Thanks, 5twins. I was hoping compression was a good general indication of motor condition. But I see how it doesn't necessarily say anything about the chain. No timing plate to check, unfortunately. That would be a good indicator. I've got plenty of tension adjuster travel left if that means anything.
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front cam chain guide removal
- Thread starter anysnail
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You might be a romanticist tasked with a classicist' job at this point (thanks Mr. Pirsig).
CDNTX650
XS650 Guru
i wouldn't go by the compression numbers either....my guage reads low, other may as well. As long as both numbers are similar and silly low. mine reads like 120 where a friends reads around 140 on my bike.
I checked my cam chain adjustment today and found I finally needed a new o-ring for the big acorn nut that covers the adjuster. It's a 1" od and 13/16" id, and an exact replacement is available at Do it Best hardware. Just saying. I knew of one person who unnecessarily filed the nut down to expose more o-ring, rather than replacing the ring.
too bad the philosophers always wind up paranoid schizophrenic.
i found someone interested in my bike at work, i'm likely going to sell.
CDNTX650
XS650 Guru
all because of a days worth of super easy work.
LOL!
Here's a revelation about the front guide. The stock screws only go into it about 1/4" and you have at least 1/4" more threads in the front guide than the stock screws will reach. So, if you strip it get longer screws and try again. Or start with longer screws and worry less about stripping it.
Somebody asked about torque values for it. One video by a member mentions 5 or 6 ft lbs. I aimed for that but it started feeling very queasy! I stopped at about 3 ft lbs and went back to the ratchet to get a feel and it felt plenty tight there.
Well Jeez, 'snail,
an XS650 engine is simpler than a stone axe (you gotta tie the head on a stone axe just right or it'll fly right off, eh?)
On second thoughts, a side-valve Tecumseh lawnmower engine is simpler than a stone axe.
What with being an SOHC vertical twin, the XS650 engine is as simple as a mace and chain.
You already have the wrenches to reassemble the thing (they're the same wrenches that took it apart)
All you need to buy is a torque wrench and a piston ring compressor.
You have all winter to reassemble the bike or to give up and part it out.
^Piston ring compressor pretty much gets in the way on this engine (imho). It makes you take the wrist pin all the way out and put it all the way back in instead of just sliding it out of the way. Oil and something to push lightly with, like a 1/8" screwdriver, will get the rings in the bore easy from the bottom.
Also, there are many ways of getting the rings on the pistons. The easiest and safest way for the ring is to watch a video of how a piston ring pliers work, and then just do the same thing but with your thumbs and forefingers
Also, there are many ways of getting the rings on the pistons. The easiest and safest way for the ring is to watch a video of how a piston ring pliers work, and then just do the same thing but with your thumbs and forefingers
I know it can all be a bit daunting the first time around. But you should just take your time and follow the advice given. Each time you start a new stage of the assembly/disassembly search for a video or thread from one of the several XS650 forums. I never thought it would be easy to replace the front cam chain guide without splitting the chain until I tried it as suggested above. The only part I got caught out on was locating the cam bearings during reassembly, but there is plenty of info on this website regarding that part. The XS650 engine is a nice one to work on and knowing the tricks helps enormously. You will learn these tricks by reading and asking for help on this website.
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