Betty gets some maintenance including changing her oil!

[360Gradi]

Ahh, vibration.......the heartbeat of your motorcycle! Your tail light issues brought back memories; in 1975, I rode my Ducati 350 Mk2 single form Oxford to Southhampton, England, a 180 miles round trip; by the time I returned home, the aftermarket rear turn signal brackets had fractured, leaving them hanging by their wires, the tail light/brake bulb globe had pulverized in fine glass powder, and all my muscles and internal organs had been shaken so much that I slept for 18 hours straight!

 

[bosco659]

Interesting… I’m hearing a new noise or vibration at certain engine speeds. Last winter I changed the center stand stop. I noticed on a hard bump the stand now clunks a bit. Maybe the noise or vibration I’m sensing is the centerstand on the new stop? Time to investigate.

Btw, my handlebar vibration is all but gone after I weighted it with lead shot and silicone

 

[MaxPete]

Secure engine mounting is overrated...
Good catch!
I parked Madness for years one time cuz she was vibrating so bad I thought she had twisted the crank.
Turned out a missing muffler mount was letting that exhaust shake up and down, vastly amplifying the engine vibes.

Yup - and I think it might have been 5-Twins who pointed out a loose fastener or two as a cause of the blown taillights.

…..and he was right!

 

[bosco659]

Yup - and I think it might have been 5-Twins who pointed out a loose fastener or two as a cause of the blown taillights.

…..and he was right!

He usual is. lol.

 

[MaxPete]

OK sportsfans, the latest Betty-related (the broken clutch cable) has now been fixed.

For newbies: replacing an XS650 clutch cable is not difficult. I would begin by oiling the cable to ensure that it is lubricated and that the stranded wire inside the sheath is clean before you install it. Then here are the key steps to the job:

1. Remove the fuel tank,
2. Note exactly where the clutch cable goes from the lever, around the RH side of the headlight bucket and then down around and along the frame spine tube and down between the carbs to the LH
3. Remove the left-hand foot peg assembly
4. Remove the gearshift lever (NOTE: you must completely remove the 6 mm pinch bolt - just loosening it will not allow removal of the lever)
5. Remove the half dozen 6 mm socket head capscrews (SHCS - aka Allen head screws) that hold on the left-hand side engine case cover. NOTE: there is no engine oil contained behind the cover - so no worries about a leak and also note that there are different length screws in the various holes.
6. Stare at the small mechanism (often called a "worm") attached to the end of the old clutch and disengage the cable
7. Route the new cable from the left handlebar lever along where the old cable went and re-connect it down at the "worm" mechanism.
8. Re-install the engine case cover and tighten the SHCS evenly all around - and do not over-tighten or try to pull the cover in with the screws as you may crack it.
9. Adjust the clutch as per the instructions elsewhere on this site
10. Re-install the fuel tank.

.....and WAH-LA - you should be back on the road.

 

[Its been a long time]

One thing to add. I highly recommend taking a piece of card, drawing the shape of the side casing on it and put a hole through the card for each screw in the position it came from on the card. Remove a screw, put it in it's hole in the card. That way, you know for sure that you aren't putting the wrong length screw in a hole when you refit the cover. I do that for any engine cover I remove.

 

[MaxPete]

One thing to add. I highly recommend taking a piece of card, drawing the shape of the side casing on it and put a hole through the card for each screw in the position it came from on the card. Remove a screw, put it in it's hole in the card. That way, you know for sure that you aren't putting the wrong length screw in a hole when you refit the cover. I do that for any engine cover I remove.

Yup - good idea!

 

[bosco659]

One thing to add. I highly recommend taking a piece of card, drawing the shape of the side casing on it and put a hole through the card for each screw in the position it came from on the card. Remove a screw, put it in it's hole in the card. That way, you know for sure that you aren't putting the wrong length screw in a hole when you refit the cover. I do that for any engine cover I remove.

I made one of those and worked well until I used it for something else and now I can find it. lol. So the last time I popped the left cover off, I picked a bolt hole and removed them in a clockwise pattern, placing each bolt beside the other. When reassembling I put them back in the reverse order. Works ok if you’re putting it back together right away. Sounds simple and obvious but usually when I take things apart I literally throw the fasteners in a container and figure out what goes where later.