What have you done to your XS today?

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Doing tires this way with just the very basic tire tools, dish soap water, and a bicycle pump is satisfying to do. Fronts are easy. Easy enough to tempt you to do the rear which is more challenging. Still, after puncturing my last 120/90-18 tube, my success rate is high enough that I'll continue doing tire changes.
-R .. +edit. The rear re-do was a success, Good again :thumbsup:
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Hey, guys. Been awhile, huh?

Not doin' much on the ol' XS1B, aside from ridin' it.

Wanted a *farkle* for the Vic Vegas, but not impressed by the existing offerings.
So, took some time to craft-up my own.
I'll just park a pic of the parts here...

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Since I had two 650’s and the performance was pretty similar, I had decided to use my lower geared XS2 for around the neighborhood and change the gearing on my ‘77D to a 31 tooth rear sprocket for better performance on the highway. While I really like that taller gearing when I’m running 60-65 mph, it does lug a little at low speeds.
And since my XS2 is down ,for Gawd knows how long, I decided to re gear my ‘77D for better around town performance.
So, that leads me to “ What I did on Thanksgiving instead of stuffing my face with a big delicious dinner.”

I dropped the right side exhaust and pulled my rear wheel off the bike.
Changed my rear 31 tooth sprocket back to my ( barely used ) 33 tooth sprocket.
I was surprised to find out that my newish o ring chain fits both sprockets perfectly.
I cleaned underneath my left side cover.
Adjusted my rear brake and clutch.
Aired my tires.
And gave the bike a wash.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to inspect a couple of custom components that Greg @GLJ had made for me a while back. He machined a custom one piece clutch rod out of tempered aluminum that has done a remarkable job of limiting heat expansion / clutch falling out of adjustment , when the motor gets hot.

And also his custom made shift shaft guard that just slips over the shift shaft. You can read more about that here,
http://www.xs650.com/threads/shift-shaft-chain-guard.57631/#post-650756

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The aluminum clutch rod shows no wear, it has merely taken a shine where it makes contact with the seal, the bushing, and the clutch basket, there are no edges that you can feel with your fingernail.
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The shift shaft guard, shows a slight amount of scuffing from the chain, but has lost no thickness. And it is a marvel of simplicity, when you want to work or clean around the sprocket area, you simply slide it off.
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So that was my Big Old Day! Gobble Gobble Baby,
Bob ;)
 
Changed my rear 31 tooth sprocket back to my ( barely used ) 33 tooth sprocket.
I was surprised to find out that my newish o ring chain fits both sprockets perfectly
Very interesting :geek: .
I am curious as to how much the axle position in the chain adjustment scale changed with the 2 tooth sprocket change, was it noticeable? Cool stuff Bob, way to keep busy on those XS's
;)
 
I am curious as to how much the axle position in the chain adjustment scale changed with the 2 tooth sprocket change, was it noticeable?

I wish now, I’m had laid that smaller sprocket on top of the larger one and photographed it. As far as the chain and adjustment goes, I cannot see any difference. I really thought I was going to have to buy a new chain. I was very surprised.
 
In my opinion, you've now gone back to the ideal gearing for one of these bikes. I don't spend much time tooling down the interstate or at sustained 70+ mph speeds. I find the 33T/18" wheel combo ideal for my mostly back road blasting and occasional high speed running.
 
I find the 33T/18" wheel combo ideal


I admit, that combo does work really nice. With that 31 tooth sprocket, I was trying to make my ‘77 better suited to sustained higher speeds so that it would handle longer rides better, but it did make it less enjoyable around town. When I had my XS2 available for the short around town hops, it was the best of both worlds. If / when I get my XS2 back on the road, I may eventually put that 31 tooth rear sprocket back on for some road trips.
 
I found the lower gear take off power took a noticeable hit even with a 32T sprocket. So much so that I have now moved that 32T to the 16" wheel that came on my Special and replaced it with a 33T. I think (or I'm hoping) the 32T will be fine on the 16" wheel. According to this gearing chart, it looks like it will be. It's very close to a 33T on an 18" wheel .....

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And speaking of that 16" wheel, I was quite surprised how nice it rode and how well it handled. It didn't detract from either very much, if at all. It will be going back on soon because the 18" needs a tire. I plan to use up the 16" tire. If I end up liking it enough, I will probably re-do the wheel with new spokes and rim. MikesXS has reasonably priced 48 spoke alloy rims and stainless spokes for this Heritage wheel. Then that will mean making up another front to match (unflanged alloy rim). It's always something, lol.
 
Like handle bars, tires and other things there is no ideal setup. It comes down to what suits the rider, bike, conditions and riding style.
When I got my XS2 resurrected it had the 38 tooth rear on it that I ran back in the 70s-80s. Worked great for me back then. If you want to go stop light to stop light try one. For me now it was geared to low. Changed to a 34. Much better. More along with the way I ride today. Was getting ready for a trip and decided to try a 32. I like it even better. Next rear I may try a 31 and a 30.
I will say this a taller gear does move your shift points higher. With a 38 the motor started pull really strong at 2000 RPMs, 34 moved that to 2500 and the 32 moved it to 2750. Those ranges are 3rd gear and above. So you have to make sure you shift at a point where the drop in RPM does not fall below where it starts to pull. With the 32 there is no problem taking off from a dead stop.


If / when I get my XS2 back on the road
What do you mean if/when. It's just a matter of time. OK maybe some money and patience.
 
Like handle bars, tires and other things there is no ideal setup. It comes down to what suits the rider, bike, conditions and riding style.
When I got my XS2 resurrected it had the 38 tooth rear on it that I ran back in the 70s-80s. Worked great for me back then. If you want to go stop light to stop light try one. For me now it was geared to low. Changed to a 34. Much better. More along with the way I ride today. Was getting ready for a trip and decided to try a 32. I like it even better. Next rear I may try a 31 and a 30.
I will say this a taller gear does move your shift points higher. With a 38 the motor started pull really strong at 2000 RPMs, 34 moved that to 2500 and the 32 moved it to 2750. Those ranges are 3rd gear and above. So you have to make sure you shift at a point where the drop in RPM does not fall below where it starts to pull. With the 32 there is no problem taking off from a dead stop.
I should add what works for me and my bike may or may not work for you.
 
Enjoying my time off today in an empty house. Kids are gone to their other parents, wife is at work, so I’m in the shop!!! I’ve continued working on my spare top end lately, cleaning, scrubbing and de-greasing. The other day I had got a loaner valve spring compressor from advanced auto to finish striping down my head. It was not as easy as I thought I remembered the last time. A third hand would have been nice. I decided to make a little tool to help with the reassemble though. I found an extra 21mm socket and cut a window in it. That allowed me better access to get the keepers back in. I do have to admit that on more than one occasion the compressor slipped off and I had to search the shop for my keepers, spring, and collets :mad:
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The head was on pretty good shape. Not too much carbon buildup. It all came off with a little paint stripper. My only concern is that one of my exhaust valves has more corrosion than I like. I think it will be fine, but love to hear what you all think.
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I lapped the valves back in pretty quick, threw in some new guide seals and then resembled. Only thing left is to buy spend some money on pistons, rings, bore, and front cam chain guide. I’m in no hurry though since these are just spare parts.
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Oh yeah, I still need to grind out the last rocker arm for the elephant foot adjuster too, then reassemble the rocker assemblies.
 
If those are "after" pics of your valve seats, I think they need more lapping. The black specs are pits still remaining. You should keep lapping until they disappear.

You still have quite a layer of carbon on some of those valve faces. The valves are hardened steel so you can safely use a wire wheel to clean the carbon off. I use the knotted brush style in a 4.5" angle grinder, very aggressive but it cleans them up nicely. Here's one cleaned, the other not .....

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And here's after lapping. Notice no black specs remain .....

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Thanks for the feedback 5t. I was afraid to be too aggressive with the wire wheel. I just went out and pulled the valves again. I chucked up a wire wheel in the drill press and made quick work of cleaning the valves. They look so much better. I’ll lap the seats again tomorrow when I have more time. I returned the compressor tool to the auto store earlier today. I will say though that it was so much easier just using a 6” c clamp with my home made socket tool. I am temped to just JB weld it onto the clamp and have a new dedicated tool. The depth clearance was close on the clamp, but was able to maneuver it around to clear ok.
 
You really can't beat those $17 C-clamp style spring compressors from eBay or Amazon. They work great. I prefer them to the vice-grip locking style because they're easier to adjust perfectly. I've tried several styles over the years and this C-clamp type is, hands down, the easiest to use.
 
What have you done to your XS today?

"A place to post up what'cha been doing in the garage or on the road. As always show us the pics!" gggGary

Today I gave her a wash
then got out the carnauba wax and waxed her.
lubed the drive chain
checked oil
ordered a new front master cylinder that looks retro instead of the modern one I have now. It will look much better and work well too.
 
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