Yamaha XT500

[plugeye]

Originally Posted by Sic Semper Tyrannis

What road gearing do you all like on your XT500?

I have great off road gearing...but not good for much over 55.

THanks!

Ric

stock is just right for me, 16-44. all street use, it'll do 80 ok

[MCM]

I went to a 44 from a 50 tooth rear. Front is a 16 or 17?

Its great! 1st gear is now useful. LOL LOL

[D0dja]

Jeez I'm itching to get another XT. My first ever bike, took it from Joburg to CT then up to Cairo in '97. Well, Uganda is as far as I got.

Original:



After modding for trip and about 4000km of travelling later (standing on dock in Dar es Salam waiting for ferry to Zanzibar.



Loved that bike - although if I get another I do 12V electrics 'cause the headlights were kak, and disc brakes because those drums were just useless.

[dwthump]

MCM,

That is a sweet XT Supermoto, probably handles like a dream. One suggestion, get a lower supermoto front fender. I put one on my KLR and it's much quieter and shakes around less on the highway.
I had a '79 XT and it was a blast, (and of course I was 20!). The XT was a great enduro, although stubborn some times. I used to ride single track with my cousin on his trials bike. The bike has a ton of low-end torque. I climbed some very gnarly hills and it just chugged away.

Darren

[stteve]

Last saturday i attended the 17th Hennorit, an 170 km offroad trip trough Holland and mostly Belgium, for Yamaha XT500 riders and owners. The majoruty drags his/her XT out of the shed for this once, only 5 "strange" brands (one of which was mine), but the other 60 something had a onecilinder, aircooled, kickstart only.


One guy dragged his XT500 in the back of the formerly hearse, threw in the wheels and rode all day, to do the same thing to get back home, some 200 kms away


Various XT/TT/HL500/550/350/250 of all modelsyears. Not all of them in full original stock spottless condition, though.

There was even a very rare prototype TT400, that Yamaha keeps very secret. I happen to be the owner. PM me for details...


More pictures can be found in the clubs SmugMug account.

http://xtsr500.smugmug.com/Other/201...0566&k=VN2TWdt

The SmugMug clips are put together in one long YouTube clip here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvBJ7XwcJgA&feature=plcp

And there was even a semi proffessional camera team
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8SQIGdZiZQ

Enjoy!!

[JackCrank]

Hey XT fellas, question for y'all. What do you keep in your tool roll when you ride? Local and LD?

[JAB]

Originally Posted by JackCrank

Hey XT fellas, question for y'all. What do you keep in your tool roll when you ride? Local and LD?

Lot's of good info here for anything and anywhere you ride.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=262998

[BIG ED XT FAN]

Originally Posted by stteve

Last saturday i attended the 17th Hennorit, an 170 km offroad trip trough Holland and mostly Belgium, for Yamaha XT500 riders and owners. The majoruty drags his/her XT out of the shed for this once, only 5 "strange" brands (one of which was mine), but the other 60 something had a onecilinder, aircooled, kickstart only.


One guy dragged his XT500 in the back of the formerly hearse, threw in the wheels and rode all day, to do the same thing to get back home, some 200 kms away


Various XT/TT/HL500/550/350/250 of all modelsyears. Not all of them in full original stock spottless condition, though.

There was even a very rare prototype TT400, that Yamaha keeps very secret. I happen to be the owner. PM me for details...


More pictures can be found in the clubs SmugMug account.

http://xtsr500.smugmug.com/Other/201...0566&k=VN2TWdt

The SmugMug clips are put together in one long YouTube clip here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvBJ7XwcJgA&feature=plcp

And there was even a semi proffessional camera team
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8SQIGdZiZQ

Enjoy!!

A Yamaha TT 400? Thats is "TOP SECRET!! Does Yamaha of Japan have wind of this bike???
Love the event!! Thanks for posting!! BIG ED XT&TT 600 FAN!!!!

[xtom125]

Originally Posted by plugeye

stock is just right for me, 16-44. all street use, it'll do 80 ok

same here it good for me ,good to see you here as well plugeye

[Sidecar Jockey]

I have a question for the XT gurus:

I have a 1978 xt500, with only 1,200 original miles on it. I know the original owner, and it sat inhis basement from 1991-2012, when I got it.

It has 140 lbs compression and runs great. I did a full service (oil, carb clean, tank clean, plugs, points, condensor, adjusta nd clean everything) BUT, it smokes like a steam train. It usually takes about 1-2 minutes for the smoke to START after I start the bike cold. If the bike is hot, it smokes right away. It never stops until i shut it down. I ahve gone on a few 20-ish mile rides and it runs great, but burns a little oil.

I know XTs usually smoke for a bit after startup if they are wet sumping... but mine is doing the OPPOSITE. It takes a minute or two for the smoke to begin, and then it never stops...

I'm thinking this is valve stem seals.


What do you guys think is causing my smoke?

[JAB]

At 1200 miles, the old girl is barely broken in. Got to imagine the 35 year old seals are pretty hard, but I'm wondering if it could break in a bit more too. If it were me I would change the stem seals and watch for leaks at the other places. Oh, and then ride the heck out it. Good luck.

[Sic Semper Tyrannis]

Watch to see when it smokes.

get up to speed and cut throttle and coast down...more smoke or less?

Accelerate hard...more smoke or less?

The coast down test is pretty definitive test for valve seals.

I bet you have glazed or stuck piston rings.

[Sidecar Jockey]

More info on my smokey 1878 xt500:

It does not smoke at idle, or if it does its VERY little.

When I give it any gas at all, it starts smoking. More throttle = more smoke.

When I'm cruising or riding with the RPM's up and snap the throttle shut it smokes more. (The bike is constantly spewing smoke when I ride it or give it gas, but snapping the throttle closed makes the cloud get even bigger).

After returning to idle, the smoke stops within about 10-20 seconds.

I have put about 100 miles on it so far... and noticed no change in the smoke. I even poured some of that No-smoke magic stuff into the oil for the last 20 miles. No change in smoke. I'm usually afraid of that stuff causing more damage, but I figured i was going to tear the motor down anyway...

When I got the bike, it had 40 psi compression. After a good soak with ATF+ Sea Foam in the cylinder and in the valve inspection covers and a bunch of good kicks, the compression returned. Now its about 130-150, depending on how hot it is and how mant times I kick it. (3 kicks gets 130 lbs, 5 or 6 kicks gets 150 on a warm motor).

So, yeah, it had stuck rings. I'm tearing into the motor this weekend. Its already pulled and sitting on my bench. I will definitely replace the valve stem seals, and lap the valves. I'm also thinking that hitting the cylinder with a hone is a good idea to get rid of any glaze.

I ahve used a 3 stone hone for an electric drill on MANY motorcycle motors. I understand that is it just for de-glazing. I will of course be measuringt he bore and roundness of both the cylinder and piston first... but at only 1,200 original miles I really doubt that my cylinder or piston are past tolerances...

Thoughts? Advice?

[motomike14]

Sounds like your ring is still not seeding itself well. Yamaha makes a product called "Ring Free" that deposits through your fuel. Similar to seafoam, but probably a little bit better.

Does it make any knocking noises or sound like it's worn? I have a TT with about 500 hours on the top end; it knocks because the wrist pin bearings are shot, but I used the Ring Free and it alleviated a lot of the smoking, hot and cold. Even yet, rings for them are cheap.

Just make sure you put your cam in the right way. Last time I had a motor rebuilt, we screwed up and put the cam in 180 out. Luckily, rotating the points plate 180 alleviated that issue.

[montesa_vr]

Originally Posted by plugeye

stock is just right for me, 16-44. all street use, it'll do 80 ok

I used stock gearing for everything. On the highway it really wasn't powerful enough to pull anything taller, and because of the torque and heavy flywheel it was pretty forgiving in the tight stuff. Mine topped out around 90 mph indicated, pre GPS so couldn't say how accurate that was.