Miss November XS2 tribute

The oil window came along in '81 so either that cover was swapped onto your spare engine or it's a year newer than you thought. That's a nice upgrade item. I swapped one onto my '78 and love it .....

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Cool beans, 5Twins. Probably an 81. Has TCI. Supposed to run well :shrug: One day I'll mess with it. I think Raymondo did good. They are just going to go up in price IF you can find one. (More money is made on parting them out) Mine is a 4M4 engine.
Looking forward to seeing ray's run.
 
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It's nice the way parts swap around on these. That later single outlet breather is also a nice swap. It's smaller and more compact, and eliminates "clutter" because it only needs one hose.
 
Hey everybody where did Raymond go ? He can't just post pics of a 500 mile spare , and then leave us all teased !
We gotta get him to start dismantling that thing !
:rolleyes:

Please don't be so impatient everybody.

But thank you to All for your interest!

Got a few things to think about. One way ahead is to simply swap the 2F0 engine into the bike and see how it goes. But I might need to have a look - with no camshaft bushes, will the Boyer kit be a straight fit? I think Boyer provided all that's needed? Plus, will everything else be compatible? Different generator but is it wired the same, etcetera.

Or could have another go at fixing leaks on the 447 engine with Yamabond - I think the worst leak is from one of the three screws that attach the 'points' cover. Plus torque the head bolts. And then decide what to do with the 2F0.

Unlikely to start cherry picking the 2F0 for its cam-chain adjuster, breather and so forth as that would leave me with a part-dismantled engine going nowhere.

What I really need to do is have a Think. Not my strong suit, might be a while before anything much happens.

Today, been stacking Cypress - took two 40' trees down on Monday and busy with the tidy up.
 
I highly recommend you do swap the cam chain tensioner. That type D on your '78 was the only tensioner used without a lock nut for the adjuster screw. The cap nut acts as the lock nut. That it does, but there's no way to tell if tightening the cap nut down has also tightened your adjuster screw more with it. You could end up with the chain tension too tight and that can prematurely stretch the cam chain out. Yamaha realized "the error in their ways" and put the lock nut back on there after a couple years (the type E version). This is an upgrade I feel anyone with the type D tensioner needs to do.

The chain on my '78 was pretty much toast at around 20K miles when I pulled the topend apart. Now that could have been from lack of maintenance and adjustments, but it could also have been from inadvertently making the adjustment too tight every time the cap nut was put back on after doing it.
 
Unlikely to start cherry picking the 2F0 for its cam-chain adjuster, breather and so forth as that would leave me with a part-dismantled engine going nowhere.
Looks like you found a gem to set aside. The suggestions of component changes to the 447 are good suggestions but those parts can be found elsewhere.
Lucky to have that spare engine !
I think the Mrs. Has unspoken intuition that there could be a next bike ... lol
 
Yep, What 5Twins said. Strange but on my 77 it had a cap and no lock nut. After the new build and new chain the cap would no longer seat and tighten because the threaded part of the tensioner ( not the rod) was holding it off. The 81 engine had a special nut that tightened and the cap mated with. I stole the special nut to use with my tensioner and cap and it works fine. Used to have a special nut under the cap??? I don't know. I am the second owner after brother-in-law and it was supposed to be original so...
 
I have gotten around the no lock nut on the earlier D plunger engine by adding a 4mm spacer. Just make a thin gasket, goes between the spacer and adjuster mounting block, then the big cap goes on. I know it isn't ideal, no lock nut, but it stops the plunger being over tightened. I don't get any leaks either. As far as the later 2 outlet breather to single out let goes, easy. The double pushes out of the breather housing. Find a piece of alloy stock the same size, or make one, drill and tap to 1/4 npt, and stick a fitting in, either straight, 45 degree or 90. Attach hose and route to where ever. Mine goes down to a one way valve on the side of the engine, using braided line.
 
Besides the added lock nut, the other major change to the type E tensioner was a new longer plunger. The extra length was added to the head of the plunger. That meant the adjuster screw didn't need to be screwed in as far to achieve the same tension. More screw hanging out the back provided the room for the added lock nut .....

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ohhh yeah. See, that's the problem with the search engine. You search and it comes up with nothing. I know I compared photos of guys engines with mine and came to the conclusion something was missing? All these nuggets of wisdom are buried like gold, deep down inside some ancient post where the search can't find them. Only the guys with " pornographic" memories like 2M, Jim, 5Ts and others, grey and wizened, knows where the gold is buried! I know I have the type "D" but it needed the nut. :rock:
Damn. I can't remember. Wonder if cutting the cam chain too short...Nah. I used the old chain for a go-by.
 
That is an odd occurrence. New chains are tight, yes, but I don't think I've heard much about not being able to get the cover nut on the tensioner afterwards. It didn't happen on mine after my rebuild.
 
My 5 am intuition last night is to do an engine swap and put the 2F0 engine into Miss Marmalade.

But no rush. Looks like will have plenty of time on me hands over the next few months.

Buying the engine was an Adventure given present restrictions. We are allowed to go out for essential journeys and to buy essential supplies. Unnecessary social contact was completely avoided.

BTW, having learned from inadvertently lifting the engine out, see post #136 above http://www.xs650.com/threads/miss-november-xs2-tribute.55057/page-7#post-601591

and inspired by Bob, I have invested in a block & tackle:

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Cheap, Chinese-made, can be positioned where required using a Z1 fork tube placed over the rafters and makes lifting that heavy lump much easier. In fact, a cinch. To lift the 2F0 out of the boot/trunk, reversed the car to the garage door, fashioned a sling with judo belts, hooked the block & tackle. Willing assistant easily able to raise the engine while I guided it safely out of the boot/trunk. Of her car.

I'm sure Pete will correctly point out that I owe her again.
 
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So frustrating. Have bikes that need riding, weather not too bad, need to get more experience with the flaming XS2 tribute but the country is in lock-down.

Well, we are allowed to go shopping for essential supplies. Rucksack in place, seven miles to the nearest supermarket.


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Eggs, milk and bread.

Fourteen mile round trip. But it's a chance to get out. And at least it's a mainly rural route.

That felt good. Almost life affirming. The ride that is, not the shopping part. Huge long queue of people holding trolleys, all lined up against yellow marks 2 metres apart in the supermarket car park. One person leaves, they let one in, all shuffle forward 2 m. Took 25 minutes to even get into the store.

I'm told the Americans believe Brits enjoy queuing? It's not true . . .
 
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How comfortable are those handlebars?

I like them. Puts me in a familiar stance on the bike, and feels like I'm in charge. To me those bars are a neutral compromise.

Tastes vary and it seems that N Americans like a feet-forward position, highway pegs and bars that come further back. Maybe that suits the roads if you have big distances, few bends and less traffic. In Britain, we feel more alert & ready to react when we're more over the front wheel. But not taken to extremes. In the '60s Rockers on their café racers fitted clip-ons or ace bars - clubman bars in US? Well, rode with ace bars when I were young but wouldn't last long with that riding position now. Guess we're all getting older?
 
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