Mailman’s XS2 a full on restoration

[Mailman]

Just noticed how many posts you have. How many are attributed to this build.

Ummm......probably a few.


Cables have been more challenging than expected.

Yesterday on started on the cables. The first one on was the speedo cable, two minutes and done!

“Oh this is going to be easy!” Or so I thought. Then I went to install the tach cable. Ruh! Roh! My new cable has the wrong fitting on the end. You can see the original cable on the bottom here.

So I put that aside yesterday and started on my clutch cable. I routed it through the frame and WAY too short!
WTH?
So I just kinda loosely draped it and hooked it up, I just wanted to see how the clutch felt. In a word Horrible. I could hardly pull the lever, I couldn’t get the adjustment right, I started worrying that all my mixing and matching clutch components was coming back to haunt me.
Getting tired and cranky I decided , sometimes you gotta know when to fold em, and I threw a cover over the bike and headed inside.

That evening I had a couple of revelations, after looking at tach cables online for sale, I realized that there was nothing wrong with the cable. That threaded part was simply a connector stuck in that threaded cap. I heated it up and it came right out.

So, I figured out the tach cable and then turned my attention again to the clutch cable. You wouldn’t believe the amount of time I messed with that. It was one issue after another. I finally figured out the routing for the cable, it’s noticeably shorter than the cable on my ‘77 and has to be routed differently, more directly. It has less of a sweeping curve and consequently makes the pull harder. I had trouble with too much slack in the free play of the cable, trouble with getting the clutch to actuate properly, I just struggled with everything and it was confusing to me.
I had the cover on and off a dozen times, I had the worm apart numerous times, I kept adjusting and fiddling with it and it , and it very slowly became incrementally better. By the end of the day I had the clutch actuating properly, but the pull at the lever is STOUT. I’m not really certain why. The entire clutch unit is from a ‘75, it has new plates, springs, mounting screws, new freshly lubed cable, the worm mechanism has been cleaned and greased.

It works smoothly and seems to have the appropriate amount of travel, it just pulls hard. Maybe it’s the fact that the cable has tighter bends, maybe the cable isn’t as nice as my Motion Pro on my other bike, maybe the angled levers on my other bike help some. All I know is my ‘77 clutch pulls mutch easier, and it has the exact same springs, plates, and screws.

Still to come, decompression cable and two throttle cables. Hopefully they will go smoother.
—Bob

 

[Jim]

Maybe it’s the fact that the cable has tighter bends

That'd be my guess.....
Maybe get a longer cable so you can route it with looser bends....

 

[Mailman]

That'd be my guess.....
Maybe get a longer cable so you can route it with looser bends....

I could get a nicer Motion Pro cable, the problem is getting the silver casing that was unique to the early bikes.
All the cables I bought were from a company in Japan, and I’m willing to bet that anyone carrying these silver cables is getting them from the same source. I might be willing to change that cable later to see if it improves.

 

[MrBultaco]

Did you lube it? Made a big difference on my new cable.

 

[Mailman]

Did you lube it? Made a big difference on my new cable.

Oh yeah, it got the 20-50 weight oil drip. Plus some additional grease right at the ends where the cable slides in and out of the sheaths. Clutch lever cleaned and greased.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Bob, the silver casing clutch cable may be one of the more draggy, small core diameter, steep elbow bend, versions. Some info:

http://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650-clutch-cable-experiments-and-tidbits.32945/

A simple test. The adjuster nut needs to be tight to do this. Put a torque wrench on the adjuster nut, rotate CCW (disengagement direction) by no more than 15°. I get about 7 ft-lbs (84 in-lbs) to actuate the clutch worm. Compare with your '77.

If you get much more, could be clutch springs and/or draggy worm.
If you get about the same, it'll be the cable...

 

[5twins]

Are you using an early short arm worm? They pull very hard.

Also, if you haven't smoothed out the lip around the hole in the case where the nylon part of the worm mounts, it'll bind up if you make the screws too tight.

 

[Rasputin]

I could get a nicer Motion Pro cable, the problem is getting the silver casing that was unique to the early bikes.
All the cables I bought were from a company in Japan, and I’m willing to bet that anyone carrying these silver cables is getting them from the same source. I might be willing to change that cable later to see if it improves.

At a push you can paint black cables silver, the paint sticks quite well to the cable outer.

 

[59Tebo]

the problem is getting the silver casing

What about a piece of silver shrink tube, over the black cable? You've got the 'ray gun'... It's gotta be cheaper than a custom silver cable...
Oh, yeah, and great "save" using the 'ray gun' on the old cable adapter. When this is all over, maybe you could go through this thread again, and condense it into just your content. Kinda like a "how-to", not just for a '72, but for anyone (any year) who wants to tackle a nut-and-bolt restoration like you've done. Great work Bob. Super colossal!

 

[Mailman]

Bob, the silver casing clutch cable may be one of the more draggy, small core diameter, steep elbow bend, versions. Some info:

http://www.xs650.com/threads/xs650-clutch-cable-experiments-and-tidbits.32945/

A simple test. The adjuster nut needs to be tight to do this. Put a torque wrench on the adjuster nut, rotate CCW (disengagement direction) by no more than 15°. I get about 7 ft-lbs (84 in-lbs) to actuate the clutch worm. Compare with your '77.

If you get much more, could be clutch springs and/or draggy worm.
If you get about the same, it'll be the cable...

I’ll try that test! That sounds interesting. I have a very nice working clutch in my ‘77 to compare it to.

Are you using an early short arm worm? They pull very hard.

Also, if you haven't smoothed out the lip around the hole in the case where the nylon part of the worm mounts, it'll bind up if you make the screws too tight.

I’m using a later model that I purchased from Daniel Black, it actually looks like the one you have marked 1980.

At a push you can paint black cables silver, the paint sticks quite well to the cable outer.

You know, before I figured out my tach cable, I was preparing to use my old cable just in case.
It is still functional, it just turned brown from age. I cleaned it and spray painted it silver and
It was actually quite passable in appearance.

What about a piece of silver shrink tube, over the black cable? You've got the 'ray gun'... It's gotta be cheaper than a custom silver cable...
Oh, yeah, and great "save" using the 'ray gun' on the old cable adapter. When this is all over, maybe you could go through this thread again, and condense it into just your content. Kinda like a "how-to", not just for a '72, but for anyone (any year) who wants to tackle a nut-and-bolt restoration like you've done. Great work Bob. Super colossal!

Thanks!! I have thought about doing exactly that. When Im finished , putting together a new condensed thread that would be MUCH shorter and easy to read.

I’m not in the garage today, got some honey do’s to catch up on.
Bob

 

[5twins]

If you work/turn the worm by hand with the cable disconnected (just like in your pic), that will show you if it's binding, if the mounting screws are too tight. Removing that lip around the worm mounting hole is something I do on all of these now. I use medium and fine 1" Roloc discs in a die grinder to "polish" it off .....

 

[Jim]

I cleaned it and spray painted it silver and
It was actually quite passable in appearance.

Dupli-color makes a vinyl spray paint that I've had good luck with on plastics.

 

[mrtwowheel]

I haven't used it yet, but the Motion Pro clutch cable that I got has a lot less angle at the metal tube part, gotta make a difference. And, maybe the Motion Pro cable for your bike is a bit longer to let you try different routes.

I'll measure the cable and the angle sometime today.

Scott

 

[kshansen]

A simple test. The adjuster nut needs to be tight to do this. Put a torque wrench on the adjuster nut, rotate CCW (disengagement direction) by no more than 15°. I get about 7 ft-lbs (84 in-lbs) to actuate the clutch worm. Compare with your '77.

I love idea like this! Being able test one part of a system totally isolated from the rest lets you find the "real" problem by the process of elimination.

 

[YamadudeXS650C]

When Im finished , putting together a new condensed thread that would be MUCH shorter

This will be quite an accomplishment, Bob.
We'll have to come up with some sort of an award for you, when you do it.

 

[5twins]

Yamaha actually had a different, slightly longer (only by an inch or two) cable for the Special models. I think the Motion Pro cable copies that one for length. It's not overly long and still works fine with normal or lower bars.

 

[mrtwowheel]

I haven't used it yet, but the Motion Pro clutch cable that I got has a lot less angle at the metal tube part, gotta make a difference. And, maybe the Motion Pro cable for your bike is a bit longer to let you try different routes.

I'll measure the cable and the angle sometime today.

Scott

I took some measurements and did some comparisons of my unused Motion Pro clutch cable and what I am pretty sure is the original cable on my '74.

Original TSK 9121, length of casing and ferrules 48 5/8", overall length of cable 56", angle of metal tube bend 166 degrees.

Motion Pro 05-0013, length of casing and ferrules 51 1/16", overall length of cable 58 3/4", angle of metal tube bend 164 degrees.

Shoving the casing and metal tube to the end of both cables, the exposed cable and ball were the same length, so, the critical dimension was the same.

The metal tube angles were not much different, the original had a bit less angle. The Motion Pro did have a nylon sleeve inside the metal tube, maybe an advantage. The Motion Pro was longer, maybe an advantage for more arc when routing.

My original cable was barely movable at the casing and at the metal tube part.

Scott

 

[gggGary]

You can order motion pro in the silver grey color and what ever length you want.
https://www.motionpro.com/custom

 

[650Skull]

I have thought about doing exactly that. When Im finished , putting together a new condensed thread that would be MUCH shorter and easy to read.
Bob

That will be a hell of a job.........So much small bits of onfo and tips and what to leave out and in, not to mention the time it will take...........Another year to rebuild the thread

May i suggest an easier solution........

Go back to the first post.....In your first post, post links to the relevant parts of the thread......Eg; Forks, Cables, Wheels, seat and such, may be a couple of links to an area in different parts of the thread........This way you can also do the links in an order as a build this is where a couple of links for one area from different parts of the thread will work .... People can jump to the area and also read any of those small tips/links ect.

 

[kshansen]

That will be a hell of a job.........So much small bits of onfo and tips and what to leave out and in, not to mention the time it will take...........Another year to rebuild the thread

With the attention to details Bob has shown I think he will do a good job of it! Heck he could probably print it out and sell copies to pay for the next restoration project!

Hey i know his ship to address maybe I should just put the 1978 I have on a pallet and send it to him????