scott s
XS650 Guru
I'm back in the Yamaha world!
I picked up a killer, one owner 1980 SR500. It's not an XS, but I'm asking this question here because it's all a direct swap for the 35mm XS650 front end.
The fork tubes are a little too pitted for my liking, so I'll be running late model 35mm XS forks. Externally, they are the exact same as the SR forks. Since the XS is only about 50# heavier than the SR, I may even try running the stock XS springs. Progressive lists the same part # for the SR and the XS. (I'm actually not to fond of Progressive...I've always found their spring rates rather hard/harsh, even when I've spoken with them directly about getting the bike set up. But, I digress....).
I can find lots of kits (rotor spacer and caliper hanger), but not quite the combo I want. MotoLanna, Pandemonium, N-R Performance, etc., offer kits. BUT....the Pandemonium kit uses a blue dot caliper and stock rotor. I want the larger, lighter, more modern 320mm rotor. The ML and NR kits use Brembo calipers. I don;t mind a Brembo caliper if someone can tell me where to find one for less than $200! Hard to justify that when the Yamaha calipers are ~$35-40.
So...the TLDR version:
35mm forks
mag wheel
RH caliper (Yamaha or cheap Brembo source)
320mm rotor
suitable spacers
How can I make that happen?
I picked up a killer, one owner 1980 SR500. It's not an XS, but I'm asking this question here because it's all a direct swap for the 35mm XS650 front end.
The fork tubes are a little too pitted for my liking, so I'll be running late model 35mm XS forks. Externally, they are the exact same as the SR forks. Since the XS is only about 50# heavier than the SR, I may even try running the stock XS springs. Progressive lists the same part # for the SR and the XS. (I'm actually not to fond of Progressive...I've always found their spring rates rather hard/harsh, even when I've spoken with them directly about getting the bike set up. But, I digress....).
I can find lots of kits (rotor spacer and caliper hanger), but not quite the combo I want. MotoLanna, Pandemonium, N-R Performance, etc., offer kits. BUT....the Pandemonium kit uses a blue dot caliper and stock rotor. I want the larger, lighter, more modern 320mm rotor. The ML and NR kits use Brembo calipers. I don;t mind a Brembo caliper if someone can tell me where to find one for less than $200! Hard to justify that when the Yamaha calipers are ~$35-40.
So...the TLDR version:
35mm forks
mag wheel
RH caliper (Yamaha or cheap Brembo source)
320mm rotor
suitable spacers
How can I make that happen?
