How to fit a sportbike front end to a xs650 frame?

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Stone

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Got tired of searching so I figured I would just go ahead and ask...

I know it can be done, yamaha_chop has one on his build but what has to be done in order to fit a sport bike front end to a xs650 frame? Does the year matter? What bike it comes off of? modifications that need to be done?

Thanks in advance
 
You can make just about anything work, but what needs to be done and how difficult it is will vary from forks to forks. I've got a ZX7 front end on mine and it wasn't too bad to do, just a bit of machining and it went together nicely.

There is a full thread on here with details on different front ends and what people have done.
 
hi guys ,,you may find that a R1 or an R6 could fit but you could have to put the whole lot on with the stem /forks and wheels,,, ,,and a zrx6/10 earlier model may fit again using the complete stem front end and being tapered beings if you go to a good bearing supply you could get various size tapered bearing with different o.d. sizes ..... its worth trying ,,, another guy actually got a R1 rolling frame and HUNG a xs650 motor straight in without dramas,, regards oldbiker
 
Stone, Go to all balls website, or just call them up. Find out what neck bearings share the same part number with your year of 650. Search out those types, ie, CBR or even a SECA II, maybe, and start there. It will probably be a Yamaha. I think a SV650 front is almost bolt in. that way all you will have to contend with, is neck length. If the XS650 neck is a bit short (which i found out with my Katana front) I can make you a spacer to go under, your lower inner race. Thats what im doing.

And putting a 650motor in an R1 frame....DEFINITLY not without drama. (and a welder) I agree with CDNT
 
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sweet thanks man! I am a little ways away from that point but if we end up going that route i will let you know!!!
 
Are the necks similar in length? If not, it would be real easy to have a new headtube machined to fit the sportbike forks and have a new headtube welded in. There's a guy South of me that does the job for $75. You want to find the hillclimber guys in your area and talk to them. They do this stuff all the time.
 
I'm sure a lot of other people on here know more than I do about it, but I've done five or six of this type of swap now. The latest was a Suzuki RMZ450 front end on an '82 XS650.

I always take both sets of triples to my machine shop and have them press (or otherwise fit) the stem from the old bike (in this case xs650) into the lower yoke of the donor bike triple (in this case RMZ).

I always upgrade to needle bearings (whichever set fits the bike, not the donor front end).

As long as the new height of the steering stem (measuring from top of stem to the surface of the lower triple) is the same as the old height, everything should seat properly.

In most cases, you'll have to "sleeve" the center hole in the upper yoke since the XS650 stem will probably have a smaller diameter than the beefy aluminum sport bike stem.

Only once did it fit without a sleeve ('04 Gixxer1000 on '78 KZ650). Fit perfectly without a sleeve.

If your machine shop has never gotten the stem out of a sport bike triple, pass this on. MOST SPORT BIKE STEMS HAVE A SNAP RING THAT HOLDS IT PERMANENTLY IN PLACE IN THE LOWER YOKE. This means the stem can't be pressed out. The way to remove it is to drill it out (from the bottom, of course) until the base of the stem is paper thin. At this point it can be removed. There might be another way, but this way works for me.

Same with all this stuff. I'm sure there are better ways. Each time I learn how to improve the process.

http://www.johnryland.posterous.com

Lots of the bikes on my blog have front end swaps. Check it out.

HEY OLD DUDE! What's your plan for that spoke wheel on the Gixxer F/E? I was going to do that but got frustrated trying to figure it out. So I went with a modified (shortened) supermoto setup. Love to see it when it's done!

JR
 
GWestendor3.jpg


http://www.650motorcycles.com/50Gary.html
 
i am aware....someone said it would just bolt right in to the R1 frame.....it's a little more involved than that is all i was saying...:doh: Almost no swaps are just bolt it on and go.
 
hi guys,,, if you go to the yamaha xs650 club page in australia ,,i think its in developments about 1/2 way down the page they have a xsr1 they call it,,it will give some insight to what it is.. and another guy in maffra is putting a xs650 motor into an early gsxr1100 suzuki,,, he,s put that on their web site ,,, regards oldbiker
 
CDNTX650 said:
i am aware....someone said it would just bolt right in to the R1 frame.....it's a little more involved than that is all i was saying...:doh: Almost no swaps are just bolt it on and go.
Click to expand...


Hmm. I don't see that written anywhere. Also, if you look closely, the builder did actually use one of the stock motor mount bolts to bolt it into the R1 frame.

oldbiker- I posted the link a few posts back for the bike you are talking about.
 
Beau said:
Hmm. I don't see that written anywhere. Also, if you look closely, the builder did actually use one of the stock motor mount bolts to bolt it into the R1 frame.

oldbiker- I posted the link a few posts back for the bike you are talking about.
Click to expand...
At first I thought, "why would you do that?". But then I looked at the link. That thing is f'n cool as shit! Love it.
 

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