On the road again at 40.............the bike that is

I can jump on that bandwagon as well Dude with similar photo documentation of my part.
XS650Direct is only an hour away from me, and 2 1/2 hours away from Pete.

Me and Pete could hand deliver a bushel basket full of letters from the forum.
And don't forget, MaxPete's got some pull.
After he brought the weak starter gear clip problem to their attention, they did take action and improve that part.

Ya I have wondered what the outcome of those threads was. They probably found a new part that worked and dropped it.
 
robinc said:
Looks like both our parts came out of the same poor quality run. Your arrows clearly illustrate what I was thinking in terms of running out of boss wall material.
Click to expand...
Yeah... looks that way. Same casting defect as well as hole angle.
YamadudeXS650C said:
If they get 25 messages of complaint, perhaps modifications will occur.
Click to expand...
Lets hope so.
 
YamadudeXS650C said:
I am someone who believes in the effectiveness of group pressure.
If Jim sends Mikes a well-documented letter, I will follow up with my two cents on the matter.
If they get 25 messages of complaint, perhaps modifications will occur.
.
Click to expand...
There's a new sheriff at Mike's. I believe they care about quality products. The last problem I had was corrected immediately. Maybe it will take time to fix everything. BTW, a representative from Mike's XS will be attending Vintage Yamaha Rally in September. They have been a generous supporter for the past couple of years.
 
TwoManyXS1Bs said:
Does this link work?
Click to expand...

Yup. Good idea 2M. I wonder if there are different grades of UHMW plastics? We have a surplus store here in town that used to have boxes of cut offs they were getting rid of cheap. I used to use it to make jigs and guides. I'll pop by and see if they still have any.

jetmechmarty said:
What adhesive would one use to bond this?
Click to expand...

Now that's the million dollar question isn't it Marty.
 
I was debating the possibility of using my old guide since it actually looks in pretty good shape. Tried to hook my fingernail under the plastic to see how well it was still bonded. That sucker literally fell out in one piece. Holy crap! :yikes:


MVIMG_20180324_155126.jpg
 
5twins said:
...I've been giving more thought to adapting one of these and the bracket or mounting block required. Here's a pic from 2M's album showing the SR guide atop the XS one. I've drawn in a simple mounting block. The mounting tabs on the SR guide could both be shortened a little bit and the top one bent in to mate with the mount .....

FrvEkS1.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the direction I've been contemplating.

Starting with the SR500 guide, nip off, shorten, the mount tabs.
Along these red lines.
XS1-XT500-Adapter05.jpg


So, it'll look like this.
XS1-XT500-Adapter06.jpg


Then, make an adapter from a piece of 3/4" x 1/2" - 4" mild steel.
XS1-XT500-Adapter07.jpg


The M6-1.0 threads will be tapped clear thru, no bottoming issues.

The adapter is then tack-welded to the prepped SR500 guide.
XS1-XT500-Adapter08.jpg


Of course, rapid quench after each tack.
Bonding at the 4" long/flat interface optional.

Best to build a precision fixture for making these adapters.

Edit: Warning, disclaimer. This mod idea is well suited to the early XS1 type "A" tensioner system. That front slipper is flat, same as the SR500 slipper. Later model slippers are arched, and will consume a small amount of camchain length. Not sure what running a flat slipper on the later models would do. I suppose a bit of "arching" on the SR500 slipper could be done.

Edit2: It may be easier to simply fashion an adapter strap, from 1/2" wide 4mm, or 5mm, or 6mm, or 1/4" thick strap. Predrill/tap for the M6x1.0, then form/bend the thing to shape. Tack-weld in a fixture:
XS1-XT500-Adapter09.jpg
 
Last edited:
That would certainly be a slick way to do it 2M. You and 5twins might well be onto the solution for this.

Spent the afternoon at the London Speed and Custom custom car and bike show, which was close to that surplus store so I just popped in.
No joy, they only have small bits of UHMW left.

But , sourcing the plastic wouldn't be a problem, the adhesive is the issue.

JimD54 said:
I don't believe bonding would work 'cause it looks like OEM and replacement parts had the plastic hot molded into them...
Click to expand...

Thinking more on this.......

If Pete or someone could source a suitable liquid product that could be light, heat or chemically cured within the means of a DIY'er, we could build a tank with a dipping jig/fixture, dip and coat the guide, dry, then cure.
 
jetmechmarty said:
There's a new sheriff at Mike's. I believe they care about quality products. The last problem I had was corrected immediately. Maybe it will take time to fix everything. BTW, a representative from Mike's XS will be attending Vintage Yamaha Rally in September. They have been a generous supporter for the past couple of years.
Click to expand...

Marty has a key point here. Nobody in any business sets out to create crummy parts - and virtually all businesses would take steps to fix a problem if they:
a) know about it
b) know what the solution is
c) know that people would buy the revised part - and thus pay for the solution.

Let’s give MikesXS and XSDirect all the evidence they need to take the action which is in their best interests.

I’ll certainly join that chorus.

Pete
 
Those are all good points Pete. I guess we build and document our case and present it to them.

MaxPete said:
Agreed. The locking feature AND and adhesive are needed to keep things together in my view.
Click to expand...

I think the adhesive or appropriate liquid product is the key Pete. Hopefully someone in your extensive contact base can provide a solution.
 
It's pretty obvious, that after some actual real examination of this part, that it's shit. I think it's a good thing that we got people to check them. We used to just "slap them in". Mine and my buddy's motor both have these, but they're working fine so far and also 6 to 8 years old - no doubt from a different supplier. There-in lies the big problem I have with Mikes - they constantly change suppliers in search of a cheaper one and that many times results inferior replacement parts.
 
I believe that's a guide for the early motors 2M was talking about (straight, not curved). Someone needs to snag it. I'd grab it for my 256 motor but the SG is sucking down the money...:(
 

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