$200 Special

Next mod was installing a 1/2" MC from a Yamaha Vision. I have an 11mm MC installed on my other 650 and while it's OK, I'm not crazy about all the added extra lever travel before anything happens. I thought maybe a 1/2" (12.7mm) MC, about midway between the stock 14mm and an 11mm, might be a good compromise. I was hoping to see improved progression and "feel" compared to the 14, but not as much lever travel as the 11. And it did just that. I'm quite happy with the results .....

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Next up was installing a Kawasaki clutch lever and perch. Why do this? Because the Kawasaki lever has a pivot like 3 times as wide as the Yamaha one. No worries about this one wearing out .....

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There is one small "gotcha" involved here though. The distance from the cable anchor point in the lever to the adjuster is much less on the Kawasaki assembly .....

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This adds much more freeplay to the cable. You can adjust it out but you end up with the handlebar adjuster screwed out almost all the way. That's just not right in my eyes, so an alternative was needed. That took the form of a shim or spacer added to the cable down by where it enters the case .....

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The spacer was made by cutting the top off an old cable elbow .....

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Here's the elbow on the original frayed '83 cable .....

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I cut the cable, removed the elbow, then clamped it in a vice so it could be "worked". You need to cut a slot in the side so it will slip on your cable, then cut the "spacer" off the elbow .....

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And here's the finished spacer .....

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The length of the part that fits down into the existing elbow may need to be adjusted. It has to be short enough so the spacer will fully seat into the elbow .....

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And finally, the finished install. The Kawasaki perch accepts Yamaha mirrors .....

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This wide pivot style Kawasaki lever and perch assembly was used on many of the KZ models from the late '70s up through the mid '80s. You can find them on eBay for less than $20 usually.
 
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Yes, both of the smaller MC's I've mounted have that front line attachment point. Those cheap eBay brake lines fit this type nicely as their ends are more oriented for it. And speaking of brakes, anyone remember these things? Dual compound pads? .....

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I remember reading about them in all the bike mags back in the '80s but I have never seen any or used them before. I found them in one of the old calipers I was stripping down. They're still plenty thick so I may just have to give them a try.
 
Really nice 5T ! This was all good stuff! I like the “compromise “ M/C , and that Kawasaki clutch lever nicely addresses a common failure. Good work around on that cable length too, very stealthy, you wouldn’t ever notice it. Keep the innovations coming buddy! Your work is inspiring! :thumbsup:
Hey by the way, what is that blue colored grease? I see you using that a lot.
Thanks , Bob
 
Kendall Super Blu, recommended to me by my dealer many years ago. He uses it all the time and sells it too. That's where I got my first couple tubes. It's a pretty popular general purpose grease and very waterproof. This makes it a fav of boaters for the wheel bearings on their boat trailers. I use it for lots of my general purpose lubing and in my wheel bearings. For more extreme pressure spots like the steering head bearings and swingarm pivot, I use that Sta-Lube Premium red grease. It took some searching but I finally managed to find both in tubs too. A grease gun tube will get you by. You can just pump some out to spread on stuff by hand. But a tub you can just dip into is much handier.

Yes, that 1/2" "compromise" MC has worked out very well. I feel it may be an even better choice for our bikes than the 11mm one. I think it will be my 1st choice if shopping for another in the future. But, there's nothing really wrong with the 11's. I just prefer the less lever travel the 1/2" gives.
 
Well, I finally got around to some of the "big ticket" mods I've had planned. In no particular order, this would include a complete new exhaust, UNI pods, a TX750 swingarm & chain guard, and longer than stock aftermarket rear shocks. I couldn't fit the swingarm and longer shocks without modding the stock exhaust mounts, shimming the mufflers out more to clear the lower shock mounting bolts. Since I planned on changing it out anyway I figured why bother, so I did all the changes at the same time.

The headpipes came from Mike's. There was a small issue with the right one. It wasn't bent quite right at the muffler end, not angled out quite enough. This caused the muffler to mount in too tightly to the bike and hit the end of the axle. I stuck it in my HF pipe bender and "tweaked" it a little, lol. It didn't take much and I was able to cure the issue. For mufflers, my fav used to be the Commando from Mike's, but that's not an option now. The EMGO Commando "clone" they sell now is a different muffler, a giant step down or backwards in my opinion. It doesn't have the same baffling inside and it only comes with a 1 3/4" inlet, requiring reducers to fit our 1.5" headpipes. So, I needed to find something else, and preferably with a 1.5" inlet so it would fit correctly. I decided to give these actual Norton Commando Peashooter replicas from Commando Specialties a try. Most English bike exhausts use 1 3/8" headpipes but Norton did make a few performance models that came with 1.5" pipes. That's what these mufflers are for. They call them their "big bore" muffler. I think they look great .....

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But as you can see from the baffling (or lack thereof), they really "bark", lol .....

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You could drop golf balls right through the things, lol. So yes, they're louder than the Commandos, but not straight pipe loud. They only really "bark" under heavy throttle, they're pretty quiet at idle and while cruising. I think I can learn to live with them, lol. The fact that they're beautiful will help with that .....

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Aftermarket exhaust mounting usually involves some custom bracket making, and this install was no different. I like to add a "P" clamp to the headpipes so they're not just hanging from the head. They sell these things but I prefer to make my own from stainless strap. I have a scrap length of 1.5" pipe I use to form the clamp around. Once formed, I fit it onto the bike and pipe, and mark where the hole needs to go. Back on the scrap pipe, it gets drilled, then bolted together, then marked out and trimmed (bottom rounded off) .....

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..... and the finished "product". A couple minutes on the buffer makes it look nice .....

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For the muffler mount, I chose to use the combo passenger peg/muffler hanger bracket from an XS500, just as I did on my '78 .....

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On the Special models, the passenger peg and mount is a separate item from the muffler hanger. It has a bent over tab on it that keeps it from rotating once mounted. The issue with this is that the muffler mount has to be moved back to the peg mount and it would interfere with this bracket locking tab. So, to retain the passenger peg, a combo peg/muffler bracket was needed. There is one small issue with the XS500 assembly. The peg mount is welded to the muffler hanger part. The mounting hole in each is the right size to fit the stud on the frame, but for some reason, Yamaha didn't perfectly align the two holes before welding the parts together. That means it won't fit onto the stud "as is" and it requires a little half round file work to fix it .....

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Another small issue with the Special models is that passenger peg mounting stud isn't as far back as it is on the Standard models. That means that another little "extension" bracket will need to be made to go from the muffler hanger to the muffler. No big deal really. I fabbed those up out of some steel plate. I started by making cardboard templates to check and verify shape and fit, then traced those onto the plate. As expected, each side differed slightly .....

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..... then rough cut, and finished off .....

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Then a final fitting and tweaking, paint, and done .....

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TX750 swingarm questions. Yes, it would be difficult for many members to even source one but is it worth pursuing ?
Are the lower shock mounts the same distance from the pivot as an XS ? How did the pivot / frame clearance free play adjust in ? And , nice work on the mufflers !
:thumbsup:
 
As mentioned, UNI pods were fitted. I'm sorry, I put up with those airboxes for nearly a year and just couldn't stand them any longer, lol. This was my first experience with airboxes and I was willing to put up with them because of all the reports that these bikes run best with them. Well, I didn't find that to be true. This bike ran no better than my other pod equipped one. Granted, riding in the rain can be an issue with pods, especially when you come to a stop, but that's the only down side I've found with them. Everything else about them seems fine, or even better than those darn monstrous airboxes (easier carb access, more room under the side covers for electrics).

As also mentioned many times, for oiling these fine black foam UNIs, a 50-50 mix of gas and motor oil is recommended. Apparently the actual foam filter oil is too thick and tacky, and can clog them up. I simply "paint" the oil/gas mix on the foam and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes, letting the excess drain off .....

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A new length of fresh breather hose was also installed along with a power brake check valve .....

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I recall someone posting a couple years back that this UP4229 UNI wouldn't fit on his bike, wouldn't clear the battery box. I thought he was wrong and well, he was. As you can see, they fit just fine. Also, the 2 1/4" mounting flange I.D. fits perfectly as well. Loose when you slip them on but it doesn't take much clamp tightening at all to secure them well. The next size down, the UP4200 with a 2" mounting flange I.D. that fits perfectly on the BS38s, is a very tight fit onto the BS34s, too tight in my opinion.

With the new exhaust and pods, the jetting was tweaked of course. I had already bumped the mains up one, partly because the P.O. had drilled a bunch of extra holes in the ends of the mufflers, but also because reports are that one size up on the mains makes even an all stock BS34 equipped 650 run better. Along with that, I also reduced the air jets 2 sizes. Now, I bumped the mains another step to 137.5's, and went up one on the pilots to a #45. The bike seems to run very well with no flat spots or break-up throughout the RPM range. I think the jetting is pretty close. The single wall headpipes also have not turned colors at all up at the head, another sign the jetting is pretty good. The only "glitch" is sometimes I get a small stumble when blipping the throttle at idle. The side strap on the plugs is a bit dark so I think I'm going to juggle air jet sizes around some and see what I get. I'll start by going back up one size, effectively leaning the idle circuit a little.
 
The TX750 swingarm swap is a very worthwhile mod in my opinion. As far as swingarm swaps go, it's about the easiest one out there. It's a virtual drop-in replacement. The 750 swingarm is exactly the same size as the 650 one with one important difference - the tubes are nearly 1/4" bigger in diameter. Practically everything else on the two arms is the same - shock mount location, pivot bolt, pivot sleeve, bushings, axle size and chain adjusters. The chain guard mount does differ though. You can mod the 750 arm to accept a 650 guard or just use a 750 guard.

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These really aren't that hard to find. I bought 2 off of eBay last year. One cost me $29, the other $43. The $29 one was pretty rusty and needed a total refurb. I passed that one on to my buddy. The $43 one was pretty much pristine. Both the bushings and the pivot tube were still in excellent shape. I was able to install it "as is" without replacing any of the pivot parts. Measuring it, I found the pivot sleeve to be about .008" longer than the swingarm w/bushings. It took about 45 ft/lbs of torque to "set" it properly so the arm gently fell under it's own weight.

Now some install details - even though I don't need it at the moment, I decided to install the extra grease fitting in the center of the arm. The arm was all apart and I may need it some day if I eventually do install bronze bushings. The drilling and tapping operation fills the arm tube with metal chips. They can be difficult to clean out because it's all greasy in there. I avoid the issue by inserting cardboard tubing into the arm first to catch all the chips. I just use the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels slit and cut down to fit .....

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In the center, where I'm drilling and tapping, I notch the cardboard tubing out so the chips will fall into it .....

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I also mod the pivot tube by adding an additional pair of holes in the center .....

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This allows grease to come out there and fill the center section of the arm .....

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Pump enough in there and eventually this would lube bronze bushings from their rear. But I still like to have the added external fitting too.

One minor issue you may encounter with the 750 arm install is clearance for the brake rod and pedal pivot. The 650 arm is dimpled in this area .....

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The 750 arm doesn't have this dimple so clearance is tight. You'll need to flip the anchor pin around so it's thin head is on the inside, cotter pin on the outside. I also took the opportunity to swap in an earlier grease fitting equipped pedal pivot .....

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Difficult to see and photograph, I do have a small amount of clearance. It gets better when you sit on the bike and the rear shocks compress some. If need be, you could bend the bracket on the pedal pivot a little to provide more clearance. I didn't need to do that on either of my installs. Both are a tight fit, but do have a little clearance .....

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Last item would be swapping the old style Japanese grease fittings on the 750 pivot bolt for newer style ones. Our American grease guns won't fit these old style larger headed fittings .....

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Final step was modding the 750 chain guard to fit. I thought there might be clearance issues with the cut-out because of the more laid down Special shock mounting, and there was. The TX750 was a standard style bike with more upright rear shocks. So, clearance at the back of the shock was no problem, there was plenty .....

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The problem was at the front. But it was easy enough to re-shape that area with a ball pein hammer and provide the needed clearance .....

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Another spot at the front required some attention too. The guard rubbed on the frame gusset. Dimpling it slightly there fixed that .....

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Hey 5T
Interesting read on the pods and jetting.
I am running BS34 with standard air box and filters with 135 main and 45 pilot middle clip and this is my pipe color!
I get a stumble 1/2 throttle when cold in the mornings usually gone by second roundabout 700 meters. Starts and idles very well.So maybe down one on the clip for the stumble to go away but I think I might be lean looking at the pipes.
What's the idea behind the air jets? What are you aiming for?
Buying some pods tonight so I will get the next size main to 137.5 too.IMG_20190905_173552.jpg
 
There are 2 air jets in the bell mouth of your BS34 carbs. One feeds air to the needle jet and main circuit, and is "fixed" or pressed in place. You can't fool with that one. The other, however, uses a removable jet. This one feeds the idle circuit and can be used as a tuning aid for it .....

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The U.S. spec BS34s come with a #135 air jet. The rest of the world seems to have gotten #130 air jets, 2 steps smaller. This means less air and that would make the idle circuit richer. You mentioned a clip position so I'm assuming you have an adjustable needle. If that came stock in your carbs then they may be the "world" version and already have the 130 air jets. But, it's something you could check.

It's said that changing the air jet has less of an effect than changing a pilot jet size. So, it could be considered as a way to fine tune the idle circuit, achieving richness levels in between what pilot jet changes would give. If, for instance, a 45 pilot was too lean but a 47.5 was too rich, you could theoretically get a richness level in between the 2 by fooling with the air jet size.

As I mentioned, I think my carbs are jetted pretty close but the issue I'm dealing with is that one plug is darker than the other. One looks pretty much perfect but on the other, the side strap is all black. The porcelain looks pretty good on both, mostly all white or lightly colored. So, I've been checking things. I carefully checked float or fuel levels with the clear tube method, thinking maybe the rich side had more fuel in it's bowl. They were OK and exactly the same, just below the bowl/carb body seam. Then I checked the mix screw settings. I thought maybe I mis-counted the turns out when setting them and had them mismatched. No dice, they were the same too, both at 3 1/4 turns out. I decided to change their setting first before changing the air jets. I cranked them in a half turn (leaner). A test run showed this had quite an effect and lightened up the dark plug considerably. It was almost good now but still a bit darker than the other one. Next I checked the carb sync. It was very close but not perfect so I tweaked it slightly. I also turned the mix screws in another quarter turn so they're now at 2.5 turns out. I have yet to test these new "tweaks".

So, what I'm getting at with all this is that maybe my mis-matched plugs were due to the sync being off a little, and the dark plug was due to the mix screws being set too rich. I'm actually pretty new to fine tuning a set of BS34s. This set is the first set I've had to live with on a daily basis. I'm finding it very interesting and enlightening. They appear to be very sensitive to mix screw settings even though changing them doesn't seem to have much of an outward effect. The motor doesn't slow down and start stumbling or running rough if the settings are a little off like it can with the BS38s. But obviously, changing the mix screw setting is having an affect. The way my dark plug lightened up by changing the screw setting a half turn has shown me this.
 
It's somewhat normal for aftermarket single wall headpipes to turn colors up by the head, even if jetting is good. Part of it is related to the quality of the pipe, how thick it is and how good the chrome job on it is. I was quite surprised my new MikesXS pipes haven't turned colors at all. But, they do seem like a good quality pipe, pretty thick. The MAC headpipes on my other 650 turned blue at the head almost immediately. They are thinner though and I'll bet that had something to do with it.

Yours actually don't look too bad. I don't see much, if any blue, just yellow or gold. That's what comes first, yellow or gold, then blue if they get really hot.

So, your pipe coloring is something you're probably just going to have to live with. Do keep tabs on it though. If they go blue after you put the pods on, that could indicate richer jetting is needed.
 
Fantastic 5t. I read it three times great detail.
Mine were Mike's Pipes and I am glad not too bad.
Pods, jets and power brake Valve ordered last night.
I will be happy to see the end of those air boxes too! Free up room for some relays and other electrical stuff.
 
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