Wulfbyte
XS650 Addict
Awsome build,ratranger, everything lines up nice and I agree ,great color combo!
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What have you done to your XS today?
- Thread starter I am Carbon
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Should probably start a build thread but not doing anything that hasn't already been done before....started with a $50 Special with frozen motor. Rebuilt the motor over the winter. Project pics attached showing progress and where I'm currently at with it.
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Looking good!!
Wow! That’s gonna be a very nice looking bike! Is that gas tank from an old Yamaha DT enduro? Nice paint job. 
Thanks, Mailman. I believe it is a tank off a DT. Bought it from a guy on this forum who parted out his bike and offered the tank and fender. Originally painted by Visual Impact and I gotta say it looks really good and not a scratch. Was planning to do my own paint job but this worked out better for sure.
Looks great 2X and man what a nice garage you got there!
Appreciate the compliments. Saved for a long time to build the pole barn/garage i always wanted. Blew out my shoulder hanging all the insulation and metal myself, throughout the winter of 2017. Just got heat fired up this last winter so I'm in my first real year of being able to use it. My wife thinks I've moved out of the house lol.
You know that’s the second time in two days I’ve heard that term “ Pole Barn”. Being a city boy I wasn’t familiar with it, I had to look it up. Damn! I think I need me one of those, they’re cool. I’d live out there too!
And you worry about your wife if you get another bike.
JAX71224
jax71224
You'll LOVE it. I've got two on the place...You know that’s the second time in two days I’ve heard that term “ Pole Barn”. Being a city boy I wasn’t familiar with it, I had to look it up. Damn! I think I need me one of those, they’re cool. I’d live out there too!
WOW what a gorgeous bike!!!
Ok, stayed up last night installing the new replacement turn signals that got delivered Tuesday. I looked through the wiring in the headlight bucket and didn't see any loose wires or obvious frayed wires to cause my flickering instrument lights. It was late though, and dark, so I’ll have to take a better look at it when I get time. My kevlar “performance” clutch plates from mikes arrive today and I am due for an oil change, so hopefully that will put an to my slippage once and for all. Next on the list of dragons to slay is to buy a truing stand to get rid of this incredibly annoying front wheel wobble, and replace the steering neck bearing, as it’s gotten “notchy” again, even after retightening. With the newer shocks I’m buying from Timg, new clutch plates, and a true front wheel, I’m hoping/expecting it’s going to feel like a totally different bike. Wow, the girlfriend knew MUCH better than I did when she forewarned about buying this thing. What a money pit!!!
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What happens is the ball bearings actually create indentations in the race, there’s a name for that which I can’t recall. Anyways your steering will be transformed once install tapered bearings.
It’s called “brinelling”. The bearings are becoming brinelled. Wierd engineering word.
EDIT: corrected the spelling of brinelled.
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It's from Swedish engineer Johan Brinell who came up with the Brinell Hardness Scale. The problem with his testing was that it deforms or "indents" the metal... It's destructive... kinda like what happens to bearings. He'd probably be very unhappy to know... the name stuck.
Correct Jim and thanks for that.
If anyone is having trouble getting to sleep tonight or needs an excuse to drink - look up Hertzian stresses and you will see one major cause of brinelling (one “n”) - and you’ll see why it is an inevitable outcome on using ball bearings in applications such as steering heads.
If anyone is having trouble getting to sleep tonight or needs an excuse to drink - look up Hertzian stresses and you will see one major cause of brinelling (one “n”) - and you’ll see why it is an inevitable outcome on using ball bearings in applications such as steering heads.
About 25 years ago, my steering races had the brinellling. Notchy steering. The balls have a smaller diameter than the raceways, allowing some lateral movement, and aggravating the brinellling.
I reground the raceways on the lathe, using a Dremel and thin cutoff wheel, held at an angle so that the wheel presented an oval profile. Only needed to grind down a couple thou to remove the dents, left the sides of the toroid raceways alone. Essentially, making them like "deep groove" bearings. The balls now have 2 contact points per raceway instead of single.
After 25 years the steering is still smooth and stable.
I have the tapered bearings kit.
No urgency to install it...
I reground the raceways on the lathe, using a Dremel and thin cutoff wheel, held at an angle so that the wheel presented an oval profile. Only needed to grind down a couple thou to remove the dents, left the sides of the toroid raceways alone. Essentially, making them like "deep groove" bearings. The balls now have 2 contact points per raceway instead of single.
After 25 years the steering is still smooth and stable.
I have the tapered bearings kit.
No urgency to install it...
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Alright guys, if you graduate this conversation to Charpy's and IGSCC I'm going to get a woody and need a cigarette.
I’m thinking I should buy a new battery this weekend. I’ve been reading about the charging system and I keep reading a bad battery will ruin a good system. The battery I have was in the bike when I bought it on March of 18, and I got at least 4,000 miles out of it. I had it on the battery minder all winter, and it got low enough to not engage the starter a week ago. Got it charged up, and refilled the water as two cells were rather low, one about 1/4 or 1/3 lower than the rest, and put it back in the bike, rode a few days between rainy days, and I felt like the bike was running stronger than ever, but then it seems like it started fading again. Put the battery back on the charger two days ago and it’s still charging. Is this battery toast? I tried putting it in the bike yesterday morning just to try the slaptest, which it passed, but now I’m all paranoid that the battery is going to ruin my charging system if it’s not already faulty. Planning on checking the lone fuse underneath the RH cover and probably replacing it with a modern in-line blade fuse. Found that thread looking for possible causes for my flickering turn signal indicators and neutral light. Anyone have any suggestions on replacement batteries? Ball park cost?
