joy!

[troh23]

so i've been working on this xs650 i bought from a friend. for those of you not in the know, its a motorcycle. a yamaha xs650. well, it was running pretty crappy and the electrical was a nightmare. i ended up replacing the entire wiring harness and chopping off a few thing here and there. after a couple weeks, i got it running pretty good but i had no top end. total full throttle loss. it wasn't getting any power when i would twist it wide open. -and i like to twist it wide open. SO, i thought i just need to rejet. i had put pod filters on it which are a lot more open than the uni filters it had so no big deal. I rejetted the carbs with no problem other than discovering that a screw on each of the float bowls is stripped. they still had a tight enough bite for now that i decided that i'll tackle that later. so after i put the carbs back on i took it for a ride only to discover that i STILL have no top end. WTH?! After scowerring the interweb for info i came across a 650 riders group and told them of my problem. i got a few replies the next day reminding me of typical stuff thet i already know like be sure the carbs aren't leaking air into the intake manifold and stuff like that. but one response had me thinking. he said that my pods are probably obstructing an intake port inside the mouth of the carbs. so i take off the pods and try it out. sure enough, total pull all the way through the twist. YAY!

I'm really happy with this bike. -even though it's been a total brat to me the whole time. it almost broke my foot when i tried to kick start it and it kicked back. I was on crutches for a week. it still kicks back really hard and that's something else i have to work on but all in all, the bike is total punk rock and i love it.

just thought i'd share my news.

edit: pictures!!!