My '76 XS360C Restoration

[iamunique127]

You can split the reservoir from the MC body

Oh, interesting. I was wondering about that.

How's it done and how is it replaced? Any tricks?

The brass plugs for the cap screws are molded into the plastic housing and are only about 1/2" deep. So what holds the reservoir on?

Thanks

 

[xschris]

There is an o-ring at the bottom of the reservoir. If you twist the plastic reservoir it should move and with a little effort it will pop off the metal MC.

 

[iamunique127]

There is an o-ring at the bottom of the reservoir. If you twist the plastic reservoir it should move and with a little effort it will pop off the metal MC.

And does it just pop back on again using the same o ring?
I don't want to damage something I can't find a replacement part for.
Thanks XSChris

 

[xschris]

I would replace the o-ring Yes it should pop back on.

 

[LuckyEight]

There is an o-ring at the bottom of the reservoir. If you twist the plastic reservoir it should move and with a little effort it will pop off the metal MC.

Exactly...or you can use some flat and thin screwdriver...With little patience it should not cause any harm to the reservoir

 

[iamunique127]

Thanks for the tips guys.
I think I'll try it the way I have it now, though. The parts list shows the MC body and reservoir as one piece with no O ring on my model.
I'll see how it works this way.

 

[xschris]

When you replace the o-ring make sure to get one resistant to brake fluid. Yamaha don't list the part so you would have to buy the entire MC for more $

 

[iamunique127]

This week I took apart the front forks, removed the fork seals, cleaned everything up and put it all back together with new oil and seals of course. Also added fork boots.

Through the week I also removed the instruments and headlight bracket so I could clean it all up.

A buddy came over today and we took off the triple trees and found what appears to be the 38 year old grease. The top was caked and dried.

and the bottom was all oily

So we cleaned all that up. The bearings and races were good so we just repacked them with grease for now. May upgrade to tapered roller bearings in the future.

Then we got the front end back together. Feels like a huge accomplishment.

 

[bcware]

You're making some good progress.

 

[xschris]

You are doing the right things in getting it going again

 

[iamunique127]

Thanks guys. Yeah, it's good be back to wrenching. I sold my last Norton in about 1976. The wife had a Suzuki 250 on-off road until about 1997 but it was just transportation and didn't get much work done to it.

I gotta thank my brother for his advise and encouragement on this. He restores Kawasaki H1 and H2 triples so he provides a lot of general know-how and direction.

And thanks to all of you, past and present, of course.

Another photo. Earlier in the week I also cleaned up the right controls. The brake fluid had all leaked out the master cylinder and some had gotten into the controls. It looked worse than it seems in the photo.

Cleaned it all up and now it looks good as new.

 

[iamunique127]

I'm really surprised by the amount of stuff I can still order from the local Yamaha dealer. I initially figured I'd have to be ordering everything online and pay shipping. That wouldn't really be so bad, there are lots of resources for parts here in Canada but if I can save that shipping cost I'm even happier.

For example, I was totally amazed to be able to still get the factory signal light collars from Yamaha. I was missing the 2 rear ones. There was one in Canada and it arrived in a few days and the other came from Japan in 2 weeks.

The local dealer also had some after-market pipes on his shelf which he showed me when he learned the bike I had. They pretty well match the description of these pipes at MikesXS except the box says they are 21" long (Mike's says 19.7") and the part # is different. Mike's write-up says they are perfect for 400cc and under.

This is how the outlet compares to the stock pipes

and what they measure

Does anyone here have any experience with these pipes or know how I could expect them to perform on my bike? I have one at home on a trial and it will bolt right on with no mods. The price is real nice, too but I don't want to cheap out if they won't be optimal for the bike.

Opinions?

 

[bcware]

I've used a few different mufflers on mine. The biggest issue for me was getting them to fit. I had to jet to make the bike run right, but if they're about the right size they can probably be made to work just fine. I'd be most concerned with fitment. Maybe you'll get lucky and won't have to change settings in the carbs too much if they flow similar to stock.

Make sure there is clearance for the center/side stand. The stock mufflers have provisions for this.

 

[Scorpio1963]

I would think as long as they fit and attach to the header they would perform just as well if not better than the old ones.The dicision is if you want to keep the stock quitter sound of the bike which the one on the left of the picture is.The outlet hole probably would give the bike more back pressure which in that case you probably wont have to screw around with rejetting.Any muffler you buy that reduces back pressure increases the chance you will be rejetting to compensate.Rejetting isn't a big deal theres a guidfe to follow which is a good place to start.

 

[xschris]

The new ones look to be glass packed.

 

[iamunique127]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

If I go strictly by fit then I'd have to say they are nearly perfect. They bolt right on to the headers and existing brackets with no strap necessary. They come with collars to make the diameter work.

Bcware, you are correct, the centre stand may be a minor issue but there are a couple easy work-arounds I know I can make work. It's up on jack stands right now with the centre stand down so I'll check for sure when I get the front wheel back on.

As far as the sound goes, Scorpio1963, that's one of the things I was wondering about. I do prefer a louder bike and was wondering what the smaller outlet and glass packing would do for the sound.Yes, I can rejet if necessary.

I guess performance is another consideration. Any thoughts on what these would do for that, or is it a matter of rejetting to run properly.

Sorry if they're dumb questions, I haven't really dealt with pipes before. I just put Dunstal Silencers on my Nortons and they snorted.

Thanks for any further input.

 

[bcware]

If they're similar in size and diameter to the original pipes I'd wager the bike will start and run just fine with the stock jets, but I can't say whether they will need to be changed until you test ride it. I wouldn't rush the tuning. Just decide if you want to use them and you're willing to make them work, especially with that center stand.

 

[iamunique127]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can make them work but now I'm concerned that they will be quieter than the stock pipes. That is certainly the last thing I want.

 

[iamunique127]

Cleaned up the front wheel today.

The speedo sender had grease but it was old and dry. Probably had never been greased so it was really in pretty good shape as you can see here.

It was a little tough to turn but now, with new grease, it is nice and slick.

It didn't take much to clean up the wheel, just a little time and a little rubbing. There were only half a dozen or so pinhead sized rust spots.

Now the whole front end has been gone over and is sparkly clean. Time to get those carbs back together.

 

[bcware]

Yeah, the wheel came out really well. You're lucky the spokes are in good condition. Those are usually the first thing to really start rusting.