An Adventure in Firsts: '83 XS650 Heritage Special Build/Rebuild

Hey guys! Thanks for the replies. Good to be back; you guys are still awesome. Yes, planning on replacing chain and sprockets. Going to look at the charts posted a bit back in the next day or two and decide if I wanna go up or down in teeth a wee bit. As for where to buy sprockets from--ebay? Partzillers? I'll poke around and see. Material they're made out of--steel Vs aluminum Vs ? Any other specs I need to know besides teef? Perhaps hole size? :laugh2: And yes, I would love to get an O-ring chain but I was under the impression that it didn't fit my bike! (And yeah, @gggGary , I got the 120 chain but I have a chain breaker tool from the battle of the chain last year so I was just going to get it down to 104). So the o-ring working is great news! I like the idea of the o-ring for durability--especially since the old man is parked outside all the time. So, previously I was looking for a 530 104 standard chain; same 530 104 for o-ring?
 
Alright guys. I wanted to do a 17/36 setup, but I'm having trouble finding that sold anywhere as a set. 650 central didn't have 36 on website, but I may call tomorrow to see. I did find an individual 36T on mike's XS but the individual 17T one they have doesn't include my model year, and I don't see any tab washers. I imagine I need the same materials for front and rear, so kind of liked the idea of going with the same brand but perhaps that's just false security and all the matters is specs and material. If this 36T looks better than the one below, let me know and then I can just find a 17T somewhere. For these tab washers...if I have to buy those separate, what am I looking for?

Maybe I just go with the stock set..I just wanted more torque cuz I do a fair amount of street riding; but not so much that I'm in hell when on the highway.

Gotta order asap so I can get these suckers on!
For stock setup:
Found this set. And this chain. Let me know if either of those look like garbage or if there's a better brand. Surprised that I'm not seeing more of the stock sets on eBay..
Or I'll just call 650 central for the stock setup if those 36 ones above look bad to you guys actually.

I'm okay paying a bit more for better brands or for a good set as long as it's worth it
 
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Yamahaxs650.com has the sprocket lock washer.

Don't have any other recommendations for ya.
I'll just put out there that I don't think you'll be happy with a 36T rear. Yes, light to light you'll have gobs of torque, but even at 60 on the highway the engine will be way too buzzy for more than a 10-15 min jaunt. If you're OK with that, then go for it.
 
Jim said:
Yamahaxs650.com has the sprocket lock washer.

Don't have any other recommendations for ya.
I'll just put out there that I don't think you'll be happy with a 36T rear. Yes, light to light you'll have gobs of torque, but even at 60 on the highway the engine will be way too buzzy for more than a 10-15 min jaunt. If you're OK with that, then go for it.
Click to expand...
Eee, definitely not okay with that. I was thinking I was only loosing top speed and figured it'd be helpful to stop myself from going over 90 too easily anyway. But if it's going to make it struggle at 60-75, then no way! @Jim You think 35 would do the same or about the same struggle in those speeds? If so, I'll just stay at 34 and maybe even go down to 33, but I really don't want to loose torque. It honesty feels dangerous not to be able to get away fast from other cars when street riding around here
 
I just put a 33 tooth on mine for the first time. It’s probably the last. I like the grunt better than extended 65+ mph cruising. Marie, you already have a larger than stock diameter rear tire, effectively lowering RPM a bit. For me, the 17/34 sprocket combo is best. YMMV
 
I ran a 36 for a season. If your bike is 85%+ around town, it can't be beat. If you plan on taking frequent highway trips or needing to maintain 65+ regularly, stay with the 34. The 36 will do it, but on my highway runs I was ringing its neck and it got exhausting listening to it want to grenade itself haha
 
Found this from Pamco Pete... a spreadsheet where you can vary the sprocket size and see what your revs are in any particular gear. You can see your current setup, then change rear sprockets and see what effect it has on revs.
Here's the link to the spreadsheet..... http://www.amckayltd.com/xs650revs3.xls


1652841851531.png
 
MarieKaramazov said:
@Jim You think 35 would do the same or about the same struggle in those speeds? If so, I'll just stay at 34 and maybe even go down to 33, but I really don't want to loose torque. It honesty feels dangerous not to be able to get away fast from other cars when street riding
Click to expand...
Making suggestions is always dangerous.... ;)
But if I were to make one, I'd say do as Marty says and stay at the 34 if you want to keep your street accel.
 
Yes, JT sprockets are a good brand. I thought they might be found for a few dollars cheaper but maybe not. Prices seem to have gone up on everything as of late. I wouldn't go any bigger than the stock 34 on the rear. Personally, I run a 33 and 32, and have no issues with acceleration off the line. Any smaller than that and yes, there might be.
 
I knew I saw them cheaper .....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/322560665629?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110013&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIMRXI&ao=1&asc=20210125103646&meid=1795a7cb9e574bd287a426a30481dac0&pid=101112&rk=8&rkt=24&sd=322253941749&itm=322560665629&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2563228&algv=SIMRVIMLRV5WebV1_0&brand=JT+Sprockets&_trksid=p2563228.c101112.m1982&amdata=cksum:3225606656291795a7cb9e574bd287a426a30481dac0|enc:AQAHAAAA8Hu6A12tbgsOEr8tufGJ8phNtw6X4vlsDRnrmgdKWnz5B1vb3hwK9Xc3CHpP%2BHoqeX9gHzEXMhTxKpDlw1ZheBWIiLhbNOFOgEjL10DS6gbBmgvUXpx0Ua8Gg9KoGCRBAjrZgJCTwfcqgbwUkW6gVZBlxssG44s1BgayQafqBgGBq%2FRGo4W5tx3m%2Fu%2BULy01WBtcqeHrVs4sPHQjSMrEt4PmYK0j6wOOzLBy2Xd1jqw%2Fn9VM8lQWs9wUomUTetOhUKNdcxGm47QLYUcWB6o1k5Hw%2FUayK6z3k7ojMhsh6R%2FlxaLEvkoS8SC3Jb4DYrDdkw%3D%3D|ampid:pL_CLK|clp:2563228

And don't worry, even though the listing says they only fit '74-'81, all years used the same sprockets.
 
That’s a good deal. Shipping is a killer for us northerners. Shipping by this vendor to canada is about $30 USD.
 
Jim said:
Yamahaxs650.com has the sprocket lock washer.

Don't have any other recommendations for ya.
I'll just put out there that I don't think you'll be happy with a 36T rear. Yes, light to light you'll have gobs of torque, but even at 60 on the highway the engine will be way too buzzy for more than a 10-15 min jaunt. If you're OK with that, then go for it.
Click to expand...

Agree with Jim on the large sprocket. My bike had a 17/40 set up. It was well quick off the mark, and wheelie prone! Terrible in the highway, 45mph and rattle my fillings out. Probably good off road.
Changing to 17/33 JT set with chain. Sizes as most guys seem to end up running here.
 
17/33 was the stock gearing Yamaha put on the European models and it suits the motor's power output quite well. It doesn't kill the low end "grunt" but runs smoother at high speeds. You have to realize that we're only dealing with about a 50 HP bike here. Gear it too high and it won't pull redline in 5th.
 
Just put an RK X ring chain on a 1970 XS1 Nothing touches, or rubs, all good. Both sprockets were 200 miles from new when I changed to a quality chain.
Used the rivet master link.
I have the motion pro chain tool and highly recommend it if you have a chain drive MC "fleet". They are pricey, currently advertised at about 100 USD.

Because I'm the ggGary I modded the tool this time. The XS1 doesn't have a lot of room to access the chain and it makes assembly a LOT easier to work the chain ends/masterlink if they're held in place/together by the rear sprocket teeth.
with the supplied backing block the tool is too thick to fit between the back of the chain and the wheel hub. So I cut/ground a piece of hard steel from the bits n pieces bin to sit in the tool recess and allow it to fit in that narrow space. Bingo bango riveting done.
1652873499270.jpeg
:twocents: a GOOD job of riveting is nearly impossible without a tool like this, and 4sher it's much easier with the sprocket keeping all the loose parts corralled.

Don't be like me; watch a how to use video before using the tool. This one is good, real world tips/issues.

 
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Jim said:
Yamahaxs650.com has the sprocket lock washer.
Click to expand...
@Jim Do I need one for the rear too? This just says for front. Any other washers or secret things I wouldn't know about? I looked up instructions on how to replace online and I don't see any other weird parts but want to be sure...also didn't say anything about the lock washer so there's that
 
Woops.... my bad... :laugh2:
You need the rear sprocket tabs too. MikesXS has 'em... the place I gave ya above don't...
If you want to order both from the same place, here's the front sprocket tab at Mikes.


1652907990496.png
 
Marie, the front sprocket has one very large nut with a tab washer as a security device. The rear sprocket is secured by six smaller bolts and they have different tabs.

You can often tell what you need by looking to see what is on the bike. But if the bike has been messed with - 40 years of POs - you can check by looking at a parts book. Suppliers have parts books you can look at on-line. For example, I go to CMSNL - a Netherlands site. They have the parts diagrams with lists of the parts, each with part number and description which tells you useful things like how many are needed.

I don't buy a lot from CMSNL but their parts listings are very useful. The part number can help you find the bit you need from other suppliers or second-hand on ebay.
 
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