Van Islander's TX650A - Quest for a Daily Rider

[TX650A Van Islander]

Finally I'm starting a thread I should have started when I joined this forum in Feb. 2020. I'll post a bunch of photos as I know we all like photos and I've learned it didn't happen unless there is a photo! Much of this will be in the past as rather than current as of course it already happened, and back then I was hijacking other threads rather than starting a new thread - sorry for the bad etiquette!
I got hooked on these bikes back in the spring of 2019 when by buddy let me ride his XS2. At the time I was riding my glass smooth 2006 Honda 919 and when we first exchanged bikes I immediately thought this old bike was a piece of crap, but within 4 or 5 miles I was hooked! My friends already had old bikes and I wanted one so this one was going to be it. Within a few months I bought my TX650A, driving across all of BC to get it. I wanted a standard and this one seemed original. My goal was to get a bike restored to "collector" status here in BC, which qualifies for "collector" plates, and very inexpensive insurance vs any of my other bikes I've had. This is when I first picked up the bike, and the photo not in the truck is from the PO before I bought it. Interesting tank decal eh? I've seen a few YouTube videos from Japan with these tank decals.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

When I got the bike home (end of May, 2019) and started riding it, the little bit of smoke coming from the exhaust turned into a lot of smoke after a few hundred miles and my friends were referring to the bike as "Old Smokey". I didn't ride it that much more and started planning for a top end rebuild. I also started to realized the things on the bike which didn't belong, like the signal lights and headlight bucket, and the holes in the rear fender, after I was to eventually remove the non-original signal lights.

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[TX650A Van Islander]

October 6 2019 I rolled it into the shop and started the disassembly. By late November I had the engine out of the frame.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

I got into it in early December and before Christmas had it pretty much apart as much as I figured I needed. I had never rebuilt an engine by myself, but had helped a few guys rebuild some Corvair engines in the past. Sort of the same...
The disassembly revealed that the engine had 0.25 oversized pistons, and there was severe abrasion! Engine oil didn't look too great either, obviously.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

After disassembly of the cylinder head cover, cylinder head, and block I cleaned them up and send the head and block over to Port Coquitam (near Vancouver) to Mongoose Machine & Engineering. They determined I needed to go with the 0.75 oversized pistons/rings as they had a lot of work to do! I had new valve guides, valves, pistons/rings sent to them and they installed the valve guides, sized everything up for me, and cleaned up the valve seats. Money well spent. They did an excellent job!
Check out the crooked cam chain guide in the attached photo. I figure this was one of main reasons for the damage. It was worn diagonally and continued to find chunks of plastic and aluminum filings in the oil for a few changes. Brutal!

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

With those parts sent away I carried on disassembly. By now it was February 2020. I needed to replace the headlight bucket and sort out the burnt out lights in the instruments. I also started rebuilding the original carburetors. I bought the bike with I believe 1977 carbs on it. It had only 1 throttle cable, which didn't work well anyway. The PO had used some unknown terrible "carb cleaner" which left the inside and outside of the carbs with white residue. I believe this was aluminum oxide, from whatever chemical reaction happened. That's my guess. I've rebuilt them twice now, and they seem ok, but it was a huge amount of elbow grease with a small stainless steel brush and lots of real carb cleaner.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

I replaced the poorly repaired clutch pushrod seal, following advise from the forum. Just a little chamfering of the aluminum with a dremel to receive the new seal and the new seal was installed without damage.

 

[Downeaster]

I'll be watching this one!
I had a brand new one, back in the day.

 

[Jim]

Yes. Watching with interest. Good engine porn pics.
How are the con. rods?

 

[Mailman]

First of all….great looking bike! I like that Honda 919 too, I rode one once and have lusted after them ever since!
I’m glad you’re writing a build thread, I always enjoy watching one of these old beauties being brought back, and it’s fun watching engine work. Keep it coming!

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

Thanks for the comments guys. I wish I had a new one then, but was 9 then, so that wouldn't have worked out. T

he con. rods seemed ok, through my inexperienced eyes. I didn't take the bottom end apart, having read that these engines were very robust. My friend with the XS2 has had about 8 of them (he is not on this forum) and rode them at least 60,000 miles so he thought I would be ok. Time will tell I guess.
Mailman, I do miss that 919 as I sold it in summer 2019 when I bought my new DR650. It was time to slow down a bit. I was going 100 mph way too often!
By mid-March 2020 we were starting to be in full lockdown with Covid so I couldn't do anything with my friends so it was great timing to start rebuilding the engine. I got the block and head back from Mongoose and set to work putting things back together, carefully following the tech advice you guys have posted over the years - thanks!
I also forgot to mention earlier that the PO I bought this from had done a "frame off" restoration. He had removed everything from the bike's frame, blasted and painted the frame, and installed new: wheel bearings, swing arm bushings, steering head bearings, tires, seat cover, complete front brake set-up, BUT he had not done anything with the engine. When I did ride it as "Old Smokey" it did shift fine, so that was why I left the bottom end and trans alone.
I did make darn sure that the cam chain guide was straight! I must have measured it 3 times.

 

[Raymond]

I also forgot to mention earlier that the PO I bought this from had done a "frame off" restoration. He had removed everything from the bike's frame, blasted and painted the frame, and installed new: wheel bearings, swing arm bushings, steering head bearings, tires, seat cover, complete front brake set-up

So with the engine rebuild you're doing, the bike is gonna be really nice. This is a great thread, seeing a '75 being brought back to all it should be.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

Some more engine porn pictures, after I got the block and head back from the machine shop, along with the loose pistons, rings, valves.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

I digress a bit - in late January 2020, I took apart anything necessary for paint, found some used headlight bucket brackets at the local bike wrecker (which sadly is now gone), and gave these things to my buddy Jim, who is a great painter. (must be the name eh Jim? - your work on Mailman's tank was so nice) More to come on the paint work

later. The chrome headlight buckets and brackets were to come off and be replaced with proper painted parts. I'd acquired a good bucket for paint when I bought the bike but not the brackets. You can see how faded the bike's tank was. I was told this bike came from southern Alberta - it must have spent a lot of time in the sun being baked!

 

[Jim]

....to my buddy Jim, who is a great painter. (must be the name eh Jim?

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

I put the engine back together in April 2020. Reading the tech articles on this forum was invaluable!

 

[Mailman]

Looking good! Are you keeping the factory points ignition?

 

[Jim]

Love your engine stand. Nice and simple.

 

[TX650A Van Islander]

Jim, I have to credit my friend Richard with the XS2s. He loaned me the engine stand. It was great.
Mailman, thanks - I ran the factory points for the first few thousand miles, but now have the Boyer on order. I so appreciate your recent thread on that. I'll be posting that once I get current with this thread.

My buddy Jim finished the paint work on April 17, 2020. Buffing and waxing to follow. There was a non sun damaged part of the original paint which I used to get the cinnamon brown colour matched by another painter guru here in Victoria, whose name is also Jim! No BS on that either. Must really be in the name! Pretty close - crazy paint which sort of changes colour depending on the ambient lighting. Very cool. Before I decided to paint the bike the original colour, I didn't think too much of the brown, but thought if I was going to make it original, I should stick by the colour. That decision was reinforced as I was reading about SomervilleXS650's restoration of his same bike. That thread is sooooo great!

 

[Mikey]

Jim, I have to credit my friend Richard with the XS2s. He loaned me the engine stand. It was great.
Mailman, thanks - I ran the factory points for the first few thousand miles, but now have the Boyer on order. I so appreciate your recent thread on that. I'll be posting that once I get current with this thread.

My buddy Jim finished the paint work on April 17, 2020. Buffing and waxing to follow. There was a non sun damaged part of the original paint which I used to get the cinnamon brown colour matched by another painter guru here in Victoria, whose name is also Jim! No BS on that either. Must really be in the name! Pretty close - crazy paint which sort of changes colour depending on the ambient lighting. Very cool. Before I decided to paint the bike the original colour, I didn't think too much of the brown, but thought if I was going to make it original, I should stick by the colour. That decision was reinforced as I was reading about SomervilleXS650's restoration of his same bike. That thread is sooooo great!

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Beautiful !!!
I'm getting major bike envy