Large Spine Frame XS650 / Egli / Rau / Cafe Racer

we have annual inspections here in New South Wales,some states dont,but do require RWC (roadworthy certificate) if selling,all depends whos doing the inspection ,some guys are a little more lenient than others, eg mufflers must be ADR (australian design rules) stamped etc, its a tricky situation as the RWC are liable for vehicles found to be unroadworthy and are legally have to pay to have them comply if found unroadworthy after testing, a friend of mine had his car randomly spot checked by the authorities 1 day after annual RWC to see if it complies and see if the local guy was adhering to the rules( arrived at his home unannounced)..its kinda like the vehicle inspectors police. as usual the system stinks and is full of holes, so many rules that are set up for cars that affect bikes in a rediculous way.
 
the fabrication for the rear end couldnt have been simpler ,i made a template of the FZR donor bike mount points and postioned it so as to change the steering head angle to the required 24 deg, also using the fzr triple clamps to acheive the correct rake and trail. The bike handles just beautifully and the option of a steering damper wasnt needed. only needed to take a couple of mm off the frame swingarm mounts for it to slip in nice.of course things aren,t as straightforward as expected and needed to address sprocket offset and chain tension issues, came up with some nice simple answers for those. Idler wheel mounted rigid to frame in a position that takes the slack when shock extended and as the wheel does it's arc ,the idler progressively goes out of play and maintains the required slack in the chain.Idler is not in play at about half way through the shock stroke.Bottom mount directly to stock crossmember,top mount needed cross tube and strutted to backbone for added rigidty
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RWC / inspectors police! Oh my God. That's crazy. It does sound like you could buy a "used" vehicle (CAR) with less worry than in the USA though. It's a complete crapshoot. Your inspectors/inspection sure would take the fun out of motorcycling though.

Nice job on the upgrades! you should post up your own thread - A lot of folks would (me included) would follow those tweaks on a project!
Your idler arm wheel looks nearly identical to mine! How many miles do you have on it now? Mine isn't quite as rigidly mounted as yours (it's on a bolt on bracket to get in to the right position, I'm sure there is some (minor) movement. Plus 3/4" offset sprocket.). Your running a 160 or 170 rear tire?
Sounds like you should have fully modernized handling. Well thought out and executed.
 
yes at least the general public can assume the used car theyre buying is up to scratch,. the chassis statutory write off laws are designed to stop rebirthing of cars without thought that the chassis of a bike is only another exchangeable part unlike a car where its the entire body.
 
Calendar Write up and some pics from today.

I have to say, I was completely inspired by the Norton Domiracer, released in 2014. However, this build is in a direction that I would hope to inspire Yamaha! It is designed as a modern classic, with emphasis on "sport".
The engine started life as a 650 in late 74. The engine comes from Richard Pollock, owner of Mule Motorcycles. It is 750cc, digital ignition, larger valves, hot cams, etc.
Forks, swingarm and wheels are from various Yamaha R6 vintage.
The one off chassis (Egli/Rau - large spine frame style) ties it all together with 24°, 86mm (3.38") rake/trail and a 1370mm (54.1") wheelbase.
Last time I weighed the bike w/oil, battery, all electrics, lights, mirrors, kickstand, everything pretty much there (no gas)... 286lbs (130kg)!

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Do you own a fire suit? That is one hot bike! VERY nice ride there. So original design. WOW! Been watching this thread since day one. WELL done sir!
 
An easy way to tell, and will give you weight front/rear balance is to use normal bathroom scales and weigh each end. Yes, the angle will give you a slightly lighter weight but, only by a pound or two.
Just level it with wood blocks.. plywood, whatever. I started this like... a year ago? Looks like as good a time as any to finish it. Maybe some enterprising forum member that's smarter than me can turn this into a Spreadsheet for all of us the share.

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I feel stupid. Good or bad, here is what I know today. When I weighed it last summer, it was at 286lbs (no fuel). Now today, weighed on the same scales, same method...

The bike is weighed "as is pictured" above. The bike is much more developed than it was a year ago. Can I say - it has "matured". And like most of us, as we mature we gain weight. A lot of weight. With fuel... 370lbs. Maybe 350-352 lbs dry (no fuel)? The 53.6% forward weight bias - I'm really happy with though.

Front to back, areas I suspect added weight:
Different headlight (LED with MASSIVE heatsink)
Tank - much more metal went in to that than expected. Then, the sealing materials / internal coatings, fuel lines/petcocks, quick releases, etc
Heavier slip-on exhaust
Heavier seat subframe and plate bracket
new/heavier pipe hanger
Kick stand (maybe)
slightly longer Chain (not certain the chain was there at all in the earlier weighing)
Paint
~3 gallons of fuel

This all probably only accounts for about half of the weight difference. There must have been other items not in the weight from a year ago.

This brochure says 462lbs dry.
Yamaha XS650 brochure.jpg

Hmmm...
 
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It has been a long time. Covid, other issues, re-prioritization and now, more than 3 years later - I can finally "consider" getting some garage time. Picking up where I left off, this project is shifting gears to a rephased 277 engine build.

The story on this engine - it was part of a bike originally intended for Stéphane Peterhansel; a rally driver/rider from France. He holds the record for wins at the Dakar Rally, with 14 victories with both, cars and bikes! As such, with the 750 conversion and some other goodies - this should have been an ideal engine; but it did have some issues. It had an oil leak, the starter was very slow to disengage, the clutch was slipping, too low of gearing and most of all - being rigidly mounted in this frame - too much vibration. Lesson learned... I can't recommend "rigidly mounting" an XS650 engine.

In an attempt to reduce vibration and fix some of these other issues:
Let's see how it goes...
 
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Looking at parts, first unusual thing I noticed is the new CAM looks a bit different than the old one. Closer inspection I see the CAM from the old engine appears to have had the ends machined / ground off... Has anyone else seen this before?
 

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Looking at parts, first unusual thing I noticed is the new CAM looks a bit different than the old one. Closer inspection I see the CAM from the old engine appears to have had the ends machined / ground off... Has anyone else seen this before?
I am pretty sure that has been done in order to be able to fit smaller "Shell" cam end caps, instead of the OEM points/ advance mechanism housings. This of course requires a crank triggered ignition.
Hoos still offer them: http://www.hoosracing.com/new650750engineparts.html
 
Looking at parts, first unusual thing I noticed is the new CAM looks a bit different than the old one. Closer inspection I see the CAM from the old engine appears to have had the ends machined / ground off... Has anyone else seen this before?
JUST READ THROUGH THE WHOLE OF THIS THREAD!
What a build; total dedication by a genius.
The bike looks totally amazing; as it should considering the skill and work of you, the builder.
Brilliant job @rehar
 
ArcticXS, thanks for your comment, that's the kind of info I was hoping to hear. The follow on though - the Mule Cam Covers are likely to not fit. At least - if I keep the Megacycle CAM unmodified... Modify the CAM, Make new covers, or dig up some stock XS650 covers... Hmmm... Wonder just how accurate, perpendicular the modification has to be...

I should also check that the new VAPE ignition doesn't need any features on the ends of the CAM... (Haven't even opened the box yet.)

Adamc, RCMAN: Thanks for the thoughts. 👍
 
ArcticXS, thanks for your comment, that's the kind of info I was hoping to hear. The follow on though - the Mule Cam Covers are likely to not fit. At least - if I keep the Megacycle CAM unmodified... Modify the CAM, Make new covers, or dig up some stock XS650 covers... Hmmm... Wonder just how accurate, perpendicular the modification has to be...

I should also check that the new VAPE ignition doesn't need any features on the ends of the CAM... (Haven't even opened the box yet.)

Adamc, RCMAN: Thanks for the thoughts. 👍
I used the VAPE ignition on my last tracker build, nothing to do with the cam. It also has Shell covers. Be sure to use the gasket and O-ring.:thumbsup:
 
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