bare-bone '76 xs650, copying the Russell Taylor build

"I guess you'll still have quicker brakes than most of the cars on the road, and better brakes than Fred Flintstone. I sure don't miss the days of two drum brakes." Scott

Keep in mind that modern cars with ABS will equal or beat a motorcycle's ability to stop if the car driver bothers to stomp on the brake pedal.
 
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Spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon on the disassembly of the bike and huffing PB Blaster. Forgot how soothing it is to wrench on a bike. Just wish I had my own shed so I could come and go and work when I please.

As previously stated, I sourced a 21" front rim off ebay and have that on hand. I took off the rear wheel which will be unlaced, replaced with a 21" rim and matching spokes. I am sending both rims out to be PC'ed. I will also have spokes PC'ed flat black.

I will continue to disassemble the bike but at this point I am thinking to wait until I get the wheels back, mount them to check clearance before I send frame out to be blasted and PC'ed, in case frame needs to be modified.

Comments welcomed.
 
Sounds like a good idea, I'd go as far finishing and riding it to make sure everything works the way you want. Then powder coat.
 
Figure8, that's a good idea.

Yesterday was a great day- 80 degrees in New England. Perfect day for wrenching on the bike.

Day started off pretty good with a 25% off coupon for Harbor Freight which allowed me to finally get a quality motorcycle lift along with a toolbox and misc.

Stripped bike down to essentials.

Both tires/rims off. I finally scored a rear 21" rim and both 21" rims are off to the powder guy. Carbs are off and will be heading to oldskoolcarbs, shortly.

I think I'm going to stop now until I get the new rims and tires back and mount them on to see how the entire thing looks before going further, will be sure to post pics for review.

I will be parting out stuff soon so keep an eye on the classifieds, if you're interested. Again, this is for a '76 xs650.
 
I am certain you will get some takers for the stock '75 parts DQG. They're pretty precious - but the folks on the forum know what to do with them and will put them to good use.

Cheers,

Pete
 
Are you sure that is a '75? The front disc caliper on 1975 and earlier bikes was mounted on the front side of the fork leg - but your photo shows the mounting lugs on the rear.

Hmmmmm.....
 
Are you sure that is a '75? The front disc caliper on 1975 and earlier bikes was mounted on the front side of the fork leg - but your photo shows the mounting lugs on the rear.

Hmmmmm.....

Says so on the title.. but the bike could have been bastardized. I've actually noticed a few things that wouldn't have gone on a '76 bike. And then there are the mismatched nuts and washers, so...
 
Thinking about getting a Virago 750 tank and mounting it on this bike just so I can shove everything under it.

Thoughts?
 
Dusting off this thread and back after a long hiatus.

Long story short, there were a few times I wanted to murder the powder guy. He has no concept of time, deadlines, or any urgency whatsoever - I dropped off the wheels sometimes in February and only got them back yesterday after they had been assembled and trued.

I also had the drums arc'ed by racetech.

Mocking the wheels, and yes, I know the front rim is on backwards, it's standing loose and I just couldn't wait to mock it and see how everything looks.

mock.jpg
 
Now I have to confess something-

When I got the front drum off ebay, the seller said it was from an xs650 and I never thought to double-check on it, and now, after everything has been done, I took a closer look at it and it looks like it's likely from an xs400 or 500, or maybe an SR? Shaft comparison below- the upper shaft is from the '76 xs650 and the lower shaft is what came with the drum. It measures 7/16" thick (14mm) and 8 1/2" wide (216 mm). Input most appreciated.

shaft.JPG
 
Yeah sounds like one from a smaller Yamaha. I kinda looked, thought about a conversion one time? but wasn't motivated enough to follow through. Guess you will be checking bearing ODs to see if you can swap to bearings that match the 17mm XS650 axle then boring the brake plate or swap in a front fork complete from a smaller bike. Sorry to hear this after your (so typical) vendor that promises short and delivers long story.
 
Hi Gary,

That's what I was thinking- I'm going to swap in a whole, early 70's front end which would solve a host of issues, including having to account for the slot on the brake drum.

The issue is, front end from which type of bike? Right now I'm leaning towards xs400, but have no way of double-checking on measurement unless someone on this forum has a xs400.
 
Is the threaded portion of the 650 axle thicker than the main portion of the 400 axle? I feel like you could pass it off to someone with a lathe and have them turn down the main portion of that axle, leaving the thicker part that clamps in the fork leg, the threaded part for the axle nut, then all you would need to get are some appropriately sized axle spacers, and a top hat shaped spacer with a slot cut in it for the axle nut side so it can still be clamped in the fork leg. You'll need to take some good measurements, but I think it could end up being cheaper than swapping the whole front end.

Did they give you a hard time about using that 25% off coupon on the motorcycle lift? I plan on buying one of those lift tables someday, and trying to use a 25% coupon when I do. I know the coupon says on it that floor jacks are excluded, and I picture the cashier trying to tell me I can't use it, even though a lift is technically different from a floor jack, I can see the comparison. Was the lift you got full price when you used the coupon, or on sale as everything there always is? I know the lift tables are usually $400 something, but go on sale for $299, with the 25% coupon it'd come down to $225, which is quite a deal for what it is, but I think it's something that'll need planned out just right to be able to grab one while it's on sale and a day I can use a 25% off coupon.
 
Did they give you a hard time about using that 25% off coupon on the motorcycle lift? I plan on buying one of those lift tables someday, and trying to use a 25% coupon when I do. I know the coupon says on it that floor jacks are excluded, and I picture the cashier trying to tell me I can't use it, even though a lift is technically different from a floor jack, I can see the comparison. Was the lift you got full price when you used the coupon, or on sale as everything there always is? I know the lift tables are usually $400 something, but go on sale for $299, with the 25% coupon it'd come down to $225, which is quite a deal for what it is, but I think it's something that'll need planned out just right to be able to grab one while it's on sale and a day I can use a 25% off coupon.

I didn't have any trouble, and yes they stacked the discounts for me. Hopefully you get the same treatment.
 
Now I have to confess something-

When I got the front drum off ebay, the seller said it was from an xs650 and I never thought to double-check on it, and now, after everything has been done, I took a closer look at it and it looks like it's likely from an xs400 or 500, or maybe an SR? Shaft comparison below- the upper shaft is from the '76 xs650 and the lower shaft is what came with the drum. It measures 7/16" thick (14mm) and 8 1/2" wide (216 mm). Input most appreciated.

View attachment 106051

Check the All Balls site. They have a chart that lists bearings by I.D and O.D. You might be able to find a bearing with the O.D. to fit the hub and the I.D. to fit the axle.
What about axle spacers? Does the hub fit correctly between the forks?
 
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