First off I would sync the carbs with a manometer. Go up to a 140 main and make sure there are no air leaks anywhere including the diaphragms. There is no pre-set turns for the idle screw. Just that it needs to keep the idle speed at 1200 rpm's. You may need to out a bit more on the idle mix screws. Have you adjusted the valves yet? If not you need to do this before the sync.
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My '76 XS360C Restoration
- Thread starter iamunique127
- Start date
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Thanks a ton for your advice, Chris.
I checked all the valve clearances and they are all set exactly at the minimum gaps. I'll check them again now that I've ridden it a bit.
When I had the carbs off I checked the diaphragms by holding my thumb over the air port with the slides up. They crept down very slowly until I removed my thumb, then they popped down as expected.
I'll sync the carbs now. I've already ordered up some mains.
Thanks again.
I checked all the valve clearances and they are all set exactly at the minimum gaps. I'll check them again now that I've ridden it a bit.
When I had the carbs off I checked the diaphragms by holding my thumb over the air port with the slides up. They crept down very slowly until I removed my thumb, then they popped down as expected.
I'll sync the carbs now. I've already ordered up some mains.
Thanks again.
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Good to know. Then mine do need adjusting. I'll do that ASAP.
I just went over all the air system clamps and they all needed tightening to be totally tight.
Is there any danger to riding it as is? Like, will I do any damage?
I just went over all the air system clamps and they all needed tightening to be totally tight.
Is there any danger to riding it as is? Like, will I do any damage?
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Thanks Chris.
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Did my first oil change a week or so ago with 147 miles since start up. When I got the bike the oil looked like this:
I thought that was good until I changed the oil in my forks and found there was lots of sludge settled in the bottom of the forks. So I figured there may also be some settled-out dirt in the engine. So as not to waste an oil change I wanted to ride the bike a ways to try to get the dirt circulated out of the bottom of the engine as much as possible before changing the oil. Good or bad, that is what I did.
This is what was left in the sump cover after 147 miles ridden.
This is what the filter and cover looked like:
Mission accomplished. This is the dirty oil:
I thought I was missing the sump screen but found it in the bottom of the pan, along with the drain plug washer, when I poured out the oil. Notice the specks in the oil and the bigger bits in the screen.
This chunk must have come from the sludge in the screen cover. I found it in my wash pan afterward. Unless it was in the dirt on the outside of the filter cover. Those were the only 2 things I washed in the pan.
The engine took almost 2.5 litres of Rotella T with a new filter. I also replaced the filter bolt o-ring, the filter cover o-ring, the filter spring washer and the drain plug crush washer at 6467 miles or 147 miles ridden.
I thought that was good until I changed the oil in my forks and found there was lots of sludge settled in the bottom of the forks. So I figured there may also be some settled-out dirt in the engine. So as not to waste an oil change I wanted to ride the bike a ways to try to get the dirt circulated out of the bottom of the engine as much as possible before changing the oil. Good or bad, that is what I did.
This is what was left in the sump cover after 147 miles ridden.
This is what the filter and cover looked like:
Mission accomplished. This is the dirty oil:
I thought I was missing the sump screen but found it in the bottom of the pan, along with the drain plug washer, when I poured out the oil. Notice the specks in the oil and the bigger bits in the screen.
This chunk must have come from the sludge in the screen cover. I found it in my wash pan afterward. Unless it was in the dirt on the outside of the filter cover. Those were the only 2 things I washed in the pan.
The engine took almost 2.5 litres of Rotella T with a new filter. I also replaced the filter bolt o-ring, the filter cover o-ring, the filter spring washer and the drain plug crush washer at 6467 miles or 147 miles ridden.
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
I checked for air leaks with some carb cleaner yesterday. There are air leaks on both sides where the H-pipe meets the air filters. I'm not sure what to do about that except replace the H-pipe. The clamps are tight and the H-pipe or the "air cleaner joint intake boot" is fitted to the air cleaner properly all the way around. Maybe I cracked the rubber by tightening too much.
I found some NOS replacements on eBay. I guess that's the way to go unless I can repair these somehow. I did see that Dave made up some of his own. Any suggestions?
I now have the time so I'm off to set the valves.
I found some NOS replacements on eBay. I guess that's the way to go unless I can repair these somehow. I did see that Dave made up some of his own. Any suggestions?
I now have the time so I'm off to set the valves.
I use a little bit of dish soap and water that way if there is a leak you can see the bubbles from where its coming from.Btw your bike cleaned nicely looks very nice.
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Nicest weather of the whole year this week and I'm working on my bike instead of riding.
First, I adjusted the valves to the max specs of .005" intake and .008" exhaust. Held the wrench in place with a bungee.
I had set the valves last weekend but my wife was pressuring me to get ready to run errands with her, I was hurrying and I reversed the settings. Luckily I double ckecked later because bad things can happen when I rush. At least I got some practice setting the valves and this time I had a better feel for it and the process went much smoother.
I put in a set of 140 main jets. On my 360 carbs the mains instal inside a bolt in the bottom of the float bowls. So I pulled the bolt, found a screw driver bit that would fit, reached it up inside with it, loosened the jets with a twist of the bit with some pliers and unscrewed them the rest of the way with my fingers. The re-instal was just as easy. No carb removal necessary. I hope that's kosher. It seemed to work fine. Sorry, no photo.
I wanted to try and repair the H-pipes before buying new ones or making some. After some thinking on it and seeing what seemed an ideal solution on sale at Princess Auto, I picked up some Brush-On Electrical Tape. Luckily it didn't melt the rubber and after a partial coat it proved to stay pliant.
It really seemed to do a good job coating and sealing, essentially creating a new layer of rubber. I applied 3 thick layers to each pipe and used up 3/4 of the can. (Notice that 3/4 is the same measure in both metric and SAE! )
Here they are back on the bike. Granted they look a bit knarly. Hopefully this stops the air leaks, though.
When I took the H-pipes off to clean and inspect them there was some yellowish, fibre-like dirt stuck in the oil from the crankcase breather. I'm running the original air filters that were on the bike when I got it. I just cleaned them up by blowing out the bit of dust that was in them. They seem stable but I wanted to see if they are deteriorating so I put a test filter over the outlet of the filters. I stretched a piece of nylon stocking over each outlet.
I realize that will probably restrict the air flow but I haven't decided which way to go for new filters so I wanted to check this way before I decide and order different filters.
After all that was done it was time to sync the carbs. Rather than figure out a different gas source I just turned the tank around and supported it next to the bike. My crash bar came in handy for supporting the manometer and the ATF matched my colour scheme perfectly.
The carbs were not far off initially and the syncing went totally smoothly.
What took the longest was shooting video of the process.
Yesterday I took a 30 mile ride and the plugs looked like so:
Left Right
I didn't notice any difference in the bikes performance after doing all the above. It pulls good at low rpm, between 3000 and 4000 it is smooth and pulls well too. It has the same power up at highway speeds and pulls the same at 3/4 to full throttle all the way up to redline. No stumbling, stuttering or lack of juice anywhere in the range. It ran that way before, too. The plugs look a bit darker now though.
The bike was revving up to 3000 rpm again after it was fully warmed up but a partial turn of the idle adjust screw took care of that.
First, I adjusted the valves to the max specs of .005" intake and .008" exhaust. Held the wrench in place with a bungee.
I had set the valves last weekend but my wife was pressuring me to get ready to run errands with her, I was hurrying and I reversed the settings. Luckily I double ckecked later because bad things can happen when I rush. At least I got some practice setting the valves and this time I had a better feel for it and the process went much smoother.
I put in a set of 140 main jets. On my 360 carbs the mains instal inside a bolt in the bottom of the float bowls. So I pulled the bolt, found a screw driver bit that would fit, reached it up inside with it, loosened the jets with a twist of the bit with some pliers and unscrewed them the rest of the way with my fingers. The re-instal was just as easy. No carb removal necessary. I hope that's kosher. It seemed to work fine. Sorry, no photo.
I wanted to try and repair the H-pipes before buying new ones or making some. After some thinking on it and seeing what seemed an ideal solution on sale at Princess Auto, I picked up some Brush-On Electrical Tape. Luckily it didn't melt the rubber and after a partial coat it proved to stay pliant.
It really seemed to do a good job coating and sealing, essentially creating a new layer of rubber. I applied 3 thick layers to each pipe and used up 3/4 of the can. (Notice that 3/4 is the same measure in both metric and SAE! )
Here they are back on the bike. Granted they look a bit knarly. Hopefully this stops the air leaks, though.
When I took the H-pipes off to clean and inspect them there was some yellowish, fibre-like dirt stuck in the oil from the crankcase breather. I'm running the original air filters that were on the bike when I got it. I just cleaned them up by blowing out the bit of dust that was in them. They seem stable but I wanted to see if they are deteriorating so I put a test filter over the outlet of the filters. I stretched a piece of nylon stocking over each outlet.
I realize that will probably restrict the air flow but I haven't decided which way to go for new filters so I wanted to check this way before I decide and order different filters.
After all that was done it was time to sync the carbs. Rather than figure out a different gas source I just turned the tank around and supported it next to the bike. My crash bar came in handy for supporting the manometer and the ATF matched my colour scheme perfectly.
The carbs were not far off initially and the syncing went totally smoothly.
What took the longest was shooting video of the process.
Yesterday I took a 30 mile ride and the plugs looked like so:
Left Right
I didn't notice any difference in the bikes performance after doing all the above. It pulls good at low rpm, between 3000 and 4000 it is smooth and pulls well too. It has the same power up at highway speeds and pulls the same at 3/4 to full throttle all the way up to redline. No stumbling, stuttering or lack of juice anywhere in the range. It ran that way before, too. The plugs look a bit darker now though.
The bike was revving up to 3000 rpm again after it was fully warmed up but a partial turn of the idle adjust screw took care of that.
Last edited:
Looks good! some good work done here I see 
the bike is probably running a bit richer now with that nylon stuff over the air filters. Did you adjust the idle mixture as well? Plugs look okay, not great.
pretty nifty with the brush on electrical tape
the bike is probably running a bit richer now with that nylon stuff over the air filters. Did you adjust the idle mixture as well? Plugs look okay, not great.
pretty nifty with the brush on electrical tape
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Thanks Willem. It needed to be richer for sure, it was way lean before. The idle mix screws are still at 2 turns out like previously.
oh yea I see that now when looking back. Good progress, you could probably adjust the idle mixture screws sufficiently to compensate this slight richness.
I would remove the mesh you put over the filters and just get new ones if they are bad. Mikesxs has them for a good price http://www.mikesxs.net/product/40-1501.html
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Thanks Chris. Yeah, I just had that nylon there for the one ride to see if it caught anything. I'm looking locally for Uni foam to re-build these ones so they can be oiled. Haven't found any yet but haven't looked everywhere I can, either. If I'd ordered the damn stuff when I saw the idea I'd have it by now.
BTW any idea which Uni foam I should get, the grey, red or the green? Course or fine? Thanks for any input, anyone.
BTW any idea which Uni foam I should get, the grey, red or the green? Course or fine? Thanks for any input, anyone.
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Can't order from MikesXS here in Canada, we gotta get from XS650.com and they carry a limited am't of stuff. Mostly just XS650 specific parts. Anyway, they don't carry my stock air filters. Parts 'N More carries them but they are out of stock.
I resorted to the local Yamaha dealer. He talked me into getting the Yamaha brand. Spendy but he said they are superior. Plus I have to wait a week for them to come in.
Also ordered some Uni foam online to rebuild my old filters. I'll see which I like better or if they make a difference. Either way, I wait.
Good 90 mile group ride here tonite. Beautiful night, tons of fun and mine was the only Yamaha (but as one guy observed "at least there are no Hondas").
I resorted to the local Yamaha dealer. He talked me into getting the Yamaha brand. Spendy but he said they are superior. Plus I have to wait a week for them to come in.
Also ordered some Uni foam online to rebuild my old filters. I'll see which I like better or if they make a difference. Either way, I wait.
Good 90 mile group ride here tonite. Beautiful night, tons of fun and mine was the only Yamaha (but as one guy observed "at least there are no Hondas").
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Thanks for that. Yeah, I did after I took the photo.
iamunique127
XS360C Owner
Hi guys, it's been a while. I haven't been riding as much as I'd hoped but everything has been going good with the bike until my last ride.
The day before, I'd ridden about 250 highway kilometres and the bike was running like a top. Got home tired and forgot to plug in the Battery Tender (which I just always do).
The next morning there wasn't enough juice to operate the electric start but the bike kicked over and started fine. I rode about 10 km through the city and then 30km on the highway. When I came to the next town and had to stop at a light, the bike stalled. The Oil light and the Neutral light are usually nice and bright but now they were very dim.
I popped the seat and checked the fuse box (all fuses OK). After fiddling with wiring and checking the battery connections (all OK, too) I turned on the key again and the lights were nice and bright. The electric start worked perfectly and got it going first try.
I drove a block and when I had the clutch in to downshift it stalled out again. No dash lights again. Upon rechecking the wiring I couldn't find any shorts or loose wires. The ground is firmly connected on both ends. All connections appear OK.
Called up an acquaintance and pushed the bike to his place. Checked voltage with meter at about 8V DC. Dash lights come on accasionally but don't stay on. I couldn't identify anything I was doing that caused the power to come back on.
Trailered the bike home, connected Battery Tender overnight and all is back to normal. Bike starts up and runs as usual. I have been hesitant to take it out though, not knowing if it might act up again or not.
I'm not sure if the problem is a matter of something cooling off and working again or a failure somewhere.
Any suggstions on where I should start troubleshooting?
The day before, I'd ridden about 250 highway kilometres and the bike was running like a top. Got home tired and forgot to plug in the Battery Tender (which I just always do).
The next morning there wasn't enough juice to operate the electric start but the bike kicked over and started fine. I rode about 10 km through the city and then 30km on the highway. When I came to the next town and had to stop at a light, the bike stalled. The Oil light and the Neutral light are usually nice and bright but now they were very dim.
I popped the seat and checked the fuse box (all fuses OK). After fiddling with wiring and checking the battery connections (all OK, too) I turned on the key again and the lights were nice and bright. The electric start worked perfectly and got it going first try.
I drove a block and when I had the clutch in to downshift it stalled out again. No dash lights again. Upon rechecking the wiring I couldn't find any shorts or loose wires. The ground is firmly connected on both ends. All connections appear OK.
Called up an acquaintance and pushed the bike to his place. Checked voltage with meter at about 8V DC. Dash lights come on accasionally but don't stay on. I couldn't identify anything I was doing that caused the power to come back on.
Trailered the bike home, connected Battery Tender overnight and all is back to normal. Bike starts up and runs as usual. I have been hesitant to take it out though, not knowing if it might act up again or not.
I'm not sure if the problem is a matter of something cooling off and working again or a failure somewhere.
Any suggstions on where I should start troubleshooting?
