LOCKDOWN REBUILDS XS 1 TX AND SPECIAL

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WINGS

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Well folks during the lockdown over here in Dear Old Blighty I have been using that time to rebuild a trio of my XS's the first of which is a 650 Special ( my first big bike after passing my test some 30 odd years ago). A TX 650
And my XS 1 . I have a couple of questions regarding this bike
1: The VIN Number is S650-001062 can anybody help with the year of manufacture is this 69 or 70.
2: I am considering using stailess steel nuts and bolts through out I am aware this may upset some purists what are your thoughts on this.
3: I am upgrading the head races to taper roller and replacing the swing arm bushes to either needle rollers or bronze bushes.
3: I will be lookig out for a few parts for this. Front mudguard with stays, Side cover emblems and chrome trim .
Cheers
Steve
 
Production date may have been in 69 but the XS1 models is classed as 1970, production date ran from Oct 69 to July 70............. near 7000 made and sold world wide...........Do you know the history of the XS1, Is it a US import??
 
Hi Wings, you are a lucky man to have such a collection of Yamaha 650s. Can you put some pictures up?

You ask for thoughts on using non-standard parts such as stainless fasteners? Well, the short answer is, your bikes, your decision.

Opinions vary but I don't think most of the people on this forum are rivet-counting purists. In my personal opinion, better to have the bikes out on the road doing what they were built for than sitting in a collection gathering dust. Of course, the rarity of the bikes is a factor to consider and it would be a crying shame to cut up an old X1 to build a bobber. You need to consider value as well - hacking an old bike about will knock a lot off its potential price but I think most people - except dyed-in-wool purists who are only looking at a bike as an investment - would take a positive view of sensible improvements such as stainless or replacing the plastic swing-arm bushes. For me, it's about being true to the bike.

On those bushes, have been reading a few posts lately and, while some people are very pleased with All Balls needle roller conversion, my feeling is that bronze bushes are more appropriate for that application. That's the way I'm going on my 1978 XS650SE and I'm going to follow 5Twins recommendation and fit an extra grease nipple below the swing arm.
 
The stainless acorn nuts available in the UK are made to a different specification. Although they will fit they are slightly higher. My opinion is the Japanese originals have a better diameter to height ratio. I have used the stainless on the valve covers but just avoid mixing them with originals because the difference is obvious. Those Allen screws holding the side covers on the engine look nice in stainless and a set cost about £16.
With the head stock bearings just make sure you grind in two slots so the bottom tapered bearings can be removed if necessary. The top bearing is easy to remove but the bottom fits flush inside so you cannot get a drift behind it to knock it out.

Have fun and post a picture.
 
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Keep the Xs1 stock...upgrades to the suspension... no problem.. but they handle like a park bench with a hinge in the middle. Early Xs1 units.. no turn signals.. gathers... dirt bike tail light.. no seat strap ... from what I've learned.. Honda tossed the gauntlet down with the 750 Four. Yamaha bean counters looked on the show room floor and... knew 2 strokes weren't the future. Yamaha pulled a design they had from a previous purchase.. with a few tweaks.. the Xs1. All Xs1's are 1970.... they where introduced in 1969 for 1970.... I think down under and the pacific rim they where Xs1F.. ( as in first )... Yamaha was in a rush to get them on the show room floor.....
As the model progress down the production line.. ( 6300 units ?, mine is S650000637 ) they dropped the gathers.. added signals... the standard round tail light.... early units had the dreaded weak con rod needle bearings that failed.... ( I know :( )....
I had a Xs1b, 1971... and discovered under the yellow.. was the Xs1 green. ( left over tanks during production ? ) Both the 1970 and 1971 units really haul'd azz... then in 1972.. ( THE best look'n model year ).. they neutered them.. why ..?
If others have more details on production..models.... corrections... please add.
 
XS1B's got a green tank as well. They had the 2 white stripes where the XS1 Green tanks only had the one stripe. 2M knows the story on these

from what i have been told is Europe and some other countries, (not Japan. Australia, US or Canada), got the XS1F when the four mentioned got the XS1B.

Factory 8.7:1Compressionon the XS1 and part way through the XS1B, They changed the pistons by shaving a 1.2mm off the piston crown to reduce the compression to 8.1:1, Claimed it was to stabilize idle, Maybe it was to try to reduce the small end problem as mentioned............Seen a few pics of the rod small end making its way out of the front of the engine
 
XS1 has a close ratio gear set with an usually tall 1st for a 4 stroke.
external fork springs.
There is some evidence the cam was changed to give more low end grunt at the expense of HP above 5K, The first units showed a 2 stroke company's thinking applied to a 4 stroke market, ie a rush of power at high RPM then buyers 'splained to Yamaha what they really wanted the XS650 to be, a classic relaxed British twin or poor mans Harley that was cheap and reliable.
 
WINGS said:
2: I am considering using stainless steel nuts and bolts through out I am aware this may upset some purists what are your thoughts on this.
3: I am upgrading the head races to taper roller and replacing the swing arm bushes to either needle rollers or bronze bushes.
Steve
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,
stainless threaded onto stainless will gall unless the threads are well lubricated.
Stainless nuts onto plated carbon-steel bolts and stainless Allen screws into aluminum castings are OK.
Tapered roller headraces are a good upgrade, as are swingarm bronze bushings.
I don't like to use needle races in partial rotation applications.
 
WINGS said:
2: I am considering using stailess steel nuts and bolts through out I am aware this may upset some purists what are your thoughts on this.
Click to expand...
My :twocents:.
If you are restoring it for a display piece OEM is the way to go. If resurrecting to ride use what you want.
I'm resurrecting a X-75 Triumph. Replacing most of the hardware with stainless. If/when I go to sell it I have all the original hardware to go with it. If he wants to put the nasty looking stuff back on he can. As long as I don't change any sizes or thread pitch I consider it no harm no foul.
 
Ihave decided to go with stainless through out on all bikes we get a lot of rain over here.I have plenty of PBC Compound (marine grade poly butyl cuprasil) and a high strngth threadlock for use on the fixings.
I had to replace the m8 thread on the footpeg mounts on the XS1 ,drilled the stud cut the thread and JB Weld an m8 bolt in place and cut it down.so much quicker and easier tha cutting the whole thing out and welding new studs in (had to do that on the Special what a huge pain in the arse .
XS1 frame also needed a split in the botton tube grinding out an welding,. Both frames and swing arms paint strippered and sand blasted 2K primer 3 coats, 3 coats 2K jet black direct gloss . All the other parts have blased primed and topcoat so many parts so many boxes. Now to sort out everything for rechroming have been running them through the blasting cabinet ready to send off. Waiting on some wire and some silver grey sleaving so I can make up a new harness.
The Special is ready to put back together I have opted to minimise the chrome ( most of which would need a rechrome anyway) on the bike and painted everything black. Nes wiring harnes made up one for the yamaha electronic system the other for a points system I used 2 colours red and black and numbered each wire I wont be selling this one so have no issues with this
Next job is to sand blast the TX frame, its already been paint stippered prime and topcoat I also have 80% of an XS2 so will strip blast and paint this frame at the same time.
XS1 and Special engines have been ultrasonic cleaned bores honed new rings, seals, gaskets. XS1 has had the bottem end assembled and is undergoing new studs for the tappet covers and exhaus. Next step is polishing the covers and final assembly.
The Special's
origiinal engine is ready for new studs port clean up clutch mod etc then assembly with new seals,gaskets and rings. I have rebuilt a spare engine for the Special and that is ready to go in this has an oil cooler fitted and I am going to go with a hydraulic clutch (GPZ conversion).
Then when these are done I'l have to make a start on a 1959 Matchless G12 I'm only the second owner the previous owner was my dad. Going to have to get my head around all this imperial stuff for this one.
 
650Skull said:
XS1B's got a green tank as well. They had the 2 white stripes where the XS1 Green tanks only had the one stripe. 2M knows the story on these

from what i have been told is Europe and some other countries, (not Japan. Australia, US or Canada), got the XS1F when the four mentioned got the XS1B.

Factory 8.7:1Compressionon the XS1 and part way through the XS1B, They changed the pistons by shaving a 1.2mm off the piston crown to reduce the compression to 8.1:1, Claimed it was to stabilize idle, Maybe it was to try to reduce the small end problem as mentioned............Seen a few pics of the rod small end making its way out of the front of the engine
Click to expand...

Actually Australia and Europe got the XS1F.
I have an Australian delivered XS1F.

XS1B is the American model with the round taillight etc.
 
NZ had the XS1B and mine was the candy orange version with white stripes. I cannot remember if it had 1 or 2 strips. Unfortunately my photos of it got lost between NZ and the UK.
 
WINGS said:
- - - when these are done I'll have to make a start on a 1959 Matchless G12 I'm only the second owner the previous owner was my dad. Going to have to get my head around all this imperial stuff for this one.
Click to expand...

Hi wings,
be aware that a '59 Britbike won't necessarily have BSF or BSW threads, they'll likely be British Cycle threads. Look 'em up in Machinery's Handbook.
 
fredintoon said:
Hi Steve,
stainless threaded onto stainless will gall unless the threads are well lubricated.
Stainless nuts onto plated carbon-steel bolts and stainless Allen screws into aluminum castings are OK.
Tapered roller headraces are a good upgrade, as are swingarm bronze bushings.
I don't like to use needle races in partial rotation applications.
Click to expand...
I agree with using the bushings on the swingarm. Harley sporsters used timken bearings in the swingarm and I've pulled the shocks off and had the swingarm stay right where it was due to the flat spots in the race.
 
fredintoon said:
Hi wings,
be aware that a '59 Britbike won't necessarily have BSF or BSW threads, they'll likely be British Cycle threads. Look 'em up in Machinery's Handbook.
Click to expand...

If your Matchless in anything like the Triumph I rebuilt, or the X75 GLJ is building, there will be quite a selection of threads. Triumph regularly changed parts - continuous product improvement. So the thread used often changed between years, but sometimes the part number stayed the same. Or for variety, they might change a part number although the part itself was the same. Doh!
 
Hi Wings

I am also in Blighty (Midlands), restoring a XS1B. the whole bike is stripped to component level including the engine. I have to go 2nd oversize on the cylinders. I have received 2nd oversized pistons kit (256) from Mikes XS today. They didnt send the piston rings. I hope they get them out ASAP bloody frustrating especially as I have already paid the import duty. I am rambling!! Any way nice to know there is a fan not too far from me.
 

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