Got my Xs special about a year ago it was imported from the states, although it looked tidy there have been some serious cock-up's done to it by what can only be described as a serial retard, harness hacked to pieces sockets welded into the fork tops seals in upside down condensers welded to the frame and goodness knows how many other things which I will only discover as I go on with this mild resto. So anyways the frame and swing arm have been cleaned prepared and painted and new needle rollers in the swing arm new tapered rollers in the headstock new second hand front forks and new rear shocks, The bike bike is now sitting in our spare bedroom, making the wife unhappy, but lifes a bitch sometimes, this is how it stands today.
Makes me wonder!
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Bit of a tidy up.
- Thread starter kevski
- Start date
-
- Tags
- restoration
Paulrxs650
XS650 Enthusiast
Hi. Looking forward to seeing how you get on. Looks very nice so far.
As the geography of where I live makes regular rolling engine stands redundant, I cobbled this together today, this will allow me to move the engine outside to clean and even to do the work on it, I can tilt the barrow back and pivot the engine to work underneath, it's very much Heath Robinson but when I have done the job I can convert it back to a wheelbarrow or build the worlds fastest.
Paulrxs650
XS650 Enthusiast
That's got to be the best engine trolley I've seen!
As the geography of where I live makes regular rolling engine stands redundant, I cobbled this together today, this will allow me to move the engine outside to clean and even to do the work on it, I can tilt the barrow back and pivot the engine to work underneath, it's very much Heath Robinson but when I have done the job I can convert it back to a wheelbarrow or build the worlds fastest.
Or worst
Hi Kevski,
seems there's no limit to what the dreaded PO can get up to.
I trust you are properly grateful that he apparently didn't have access to a Sawzall?
One thing I'm dubious about is your plan to fit needle rollers in the swingarm pivot.
Not a thing I'd recommend on any bearing that only makes ~1/8th of a turn.
Here's a freebie on my own XS650 swingarm upgrade.
Swap the stock plastic bushings for the aftermarket bronze ones.
Tap the swingarm crosstube for a grease nipple.
Toss the swingarm bearing sleeve and throughbolt.
Replace the bearing sleeve with a same O.D. & length solid bar that is drilled 16mm Dia x 25mm deep and then tapped M16 a further 25mm deep each end.
Grind the throughbolt stop block off the frame.
Reassemble with an M16 x 50mm bolt each side reefed up hard.
That bastard ain't never gonna turn in use and let the swingarm pivot on the gap between the throughbolt I.D. and the hole through the swingarm sleeve.
and yeah, there's a Limerick suitable to your location:-
There was a young fellow from Kent,
Who's tool was so terribly bent,
That to save himself trouble
He put it in double.
So that instead of coming, he went.
seems there's no limit to what the dreaded PO can get up to.
I trust you are properly grateful that he apparently didn't have access to a Sawzall?
One thing I'm dubious about is your plan to fit needle rollers in the swingarm pivot.
Not a thing I'd recommend on any bearing that only makes ~1/8th of a turn.
Here's a freebie on my own XS650 swingarm upgrade.
Swap the stock plastic bushings for the aftermarket bronze ones.
Tap the swingarm crosstube for a grease nipple.
Toss the swingarm bearing sleeve and throughbolt.
Replace the bearing sleeve with a same O.D. & length solid bar that is drilled 16mm Dia x 25mm deep and then tapped M16 a further 25mm deep each end.
Grind the throughbolt stop block off the frame.
Reassemble with an M16 x 50mm bolt each side reefed up hard.
That bastard ain't never gonna turn in use and let the swingarm pivot on the gap between the throughbolt I.D. and the hole through the swingarm sleeve.
and yeah, there's a Limerick suitable to your location:-
There was a young fellow from Kent,
Who's tool was so terribly bent,
That to save himself trouble
He put it in double.
So that instead of coming, he went.
Hi Fred, had the PO used a sawzall or angle grinder as we call them I would not have purchased the bike as I prefer a standard and not chopped up frame, with regards to the swing arm needle rollers I have purchased the whole kit and fitted it and there is no surplus movement in the swing arm, I can see the potential in the way you suggested and have the equipment to make the parts but I have always replace the bushings with needle roller kits on all my bikes and never had a problem with them.
The limerick for me I need to fold the tool in half due to the length.
The limerick for me I need to fold the tool in half due to the length.
great project for the winter to keep you out of the pub/mischief 
I shall follow this resto with interest so i hope you'll be posting lots of pictures as I shall definitely need to strip and refurbish my 79 Sp ll soon.
I'm going to follow your lead but do it in the warm conservatory :
If swmbo moans about the mess just point out the mess that 2x dogs bring into the house in winter
I shall follow this resto with interest so i hope you'll be posting lots of pictures as I shall definitely need to strip and refurbish my 79 Sp ll soon.
I'm going to follow your lead but do it in the warm conservatory :
If swmbo moans about the mess just point out the mess that 2x dogs bring into the house in winter
Hi Fred, had the PO used a sawzall or angle grinder as we call them I would not have purchased the bike as I prefer a standard and not chopped up frame, with regards to the swing arm needle rollers I have purchased the whole kit and fitted it and there is no surplus movement in the swing arm, I can see the potential in the way you suggested and have the equipment to make the parts but I have always replace the bushings with needle roller kits on all my bikes and never had a problem with them.
The limerick for me I need to fold the tool in half due to the length.
Hi kevski,
nah, an angle grinder is one thing and a Sawzall is another:-
https://www.google.ca/search?q=sawz...2&ved=0CCMQsARqFQoTCO_5z5T9zsgCFQMxiAod1hoG-A
Both are useful for many other things than removing bike frame swingarms.
I didn't say needle rollers won't be OK, just that I reckon that a greased bronze plain bearing is better for a low speed high shock load partial rotation bearing.
Except for headraces. They need Timkens for precision.
And congrats on the wang length.
Fred your sawzall is our reciprocating saw, I have one and find them inaccurate I would rather use a hacksaw than my sawzall, I fully see the point of a bronze bushing and if the needle rollers wear out while I have the bike I will go for bronze next time, this afternoon I decrease the engine ready for scrubbing on Wednesday.
Hi kevski,
yeah, Sawzall's a tradename that became a generic term, just like you Hoover a rug with an Electrolux.
My own Sawzall is a Bosch. Just the right tool for doing a Bosch-up on a bike frame, eh?
Although I got mine to enlarge the hole in my garage wall to suit the new heater's larger exhaust vent. And then to cut up the old heater into lengths that'd fit in the trashcan.
Neither of which were possible to be done with a hacksaw.
Good luck with the engine degreasing; does Halfords still sell Gunk?
yeah, Sawzall's a tradename that became a generic term, just like you Hoover a rug with an Electrolux.
My own Sawzall is a Bosch. Just the right tool for doing a Bosch-up on a bike frame, eh?
Although I got mine to enlarge the hole in my garage wall to suit the new heater's larger exhaust vent. And then to cut up the old heater into lengths that'd fit in the trashcan.
Neither of which were possible to be done with a hacksaw.
Good luck with the engine degreasing; does Halfords still sell Gunk?
Paulrxs650
XS650 Enthusiast
Ah Gunk isn't as good as it used to be - it doesn't lift the Tarmac anymore
Hi Kevski,
I've used petrol/gas as a washoff fluid myself
and we both know that's a hazardous thing to do and that we shouldn't advise anyone else to do it.
What we should have used is kerosene/paraffin/DERV. Right?
To be fair it was a mixture of petrol diesel and white spirit which I keep for cleaning, I filter it every time I use it and when it gets really dirty I dispose of it.
Oh no! Not the dip! (who could forget Who framed Roger Rabbit? )
Opened the top of the engine today, was a little concerned as from what I had read on here it was hard work, how wrong I was, it's all very agricultural and a piece of cake to work on, anyhow it had the dreaded two piece guide in it but I had bought a new one already from Heiden tuning in Holland easy to install, timed up and all ready to torque down for when I next get in the garage.
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