xs650 hardtail - Belgium

koendd

XS650 Enthusiast
Messages
46
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Belgium
hi Guys,

I'm new here...

quick intro: my name is koen, 28yo and live in Belgium.

After I had rebuild my CB750 F2 I was on the lookout for an XS650.

CB750:
foto0073_zpsed4583eb.jpg


and after:
IMG_8085_zps8ybulpvp.jpg


and you see my other CB 750K2 as well.

Since I had two 750's on had to go because I really wanted an XS650. so sold the green one and bought this

IMG_8613%20copy.jpg


IMG_8604%20copy.jpg


IMG_8606.jpg


IMG_8615.jpg


IMG_8610.jpg


good base but has some work to it:

- fit a proper taillight
- rewire some parts and hide it
- fake oiltank needs bungs re-welded
- new clutchcable
- has no top motormounts, so making some
- ride it and enjoy :)
 
Hi koendd and welcome,
the rest of your proposed work makes good sense but what's improper about the taillight?
My BSA has one just like it.
What I'd add to your to-do list is:-
Add a fork brace, the XS650 forks get really flexible without the support that the stock front fender gives it.
Drill the brake disk full of holes, the holes help scrub braking debris off the pads.
Replace the fabric brake hose with a stainless hose, stainless hoses are better and the stock hose is way past it's "best before" date anyway.
Replace the stock brake master cylinder with one that has a 13mm piston diameter, the stock m/c is way too big to give good brake feel on a single disk.
 
thx for all the info!

well don't really like a sidemount, and this one is just shitty quality. Allready bend it yesterday evening.. will mount a small one on the sissy bar with plate mounting under it.

and was thinking the same about the brakes! did the same with my CB750.
anyone have a pattern for drilling the holes? I had one that came drilled on my cb, so copied that onto the other ones but its gone now :)
 
thx for all the info!

well don't really like a sidemount, and this one is just shitty quality. Allready bend it yesterday evening.. will mount a small one on the sissy bar with plate mounting under it.

and was thinking the same about the brakes! did the same with my CB750.
anyone have a pattern for drilling the holes? I had one that came drilled on my cb, so copied that onto the other ones but its gone now :)

Hi koendd,
my BSA's rear light is a genuine Lucas.
A light with shittier quality than that has to be just about as shitty as it can get.
And I'm with you on not liking a sidemount rear light, but smaller?
A big one off a truck or the later model Yamaha would be safer.
The brake don't care about the hole pattern.
I've seen straight lines, arcs and even one with laser-cut vulgar shapes and they all worked OK.
So long as the hole pattern is symmetrical enough that it don't unbalance the disk, that is.
FYI, Yamaha brake disks are tougher than old boots, it takes Cobalt-Steel drill bits, low drill speed, high drill pressure and lots of cutting fluid in a drill press to do it.
Or you can bypass the effort by swapping in a slotted brake disk from a late model XS11.
 
haha, ok, good info on the taillight :p

and drilled the discs on my 750 at home with my 100$ drill press. only used 2 drill bits (smaller and a bigger) just took ages. luckily the xs only has 1 disk :)

would they be different material then the cb disks?
 
- - - drilled the discs on my 750 at home with my 100$ drill press. only used 2 drill bits (smaller and a bigger) just took ages. luckily the xs only has 1 disk :) would they be different material then the cb disks?

Hi koendd,
so, you used my technique, eh?
I've never drilled Honda disks but Yamaha disks are made from a really tough version of Stainless Steel.
I used 1/8" then 3/8" High Speed Steel drill bits on the first disk and yes, it took ages.
Mainly because the drill bits dulled out after every fifth hole and had to be re-sharpened.
I drilled the next four disks as back-to-back pairs using Cobalt Steel drill bits, slow drill speeds, high drill pressure and a flood of cutting oil.
The actual drilling part took just as long as with the High Speed Steel bits but without the need for all that sharpening the job went a lot quicker.
 
I only used 2 drill bits, no need to sharpen them and still sharp after that.
offcourse loads of cutting oil...

so when I bought the bike did a testdrive and it was shaky as hell!

it had no more top motor mounts (no idea why...)
so made some today from some scrap metal I had in the garage...

Foto0625.jpg


not as pretty as the ones you can buy but they didn't cost me anything...
will do a testdrive tomorrow to see if it got better now
 
so went for a shakedown ride earlier on...

hardly felt any difference with the top engine mounts in place...

it's ok in low revs, but when you give it a good twist it's really unbearably shaking...
any idea what might cause this?
 
so went for a shakedown ride earlier on...
hardly felt any difference with the top engine mounts in place...
it's ok in low revs, but when you give it a good twist it's really unbearably shaking...
any idea what might cause this?

Hi koendd,
so, now you know why it's called a shakedown ride, eh?
To quote a former president of the XS650 society:- "What vibration?"
Thing is, balancewise ANY 360º vertical twin is just a big single and a big single cannot be balanced
unless the manufacturer has built in a counterbalance shaft or other cheater device that the XS650 doesn't have.
Mind you, some XS650s do vibrate worse than others.
What has worked for some riders is to balance the carburetors,
check that the points ignition is timed the same on both cylinders,
that all the engine attachment bolts are in fact there and are torqued up correctly.
Also, how thick are your homebuilt top mounts?
The stock top mounts may be super-thick for a reason?
If it still vibrates more than is acceptable after you've done all the adjustments, checked all the fasteners and made thicker top mounts you could throw a young fortune into a 277º rephase?
 
well, they are made from 1/8 inch steel, so I guess that should be more then enough?

I don't mind being that shaky, I was just worried something was wrong with the engine (I'm used to riding cb fours...)

will sync carbs and check other engine mounts as well.

(and reweld all the thinks that cracked because of the vibration, oil tank, foot pegs etc :p )
 
- - - and reweld all the thinks that cracked because of the vibration, oil tank, foot pegs etc - - -

Hi koendd,
if you look at an XS650 that's still the way it left the factory you'll see that the ONLY thing on the entire machine that ISN'T rubber mounted is the engine.
The first numberplate I put on my Heritage Special was just bolted onto the mounting bracket.
All that remained the next time I looked were two little aluminum triangles with fatigue marks on their diagonals.
 
...a light with shittier quality than a Lucas is....

Hi Wiz,
for the lousy money that the British Motorcycle industry was willing to pay, I doubt that anyone other than Lucas could have made electrical equipment that worked at all.
I bolted enough Lucas kit onto aero-engines to know that their aircraft equipment was excellent.
Mind you, we were willing to pay top whack to get the good stuff.
 
I don't think we have a measurable vibration tolerance test in here.
But, here's a stab at one:

With the bike on the centerstand, and on a concrete floor, rev the engine to 3000-4000 rpms.

If the bike scoots backwards, like it has a reverse gear, and
images in the rear view mirror appear blurry, then
vibration is correct.

If a cloud of concrete pebbles and powder appear at the centerstand feet, and
images in the rear view mirror look like the opening scene of "Dr. Who", then
probably too much vibration...
 
I'm on number plate no. 3, and only done 2000 miles! - - -

Hi wolfie,
ain't the local plumber's shop got any tap washers, then?
Or see my avatar on how to mount the plate on a rubber mudflap.
mind you, unlike the UK's giant dive brake, Saskatchewan bike plates are reasonably sized.
 
Back
Top