My '76 XS360C Restoration

iamunique127

XS360C Owner
Messages
423
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Winnipeg, Canada
Howdy all

I've been reading and learning a lot here since I spotted this XS360 for sale at a local auto wrecker. Reading several posts convinced me the 360 would make an excellent winter project.

11466442425_d2899a4b64_z.jpg


The bike was a donation to a local charity and this wrecker collects all the vehicle donations. They get a title and safety on the saleable ones and then wait til someone stops in looking for something. This bike had been sitting there with the safety on for more than a year when I came across it. Luckily it was in the best condition of all the bikes.

11670255815_7f228719a6.jpg


There are only 6320 miles on the clock, the bike appears to be all original with only a minor attempt done at working on the carbs. I've located a couple major air leaks so I suspect the former owner had trouble starting it and retired it in a garage. All the rubber bits are still nice and supple and the upholstery is perfect so I'm thinking it was well looked after.

The pipes are both rusted through, it needs fork seals and a front brake rebuild but all in all it's in wonderful shape. I already have most of the parts I need from Part N More so now I'm cleaning and rebuilding in the snug warmth of my basement.

I'll post more photos as I go. I've got lots of great ideas and tips from y'all already and I'm looking forward to lots of fun doing this.
 
awesome, great find! give that thing a bath and keep the photos coming!

those gauges are awesome. resemble the mid 70 CB's. Much cooler than my 78 xs400's.
 
Thanks Sesty and xschris. I'm realizing it would have been a good idea to stop at the car wash on the way home. Cleaning all that accumulation with rags and a toothbrush is doing it the hard way. Plus the old lady hates getting her toothbrush back so dirty when she needs it at the end of the week!

I did take the tank to the car wash and most of the rust blew right out. It was crusty to begin with but not too bad. This is before:

11671861604_564f3cfd18.jpg


There were spots I missed with the pressure washer so I dropped in a hunk of chain and shook it around a bit. That loosened the rest of the worst rust. Today I add a bottle of Evapo-Rust and let it do it's thing.


11671891633_19e6b9c501.jpg


The inside of the gas cap was pretty rusty but cleaned right up with a wire brush. The gasket is pretty cracked so I ordered a new cap from Parts N More. It looks good but the quality of the metal is obviously of lower quality. I intend to try swapping th gaskets. Does anyone have any tips for doing this? It appears to unscrew but it doesn't. Do I just stretch the gasket off?

Thanks for any advise.
 
There should be screws to take that part off so you can remove the seal.
 

Attachments

  • DSC02321.jpg
    DSC02321.jpg
    191.3 KB · Views: 375
what are you plans for it? just get it running? stock restore? cafe? half tracker, half cafe, half bobber?
 
There should be screws to take that part off so you can remove the seal.

Thanks xschris but mine appears to have rivets. You can just see that in the photo of the gas cap.

The replacement I ordered has screws though, so I can get that one off. I'd like to salvage the old one too, as a spare, just in case. I guess I'll warm it, lube it and try slipping it off.
 
what are you plans for it? just get it running? stock restore? cafe? half tracker, half cafe, half bobber?


Sesty:

I was thinking half-caf, half-double-decaf (reference Steve Martin in The Jerk) but for now I'm concentrating on getting it running and handling well. With that in mind here's what is on my list:

-clean & rebuilt petcock- Done
-clean tank- in progress
-replace gas & vaccum lines-Done
-clean & rebuild carbs- in progress
-clean air filters- done
-replace fork seals- parts in hand
-add fork boots- parts in hand
-rebuild master cylinder and front brake- parts in hand
-replace brake hose- need to order part
-replace rear signal lenses with orange- done
-repair cracked wire rear signal- done
-inspect electrical connections & clean if necessary
-replace stock fuse box with blade fuse type- to be done
-replace mufflers- researching at present
-replace stock bars, maybe flat
-new battery- researching
-replace tires- I like K70's
-upgrade swing arm bushings to brass
-oil and filter change- filter in hand

Here's what the oil looked like when I received the bike:

11688631843_68552ec9db.jpg



I'm open to suggestions but I'm inclined to keep it mostly stock, especially in appearance. We wouldn't want xschris' and drewpy's stock bikes to be the only valuable originals around.

What do you guys think of my plan?
 
I like the bike its looks good fully dressed,looks like po used it as a commuter/shopper.My opinion I think your bike would be a good candidate for a restore.After a good washing you may find it doesn't need much.
 
If you don't want a full dress bike you can remove all of that stuff and save it. A few other reversible mods can change the look of the bike without doing any permanent damage. Change the handle bars and mirrors. Other than that it just needs to be cleaned. If you want a bike to rip apart buy something more beat up, but in the end it's your choice.

I would do a full dissemble, not just a cleaning. You can leave the motor in if you want; it's easy enough to take out later if there is a problem.
 
BC you bring up a point about not leaving the bike fully dressed,if the owner decides not to Im sure someone will buy the luggage racks in a heart beat.
 
Thanks for weighing in guys.

I do like having bags but I'm not sure I'd leave those Bates bags on all the time. The mounting hardware is pretty unobtusive so I think I'll leave it on and use it for whichever bags I chose to use at the time. I also like a windshield but not sure this one would suit flat bars. But that's all cosmetic, like you say bcware.

I don't intend to rip it up, either. Again, I like your wording "reversible mods", so I can switch looks as the ride dictates or to restore it's value for sale. I intend to keep any original parts, make the bike my own and get it operational. I don't think it needs much more than I've mentioned above.

I may fully dissassemble it if there is time before spring once I've done what I have planned. One other thing I had in mind was the steering head bearings. They may not need it but I understand roller bearings are a big improvement handling-wise.
 
I posted this in it's own thread but I might as well keep everything together:

I took off the generator cover and there is oil behind the cover.

11776528684_116139e38d_z.jpg


I don't have an oil leak when the cover is on but I wonder if there should be oil here. If I leave the cover off the oil drips out freely. I haven't let it drain fully, only just put the cover back on.

If there shouldn't be oil here, what is the fix? I know there is an oil seal further back, is a full tear down necessary to replace it?

Thanks for any insight.
 
oil should be there, that's why the cover has a gasket.

it coats the starter chain and keeps the stator cool
 
If you ever need to get in there when the bike is full of oil to set the timing or something you can just remove the gas tank and lean the bike up against something; you'll lose very little when it is slightly leaned over. I just put some aluminum foil over the exhaust pipe.
 
If you ever need to get in there when the bike is full of oil to set the timing or something you can just remove the gas tank and lean the bike up against something; you'll lose very little when it is slightly leaned over. I just put some aluminum foil over the exhaust pipe.

Good to know, thanks.
 
Well, I got my Master Cylinder and Front Brake taken apart yesterday.

The MC was pretty dirty on the outside and had leaked all the brake fluid out the piston. There was quite a mess to get through to find the cir clip and get it out.

11787210733_6749737e1c_z.jpg


The inside is likewise pretty dirty.

11786954445_42c38c6c29_z.jpg


11787366634_e332109b87_z.jpg


11787367394_29380ca5c9_z.jpg


I took off the screws and plate and inside the plastic holes is thick with gunk. It appears I need to clean it the best I can from there. The plastic block doesn't seperate from the housing does it? The parts list shows it as one piece.

As for the brake itself, other than the piston being frozen in place, it looks pretty good. The brake shoes are as good as new.

11787209863_2021f76e91_z.jpg


11787210203_3e1c09481b_z.jpg


I have all the parts I need for the re-builds and the brake piston is soaking in brake cleaner. Now it's time for some cleaning.

The brake hose looks to be original and is quite stiff. I guess I'll be picking up a braided steel one. In general, that's the way to go isn't it?

Thanks for looking. Any insights or suggestions are welcome.
 
I would replace the hose with a braided stainless one. It will have a more firm feel to it over a rubber one.
 
Back
Top