1981 XS650 SH Restoration

shawnkva

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I have my motor apart for a rebuild and decided to split the case to install a 5th gear overdrive gear. That's done now and I went ahead and replaced the clutch rod bushing. I have the Athena gasket set and a seal kit as well. I am ready to close up the case now but wanted to post some pictures to see if anyone sees anything that I may have missed. after reading mailmans thread and seeing how some of you guys spotted a few things that needed attention, I figured I would snap pictures along the way to avoid any disasters. Here is where I am now. I'm building the case upside down, is there anything that should go in the lower case prior to closing it up or am I good to seal it now?
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One mistake that I made was messing up the shaft when I drilled out the clutch rod bushing. I read a post where someone just used a 3/8" drill and it worked fine. I didn't have a 23/32" so I tried a 3/8". Messed the shaft all up! I found a replacement shaft on ebay. I saw another post where a guy used a sharp wood bit and bent a side of the bushing in then pulled the bushing out with pliers. I tried that and success! Since my motor is low miles, I just swapped the gears from my original over to the replacement shaft. Live and learn.
 
I did buy the long clutch pushrod and a new ball bearing to replace the two piece pushrod. I have three bond to assemble the cases. Should I put a thin film of that around the seals? Or just the cases? I also applied some Lucas oil to the gears to coat them good. That's some thick stuff. I have some moly assembly lube ready as well if I need it anywhere.
 
I would use a small bead rather than a film. Also I'd make double sure the pins in the case are sitting in the holes in the crank bearings. You can lift one end of the crank just a hair and if you turn the bearings you can feel the pins hitting the sides of the holes.
 
I have three bond to assemble the cases. Should I put a thin film of that around the seals?
You don't have to... but I always do. Be very very sparing.... it don't take much.
 
I would use a small bead rather than a film. Also I'd make double sure the pins in the case are sitting in the holes in the crank bearings. You can lift one end of the crank just a hair and if you turn the bearings you can feel the pins hitting the sides of the holes.

I fought getting those pins in for quite awhile. I did finally get them all lined up after I took a step back and had a cold beverage. Thank you both for the advice on the seals. I will put some three bond around them too when I close the cases. I'm planning on doing that tomorrow evening.
 
I brush the sealer on like paint. I use a cut down acid/flux brush. Cutting the bristles down to about half their original length stiffens them up just right.
 
You can test for oil pressure by kicking it with the ignition off and one of the valve covers off. Oil mist should come out and get on everything,...

On the top end, if you're going to start it up soon, squirt it liberally with oil before you button it up. If it's going to sit a spell, use assembly lube.
 
This thing will be a good while before it gets started. I've had it for about 9 years now and had a few failed attempts at getting it rebuilt. Life happens and raising two girls didn't leave much time for me. Back in late 2012, I had the frame stripped and powder coated and had the engine bead blasted. I've been buying a few parts along the way when I can. I'm determined to finish it now. My girls are older now and too "cool" to demand much of my time these days. Now it's full on bike time as cash permits.
 
So the bottom case is empty right now. Is there anything that I should do to it before sealing the cases up or can everything else go in after? I have a new set of hardware ready to go. I want to get a flex hone to hatch the cylinders and check them and I have to buy new valve Springs but I want to get the cases closed up and feel like I'm making progress. Just don't want to close them and later find out I missed something.
 
You can use that filter but it'll need to be patched. Most of us just patch them with JB Weld. The screening, even though it's ripped, makes a good backer for the JB Weld .....

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It's very common for these filters to blow out like that. Even the brand new "improved" ones do it. When you 1st start the bike, the oil is cold and too thick for the filter to handle. Keep the revs down until the oil warms a bit or you'll tear the filter up for sure.
 
Yes, just clean the filter up real good with some sort of solvent and let it dry. Unfortunately, this is just a temporary fix. All you've done is shift the stress point to another section of the filter, in this case the back side opposite where you've patched it. It will hold up a bit longer because the screen is pleated and stronger there, but eventually it'll tear there too. Looking at your filter pics, it appears yours is torn along where the flat screening meets the magnet. Don't just cover the tear, cover the whole unpleated section of screening like in my pic.

I think the fundamental problem here is a poor design. That whole end of the filter that bolts down around the oil intake port is stressed too much, subjected to too much oil pressure or suction. Here's a pic of an aftermarket replacement from Heiden Tuning. Notice how the screening isn't mounted directly over the oil port but rather off to the side. This design should reduce the stress on the screen .....

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In an attempt to better protect that vulnerable end of the filter from excess pressure, I've started making bolt-on sheet metal blocking plates. They don't seal 100% but hopefully will cut down the pressure on that end enough to keep the screening intact .....

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What I discovered while doing this is I needed to make up several different templates because the magnet location on every filter seemed to differ a little .....

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