The alloy mounts were in a box of parts from a PO so I don't know their provenance. They look beefy and well made, and fit really well, so they are probably NLA.
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What have you done to your XS today?
- Thread starter I am Carbon
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The alloy mounts were in a box of parts from a PO so I don't know their provenance. They look beefy and well made, and fit really well, so they are probably NLA.
@XSTime , those alloy headlight ears look like replicas of Ceriani items. I think if you search for Ceriani headlight mounts you should find some very similar if not identical to those above.
So I did that search, loads of results, including: https://www.classicbritishspares.com/products/universal-headlight-brackets-emgo
Nice! I hadn’t thought about British bike specialty shops. As long as you’re not looking for factory parts, there are probably a lot of things that would fit on Yamaha’s too.
Copy and paste this to Amazon........
Billet Aluminum Headlight Fork Mounting Brackets Compatible with 35mm 39mm 41mm，Black Universal Motorcycle Headlight Fork Mounting Brackets.
Yours actually clamp. You probably just should have sent those to me lol
Thanks for that! Lots of good stuff to be found there.
A couple of weeks of no XS650 work here. Still mulling over which electronic ignition system to go for when I start work on the bike again next week. None of the available systems are without their detractors, no universally accepted best system. It seems to me anyway.
I would like to try the Tri-Spark system, it looks very well built and the manufacturer answer emails promptly. But the UK reseller doesn't seem interested in selling to me. Buying directly from Australia though not a problem, makes it too expensive after shipping, UK tax etc....
So it's looking like probably I'll buy the Boyer Bransden system despite a couple of people I usually listen to telling me not to buy one. I will finally decide and place an order over the weekend for delivery next week. Looks like eBay is the best price/delivery to me.
I would like to try the Tri-Spark system, it looks very well built and the manufacturer answer emails promptly. But the UK reseller doesn't seem interested in selling to me. Buying directly from Australia though not a problem, makes it too expensive after shipping, UK tax etc....
So it's looking like probably I'll buy the Boyer Bransden system despite a couple of people I usually listen to telling me not to buy one. I will finally decide and place an order over the weekend for delivery next week. Looks like eBay is the best price/delivery to me.
did you look into Sachse? https://www.xs650.com/threads/sachse-ignition.65694/
I did, yes. More than 2x the cost of the Boyer Bransden plus UK tax.
Allison was complaining about old paint's fork action. Swapping back and forth with a 2009 Honda will tend to highlight 40 year old suspension shortfalls.
Got the TX buttoned up enough to move it off the lift. Paint's front tire pressure was, cough, way low. Bumped that, rode it, then dropped the spring preload from the highest setting to the lowest. Bike has progressive brand rear shocks with springs set to least preload. Seemed better to me, a nearby town road is a great suspension test track
. Long as it was on the lift, it got a once over and bit of spit n polish, love them wheels, might steal em from her 
.
Changing the headlight, what's on there was more about style than illumination. Found an H4 reflector and a seriously bright LED bulb, now just need to stuff everything in the bucket, know what i mean?
Got the TX buttoned up enough to move it off the lift. Paint's front tire pressure was, cough, way low. Bumped that, rode it, then dropped the spring preload from the highest setting to the lowest. Bike has progressive brand rear shocks with springs set to least preload. Seemed better to me, a nearby town road is a great suspension test track
. Long as it was on the lift, it got a once over and bit of spit n polish, love them wheels, might steal em from her .Changing the headlight, what's on there was more about style than illumination. Found an H4 reflector and a seriously bright LED bulb, now just need to stuff everything in the bucket, know what i mean?
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Which LED bulb?
Allison was complaining about old paint's fork action. Swapping back and forth with a 2009 Honda will tend to highlight 40 year old suspension shortfalls.
Got the TX buttoned up enough to move it off the lift. Paint's front tire pressure was, cough, way low. Bumped that, rode it, then dropped the spring preload from the highest setting to the lowest. Bike has progressive brand rear shocks with springs set to least preload. Seemed better to me, a nearby town road is a great suspension test track
Changing the headlight, what's on there was more about style than illumination. Found an H4 reflector and a seriously bright LED bulb, now just need to stuff everything in the bucket, know what i mean?
View attachment 330732
It's a Bro-view, this model is NLA, newer models don't take up as much room in the bucket but these are some serious light cannons. The low beam has a strong cut off so it doesn't maim on coming drivers once aimed properly, but also a wide spread.
Low beam
High Beam
very nice. I had a buddy try Philips Ultinon Classic H4s in his vintage Porsche. They look and work very well. When I am done tuning with my 700cc build, I am going to do a headlight bake-off in my garage.
here are the Philips bulbs and come in warm-white color and are a direct fit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Ultinon-headlight-brightness-Easy-fit/dp/B0CZ16YS8Y
here is my friend's car with them:
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Autoroute Special Incremental Progress
Bar switches, throttle cable, clutch cable and lever left side cover, shifter, footpegs, some connections in headlight, time to sort out some braking.
(tank, seat, side covers simply resting in place)
Boyer Bransden ignition system ordered, should get here early next week. I'll take a look for threads about installation now.
So, I've read the threads here and watched a couple of YouTube videos. One of which is incorrect because the video says to time the Boyer Bransden system at the retarded position.
I note with interest the general concensus is to set the ignition a little retarded. I'll take that on board and see how it goes.
My impression from what I've seen/read is that the magnetic pick ups plate is flimsy and the spacer posts are half arsed. The terminals need crimping on the HT leads. So I'll have to find someone who has the correct crimping kit as that connection is critical to the sparks quality. It seems I'll have to fabricate a bracket to mount the new ignition coil to the bike. I hope I have something here that I can use.
Reserving judgment for now. With the use of 8mm all thread and the magnet rotor held on just by Loctite, with apparently terrible instructions supplied, it all seems very half arsed. Especially for something that's been in production since the 1970's.
I'll have to see if I'm more impressed when the stuff gets here. Meantime I'll pull the old coils etc... off the bike in preparation.
I gave up on the boyer and got the Tri-spark instead and it's great , though they weren't available when I got the Boyer.
I don't blame you. The Tri Spark looks like very good kit. Issue for me is the UK reseller doesn't seem interested in supplying one. I could buy directly from Australia but the final cost here is extortionate. For now, see how I go when the BB kit gets here.
Not today (I just barely woke up) but yesterday, I finally finished all frame clean-up and minor modifications. Painted it and then I fitted a new seat with the proper hardware (hinges and lock). Which required extra effort because the new seat is narrower. But it makes the bike look slimmer.
I think I might take today off but next steps will be a little more electrical work (crimp new connectors) and exhaust fixing. Then she will be just a few more steps away from finished.
I think I might take today off but next steps will be a little more electrical work (crimp new connectors) and exhaust fixing. Then she will be just a few more steps away from finished.
