It looks to me as though there had been two drilled holes in the engine case and then filled with epoxy. I have looked at photos of other bikes and seen the same thing. Anyone know what these are about?
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Can anyone explain this photo?
- Thread starter Mailman
- Start date
It looks to me as though there had been two drilled holes in the engine case and then filled with epoxy. I have looked at photos of other bikes and seen the same thing. Anyone know what these are about?
angus67
Welder's penetrate deeper!!
those are oil pasages capped off. Since no one has invented a drill that will turn corners, the factory has to drill multiple passages that intersect
Hmm that's interesting, at first I thought someone had modified my bike and then later returned it to stock.
I can really appreciate those filled holes after finding similar holes, on other engines, threaded for sealed bolts. Always wondering what those bolts do, before removing them.
Scott
Scott
I'd guess they're aluminum plugs driven in. Take your meter and see if they conduct electricity.
Yup....too bad about that. Dormer ran out of those handy right angled drills quite some time ago and they never seem to re-stock the danged things. They're probably in the same shipping container as that load of metric adjustable wrenches and micrometer vice-grips I ordered all those years ago. All kidding aside, those are sometimes called cross-drilled holes and they are very common in engine and gearbox lubrication systems, cooling systems in injection molds and so on.
I'll bet 98% of XS owners have never noticed those plugs....you're a pretty observant guy Mailman!
Really when I first noticed them and given their proximity to the oil filter, I pictured oil lines coming out of there for a remote oil filter or oil cooler.
BobbedSled
XS650 Addict
Mine has them too, just checked it is a 77 motor. I never noticed them, funny huh. Good observation. 
Yup....too bad about that. Dormer ran out of those handy right angled drills quite some time ago and they never seem to re-stock the danged things. They're probably in the same shipping container as that load of metric adjustable wrenches and micrometer vice-grips I ordered all those years ago. All kidding aside, those are sometimes called cross-drilled holes and they are very common in engine and gearbox lubrication systems, cooling systems in injection molds and so on.
I'll bet 98% of XS owners have never noticed those plugs....you're a pretty observant guy Mailman!
Hi Pete,
seems I've finally made it onto an upper 2% list because I noticed and recognized those blanked holes back when I first bought the bike.
Shows that all those years building aircraft engines weren't entirely wasted, eh?
Mind you, I can understand that someone who'd never seen one before would have a WTF? moment.
&BTW, I happen to own an adjustable wrench with metric graduations along it's jaw and (I swear to God it's true) I once saw a toolroom fitter using a pair of 0 to 1 micrometers as C-clamps.
I always thought Yamaha had made a shoddy job of blanking those off very rough finish. I am sure anyone who has polished these covers will have noticed them but maybe not pondered their purpose.
Fred: do you use inch or metric cold chisels?
Ahahahahahahahahahahha
Ahahahahahahahahahahha
Hi Pete,
I've always used the dual-purpose ones:- like 25.4mm, 22.2mm, 15.9mm etc. the smallest I have is a 6.25mm.
BTW, do have a 25 point fournicatingly Happy Christmas!
You too my friend! ....and keep warm!
Pete
Pete
Sometimes it helps to pull back the curtains,
and look at the other side...
and look at the other side...
angus67
Welder's penetrate deeper!!
The earlier covers were plugged better. In the end the plugs looked like peanut butter smeard across the holes. U can clean them up if you like, but I wouldn't go too deep. Each cover might have a differnt thickness, since the glop looks like it was soft when put in. If you look at your carbs, there are simular passages, but they are capped with a brass bb. Wish yama would have done the same
I like that spin- on oil filter, but I wonder if it's in a pretty vulnerable location right behind the front wheel....
jussumguy
XS650 Addict
Maybe that's the reason it's on the trailer. : )
That oil filter set up is exactly what I thought some previous owner had done when I first saw those plugs. As previously mentioned the plugs look rather crude, that's why I thought it was some owner that had done it.
But it's been sitting for a long time now. 
