needs looking after are some odds and ends like the battery holder, air box, cleaning the frame up, and the chain guard. I like my bikes to run like a Swiss Watch, and with older bikes this means keeping all you maintenance and adjustments up to date. All you youngsters out there with your new fangled machinery are missing out on this time honored tradition. (A lot of you anyway, I know there are a few youngins who like pulling your own maintenance) She will need a new pair of shocks, fork springs and oil, new brake pads, etc, etc, etc, I have to get a move on, because I would like to have her on the road by the end of the month. Sitting here and typing this post is not getting anything done faster. So it’s back out to the garage for me, listening to Deep Tracks on the old XM and maybe enjoying a tall cool Budweiser or two.


Till Next Time......................................

New Helmet?

I was thinking of buying a new helmet. I like this model but I think I may have visibility problems while wearing it.