topherchris
New Member
My first post about the bike. I picked it up a couple years back for a good price and I’ve been so busy that it’s just been collecting dust ever since. It’s 1975, 14XX original miles, last registered in 1986, I’m the third owner. The bike needs A LOT of TLC. The story I was given by the second owner is the original owner wrecked his bike and bought this one. Some time after he purchased this bike, he developed some health problems, so he didn’t ride much. After he passed, his wife held onto it for a while before selling it in 2017/2018. The second owner had grand plans for a cafe build but had too many projects and decided to sell her.
So here we land in 2020. I too had grand plans for a cafe build, but put it on the back burner for my other projects. I finally started feeling guilty for leaving it sit for so long untouched, my projects started winding down with more time at home, and so I started tearing her down. I know what you’re thinking...you posted in the wrong section of the forum...shortly after I started digging in, my wife and I got news we are expecting our first child. She’s now in the third trimester and I’m buried to my eyes in preps and projects for our first baby, so I’ve made up my mind to complete the tear down and restore because it will be a little less labor and time intensive than going down the path I wanted to. The cafe build will come later.
Now that you know my life story, I’ll let you know I’ve been lurking on this forum for a while, secretly admiring everyone’s project builds. Specifically, this one:
https://www.dotheton.com/index.php?threads/75-yamaha-xs500-cafe-project-open-throttle.14392/
I need some direction and pointers. Where does everyone order OEM parts from for these bikes? Also, can someone with knowledge look at the pictures and let me know if the exhaust on my bike is aftermarket? From what I can tell, it’s supposed to have a pipe on each side and this only has one on the right.
As the bike sits, the forks need to be rebuilt, the front brakes need work (front caliper is locked up, no pressure on lever, and it looks like the master cylinder had a leak that allowed fluid everywhere), the fuel tank needs at a minimum to be cleaned out and I think resealed, the whole thing needs a good deep cleaning (engine, frame, wheels, EVERYTHING), the right side intake cover needs to be replaced due to a crack in it, and all basic maintenance needs to be done (carbs rebuilt, throttle cables replaced, chain replaced, spark plug, air filter, etc.).
I’m working on stripping it down. I found a company that sells service manuals, so I picked one up. My only experience with carb tuning is a two stroke dirt bike, so this will definitely be a learning experience.
So here we land in 2020. I too had grand plans for a cafe build, but put it on the back burner for my other projects. I finally started feeling guilty for leaving it sit for so long untouched, my projects started winding down with more time at home, and so I started tearing her down. I know what you’re thinking...you posted in the wrong section of the forum...shortly after I started digging in, my wife and I got news we are expecting our first child. She’s now in the third trimester and I’m buried to my eyes in preps and projects for our first baby, so I’ve made up my mind to complete the tear down and restore because it will be a little less labor and time intensive than going down the path I wanted to. The cafe build will come later.
Now that you know my life story, I’ll let you know I’ve been lurking on this forum for a while, secretly admiring everyone’s project builds. Specifically, this one:
https://www.dotheton.com/index.php?threads/75-yamaha-xs500-cafe-project-open-throttle.14392/
I need some direction and pointers. Where does everyone order OEM parts from for these bikes? Also, can someone with knowledge look at the pictures and let me know if the exhaust on my bike is aftermarket? From what I can tell, it’s supposed to have a pipe on each side and this only has one on the right.
As the bike sits, the forks need to be rebuilt, the front brakes need work (front caliper is locked up, no pressure on lever, and it looks like the master cylinder had a leak that allowed fluid everywhere), the fuel tank needs at a minimum to be cleaned out and I think resealed, the whole thing needs a good deep cleaning (engine, frame, wheels, EVERYTHING), the right side intake cover needs to be replaced due to a crack in it, and all basic maintenance needs to be done (carbs rebuilt, throttle cables replaced, chain replaced, spark plug, air filter, etc.).
I’m working on stripping it down. I found a company that sells service manuals, so I picked one up. My only experience with carb tuning is a two stroke dirt bike, so this will definitely be a learning experience.
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