What to do when you take the covers off ?

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SteveH

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All,
As some of you might have seen, my bike is in fairly good shape; but it has some pretty nasty chromed/flaking engine covers. I contacted my local plating place who will de-chrome them for me for a nominal fee. I'll then bring them home and take a scotch-brite wheel to them to try to get them back to the factory finish. Any other suggestions ?
That said, what all should I inspect/replace when I take the covers off ? Right now I assume I'll need the two main gaskets, as well as the oil screen gasket. What else am I missing ? I assume I'll need the oil seal around the kick starter, and I'll check the specs on the oil pump.
I searched the forum and found people referencing other oil seals that can be replaced with the engine intact - anyone happen to have a list ?

Thanks !
Steve
 
it would be nice to polish them up to a mirror shine once they get de-chromed. Polished aluminum looks great on these old bikes.
 
Any info on what seals I can replace while Im there ? I just saw the youtube vids for the clutch pushrod...I imagine the shifter and kick starter as well - anything else ?
 
There is a complete seal kit available. It's cheaper than buying them individually and you will use pretty much all of them eventually.

Another seal that often needs replacing is the countershaft seal. The key to making that one seal is to be sure the countershaft sprocket nut is kept good and tight, like 87 ft/lbs. If the nut is loose, the seal will leak. There is a tiny seal in the tach drive housing, also an o-ring that seals the housing into the case. If you have a leak in that area, they may need replacing.
 
Ya - I saw that. I ordered the full seal kit from Mikes. Just was wondering what could be done w/o splitting the cases ;D
 
Pretty much all but the crankshaft seals. For the shift shaft, you need to withdraw it enough to get at the seal but that is possible while the right cover is off. Here's a link with some seal install instructions and tips. Use them, they really work .....

http://www.650motorcycles.com/XSseals.html

The clutch pushrod seal is a notorious leaker on these bikes. The seal can be bad but there is also a bushing under it for the rod. When the bushing gets worn, the rod has too much side to side play and even a new seal won't work. Yamaha changed the pushrod assembly early in the production run from one long rod to 2 shorter ones with a ball between them. This really isn't an improvement at all. The short outer rod on the new set-up flexes more and wears the bushing quicker. Mike's sells a replacement long rod and most of us switch to it. Best bet for a leak-free pushrod seal is to replace the seal, bushing, and switch to the long rod.
 
Again - thanks much !
I *believe* my XS650B still has the one piece rod....I'll have to check. I did read up on the bushing and seal removal/install - and ordered the bushing (the seal came with the seal kit already).
 
Yes, you may have the long rod already. One more tip - lightly grease the exposed portion of the pushrod. It's just raw steel and can rust. Then you are pushing rust through the seal every time you pull the clutch in. Eventually, it will get coated from chain fling-off but on a clean install, it's not protected .....

InsideLeftCover.jpg
 
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I would get the bike to run first then you can tell if any seals need to be replaced and the condition of the motor. check the sump filter and oil filter in the right side cover. The kick start seal and gaskets are all you need for the chrome removal. Take out the oil pump before you get the cases done. Push rod seal leak caused by worn bushing behind the seal replace both if you have a leak.
 
While you have the left side off. Remove the rachet (the part that pushs) dismantle, check the plastic threaded portion for cracks(if cracked it spreads instead of pushing)
And check to see if the ball is still in it. Regrease and reassemble.
Before you dismantle pay attention to the orientation of the lever.
 
Remove the nut (36mm) that holds the front sprocket on, clean all the threads with a wire brush and carb cleaner and then blue locktite it back on. It won't keep it tight, but it will keep it from flying off like I don't trust that particular lock tab arrangement to do! If you do have a leak on that side, it's as likely as not that nut being loose.

Also, something I learned doing my push rod bushing is have the drill running while you pull out on the bushing, because you don't have to have as good of a bite into it that way. Note that the pushrod seal is supposed to sit about flush with the case, although it will push a lot further in. XSLeo recommends putting a Phillips screwdriver in the hole and pushing the seal in with the front of the handle. I put a thin coat of Motoseal 1 on mine.
 
Quick update:
Unfortunately my local chrome shop cannot de-chrome my side-covers as their tanks all use HCL...So Alum is no-go. I attempted to remove the chrome from the side covers by glass blasting today - and was very successful in creating a monstrous mess...And unfortunately that's about it. So it looks like Im in the market for some used side covers that I can clean up. My understanding is that I need to find them off of a '74-'77 as after that the clutch changed, and as a result so did the cover. That correct ?
That said, I tore into the oil pump and it looked pretty good...Is it something that I can interchange into the new side cases; or is this an item that wears within the case and shouldn't be swapped ?

Thanks again !
Steve
 
The clutch changed but the covers didn't. From 74 up the only change to the right side cover is they added an oil level window. No changes to the left side cover.
On the oil pump they interchange just fine.
Leo
 
Here are a couple of pics of the covers from my Honda CB750C DOHC that I had polished at http://www.hhpolishinginc.com/ in Charlotte, NC. That's just up the road for me, but they did a fantastic job and claim to have proprietary polishing methods, and seeing the results, I believe they do:

covers11.jpg


covers41.jpg


The CB750C has 5 side covers and a valve cover. I had all of them polished for $150, so the side covers on the XS650 should not cost more than $75. That's next.
 
^Ha ha! That looks great. I'd go $75 for somebody to do that to mine. Would be no downtime if you could just send them your cores back in the same box.
 
That looks fantastic. I have a pretty nice polishing setup here already; so as soon as I get the new side covers in - I'll get them buffed out ;)
Turns out I do have the 1-piece rod, so that's good. My clutch parts will be here tomorrow, so hopefully this week I'll get the bulk of the clutch work done and the new side covers installed. Then its just a matter of installing the PAMCO ignition and getting it all timed up. Im tossing around the idea of a PMA - but don't think the budget will allow for it right this second. Would be nice to get it in with everything apart though...
 
I took off the right side engine cover and a big washer fell off something. It was obviously loosely attached because as soon as I pulled the cover off I heard it fall. I have no idea where it goes and do not want to figure it out by trial and error.
Is there a schematic picture of what the right side parts parts look like under the right cover? (My manual is next to worthless.)
PS If you know of a good manual, I am open to suggestions.
 

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