'75 Yamaha XS500 Cafe Project - Open Throttle

SrgtBear

The arsenic has oddly shaped feet...
Hi Everyone,

I just noticed this DQ Board and I decided I would share what I have been working on in the last year. I bought a 75 Yamaha XS500B towards the end of the summer this last year. $200. Look decent but needed alot of TLC. Needless to say the bike was sitting and the clutch cable and throttle was broke so I could not fire it up, but the engine did turn. Since then I took it home a tore it completely apart. Thus begins the Cafe Racer build.

This last weekend I just got the frame back from powder and started putting all the bits and pieces together that I worked on during the off season. Engine still not tested.... Looks great on the inside, but still praying for no problems.

Here are some pictures of the build so far. Let me know whatcha think and I will be glad to keep you posted. See link for HQ Photos and Video

Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Cichocki.T/1975YamahaXS500B?feat=directlink

Video:
1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Racer Project (TX500)

Snapshot:
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Thoughts, Suggestions, Comments.

Thanks,
Ted Cichocki
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Welcome to the site man. the Yam is looking good so far. I like the red bolts, can't wait to see it come together.

But uh..... what's the story with the Honda?
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Big R said:
Welcome to the site man. the Yam is looking good so far. I like the red bolts, can't wait to see it come together.

But uh..... what's the story with the Honda?

Oh...what? That little guy? :) It's a 1974 Honda XL125. Found in almost mint condition buried in one of my neighbors garage. My father actually spotted it and after a little talk it was his for.. well about $200. Rebuilt Carbs, cleaned fuel tank and fired right up. It's an awesome little whip. It does great on the street and on dirt. In the shed there is also a 1973 Yamaha AT1 Enduro, 2 stroke. Restored but not original.

Thanks for the comments!
 
1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Update - Polishing Forks

Update - Polished Forks are Finish... After thought, don't want to do this again anytime soon.

When I decided I wanted to hand polish my forks I never would of thought it would take so much work. I spent about a week just on one tube alone. It's a messy pain staking process. However, once I got the hang of it the second one was done in no time and I was so glad i didn't throw in the towel and paint them. I swear I was that close. Results, "ohhhh man look at those shiny puppies. I love them!"

Here are some tips that I learned that will save you some time. First, buy / have a table top bench grinder with min two buffing wheels. Makes sure you get the correct compounds. I bought a kit from Harbor Freight that came with an assortment of buffing bits for a drill and 3 compounds, black (rough), red (medium), white(superfine). Use the black stuff first and get the first layer off the metal. Follow by using drill bit attachments to get the hard to reach areas. Apply pressure! Switch to a new wheel and use the red stuff to get it real glassy, then finish it off with white compound. Wipe off with a rag periodically to check results. Be sure to wipe off completely before switching to next compound.

When your done. Clean it off good. I found that degreaser and a paint brush worked the best. Follow by soap and water. Dry immediately so you don't give it time to rust. Finally, Get some Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish from Pep Boys. Follow Directions. Then Wax the polish areas to protect them. Wipe wax off good and Wahla! Those puppies should shine. :)
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-=Ted=-
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

make your own polish. its cheaper and way better then store stuff.

my final hand polish is as follows...

3/10 final rouge (white), 2/10 medium rouge (brown or red), 5/10 mineral spirits (paint thinner). boil them OUTSIDE under SAFE conditions until you get a nice mixture. crush the rouge first to speed things up. paint thinner is VERY flammable; excercize caution.

my sealer polish is as follows... 3/10 white rouge, 3/10 caranuba or PURE beeswax, 4/10 mineral spirits.


i agree. polishing is a pain in the ass. im a bit psycho... i got three or four minor scratches in my fork leg and its been on my mind for the past 5 days. im going to tear the fork down again and go back to black rouge to get them out. fml.

those look good none the less.
 
Update #2 - Wheels, Grease, and XS Completely Naked

Had some time to snap some photos today. Finally got the front wheel finished. Greased up and lubed both axles and slapped them on there. Installed some headlight ears from MikesXS. Btw, they weren't a perfect fit right away. Had to bend them so they would latch better. If you look below the ears you'll see a chrome cover that hides the bottom tree and brake switch. Normally the old headlight ears would hold this down this cover... So with a little thought I pulled out an extra set of fork seals i didn't use and they worked like a champ keeping the cover down nice and tight.

Finally, I also attached the kick stand with a little red flair. P.S. This kickstand sucks ass!!! If someone was to nudge the bike forward by accident it would flip right up and fall over. Can't wait to get the center stand on.

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All HQ Photo can be found at link in first post.

-Ted
 
Re: Update #2 - Wheels, Grease, and XS Completely Naked

SrgtBear said:
P.S. This kickstand sucks ass!!! If someone was to nudge the bike forward by accident it would flip right up and fall over.

if you take the stand back off, you can grind (sparingly) the front / bottom edge of the stopper so it swings forward a little more. Just don't take off too much or else the bike will lean too far to the left.

Looking good so far BTW!
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project - Engine Update

Well it's been awhile since I've updated my thread. Since last post its been all engine work. I was dreading doing it because of the sheer weight of this beast and how grungy it looked but it's all worth it in the end.

Engine was blasted, degreased, blasted some more, made some gaskets for both oil plugs and finally got it ready for paint.

The main body has a wrinkle finish. Used VHT Wrinkle plus. Spray vertical, spray horizontal, spray diagonal. Much fun... Finish looked like crap when wet but when it dried it looked fantastic! Really like the way it turned out.

Engine 50% complete. Chrome valve and side covers next.

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Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

FYI the fork lowers are aluminium, not steel.. :D looks bitchin! can't wait to see this thing coming together, love those TX's
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

n0regret5 said:
FYI the fork lowers are aluminium, not steel.. :D looks bitchin! can't wait to see this thing coming together, love those TX's

Lol. Yes they are. It's hard to make a video and get it all right the first time.

Thanks for the compliment. :D
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

all good. moar work! MOAR PICS!!!!
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Looks good so far. Will be watching this come together for sure ;)

cheers
ian
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

First full inspection of the engine. Real clean. Rebuild Contact Points and adjusted Tappet/Lifter valve clearances. Covers sent out for chrome.

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Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Chromed covers, huh? That will be nice to see. Glad the motor's treatin ya well.
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Polished Carbs, Pod Filters

Finally got the engine in the frame. Polished up the carb caps and float bowls. Pod filters are from www.hvccycle.com and look freaken sweet. I used Joe's (JRK) recommendation of using copper pipe tubing insulation when installing the engine so nothing got dinged up. Still waiting for chrome pieces to come back.

Enjoy!
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Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

You may want to consider adding an oil cooler and/or perhaps a small fan blowing directly on the head.
The 500s have a tendency to crack the heads so anything will help.
Looks like a nice job thus far, I can't wait to see how the chromed bits look with the wrinkle....should be gorgeous!
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Swagger said:
You may want to consider adding an oil cooler and/or perhaps a small fan blowing directly on the head.
The 500s have a tendency to crack the heads so anything will help.
Looks like a nice job thus far, I can't wait to see how the chromed bits look with the wrinkle....should be gorgeous!

Thanks, yeah joe did an awesome job with his tx500 oil cooler. But, Im not sure i have the knowledge or know how to pull it off. I have the air scoop for the bike and after reading a bunch of stuff it looks like the real issue is to make sure the tappets clearances are adjusted right or it will get hot and overheat...and maybe crack. The engine has about 10,000 miles on it and still looks beautiful inside. Pulled off the spark plugs and cylinders look super clean and intact. Whoever had the bike before looked like they maintained it well. We will see...

If you have any knowledge on how to add a oil cooler to this bike by all means share. :)
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Off the top of my head..no I don't. I think we had one in the hsop here for a grand total of 3 days....not much time for exploration. Joe however should be able to point you in the right direction. If it's fitment ie; tapping for oil lines and such that you're not comfortable with I'd be happy to help.
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Joe used an adapter on the oil filter to put his cooler on, there are pics on his build. Looks great so far, hate for you to have a cracked head after all of this.

Cheers,

maritime
 
Re: 1975 Yamaha XS500B Cafe Project (TX500) - Thoughts, Comments, Suggestions

Swagger said:
Off the top of my head..no I don't. I think we had one in the hsop here for a grand total of 3 days....not much time for exploration. Joe however should be able to point you in the right direction. If it's fitment ie; tapping for oil lines and such that you're not comfortable with I'd be happy to help.

Maritime Biker said:
Joe used an adapter on the oil filter to put his cooler on, there are pics on his build. Looks great so far, hate for you to have a cracked head after all of this.

Cheers,

maritime

I know! I'd hate for that to happen too. Let me ask you guys this then, what do you think about this Billet Oil Cooler? Fuctional or a complete piece of crap? The idea of heat sinks works on computers so why not here on my bike....?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Billet-Oil-Cooler-Honda-Goldwing-Kawasaki-Yamaha-Metric-/390212996731?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5ada81ce7b
 
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