Re resurecting my old XT600
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Re resurecting my old XT600
Seeing as it's pissing down outside it's as good a time as any to do a write up on my old currently deceased XT600.
If I get it on the road this summer I'm going to call it Lazarus...
This last weekend I started to sort out the garage.I moved everything around so that I could rip out the old carpet & took the XT600 out from under the cover where it had been languishing in a state of semi disgrace since it expired over on the Isle of Man in 2017...
I took the old FZ750 off the ramp,spent a day getting in a few runs to the local tip & then placed the XT in a position where I could work on it once again.It currently looks like this
I bought the XT from one of my old mates back around 2008,it's a 43F Kickstart only.The deal was that if I could kick start it I would buy it,I'm only 10 1/2 stone,he was 20 stone,easy for him to fire it up.I managed to start it so the deal was done & I pushed it about 800 metres to my place
This is what it looked like when I brought it home
It was dog rough & smoked like a two stroke,but it was all there,it ran & I was looking for a Old School thumper trailie so £900 & it was mine.
I rode it a few times just to see what I was getting myself into.I knew pretty much imediately that it was a dog,but I wanted something that I could strip down,sort out & ride around on without worrrying getting to precious about the bike.
I'm only 5'6 so I dropped the forks through the yokes to lower the ride height & did a few shake down runs on it.
Apart from the oil burning it also had a slow puncture,here's the front inner tube valva
I fitted a new tube
I got a shock when I went to remove the front wheel,these were the axle clamp studs clamping the front wheel axle
The fork seal was also leaking...
tbc
If I get it on the road this summer I'm going to call it Lazarus...
This last weekend I started to sort out the garage.I moved everything around so that I could rip out the old carpet & took the XT600 out from under the cover where it had been languishing in a state of semi disgrace since it expired over on the Isle of Man in 2017...
I took the old FZ750 off the ramp,spent a day getting in a few runs to the local tip & then placed the XT in a position where I could work on it once again.It currently looks like this
I bought the XT from one of my old mates back around 2008,it's a 43F Kickstart only.The deal was that if I could kick start it I would buy it,I'm only 10 1/2 stone,he was 20 stone,easy for him to fire it up.I managed to start it so the deal was done & I pushed it about 800 metres to my place
This is what it looked like when I brought it home
It was dog rough & smoked like a two stroke,but it was all there,it ran & I was looking for a Old School thumper trailie so £900 & it was mine.
I rode it a few times just to see what I was getting myself into.I knew pretty much imediately that it was a dog,but I wanted something that I could strip down,sort out & ride around on without worrrying getting to precious about the bike.
I'm only 5'6 so I dropped the forks through the yokes to lower the ride height & did a few shake down runs on it.
Apart from the oil burning it also had a slow puncture,here's the front inner tube valva
I fitted a new tube
I got a shock when I went to remove the front wheel,these were the axle clamp studs clamping the front wheel axle
The fork seal was also leaking...
tbc
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
Cool.
I hope there's not too many horrors internally,although that would be more entertaining/informative for us passive onlookers.
I hope there's not too many horrors internally,although that would be more entertaining/informative for us passive onlookers.
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
Walt Whitman
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
We replaced them with Cylinder head studs from my mate's Honda GP125 race kit
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
The early prognosis was that the bike had suffered a lot of neglect & I was surprised it still ran...
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
I stripped the forks to replace the seals,luckily apart from needing new seals everything else looked alright.
Note the custom Damper rod locking tool
One thing I noticed when riding the bike at night was that the High Beam cut off went the wrong way,so I think the bike was an import.
Sure enough when I got the V5 back it said that it was firet registered over here in 2002.
I knew the bike had suffered a hard life but I wasn't expecting some of the other things I found when I tore it down
Here's the coil,the front mounts broken off How do you do that??
Here's the Air 'Filter' God knows what state the carb will be in when I take it apart...
To my eyes that's just downright negligent
Note the custom Damper rod locking tool
One thing I noticed when riding the bike at night was that the High Beam cut off went the wrong way,so I think the bike was an import.
Sure enough when I got the V5 back it said that it was firet registered over here in 2002.
I knew the bike had suffered a hard life but I wasn't expecting some of the other things I found when I tore it down
Here's the coil,the front mounts broken off How do you do that??
Here's the Air 'Filter' God knows what state the carb will be in when I take it apart...
To my eyes that's just downright negligent
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
It's maybe a racing air filter,what with the wirelocking and all.
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
Loving this thread already and looking forward to the next installment, and hopefully finding out why it has no primary drive (and assorted other things )
The old girl has been well loved in previous life(s) and no mistake eh!
The old girl has been well loved in previous life(s) and no mistake eh!
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
Oooo an old thumper & serious neglect story, keep it coming.
Once volunteered to change the fork oil on a mates seriously neglected bike, a 3" long silvery worm emerged out of the drain holes before anything remotely resembling oil appeared.
Once volunteered to change the fork oil on a mates seriously neglected bike, a 3" long silvery worm emerged out of the drain holes before anything remotely resembling oil appeared.
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
The more I looked the more evidence of a lack of maintenance & hard miles became apparent.
Here's the De compressor cable
At least someone's had a look at the tappets at some point,not sure what size socket/spanner they used
Fotunately they didn't use Can bus wiring systems back then...
Closer inspection revealed that the inlet rubbers had seen better days,when I pulled the carbs off they fell apart
Here's the De compressor cable
At least someone's had a look at the tappets at some point,not sure what size socket/spanner they used
Fotunately they didn't use Can bus wiring systems back then...
Closer inspection revealed that the inlet rubbers had seen better days,when I pulled the carbs off they fell apart
Last edited by Bustaspoke on Tue Mar 14, 2023 10:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Re resurecting my old XT600
After realising how much neglect & abuse the old XT had endured I had a begrudging respect for the old girl.I was surprised that it still ran,albeit with a minor smoke screen & whiff of burning engine oil arounnd it.
The exhaust came off easily enough,after the trail of neglect I'd uncovered so far I was expecting the exhaust studs to snap or something,but no big drama's.
I took the engine out of the frame,removed the cam box,took out the camshaft & it looked like this,not bad
The top end all looked good.The piston crown was covered in coke from all the oil it was burning but maybe I'll get away with just a rebore?
I removed the barrel,the bore didn't look to bad
How about the piston?
Oh dear
The exhaust came off easily enough,after the trail of neglect I'd uncovered so far I was expecting the exhaust studs to snap or something,but no big drama's.
I took the engine out of the frame,removed the cam box,took out the camshaft & it looked like this,not bad
The top end all looked good.The piston crown was covered in coke from all the oil it was burning but maybe I'll get away with just a rebore?
I removed the barrel,the bore didn't look to bad
How about the piston?
Oh dear
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