So an update, electrical and rebuilding of the brake calipers have been taken care of… so now on to the hydraulic clutch…
I had seen a few posts of members taking existing OEM slave cylinders and modifying them, or the cover that they mount to, and in some cases the pushrod in order to make it all work… I wanted something that would not require any modifications to the cover... a true bolt on...
Along the way I stumbled on to mrriggs write up of a stealth homemade purpose built clutch:
http://www.thechopperunderground.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=72802
http://xs650temp.proboards.com/thread/17567/bolt-on-hydraulic-clutch-conversion
So with his stealth clutch as the inspiration I decided to try my own version of the slave cylinder. With the cover essentially blocking access to the mounting area it is difficult to get an idea of what will actually fit in that area. Luckily there have been others who had created CAD solid models with decent detail in the cover and push rod area:
https://grabcad.com/library/yamaha-xs650-engine-1
Using this and my familiarity with AutoDesk Inventor, I was able to CAD up a version that used the existing M5 mounting holes:
Here are a few cross sectional views:
I decided on a design that in addition to the traditional housing and piston, contained a third adapter piece. The rationale behind the third piece is that it would be easier to tweak it on final fitment, as opposed to disassembling the actuator.
I deviated from the true stealth approach of mrriggs as I decided on using an axial M10 fluid port going through the worm gear chrome access cover. I also managed to fit a 28mm piston, which I thought was a good match for the 12.9mm master cylinder that I will be using.
One of the benefits of 3D modeling is that you can “print” the model in a variety of plastics to visualize and test fit your concept. Later on in the process you can export the output of the 3D model and import into a CAD/CAM software package as a starting basis for CNC machining.
Below are two versions that I printed out.
Prototype #1, version with axial M10 port:
Cover, front side with hydraulic fitting (still needing a bleeder banjo bolt)
Prototype #2, version with radial M10 port (not used):
As mentioned above, I decided on the axial M10 port because of ease of machining, and my preference to not route the hydraulic cable through the “busy” frame.
Last week, I had the parts machined, and hopefully this week I will machine the adapter piece for final fitment.