First XS650 Build, What to Look For

Additionally, I'd really like to clean up this front end area. So many ugly tabs and mounts. How much of this can be removed safely? I see hugh's sells the cross beam and neck gussets kit. Maybe all of it could come out and be replaced with a cleaner version? It just looks so "not custom" when you see all this garbage going on up there, especially with a low tunnel tank. I don't want it to look like a job half done.
VefnvZC.jpg


Compared to the cleanliness and simplicy of this (stolen from TC Bros website, this is not my bike or my image)
s9aUOgr.png


Any thoughts/recommendations?
 
SlowMaintenance said:
Going to pick up one of these Century (owned by Lincoln) 120v stick welders, as it seems to be the most simple option. My house isn't wired for the higher voltage machines unfortunately, but hopefully this little thing can do everything I need it to. If anyone has a recommendation for what rods to use with it, I'm all ears - - - QUOTE]

Hi Nick,
the mfr's recommended rods are printed right on the welding machine's control switch.
My many years of poor quality amateur stick-welding sez 6013 rods strike the easiest
and that's the most important thing.
Ain't you got 110/220V outlets for your stove and your clothes dryer?
I parasited my 220V welder feed off of my dryer outlet for years using a long industrial weight extension cord with a 4-pin dryer plug at one end and a 3-pin welder outlet at the other.
But I wouldn't start with a 120V buzzbox, they are not the easiest machine to learn on and stick welders don't do well on thin material, anything less than 14ga and by the time the machine is turned up enough to strike an arc it'll blow holes in the workpiece.
If I were starting out today I'd spend the extra and buy a MIG welder instead.
Whatever machine you decide to buy, do your first welds on bike racks or garden ornaments or garbage can stands or whatever before you make a weld on anything you trust your life to.
And get a self-darkening helmet.
I got mine as a gift but if it ever went missing I'd buy another with my own money.
Click to expand...
 
SlowMaintenance said:
I do have a dryer in my basement with probably runs off that 220v. That said, it's a shared space so parasiting might be an easy way to get my landlord involved in a bad way. If MIG is the desired situation, what about a 120V mig like this unit below from Lincoln?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lincoln-Electric-Handy-MIG-Welder-K2185-1/100596739
Click to expand...

Hi Nick,
there's things that can be done in the privacy of one's own home that may well upset the average landlord.
Even I had to tiptoe around my wife's laundry schedule. A great motivation to pay an electrician to run a 220V line into my garage.
But yeah! MIG trumps buzzbox every time. Go for it.
And as with a buzzbox, pay the extra for a variable shade self darkening helmet and practice, practice, practice.
 
Ok cool, will go to home depot tonight and chat more with some of the employees to see if it's worth the extra 200 for the 140HD version. Either way I'm going to get one, and skip the classes, using the money on the machine itself. I'm sure youtube can teach me how to use it.

In other news, order the andrews performance 2.8ohm coil (the red one), and I'm about to order the PAMCO w/ e advancer but can't figure out if MikesXS includes the rotor or not. I know pete's site does, but shipping is not free. Can anybody solve this mystery for me? It says it includes the rotor but ALSO says that you can find the rotor separately.

http://www.mikesxs.net/parts/yamaha-xs650-pamco-electronic-ignition-60-degree-rotor-e-advancer-kit

Also, I've got ONE of those small locating pins. It came from the mechanical advance side of the advance rod. I see that this is needed, but in the installation instructions it mentions that there is also a camshaft locating pin. Does that go on the other (left) side of the advance rod? I don't think I have a pin for that.
 
Ok guys, back at it again last night to get familiar with a lot of the reassembly. I may have to remove certain pieces again to grease them up as I had no grease on me at the time. I'll have to swing by the hardware store tonight on my way home.

DISCLAIMER: Imgur is giving me a hard time with uploads lately and some of the picture steps I can't get to import.

Started with this
9GoCqxA.jpg


As stated, I'm going kick only. Which if I'm correct means that none of those gears behind the clutch need to go back in. Can anyone confirm? It just looks like this
eThEH1u.jpg


Now to put this back in. It slides through and out the other side of the cases where it's held on by a washer and then a c clip.
dfreHZX.jpg


Washer first
Q9NpgAR.jpg


Then C Clip. This is the bag I had labeled "clutch star arm," it's all making sense now. Too bad I can't get this damn clip on here lol, I'll wait for the grease on that but if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears.
ADdhT3d.jpg


From here it was on to the clutch. First off, I think it's important to point something out with regard to the pushrod system. Earlier in the thread someone had mentioned that this system functions off three balls when I stated that I had only two. This is true, but misleading in that you aren't likely to have three of the 5/16 ball bearings removed as one sits inside the clutch worm gear. This was driving me crazy as I was trying to find the third ball and a diagram showing where it was located. You only need two in hand, and so armed with this knowledge I began the reassembly.

This is the clutch gear on the right side of the engine. Place the parts inside in the order below.
wfwtdeV.jpg


Smaller rod, tapered end first
DJqUuHe.jpg


Then a bearing
w8Umzrn.jpg


Larger rod, either direction first
szIX7dA.jpg


Then the second bearing
w8Umzrn.jpg


At this point in the installation the small rod you installed first should be sticking out the left side of the case about this far
3tNnyGi.jpg


In the next post I'll tackle the clutch basket install itself.
 
Next in the install is the clutch basket itself. It goes onto the same shaft we just installed those rods into. But before putting the clutch basket on, you must put on the two washers and cylindrical spacer. Here's a diagram (parts 18, 17 and 16)

r12EHBY.jpg


Ok I really can't get these photos to upload but I'm having an issue in that the manual shows two washers behind the spacer. Mine has three. Based on the wear marks, I believe the bigger thinner one goes on first, then the bigger and thicker one, followed by the much smaller one. Then the spacer, then the clutch basket.

Does anyone else have three instead of two?
 
I can't see your pics (it's my tablet thing with offsite pic hosting), but I noticed no mention of the final 'mushroom' pushrod.

The Tech section's "clutch" thread should clarify the basket/bushing/hub spacing washers.

The 3rd washer may be for the kickstart shaft...
 
Found this picture here. I'll take the clutch back out tonight and do a comparison pic to see if my setup matches. I've definitely don't have #9 and my #6 has a few less rollers per square inch.

dmKgx5i.png
 
That later-style hub #8 has 2 notches to receive the tabs of the lockwasher #9.
If you have that, reverse the order of #9 and #10. Lockwasher goes directly under nut.

The bearing #6 in that pic is the aftermarket MikesXS.
Stock bearing #6 has fewer rollers.

Edit, you'll also notice that the manual excerpt is missing the #5 washer...
 
My manual doesn't seem to be showing a #9 washer either if you look at the photo I posted above. Is it normal for a 76 to be missing that #9 lockwasher?
 
Your clutch was assembled wrong if you found 3 washers behind it. There should only be 2, and in the order shown in the pic above (smaller O.D. washer 1st). The smaller washer needs to be 1st because it bears against only the inner race of the bearing in the case. This spaces the clutch assembly out away from the cases so it doesn't rub on them as it spins. But, you can't have it spaced out too much, like would happen with extra washers there, because there is very limited space between the outside of the assembly (the pressure plate) and the inside of the side cover. The pressure plate could rub on the inside of the cover when you pull the clutch in and the plate stack expands.
 
Thank you for the tips guys, going to be disassembling the clutch again tonight to ensure the order is correct. I really don't believe that my clutch basket has the notches for that #9 washer, but I will confirm and report back.

On an unrelated note, I found this picture of someone's XS build yesterday (if you're reading this NICE BUILD) and was blown away. So different from the typical look, though admittedly containing many of the same elements. Made me wonder how the comfort would vary between a solo seat with 3" springs and a king/queen setup like the one pictured below.

I hate to even ask because I know it's just opening the floodgates to the "why would you ever want to ride a hardtail" crowd, so please save your (and my) time when answering if don't have an answer to provide. Thank you!

SsYAnvE.jpg
 
That is a rad bike, I follow the builder on Instagram. I can tell you in that pic he is using xl250 forks and drum wheel. Xl250 forks are 35mm so there a direct fit into later xs trees.
 

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