Yamaha XT500

[TimberlineAdventure]

Originally Posted by Rusty Rocket

Practice practice practice.... go to a sloping grassy area and practice. By learning on a hill, you get help from gravity when you have to back off. Also you don't have to get the front end as high to ride a wheely for a distance. Riding a wheely for a long distance is a thrill everyone should experience. It's like a video game, put in enough quarters, (buy enough rear fenders ) and you'll get good at it.

Are you saying going down a hill ? It drives me nuts that I have ridden so much, and still havn't played the video game..... Do you do this in first or second gear, the bike will climb a tree in almost any gear... And do you pop the clutch or just lean back and pray ?

[montesa_vr]

Originally Posted by TimberlineAdventure

I must be inept at pulling wheelies, even with you are saying is the best Wheelie machine around... What is your method, I have ridden for twenty years, have a modified bike, but certainly suck at the wheelies...

Well, I learned on a Hodaka Ace 100B, which was very light and very slow. I did wheelies in 2nd gear and every time I flipped over backwards I just ran along behind until I could get the front wheel back down. 2nd gear on an XT500 will rev out to 45mph and you don't want to loop at that speed.

Rusty Rocket is right -- the easiest way to learn to wheelie is going up a hill. The advantage is that the balance point is the same regardless of the slope, so when you are going up hill you don't need to lift the wheel very far to hit it, you're part way there already just because you're going up hill.

My technique in the beginning was to ride up a nice smooth hill in second gear, throw your weight forward to compress the forks, open the throttle and throw your weight backwards as the forks rebound. I never ever used the clutch. It took me hundreds of tries before I could even consistently get the front wheel off the ground, and many hours before I had any control of how high the wheel was going up. It helps if you have a bump to launch the front wheel off.

One glorious day I punched down the forks, opened the throttle, rocked back, and found myself riding along on the back wheel. It was only a few feet, but I was balancing on the back wheel. Once I knew what that felt like I was addicted. From the first time I felt the balance point to my first 100 yard wheelie was only a couple of weeks.

Learning to balance a motorcycle on the back wheel is probably easier than learning to ride a unicycle, but what they have in common is that the earliest tries are so discouraging that it's hard to stay with it long enough to get that first feeling of success.

I would never try to pass myself off as some kind of wheelie master. I never learned to use the rear brake while doing wheelies, and I never learned to shift gears while doing wheelies, and I never felt safe wheelying my XL500 because the engine kept making more power the higher it revved and I always feared going over backwards.

I would suggest learning on something really light and really slow. The XT is way too tall, heavy, fast, and easy to flip to be a safe rig for learning.

[Inane Cathode]

Originally Posted by Jolly705

It starts when it feels like it and cuts out when it does run. The carb was pulled apart and cleaned, points in spec, the whole bike has been through but still won't run right, it is driving me or shall I say my father crazy. He has the bike in his garage now and have been messing with it for months now. It has us stumped!

I can almost guarantee you its the points gap or the condensor. The bike *will not* run right without the proper gap in the points, it should be between 12 and 16 thousands wide open.
Theres no real way to test a condensor, other than to look at the points, if a condensor has failed to ground or sumply stopped being an effective condensor, your points will be shooting sparks like a chinese new year.

[Chad M]

Originally Posted by Inane Cathode

I can almost guarantee you its the points gap or the condensor. The bike *will not* run right without the proper gap in the points, it should be between 12 and 16 thousands wide open.
Theres no real way to test a condensor, other than to look at the points, if a condensor has failed to ground or sumply stopped being an effective condensor, your points will be shooting sparks like a chinese new year.

I would also make sure the float level is set. The bike will foul plugs and die if it's too high.

[Tiger_DFT]

Back in the 80's I had a mint XT500, my first big bore!!

Loved riding and even liked starting it once I got the knack.

One very memorable ride had me sliding it like a 1/2 mile dirt tracker, I couldn't believe how long I held a feet up slide coming out of a side street onto a main road. I thought I should get off the throttle and straigthen up a bit but when I closed the throttle it started a new slide .... what the!!!!

Turns out the seal behind the countershaft sprocket popped out and engine oil (under pressure) sprayed out all over the back tire....the perfect additive for a huge slide!

Moral to this story is to center punch periphery of the seal to ensure it stays in!!

Have fun on those XT's those of you lucky enough to still own one.

My Husky TE 510 is a modern day equivalent!!

Cheers
Daved from Perth, Western Australia

[TimberlineAdventure]

Originally Posted by Tiger_DFT

Back in the 80's I had a mint XT500, my first big bore!!

Loved riding and even liked starting it once I got the knack.

One very memorable ride had me sliding it like a 1/2 mile dirt tracker, I couldn't believe how long I held a feet up slide coming out of a side street onto a main road. I thought I should get off the throttle and straigthen up a bit but when I closed the throttle it started a new slide .... what the!!!!

Turns out the seal behind the countershaft sprocket popped out and engine oil (under pressure) sprayed out all over the back tire....the perfect additive for a huge slide!

Moral to this story is to center punch periphery of the seal to ensure it stays in!!

Have fun on those XT's those of you lucky enough to still own one.

My Husky TE 510 is a modern day equivalent!!

Cheers
Daved from Perth, Western Australia

I am going to get some pictures of our XT's online today, and sure do love all the comments on these bikes, hopefully, we can keep this thread going, after all, wasn't the XT the first Thumpah !! I am about to buy a TE610, but was wondering about the 510, is it too much for a daily driver. I would be using the bike about 65% on the pavement and the rest on the dirt. I have heard that the 510 is a little too much for daily commuting. I do, however liked a hopped up piece of machinery. My other daily summer ride is a 1972 240z, old track car that doesn't like to be below 80mph... I would appreciate your comments on the 510 as I about to buy the 610 this week.

[TimberlineAdventure]

Originally Posted by Inane Cathode

I can almost guarantee you its the points gap or the condensor. The bike *will not* run right without the proper gap in the points, it should be between 12 and 16 thousands wide open.
Theres no real way to test a condensor, other than to look at the points, if a condensor has failed to ground or sumply stopped being an effective condensor, your points will be shooting sparks like a chinese new year.

DO you have any pictures of your TT?

[Jolly705]

From the sounds of this thread. I need to work on the points!
Thanks advrider

[montesa_vr]

Originally Posted by TimberlineAdventure

I am about to buy a TE610, but was wondering about the 510, is it too much for a daily driver. I would be using the bike about 65% on the pavement and the rest on the dirt.

I haven't ridden either one, so I'll limit my remarks to what I know. The 610 has one of the most wonderful wide ratio six-speed transmissions in all of motorcycling. All the other Husqvarnas, including the 510, have a very narrow competition gear spacing. The upshot is a 510 will be revving very high on the highway unless you change the sprockets, and then it will not have a low enough first gear for tight trails. The 610 has a gear for everything.

[Sycamore]

Originally Posted by montesa_vr

Well, I learned on a Hodaka Ace 100B, which was very light and very slow. I did wheelies in 2nd gear and every time I flipped over backwards I just ran along behind until I could get the front wheel back down. 2nd gear on an XT500 will rev out to 45mph and you don't want to loop at that speed.

Rusty Rocket is right -- the easiest way to learn to wheelie is going up a hill. The advantage is that the balance point is the same regardless of the slope, so when you are going up hill you don't need to lift the wheel very far to hit it, you're part way there already just because you're going up hill.

My technique was in the beginning was to ride up a nice smooth hill in second gear, throw your weight forward to compress the forks, open the throttle and throw your weight backwards as the forks rebound. I never ever used the clutch. It took me hundreds of tries before I could even consistently get the front wheel off the ground, and many hours before I had any control of how high the wheel was going up. It helps if you have a bump to launch the front wheel off.

One glorious day I punched down the forks, opened the throttle, rocked back, and found myself riding along on the back wheel. It was only a few feet, but I was balancing on the back wheel. Once I knew what that felt like I was addicted. From the first time I felt the balance point to my first 100 yard wheelie was only a couple of weeks.

Learning to balance a motorcycle on the back wheel is probably easier than learning to ride a unicycle, but what they have in common is that the earliest tries are so discouraging that it's hard to stay with it long enough to get that first feeling of success.

I would never try to pass myself off as some kind of wheelie master. I never learned to use the rear brake while doing wheelies, and I never learned to shift gears while doing wheelies, and I never felt safe wheelying my XL500 because the engine kept making more power the higher it revved and I always feared going over backwards.

I would suggest learning on something really light and really slow. The XT is way too tall, heavy, fast, and easy to flip to be a safe rig for learning.

... and keep the rear brake covered, touch it if your front goes too high.

[Sycamore]

Question: What do you do with an XT500 when it's getting old?

Answer:

[Sycamore]

Ugly as sin but it worked - XT500, Paris - Dakar 1979

[Jolly705]

This is one of my favorite XT's

[thumperbill]

Originally Posted by Jolly705

From the sounds of this thread. I need to work on the points!
Thanks advrider

I would start with new points and condensor. Generally I set the gap at .016 them set the timing slightly advanced and back off untill the engine does not ping under load. When finished my bikes generally start with 1-2 kicks hot or cold. On these bikes 90% of what people think is a carb issue turns out to be in the points. Seems that setting points is becoming a lost art. Hope the info helps!

Once I worked on one that the owner had replaced the clutch in but forgot to line up the gears for the points cam. Took a while to figure that one out.

[thumperbill]

Actually its a TT500 I made street leagal. Had a blast riding it all over the hills. Should never have sold it. Needed little to be perfect.