The bike is looking great!!!!!! For future reference the 1972 Yamaha LS2 left hand electric control switch was the same as the XS2. The only difference was that the LS2 was raw aluminum and not painted and had 1 more wire which was not needed in the xs2. Hence, a different part number which you can still find around. Again, Looking Great!!!
 
The bike is looking great!!!!!! For future reference the 1972 Yamaha LS2 left hand electric control switch was the same as the XS2. The only difference was that the LS2 was raw aluminum and not painted and had 1 more wire which was not needed in the xs2. Hence, a different part number which you can still find around. Again, Looking Great!!!

David, it’s great to hear from you again! That’s great information about the switch. I’m happy to see you are still taking an interest in my project. It won’t be too much longer!
—Bob
 
A LITTLE UPDATE........

Life has been getting in the way of my fun a lot lately. I’ve been doing things a little at a time. It’s time to catch up.

First off, let’s get this over with, OK? :D
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I also installed my rear turn signals, these required a good cleaning and polish with my headlight restoration kit, they came out really nice, I also cleaned up all the electrical connections. Something about these that I didn’t like was the way the factory just ran bare wires across the fender in the back. As soon as I get my wiring harness in place and figure out all the connections I intend to cover these wires with silver loom.
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When I first mounted the signals up , I noticed the left turn signal was drooping down. I took it back off and saw that the mounting ear was bent.
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A little work with a big crescent wrench and , I’m back in business.
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Moving on. A couple days ago I received some parts I’ve been waiting for. NOS rubber brake line bushing, that’s been holding up production.
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Now I can finally assemble the front brake line an install my pressure activated inline front brake switch.
To make room for the wiring and to try to keep things discreet, I punched a hole in the end of a rubber boot to allow the wiring to come out and I sleeved the wires with the XS2’s signature silver wire loom.
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I don’t think it looks too bad, time I get all the wiring routed and tied up, I’m hoping it’s not too noticable.

Then I started working on cleaning up my wiring harness, getting it ready for installation. I cleaned it from one end to the other, even cleaning every exposed wire individually. I really wanted the colors to be clear. The harness is in great shape and I want to re use it.
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I cleaned all the terminal ends with a Dremel and a variety of wire wheels and a very small diamond tip that reaches inside of bullet connectors.
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All of the multi plug connectors were cleaned with fine sandpaper and spray contact cleaner. Every thing is ready to install now.
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I will still need to give the corresponding terminals for various components, the same treatment.

Well, we’re all caught up. Until next time,
Bob
 
Looks way more better!
View attachment 134329

:cheers:
Love your bike and what you are doing to it.

Haha! Thanks, I appreciate it. There are actually a lot of little bolts screws and washers that will probably be replaced over time after I get her running.

Oh, that looks real nice. Don't forget the dielectric grease on all the plugs/connections. I put it on bulb bases too before I insert them into their sockets.

Thanks 5Twins, yup I’ve already got the di electric grease and I’ll be using it. I’m hoping everything will be smooth sailing once I start hooking things up. There was absolutely no bodged wiring , or any weird splicing anywhere on this bike, and really minimal corrosion on terminals. So fingers crossed.
 
After shining up the ground eyelets with the Dremel wire wheel, I've taken to coating them with that copper based anti-seize I like instead of dielectric grease. I figure that will ward off corrosion just fine and the copper bits suspended in the anti-seize shouldn't hamper the connection but rather enhance it.

I know you live in a dry area where rust and corrosion isn't a big issue but I would still be applying anti-seize to all the fasteners. I think they just plain work better with this stuff on there, and I think it prolongs their life as well. They thread together and come back off so smoothly. I think this smoothness gives you a better "feel" when tightening them. They don't feel "gritty" as you spin them in snug, with no hang-ups or false tight spots.
 
After shining up the ground eyelets with the Dremel wire wheel, I've taken to coating them with that copper based anti-seize I like instead of dielectric grease. I figure that will ward off corrosion just fine and the copper bits suspended in the anti-seize shouldn't hamper the connection but rather enhance it.

I know you live in a dry area where rust and corrosion isn't a big issue but I would still be applying anti-seize to all the fasteners. I think they just plain work better with this stuff on there, and I think it prolongs their life as well. They thread together and come back off so smoothly. I think this smoothness gives you a better "feel" when tightening them. They don't feel "gritty" as you spin them in snug, with no hang-ups or false tight spots.

I’m with you on the anti seize, big fan here. I use it on practically everything.
 
WIRING WIRING WIRING.........

The first thing I did today was break out the Dremel again and work on all the bullet connectors and multi plugs.
For the multi plugs, I extracted each individual prong and cleaned them individually. Then I laid the harness out and began routing it. I am using blue painters tape to secure it , here and there, until I am satisfied with the positioning.
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I have the tail light and rear turn signals all buttoned up. I went ahead and sleeved the turn signal wires and I think it looks much better.
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The underside of the rear fender.
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I started hooking up some connections, so far I have the alternator , the neutral switch, the rear tail light and rear turn signals and the turn signal flasher connected. I also had the rear brake light switch connected, but the switch felt loose so I went to tighten it up.

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Plastic switch vs big ass wrench.....no contest.
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Fortunately they’re not expensive and they are widely available. So then I grabbed my tub of electrical components , the rectifier , starter relay, regulator , and horn and realized I never got around to cleaning them up. So I’ve got that to get to.

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I got started on the horn before I ran out of time.
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Another thing, I think I’m going to go ahead and hook up my new VR-115 voltage regulator and my solid state rectifier, which means I’ll have to wire up plugs for both of them and create a mounting bracket for the rectifier, so this is going to take me some time.

“ Dad, does it take long to wire a motorcycle? “
“Yes son.....”
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Later!
Bob :bike:
 
I'm not 100% sure about these 650 brake switches, but I never take a wrench to my other plastic body brake switches. They always have the right type of lock washers to tighten with fingers only, some even have plastic nuts. That way if I'm in the boonies and have to make an adjustment I'm not looking for a wrench, but that never happens, honest.:)

Scott
 
I’m with you on the anti seize, big fan here. I use it on practically everything.

Yes on these 40 year old bikes I think we take for granted working threads, and nuts and bolts that aren't stripped. Whenever I have a new project bike in always secretly praying that I am the first one to ever turn a bolt on it. Always with my JIS screwdrivers ready.
 
I did the very same thing to the original plastic brake light switch on my '78, lol. Luckily I had extras from other Yamahas. It's a very commonly used switch. I was going to mention how fragile they were when you were sorting out your brake pedal and pivot. Guess I should have, lol.

Save the broken one. The internal parts can be used in another switch if need be. It may not look like it, but you can take them all apart. If you pry that plastic/rubber cover off and detach the spring, all the plunger parts come out the back end.
 
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UPGRADE PART 1

The starter solenoid, voltage regulator and rectifier..........

I will be replacing my starter solenoid because it had loose soldered connections and corrosion from battery acid.
I bought a replacement part from Emgo, that is similar but not an exact match to the factory unit.
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I also will be replacing my rectifier with a solid state modern unit, it is the same kind I’m currently running on my ‘77. This was Chinese made and purchased on eBay.
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So since these units are different than the factory ones, I need to create mounting brackets and check for clearance. The first thing I did was to install my left side air box temporarily, because it’s a factor in my clearance and install the stock components in the original locations to see how everything was routed and what kind of clearances I had.

This is under the left side cover, with the original starter solenoid and rectifier. I measured how far the rectifier stuck out from the battery box so as to be sure I did not exceed that with my new components.
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And here are the new components test fitted in place. I made a simple angle bracket for the rectifier that stood it off of the battery box about 1/4” to allow for air flow around the cooling fins. Everything fits in the stock location and is actually smaller than stock, so the fit is good.
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One question I have is regarding the wiring for the solenoid. It doesn’t match my factory colors and there were no wiring instructions in the box. Is it wired like a simple switch? Where it doesn’t matter which wire is hooked up where?

On to the right side of the battery box. This side has the voltage regulator and starter safety relay mounted to it.
So I did the same thing as the other side and mounted up the original components and checked wire routing and clearances. Here is the factory set up.
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And here it is with the new VR-115 voltage regulator mounted in the same location. Once again I’m keeping the mounting very simple.
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So now that I have everything fitted in place, I can take everything back off and wire up the multi plugs so that everything will just plug back into the factory harness. Everything is going pretty well so far.

Oh and remember my scrungy horn?
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Beep beep baby!
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See you next time with PART 2 !
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Bob
 
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