Much of the information here is US based but is still relevant for most Australian models.
This information was gleaned from posts to the YAM650 mailing list [listproc@micapeak.com]. Not all of the info presented here is attributed to its original authors.
Table of Contents
YAM650 List Archives
Web-based archives address
Archives search and retrieve instructions
Online Manual
Parts Sources
Engine Builders
Misc. Accessories
Condensers
Fork Seals
Optional Forks
Bleeding Brakes
Oil
75 Petcocks
Replacement Engine Studs
Round Slide Mikuni Carb Installation Photos
Scott-oiler
Pilot Screws
Cleaning Carbs
Pilot Jets
Carburettor Synchronization
Header Discoloration
Gaskets
Rear Wheel and Rear Brakes
Batteries
Compression Testing
Stem Bearing Replacement
Cam Chain Guide
Cam Chain Adjustment
Cam Timing Tricks
Carb Removal
Bead Blasting Cabinet
Torque Specifications
Painting Instructions
On Electrics: lots of good basics in this piece
Brushes
Check Charging
Rotor Testing
Rotor Failure on the Road
$20 Rectifier
LCD Voltmeter
Converting to points
Tkat's Fork Braces
Adjusting steering head bearings
Setting float height
Engine Rebuilding Tips and Info
Adjusting the Clutch
Timing Light Operation
The Cigarette Paper Timing Trick
Bead Blasting Jugs and Heads
Polishing Aluminium
Intermittent Running
YAM650 List
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Model ID Chart
http://www.650motorcycles.com/XS650yearID.html
Online Manual
http://www.650choppers.com/manuals.html
Parts Sources
Speed
& Sport. They have a lot of parts especially body parts.
www.yamatopdog.com
Mike Lalonde's excellent online parts source.
http://www.mikesxs.com/
Uncle Johnny's online 650 resource for parts and accessories.
http://650central.com/
XS650parts
http://www.xs650parts.com
Sprocket Specialists
30T aluminium US$52
http://www.sprocketspecialists.com
Engine Builders
Woody
Grinstead of Action Cycles in Tacoma, WA did the 700cc kit
for me. He doesn't have a web site but is available by phone and
has a price sheet for his various engine upgrades from the basic
700cc upgrade to a hot racing set-up with polished heads, lumpy
cams, etc. Call him, he's a great guy: (253) 474-7770
Misc.
Accessories
`If
you're looking for leather accessories, you might want to take a
look at Jamin Leather. They're at http://www.jaminleather.com Big online catalogue with some of
the best prices I've found.
Here's a Harley parts house, but they have helmets, apparel,
tools, etc.: http://superiormotorcycles.com/
Here's Brough's Books, a web-based compendium of book titles with
cover photos, linked to amazon.com for sales transactions: http://www.dropbears.com/b/broughsbooks/autos/motorcycle_books.htm
If you're a gearhead and dig things like motorcycle chassis
design, you might find Tony Foale Designs' website interesting: http://www.tonyfoale.com/
Condensers
in
technical terms, "condensers is condensers", just a big
capacitor. First remove both of the old condensers from the
bracket (yes, the condensers "can" be separated from
the bracket even though at first glance it all looks like one
piece). Then just go into the store with the empty condenser bracket in your pocket and say, " I want two
condensers for
a 1968 Ford Mustang with a 289CI engine. Whatever the guy says at
that point, including, we don't have that part, just pull out the condenser holder from you pocket and say, "OK, then, gimme
anything that'll fit into this holder. The guy behind the counter
will immediately deem you certifiable, but you'll get out of the
store just a couple bucks poorer and with two perfectly good,
cheap condensers that will fit the bill perfectly.
Have a nice day.
Bill Denton
(In Australia the XT Falcon had the same 289ci. engine as the
Mustang)
Fork Seals
Before
you tear the forks apart (which you may have to do anyway), try
changing the oil. Along with that, clean the upper stanchion
tubes really well and pop the dust covers off the sliders and
clean in there. Also, get some heavy duty silicone spray and hose
down the tops of the seals (it does a pretty good job making the
dust boots look better, too). You might get lucky (like I did)
and stop minor weeping that way.
Good luck,
Chip
--- more ---
Fork seals are a
little bit of a pain, but not real hard to change. My suggestion
would be to ride it as is until the end of the season, then do a
total front end job by
1. Install tapered needle roller bearings
2. Progressive fork springs (brand name, not some exotic spring
type)
3. New seals
4. Fresh fork oil (your gonna have to after the above anyhoo).
5. Bronze swing arm bushings.
For now, just plug a grease gun onto the zirk fitting on the
right side end of the swing arm bolt (above and rearward the foot
brake arm pivot) and pump away until you see spooge oozing from
the grease seals on the inside of the frame at the swing arm. Take
off the fork caps, remove the springs and washers on top of them,
compress the front end all the way down and fill to 6" from
the top of the fork tube with, say 10 wt fork oil. Extend the
fork legs, replace the springs, washers and caps, and if the leak/s
aren't bad, you should be good until seasons end. You will find
much help and experience here in doing the above mods when your
ready. You will also be amazed at how little your front end
wobbles/wiggles or misbehaves after doing the above.
Rodman
--- more ---
I did my own fork
seals as well. The two hardest parts were getting the top to separate from the bottom and getting the cap off so that I could
fill it later.
Getting the upper to separate from the lower is easy once you
figure it all out. There is an allen bolt on the very bottom. The
problem is that when you turn it, the nut on the inside moves as
well. All I did was shove a big screw driver in and hold it in
place with another small section of pipe. It was enough to hold
the nut and such.
Getting the cap off was not a problem when I realized what was
going on. The cap screws in 3+ inches at the top. Any pressure on
the top 4+ inches of the pipe holds that cap tight. In other
words, if you have a good hold on the top of the fork, the cap
will not come off because you are holding it in place defeating
yourself. What I ended up doing was putting the forks back on the
bike, but pushing them two to three inches above normal, and
tightening the bottom fastener. Then they turned off easy. The
rest of it is real simple. There is a ring holding the washer on
top of the seal that holds it all in place. Remove the ring and
use a screw driver to pop out the rest. Get a pipe or a socket
large enough to cover the seal, small enough to fit inside the
fork and use it to pound the seal into place. Connect the upper
and lower again. Add the amount of oil required by the manual,
and ride on.
Josh
--- more ---
It is acceptable to
simply drain the old oil, maybe rinse the inside with parts
cleaner, let dry and refill with new oil? will parts cleaner
sufficiently clean the internals without disassemble? You
shouldn't use anything more aggressive than kerosene, diesel
fuel, or good old hardware store paint thinner. None of those
solvents will damage the non-metal parts in the forks and any
slight residual will be compatible with fork oil.
Changing
Fork Seals
Once
you have the fork in your hand, take off cap and remove the
spring. I don't think you have to remove the damper rod for this
trick.
-fill fork tube completely with motor oil, replace cap.
- fix the bottom of the fork to something to hold it in place so
it stands nearly vertical. do it near the garage wall
-take a long board to use as a lever to force the fork tube
down into the slider. maybe drill a large but shallow hole near
the end to go over the top of the fork tube. fix the other end to
the wall
- when you push down on the lever, the oil hydraulically forces
the old seal up and out of the tube. probably good to have a
helper steady it.
-slide it all the way off, put the new one on then put the old
one on top.
-use the old seal as a drift to seat the new one, then toss it.
-dump the oil, and refill it with the appropriate amount of 10wt
or whatever. replace spring and so forth.
Optional
Forks
I
think the FZ600 has the same steering stem as an XS650. So you
might get from a junkyard a complete front fork, brakes and 17"
wheels. My local guy says he has a set for me for $250.
--- more ---
Jay Fleming wrote:
> Bob S., you seem to be the expert on xs750 forks on 650's,
so let me ask you a question. Does the xs750 triple-tree and fork
set-up have the same spread and axle diameter as the xs650's (that
is, will my 650's wheel and axle bolt right in?)? I'm
aware that the brake discs might be a different diameter, but am
hoping to keep my costs to a minimum. I saw Frank Geers copy of
your post about swapping the centre post of the two triple trees,
and think that's something a buddy of mine can accomplish.
Jay, the first year XS triples use a 35mm fork like the 650.
subsequent years use a 36mm fork. While I don't know whether the
actual fork centres are the same, I *can* tell you that the XS
650 and the XS triple front wheels will interchange. That's a 650
wire wheel on the front of my bobber that has the XS 850 fork and
it bolted right in. As you suspect, the XS triple disk are
smaller than the XS 650, so if you fit the XS 650 wheel to an XS
triple fork you have to use the smaller disk. Conversely, the XS
triple wheel in an XS650 fork would use the larger disk. Putting
the XS triple stem in the XS650 tree is no big deal. Grind the
welds off the bottom of the trees and press out the stems. Press
the XS650 stem into the XS triple yoke and weld with 7018. Oops,
one more thing --- when you press the XS 650 stem into the XS
triple yoke, don't press it in all the way to the bearing seat on
the stem. Leave a gap of about 1/16". If you don't, the
bottom of the neck will contact the top surface of the yoke
before you get preload on the stem bearings. Also, assemble the
fork (not on the bike) before you weld it. Slide the tubes into
the bottom tree, install the top yoke, and tighten all pinch
bolts. This will keep the post from drawing out of alignment
during the welding process.
Bob Scogin Slidell,
LA USA
What, pray tell, is the first year for the xs750 (i.e.: the one
with the 35mm fork)?
The XS 750 /850 "standards" used a centre axle fork.
The Specials used a leading axle if I remember correctly. I think
the only reason this was done is that Yamaha thought the fork
tubes extending below the axle gave the illusion of a longer
front end, that most desirable characteristics of all chopper
features. They sure had me fooled!! <G> BTW, there's no
problem using the leading axle front fork on other bikes as long
as you use the
complete assembly and don't try to fit the leading axle legs into centre axle trees. The leading axle forks have a triple tree
offset designed to accommodate the leading axle, thus keeping the
trail within conventional design limits.
Bob Scogin Slidell,
LA USA
> So, Bob, that means that the xs750 special front end
wouldn't work well on an xs650 because the longer centre bolt
would cause the geometry to change (and maybe bind the fork legs
in the triple tree clamps). Correct? Darn, I was going to use
that 'optical illusion' to add to my project bike's cruiser looks
(even though it wouldn't have fooled you! ;^)). Jay Fleming
Look's like I got some 'splainin' to do! :-) The fork *will* work
from a geometry perspective. If it's longer than the XS650 it
will increase the *effective* rake by virtue of the fact that it
will raise the front of the bike higher. Not sure what you mean
about a "longer centre bolt" or "bind the fork
legs in the triple tree clamps". Are you referring to trying
to use the XS750 legs in the XS650 triple tree? If so, that's a
no-no for reasons of incompatible geometry as we'd previously
discussed. Now that I've said that they *will* work, remember
that you still have to deal with the stem swap issue. I've never
done that on the "Special" triple fork so can't comment
on if the stem hole in that tree is the same as the XS650 and
"standard" triple.
Bob Scogin Slidell,
La. USA
Bleeding
Brakes
I
hear a lot of people talking about having problems bleeding the
front calliper. I offer this advice. After bleeding the MC, and
once you get some fluid out of the calliper. You will not get
pressure till the pads move out to make contact with the .This
will take lots of pumping of the lever. Pump it fast, pump it
slow, pump a while and then let it set a while. Look at the rotor
and see if the pads are contacting the rotor. Once you see the
contact start bleeding again. This May Take a Long Time! Keep the
MC full of fluid. We did the front brakes on Kent Whites bike a
Mid Ohio. Started on Thursday night. Did not get a good lever
till late Saturday.
Mike Davis 75XS650B
--- more ---
Try this (if you
haven't already). Take the calliper off, leaving the hose
connected. Pump the lever and see if you can feel the calliper piston moving at all. Even with air in the lines, you should feel
it move some. If it does, the piston should move out from the calliper and stay out a little bit more with each pump. If
possible, pump it out a little bit, making sure not to pop it out
al the way. Place a c-clamp over the calliper with one of the ends
up against the edge of the piston, then close the clamp and
squeeze the piston back into the calliper. Leave the cover off of
the master cylinder while you do this and see if you find air
bubbles coming up through the fluid. If you do get air, take the
clamp off and repeat once or twice more. You should find that the
piston pumps out more rapidly each time, so be careful. Make sure
that the bleeder screw is tight and not leaking before doing any
of this. If this works, reinstall the calliper and see if you get
a "solid" lever while pumping. If things are better, go
ahead and bleed it off normally to check for any remaining air.
Hope this helps,
Mark Peffer
--- more ---
I finally received
my new stainless braided lines from Russell (now Edlebrock) after
six weeks of waiting. Though not a perfect match to the
originals, they were close, and installed without much trouble.
Following the hints and tips on this list, I first primed the
master cylinder by holding a finger over the opening. Next, I
used a syringe attached to about three feet of plastic tubing and
filled the calliper and brake lines with fluid. I
elevated the syringe above the MC to keep the upper banjo
connection just leaking fluid while I made the connection.
Instant brakes!! Bled it twice - no more bubbles!
Thanks again, guys, and happy ridin'!
Keever
Oil
I
use Golden Spectro 20-50, but there are other known options;
Use a semi-synth blended oil for heat protection, such as Mobil
TriSynthetic Blend 15W-50. In Australia Mobil 4T (20-50) or Shell
SX4 (15-50) (recommended by Yamaha)
2500cc capacity (XS1 3000cc capacity)
75 Petcocks
Whatever
you have to do to get them off, try to preserve them. There is a
popular fix for the "Special" smaller tanks that
involves making an adapter plate and screwing in a $15
aftermarket Harley petcock, or a $90 Pingle (beautiful) but I
find that they will interfere with the carb tops on the 75 tank
because of the bottom contour. I suppose you could jack up the
rear of the tank someway and maybe overcome that. If you reuse
the stockers, (I do) get some new panhead screws, the little
asbestos washers, new wheezer valves (the four holed rubber
gizmos), and new O-rings for the bottom of the petcocks. The
little flat paper washers are most likely OK. Take the little
twisty handle thing and polish up the flat side with some 800
grit or so to give it a tune up. Twist up some sand paper and
radius the ends of the smiley face passage on the flat side so
that it won't chew up your new/old rubbers. Know that the "new"
rubbers may be 25 years old in the package if you get them from
Yammy. Give them a flex when you pick them up. I have had some
that didn't last 6 mos. and others lasted years. Rebend the
spring washers for extra tension and reassemble incorrectly first
so that the handles point the wrong way, then correctly.
Sometimes, I put them together and they leak. I take them apart
and reassemble and they stop leaking. That's all I know, over and
out : )
Ken Texarkana, TX
--- more ---
More expensive, but
containing all new parts, except for the screws, is Mike Lalonde
#20-0014: $15.00/kit Petcock Rebuild Kit - Fits: TX650/A 73-74,
XS650B/C/D 75-77
Contains - 1pc. 137-24523- Valve rubber, 1pc. 132-24518-00 Wave
Washer, 1pc. 256-24512-00 Tap to Tank O-Ring, 2 pc. 90202-05187
Tank bolt fibre Washer , 1pc. 256-24522 Rear cover Gasket ( 3
Screw )<
I just got two of these because the little rubber thingies with
the four holes was brittle and would not seal. My XS650D petcocks
no longer leak.
I ordered on a Friday and got the kits in the mail on Monday.
Good service. See page 5 of the Mike's website. http://www.mikesxs.com/
Pete Schinkel
XS650D
--- more ---
Mark, carefully
remove the bolt heads with a 1/4" drill bit, the ruined cross point hole will make a super centre mark. The bolt stubs
should be long enough to turn with a visegrip when the tap is out
of the way. Kits are available to rebuild the stock taps or you
can get adapter plates to fit aftermarket taps. Be careful of
warping the tank sealing surface if you decide to get medieval on
the original taps. The only seal is the stretched out O-ring
pressed against the tank's sheet metal, whatever you install.
Fred Hill, S'toon.
Replacement
Engine Studs
We
used to use drill rod in all sorts of diameters, take the heat-treatment
off of it, machine it, then re-heat treat it. Very tough stuff.
Put 10mm x 1mm threads on each end, cut a groove in one end for a
big screw driver, and use them as engine studs. Now the motor as
a unit is strong enough to use as a frame stressed member, and
you can get the heads and cylinders off without taking the whole
motor out of the frame.
Gary Makinson
--- more ---
Drill rod is a
"tool steel". A high carbon steel that is usually sold
in a fairly annealed condition then hardened after machining.
There are several different types of it, I think the most common
is a water hardenable variety AISI SAE W1, it's probably called
something else on your side of the pond. HSS is another variety
of tool steel that has higher temperature resistance and higher
abrasion resistance than common drill rod. That's why it's used
for cutting tools on machine tools.
There is nothing wrong with using the engine as a stressed member
of the frame as long as you do it right. Take a look at the cross
sectional area of a frame tube then take a look at the cross
sectional area of the load path through the engine. It the
mounting points on the engine are adequate to get the loads
distributed into the engine, it's not a problem. But that's a big
if.
Dick Brewster
--- more ---
European English HSS
= High Speed Steel; in North America HSS = Hollow Structural
Section. Drill Rod is a heat treatable alloy steel that is
readily machineable in it's as purchased annealed state. I agree
with you about home-made studs. A proprietary stud has a rolled
thread and is probably SAE Grade 5 (~ Class 8.8) steel, which is
a better thing than a cut thread on a heat treated alloy steel
rod.
Fred Hill, S'toon.
Round Slide
Mikuni Carb Installation Photos
http://www.650motorcycles.com/VM36XS.html
Scott-oiler
Mike,
http://www.actionstation.com/oiler.html If you
ride a lot of miles with a chain driven bike, they are the best
things since sliced bread.
Dick
Pilot Screws
Think
of it as adjusting the fuel flow*, not the air flow.
Look into the throat of the carb from the engine side. You will
see a small hole and a rather large hole just in front of the
throttle butterfly valve. Open the idle mixture screw to bring
fuel through the small hole (the choke brings fuel through the
large hole). Therefore, backing out the screw (AKA pilot screw)
admits more fuel to enter the carb throat just downstream of the
throttle butterfly valve. This fuel is what keeps the bike
running at idle (tick over for you Continentals & UK-ers).
Also, just behind the butterfly valve are two more very small
staggered holes. You should not be able to see them when the
throttle valve is full closed, but as you open the butterfly, you
will see one, then the other, come into view. These are the holes
that allow more fuel to flow into the carb as you progress from
idle to 1/8 throttle. The (maximum) flow through these holes is
regulated by the size of the pilot jet.
Except for the choke (fuel enrichment circuit), all metering
orifices actually admit an air/fuel mixture (or emulsion) into
the carburettor. Ever notice the little holes in the tube wall of
the pilot jet and in the (emulsion) tube that the main jet screws
into? These holes allow air from the air jets to mix with the
fuel coming up through the fuel jets, and Viola!! you have an
emulsion! Therefore, adjustments made to any circuit in the carburettor downstream of an emulsion point varies both the air
and the fuel volumes being admitted. However, the air volume in
the emulsion is insignificant with respect to the total amount of
air being admitted into the engine to ultimately create a
combustible air-fuel ratio. So, for the sake of simplification,
we refer to the pilot screws and fuel metering jets as devices
that adjust fuel volumes only.
Bill Denton
Yardley, PA
YAM650 Listowner
Int'l 650 Soc. Member #4488
Cleaning
Carbs
Before
pulling the carbs again, try some "Techron" fuel
treatment. Add about 1/2 bottle per tank full. Stuff does a
wonderful job of cleaning the carbs, petcocks and complete fuel
system. You can find it at Chevron, Kmart, Wallmart, & some
auto parts stores. It really does work. I run it in about every 5
tanks. Remember to run your petcocks in the reserve position for
about 30 miles so as to clean this rarely used circuit.
Mike Davis 75XS650B
--- more ---
Ford's Engine
Shampoo Part #CXC-22 is available from your local Ford dealer.
You can soak whole carbs in it, then rinse with hot water and dry
with compressed air.
--- more ---
Pilot Jets: If you
have had the pilot jets out for cleaning before you can most
likely leave the carbs on the bike and drop the bowls to get at
them. But if you have not had them out
recently or really cranked them in there you should take the
carbs off so as to get a better/firmer grip on them with a
screwdriver that fits the slots, ( very important ) if you try
just any old sloppy fitting screwdriver you can be assured you
will break the slots in the pilot jets and then be using an easy
out on them. I actually made a screwdriver that fits them, and
another screwdriver bit for my impact wrench for the bad ones you
may need to soak them in penetrating oil and carb cleaner for a
day or so to loosen them up. Once out just look through those
pilot jets to see a little light through them, if you don't see a
little pin hole of light they are dirty. A twist tie from the
garbage with the paper skimmed off with your thumb nail cleans
them just fine. Blow through them in both directions a couple of
times to make sure they stay open, clean again as necessary.
Done [Don Sunday]
You mentioned that you replaced the needles. If your carbs are
still apart, and if you haven't already done so, you should pull
the seats out as well. They have a fine mesh screen that, if
gunked up, will restrict or block flow. Pulling the seats out
without scarring them up can be tricky. They're held in place by
o-rings. Try spraying WD-40 or dripping a bit of machine oil
between the seats and the carb housing. Then, using a set of
needle-nosed pliers and a bit of rubber from a bicycle inner tube
to protect the brass seat housings, you should be able to pull
them out. I've done this a couple of times so far.
next
Carb Cleaning Article
A keeper. Great reference, good photos, pretty well written. If
you have never stripped a carb for a thorough cleaning, this
article will familiarize you with most of the major systems on a
modern CV carb. Some small differences between these (from a
Honda V4) and the XS650 stockers, but not much. Study it, so when
you take the plunge and strip one down, it will seem more
familiar to you.
http://www.enteract.com/~kochc/moto/carb/carb.html
Bill Denton
Yardley, PA
YAM650 Listowner
Int'l 650 Soc. Member #4488
Pilot Jets
If
you drill a 1/16 " hole in the plug about 1/8 " deep
and then find a screw that will thread itself into the plug, work
it till it's tight.
Then take the screw out, this will be used later to remove the
plug !
What you have done is make threads in the plug that the screw can
be screwed into later.
Now with a small punch tap the plug down, you will see it move in
about 1/8 " , use a 3/8 " drill with your fingers (
don't want to remove to much ) to take the lip off the carbs
housing around the plug hole. I've seen carbs that the housing
was cracked from prying it out without doing this. Once the
housing is opened up at the end put the screw back in the plug
and with a pliers or some such instrument pull it out, there by
exposing the idle mixture set screw. It should be a cake walk
form here but I've had a couple idle screws that were frozen into
the carbs, let us know. Get a screwdriver that has an identifying
mark on it, I just use a magic marker, and count the turns to
bottom the mixture screw, should be about 1 1/2 turns from the
factory. I've seen some that were not, anyway turn it out from
bottom 3 turns this should give you quicker warm ups and make you
a happier XS650 owner ! The jets should be good if you can remove
them without damage, and clean them without same !
Done };~)
Carburettor Synchronization
Take
the air filters off. Then get two ice lolly sticks (first eat the
ice lollies ;-) . Twist the throttle open slightly (oh I just
thought, DO NOT start the engine ;-( ), put the end of the sticks
under the bottom of the butterfly, one for each carb. Then slowly
twist the twist grip to slowly open the butterflies. The sticks
should slowly angle down as the butterflies open. Any mismatch in
the opening of the butterflies becomes plainly evident at this
point. Adjust the carbs' balance screw until the lolly sticks
come down at the same angle at the same rate.
I've done a similar thing using the bike's mirror (obviously
unscrewed from the handlebars first duh). You can watch the
butterflies open by angling the mirror. This is a bit more
awkward but just as effective.
You'll probably have to readjust your tick over when you're
finished (do you call it tick over in the USA? Or is it idle rate
or something?) This will definitely get you by until your new
fancy carb-sticks arrive. I've been getting by with this
technique for thirty years.
Cheers
Bob Ellis
Header
Discoloration
The
side with the golden colour is running lean/hot, blue is rich,
yellow lean.
Check that carb out and the intake manifold too !
Done };~)
Gaskets
For
any replacement gasket what I do is:- Make both surfaces squeaky
clean, use a scraper then solvent. Smear a thin layer of any
reputable gasket cement over one joint surface (usually the
smaller of the two parts; in your case the sump plate, not the
crankcase opening) and stick the gasket to it. Lightly grease the
other joint surface. Reassemble. This allows easy removal (sometimes
inner parts are omitted and have to be retrofitted) and, if
you're careful the original gasket can be re-used.
Fred Hill, S'toon.
Rear Wheel
and Rear Brakes
Remove
rear wheel. Sand shoes and drum on the opposite diagonals, MOL,
with medium-ish sandpaper. While you're in there, take apart the
whole primitive actuating mechanism, de-spooge, and lube carefully
(and sparingly) with something thick that's not going to migrate,
being REAL careful not to get any on the shoes/drum (duh).
Reassemble, with brake arm just slightly aft of perpendicular
when adjusted for 1/2-inch pedal free-play. On first few rides,
apply carefully, because you won't believe the difference!
There's absolutely no trick to it; just look over the assy.
carefully before you begin---makes a few notes/dwgs. as to where
and how the spacer(s) go on either side of the wheel, the axle,
washers (if any), and nut.
W/ bike on centre stand block up r. wheel w/ a couple scraps of 2x4,
just so it's snug (you needn't take much weight off). Remove the
nut w/ a big wrench; disconnect the brake torque arm (the thing
that bolts to the swing arm--your wheel's drum-brake, right?) and
the actuating arm (you can do this one by hand. probably). Drive
the axle out with a soft mallet, a block of wood, your boot heel,
or something; now you can roll/slide the wheel back-and-sideways
out from the swing arm. Various spacers may fall out, but you
already noted them and their arrangement, right?
The brake-plate will fall out of the wheel when you turn it over
on that side; that's OK, it's supposed to; nothing else (wheel
bearing, springs, etc.) should fall out; if anything else does,
something's amiss. Now you can examine/disassemble/service the
drum brake to your heart's content. Reassembly is, as the books
say, the reverse; you'll want to torque the axle nut to the
correct spec---around 70 f/p IIRC---which if you don't have a
torque wrench is a good, hefty, most-of-your-weight gronk on a 12-inch
breaker-bar, and you MUST put a new/intact cotter pin/equiv. thru
the axle/nut constellations---your life depends on it.
BTW, if you clean the hub/wheel up really well now, and keep the
exterior clean w/ a wipe-down every few rides, you'll never have
to deal w/ a truly gross wheel again---y'all shoulda seen mine,
first time!
Danny Kumin
The actuating arm on the brake has the threaded rod going through
it. Screw the adjuster in until the shoes just make contact (spinning
the wheel will let you feel it happen) then back it off a turn or
until the wheel spins free. Now if the arm is pointing forward (or
more then 90° relative to the rod), unscrew the adjuster a bit,
pull it rearward and unhook it from the arm. Remove the bolt
holding the actuator arm to the shaft. Since you noted how much
too far forward the shaft was pointing, pull it off and re-install
it that much rearward. Reconnect the arm and adjust again. You
want the brake to make contact at 90° to the rod (or a little
before so when your on the brake it's moving through 90°).
Anyway, that's how I remember doing it. Of course, a lot of brain
cells have passed away since then.
Rod Gingrich
Batteries
You
can test the battery voltage with a multimeter and the battery
loaded. Place the red meter lead on the positive terminal and the
black on the negative battery terminal. The meter should be set
to read DC volts. A normal reading should be between 12 - 13.5
volts. To test it under load hit the starter button and watch
what happens to the voltage. If the voltage drops drastically the
battery is fried.
Dan Fancey
--- more ---
To not fry a small
battery with a big charger, run a headlamp bulb in series with
the hook-up to limit the current flow.
Fred Hill, S'toon.
--- more ---
As for battery life,
the secret [for me at least] is leaving the batteries on
maintenance charge (0.3 amps) on a regular bench top charger full
time- 24 hours a day/7days a week. I currently have 2 XS650
batteries (1 good and 1 spec'd a little to weak) , 1 XJ650
battery and a spare Dodge Neon auto battery wired in series on
the charger. I always follow the first charging instructions
about charging a new battery for a certain amount of time for its
amperage. I top battery fluid to the upper line every so often
using only distilled water. If the charger's little charge gauge
seems to be in the lower part of the green "good"
level, I'll blast the batteries with a 2 amp charge for an hour
or two. Especially if I hadn't ridden in a while and NOTE that
the car battery might serve as a sink for excess amps the mc
batteries don't need. I move the charger clamps around to a
different battery every so often. The batteries are inside,
unless in a bike, so no chance of freeze up or rapid heat-induced
fluid evaporation.
I always use the rubber battery glove, usually park my bikes on
the centre stand, and am partial to kick-starting also. Something
to consider is that most of my battery time has been in '81s or '82s
vs the livelier earlier models. Just as the earlier models had/have?
a penchant for cracking license tags perhaps the vibes get to the
batteries also? Your '74 maybe? Max time I have gotten out of a
battery that actually ran a bike was like 5 1/2 to 6 years but
then it gave up the ghost as far as reliable top end performance.
Next battery I use will be an Exide that my cousin got as free
comp to crew members at the race shop where he works. I'll see
how that one works when I need it.
Another tip: you can start an XS650 with a weak/dead battery with
a car battery as long as the car is NOT, REPEAT, NOT running.
Just be prepared to ride the stink out of the bike after you get
it started to recharge and that probably doesn't do the brushes
any good either.
Eric Lewis by day econobiker by night Nashville, TN
--- more ---
1) Pull the
batteries every fall and trickle at 1.0A for 12 hrs. monthly ( I
keep a chart of before and after voltages so I can track the
charge storage potentials). Check voltage with a digital
multimeter for more accurate assessment of battery condition.
2) Store fully charged batteries in a cool place to reduce auto discharge rate, charge in a warm place to increase electrical
potential uptake
3) Always add Na4EDTA to the cells to prevent sulfation
4) Keep cells full and
top up with distilled water only (dehumidifier condensate is a
good source)
5) Keep battery poles and cable ends clean and coat with anti-
corrosion paste
Bill Denton
Yardley, PA
YAM650 Listowner
Compression
Testing
It
is more important that they are even (each cylinder) than any
particular spec, although I hear people saying they are happy
with above 135lbs. One thing you can do to test if you're losing
pressure through the rings rather than the valves is to do the
pressure test then pour some (a little) thick oil into the
cylinders, if the pressure goes up dramatically then it is the
rings/bore, if it stays more or less the same then you are losing
pressure past the valves.
To check compression on your bike,
1 hold throttle wide open.
2 kick bike about 10 times or until gauge quits going up ,
3 then read gauge.
Repeat on other side. Both side should be within 10 % of each
other. 145psi is standard.
Stem Bearing
Replacement
Putting
the steering bearing is no big deal. I put a new set in the 81
that I am rebuilding and I found it to be a pretty easy job. I
took one of the old races and with a bench grinder I trimmed a
little all the way around the edge. I did this to keep the old
race from getting stuck in the neck when putting in the new race.
I put the new race in the top and put the old race on top of the
new. With a hard plastic hammer I drove the new race in to the
neck on the top end. Since my frame was stripped I turned it over
and using the same method I drove the bottom race. Took the
bottom half of the triple tree put the new bearing through the
shaft and put the old race on top of the bearing. Lightly taped
on the old race until the new bearing seated on the bottom of the
shaft. If I can do it you can to. You will find as I did that it
is a simple job. Hope this helps.
Gus Gonzalez Baton Rouge, LA
--- more ---
This is how I put
races in. Stick the races in your freezer overnight. They will
shrink in size (molecular thing!!). I have an assortment of
washers that are just the right size to fit the outer lip of the
race, (and I stack them four deep) and a long threaded rod (3/4")
with the washers and nuts on both ends. I just be certain the
race is square to the hole and thread away, drawing the race in.
Skylab
--- more ---
You will need a 3/8"
drift about 15" long to get the old races out of the
steering head and a small drift to get the races off the triple
tree. If your careful you should be able to save the old seal at
the bottom of the triple tree.
I've done this by tying the upper triple tree to the rafters in
the garage ceiling by the handle bars and dropping the lower
triple tree just enough to work on it, supporting the bottom of
the forks with the tire/wheel removed on an old milk crate.
Disconnecting the head light by removing the turn signals on my
83 made putting it all back together easier.
Tighten the lock nuts on the steering stem so there is now play
in the steering head when you pull/push on the forks front to
rear, but so the steering head swings freely from left to right.
Check this again to make sure that it is still adjusted correctly
after a few very short rides. I made a little stand that goes
under the motor mount, lift the bike up on the centre stand with
my shoulder under the headlight and put the stand under the motor
mount to hold the front tire off the ground. Makes it easy to go
back and check the steering head later on too.
Done };~)
---------- and finally...
<< One more thing -- what kind of grease do people use on
the steering bearings? Possibly something I could use other
places, e.g. swing arm bushings? Buy a can of wheel bearing grease.
Put a blob in your palm, then press the bearing into it, THEN
rotate the bearing, continue until the cavities are all filled in
the bearing.
ps. Don't forget to wash your hands afterwards!! :-))
Skylab
Cam Chain
Guide
It's not too bad. All you have to do is replace the cam chain
guide, which is rubber and metal. The little black pieces of
plastic and metal are what you find when the cam chain is rubbing
against the old guide and tearing it up.
Requires new gaskets from the cylinder base up, and pulling the
motor out of the frame so you can remove valve cover/head/jugs.
The cam chain guide is contained within the jugs. While you have
it apart, you can freshen up the motor with new rings and check
the valves.
Kent
Cam Chain
Adjustment
Ken
wrote:
The purpose of the tensioner is to maintain minimum slack in the
timing chain as it wears/stretches. You want to simply to rotate
the crankshaft in the counter clockwise direction until you first
feel resistance and the crank doesn't rotate forward on it's own
due to going over TDC on compression stroke. This is to take up
any timing chain's slack and put tension on the cam chain at the
front of the engine while placing the slack at the adjusters side.
Once you've rotated the crank say 1/8 turn stop your rotation and
hold this tension on the chain by putting "position holding
pressure" on the wrench turning the crank.
Now look at the push rod in the tensioner. Move the crank CCW
just a couple of degrees. Is the push rod flush with the face of
the tensioner body? If not, loosen the tensioner's lock nut, turn
the adjuster until the push rod is flush, lock it down, put the
cover back on, your done!
Note,.... while rotating
the crank shaft full circle the piston's compression will cause
it to surge forward in speed then quickly slow, momentarily
change rotation direction. This backlash effect shifts the cam
chain's tension to the back, straightening the chain and pushes
the push rod out past the adjuster's face. This is normal. Just
remember, you always check/set your tensioner adjustment with the
crankshaft stationary with a slight counter clockwise force being
exerted on the crank to hold tension on the cam chain.
This from BJ Latting
As an old Yamaha mechanic, I can tell you the best way to adjust
your cam chain. First, adjust it by the book. That's iffy, at
best. Then, adjust it again, while the motor is running. You can
watch the little plunger move in, and out. That is exactly how
much slack is in the chain. Adjust it, so there is just a little
movement in the plunger. The chain needs a very tiny amount of
slack, but that's all. I posted this tip about a year ago, and
was flamed big time. But, this is how I was taught at the Yamaha
factory racing school.
Take it, or leave it. B. J. Latting
Cam Timing
Tricks:
OK,
I am very observant because I have been into wrench turning for
fun and profit for quite some time!! I have made another XS
engine assembly discovery that I will share that may help many
folks, Larry, Nick Greer and others come to mind recently
wondering if they have the cam timing correct now that the head /
cam cover / tensioner is on, and torqued down etc. You can check
the stock cam timing quite easily by removing a couple screws,
even with the motor in the bike etc. Follow the new directions on
this page, it is really simple and works on all years of the TX -
XS 70-83 with 34T or 36T cams etc.
http://www.650motorcycles.com/CamTiming.html
Bob B.
Carb Removal
Remove
airboxes and throttle cable per Done; remove cam chain- adjuster
cover-cap (for clearence)---put a rag under as they usually pee a
little oil. Loosen the two hose-clamp-type things that seal the
manifolds to the carbs. Now tilt the carbs back and down; they'll
pop free.
Now you get to spend about 30 minutes anxious finding the ONE
arrangement in three-dimensional space by which the carbs will
come out the left side, but don't ask me to tell you how to find
it. Suddenly, after you've skinned a few knuckles and cursed
yourself blind, they'll just be there in your lap and you'll
wonder what took so long. (If you're spatially challenged like me
you get to go thru this EVERY time; normal types are said to get
the hang of it fairly quickly.)
While the carbs are off, remove the manifold clamps and clean
them up real good, and wipe down the manifolds w/ a little WD40
or whatever (they're expensive so you want to keep yours
clean, supple, and in good shape.) Replacement is, as they say,
the reverse procedure, but for some reason the carbs always seem
to go in a lot easier. TIP: put a very stingy coating of white
lithium grease (or equiv.) on the outer lip of the carb throats,
and they'll pop in and out of the manifolds MUCH easier next time.
Danny Kumin
Bead
Blasting Cabinet
Most
of the local bike builders around here (Rochester NY) use old
heating oil tanks. Cut a hole in one end of the tank put hinges
on the piece you cut off so it becomes a door. Cut a big hole in
one side and replace with lexan. Cut arm holes in lexan and afix
sleaved gloves. Run and air line into the tank. Now you have a
large size blasting cabinet that you can put an entire frame into.
Torque
Specifications
You
will find the torque specs for nearly every single bolt on your
bike here:
http://home.iprimus.com.au/toota/torque_specifications.htm
On Electrics:
lots of good basics in this piece
What
happens when the brushes are too short?
What happens when the brushes seize in the holder cleaning of
corroded voltage relay contact or connection (From setting) how
this could give you no magnetics..... Per your request, regarding
the brushes..... The brushes apply excitation voltage to the
rotor which creates a magnetic field that radiates out to the
stator which in turn creates voltage to charge the battery and or
supply voltage to the bikes electrical system under heavy load.
The brushes require a certain amount of spring pressure to
maintain good contact against the rotor's slip rings. As they get
shorter the spring expands and the pressure get lighter. Also,
since the size of the brush determines it's current carrying
capacity, a shorter (smaller) brush, carries less current. If it
gets to short it can heat up, start arching, which you don't want!!
Also, as the brush wears the carbon which it's made of has to go
somewhere. Sometimes it works it's way between the brush and it's
holder resulting in a binding situation. Here again the brush
can't maintain pressure and so you get a poor connection, the
slip rings glaze over, the current weakens, the magnetic field
weakens, and the alternator's voltage output diminishes. And you
my friend, will be where else, but 40 miles from nowhere when it
happens! :-)
As to corroded contacts. As most can attest to if a bike sets for
any length of time, especially in a damp area, the electrical
connections tend to oxidize or corrode. This oxidation is seen by
the electrical system as resistance which limits current flow.
Since the current level determines the magnetic field strength
reduce or take away the current and and you do the same to the
magnetic field. Also not that electrical connectors can fail due
to poor assembly, POOR QUALITY. over heating from excessive
current, and the right contaminants in the air. Electrical relay
contacts like those in the mechanical voltage regulators or
safety relays can also oxidize. When this happens current is
prevent from flowing and no magnetics will happen. Here is a titbit for all to remember. It's something that a lot of
electrical oriented people get beat by and keeps them running
around in circles. Just because you have the correct level of
voltage at a switch or in a circuit doesn't mean it 's
functioning properly. One needs to check for proper voltage
levels UNDER LOAD! Meaning with the switch closed. EVERY, note
EVERY electrical, electronic device operates by one thing and
that's the movement of a predetermined amount of electrons (by
design) measured in what we call amps or current. This current
flow creates only two things that we use in our daily lives.
HEAT, and MAGNETISM. Heat for light, warmth, cooking, bla bla bla.
Magnetism for music, radio, electric motors, bla bla bla. Volts
pushes them along, resistance tries to stop them. If a plug
connector, switch, or relay's contact is corroded or dirty, it
has resistance. Remember, resistance limits current. Enough
resistance will put you into NO GO MODE! :-) Bottom line , it all
has to do with physics.
For anyone that tends to feel inept about electricity, don't feel
rained on. I used to administer NOCTI tests. It's tests to see
how strong you are in your field of expertise. At the time the
national average , 10,000 + electrical tests given to people with
5 years or better experience in the electrical field was , .....
Sixty four. Feel better??? As I've noted before, we all have our
strengths. The members of this list have a wealth of diversified
knowledge that can solve probably any on or off topic problem a
person can come up with. Hope this answered your questions.
Safe Riding to All! Ken in TN
XS650B
http://home.mindspring.com/~d.max/index.html
Brushes
Find
the brushes that are nearest the dimensions of your originals,
sand them down on all four sides, if they don't move easily in
and out in the brush holder. They must be able to move freely in
the holder. Once you have done this you must solder them onto
your old caps, it's easy with a small $6 soldering iron. Use a
small vise grip or a tweezers with a rubber band around it to
hold the spring back from the end of the braided wire, the solder
will melt almost instantly when you touch it with the hot solder
iron with just a little new solder already melted on the iron and
the old brush will fall off, reverse to install the new one.
Watch how it's mounted and the position of the wire and how the
original is held in place, remember this for installation, or do
one at a time. On the older bikes -80 the caps for each brush are
different, the 80+ are interchangeable.
This will get you back in charge. Then you can order a set, if
you choose.
I think it was econo that told me about making my own brushes
three or four years ago.
Done };~)
Check
Charging
how
to check charging?
Nothing could be easier. Put any reasonably accurate DC voltmeter
across the battery (that is, the red/+ wire to the batt's + term.;
black/- wire to the batt.'s minus term). Set the meter to its 20-volt
scale (or closest equiv.) Start bike; run. If she's charging OK
you'll get a big bill from Amex in about 30 days....
OK: you should see around 12.5v (possibly more; mebbe less) on
your meter at idle; increase the revs to 2500-3000 and the
voltage should increase to something between about 13.75 and 14.5
volts. If the voltage doesn't go up at all, yer not charging; if
it only goes up a little bit, the system is (probably) working
except for a fault such as marginal brushes and/or rotor windings.
BTW, for all the above to be true the batt. must be known-good;
put your meter across the rested batt. (not charged or loaded for
at least 3 hrs.); it should show around 12.5v; at least 12. If it
reads significantly less---especially if it's below 11---it's
probably toast, but should be more thoroughly tested (or properly
recharge-attempted) before being binned. HTH!
Rotor
Testing
Rotor
failure is by far the most common problem (besides used-up
brushes) in my experience. The check is easy: with the brushes
removed, measure the DC resistance (in Ohms) between the 2
sliprings (the coppery circles on the rotor face), by sticking
the meter probes into the holes where the brushes were; scratch
the tips about a bit to ensure a good contact for an accurate
reading.
Spec is 5.4 ohms or so; anything below 4.25-4.5 or better won't
charge worth a damn. White-wire measurements refer to *stator*
condition, and rectifier; these fail much less often (and your
results seem erroneous). Note that on the late, SS-ignition bikes
(79+ and up) with combination regulator-rectifiers (the finned
silvery thing under the batt.), the tests per Clymer's are not
correct anyway; they'll all test "bad" but rarely are.
Hope this helps! ---Danny
--- more ---
The symptoms noted tend to point to rotor circuitry. Here is a
quick check to eliminate it as the culprit. Remove one wire from
either of the brushes. Measure the resistance ACROSS the brushes.
(Make sure you ohm meter is zeroing out by touching the leads
together. Anything aside from zero, you add/subtract accordingly)
READINGS .... From 4 to 7 ohms = Acceptable Less than 4 = shorted
rotor , replace. More than 7 = possible poor brush connection.
clean your rotor's slip rings and check you brushes for wear,
binding in the holder. Keep us posted as to what you find. If
rotor checks out we'll go to the next phase.
Ken in TN
--- more ---
Set your cycle up like your fixing to start it but ONLY turn the
key on, don't actually start it. Read the voltage across the
rotor brushes then the battery. The two voltages should be within
one or two volts of each other. If not you've got problems. Stop
here and correct the problem before proceeding. Check your
multipin connectors for loose/bad connections.
Next: On a mechanical regulator disconnect the green wire that
connects to the brush and replace the screw. Connect your black
meter lead to this screw (alligator test leads do nicely) and the
red meter lead to the green wire you disconnected. On a solid
state regulator disconnect the brown wire that connects to the
brush and replace the screw. Connect your black meter lead to
this screw and the red meter lead to the brown wire you
disconcerted..
Now, having the meter connected as noted above, polarity correct,
regardless of which system you have, again set your cycle up like
your fixing to start it but ONLY turn the key on, don't actually
start it. Read the meter's current. With a battery voltage of 12
volts it should be about TWO AMPS plus or minus around 30% . Any
higher than noted and you've got rotor problems. Any less than
noted and you could have multipin connector, brush problems.
That's all there is to it. A lot of words, but a simple but more
revealing (any problems besides the rotor) check IF you have a
meter. :-) One needs a meter if your to maintain your 650 and
save on those outrageous dealer repair bills! The meter doesn't
have to be test quality either. But understanding how to use it
is most important. So if your uncertain find your companies
maintenance man and ask him for some quick lessons. Hopefully
he'll know . :-)
If your reading are out of range and you want to discuss it or if
anyone has some comments, or specific questions about what I
submitted, or other, you can contact me direct so's not to
clutter up the list with a bunch of techno talk.
DISCLAIMER: :-) One must realize that when dealing with
electrical problems there are a lot of variables that can come
into play as well as different troubleshooting methods.
Troubleshooting methods vary. The info/ test offered is done so
in good faith and is based on standard systematic troubleshooting
practices.
OK back to "lurking mode". :-)
Regards, and safe riding to all. Ken in TN
--- more ---
Remove one brush lead and measure the resistance across the
brushes. If it's less than 4 ohms you've got rotor trouble. If
it's more that 6 or 7 ohms most likely you've got poor brush
connections. Either way let the owner know the charging system is
bad and try re-negotiating the selling price. If it's your bike,
pull the brushes and check directly across the slip rings. Ninety
% of the time it will be contamination on the slip rings, the
brushes are to short or seized in the holders.
Don't have an ohm meter? Then use this method, provided the
battery will start the bike, it will blow the owners mind.- :)
Make you up a fuse holder with alligator clips on each end. Take
it and a 1 1/2 amp automotive fuse and a 3 amp fuse along with
you. Remove the green brush lead and clip the fuse holder to the
green wire's terminating screw (at the brush) and the green wire.
Do this with both fuses. Turn the ignition on 10 seconds then off.
If IT BLOWS the 3 amp fuse the rotor is bad. If IT DOESN'T BLOW
the 1 1/2 amp fuse there is a problem. The 1 1/2 amp fuse SHOULD
BLOW. Yeah it's a lot of work, but that's why I invested in an
ohm meter. :-) and suggest everyone do the same. One dealership
service bill will buy several NICE meters. In the mean time, the
feeler gauge test IS a very quick way to see if you have any type
magnetics which could result in a decent rotor.
Regards, Ken in TN
Rotor
Failure on the Road
If
you are out riding and feel you have experienced a rotor failure
(Bike dies for no apparent reason, BLOWN FUSE starter just clicks
or grunts when engaged, horn sounds like a weenie, a candle burns
brighter than your headlight), and you need to get your bike off
the side of the road, at least out of the middle of no where to
some business do this.
BEFORE HAND, wrap a 6" strip of black electrical tape around
one of your tools in your tool pouch. You do have one Yes? In the
event you think your rotor's failed based on symptoms I
previously noted, remove the side cover over the alternator
brushes. Remove the GREEN wire and tape it up. Anyone know why???
:-)
Next, On earlier models turn your head light off. On later models
the headlight relay should keep the headlight off if the
alternator isn't charging. (Good sigh charging problems) If not
remove the headlight fuse. i.e., Kill the headlight! If you're
riding at night (Bummer) see if you can get someone to let you
ride in behind them with their flashers on. And if your really
lucky and someone has some jumper cables, a few minutes charge
will get you a long(er) way. So there you have it, FWIW! May you
never have to use it!!
Ken in TN
$20
Rectifier
Dear
Friends,
Last week, after three months of painstaking reassembly, my '79 2F
(PLUM) was ready to ride again. Only problem was, the charging
system - didn't! I wasn't surprised, when I disassembled it I
found two of the stator wires crossed- I guess a previous owner
couldn't tell white from yellow! Anyway, the rectifier was open
across the board, (and so was the one on my NEXT restoration
project...) so I called my favourite dealership- the rectifier is
over $150.00 (list, not my cost) plus freight! A little research
and help from my local alternator rebuilder, and I discovered
that the Yamaha unit is a slightly modified version of a Hitachi
unit used on all 75-78 Datsuns, some 75-80 Chevy and GMC, and all
76-78 Opel. It can be purchased for around $20.00 at most parts
stores and five minutes with a soldering iron and a change of
mounting stud, and it's a Yamaha rectifier! (The stud part I
haven't actually done yet, it arrives tomorrow). The part numbers
follow- hope this saves someone else a wad of money!
GP Sorenson (Advance Auto Parts)- 27-5001 GM- 94021546 Wells (Auto
Zone) DO340 Ace Rebuilders Supply- S3846 Borg Warner- SC120
Oh, yeah, I forgot- the regulator 10 ohm resistor was bad, too- a
Radio Shack ceramic resistor fixed that- for about two bucks!
Wayne Wright Wright's Auto Service (901)885-6914
wrightauto@iswt.com
LCD
Voltmeter
I
obtained the LCD volt meter from Allied Electronics. They have a
web site on which you can order their HUGE catalogue for free. They
have just about any type of small electrical/electronic component
or connection that you could want. The meter cost me $24.95 when
I got it, part # is EMV1200. Simple 2 wire hook-up, no light for
night viewing however. Measures about 3/4" by 1 1/2".
Single stud out the back to mount it. Wired up to a 12v w- key on
wire (solid brown?) and it reads all the time.
I think I found the receipt for the rectifier from Advance Auto.
If it's correct, their part # is 6900712. If you take your
original rectifier in, you'll be able to compare it and see that
it's correct. The replacement one looks the same, except that it
doesn't have any wiring coming off of it, has a small metal
bracket built into it's housing that the Yamaha one doesn't, and
I think that I had to swap in the stock mounting stud with the
one provided. No plastic housing wrapped around it either, but I
was able to use most of the stock one. You don't want to enclose
the rectifier, it needs airflow to keep it cool. If the part # I
supplied doesn't work, or if you want to go to another supplier,
start searching under what they have listed for Opel's. There
can't be that many rectifiers available for them.
Hope this helps.
Mark Puffer
Converting
to points?
Only
the one I've developed. Here's the basics. The screw holes and
all the machining is in the cam bearing end plates already.
You'll need a points plate assembly, condensers, coils, and the
advance mechanism assembly with rod, flyweights, etc . The
advance mechanism rod goes through the cam and rides in needle
bearings or bushings, I forget which. The electronic ignition cam
is machined for them, but they usually aren't installed. You'd
have to get them and install them in the ends of the cam. This
could be done with the cam installed in the engine.
Alternatively, you could use a cam out of a points type engine (pre
'80) but the engine has to be out to change cams. Everything
bolts up. although I said the bearings usually aren't installed
in the cam ends, if you really decide to switch over, check yours
to make sure. It might be possible they are in there. Some
markets kept points even after the USA got electronic ignition.
You'll need to do some minor wiring changes to get power to the
coils, and build a mounting bracket for the coils and condensers on '80 and later frames. but that's no big deal. Let me know if I
can be of further help.
Bob Scogin Slidell,
LA USA
Tkat's Fork
Braces
http://www.tkat.com/forkbrace.html
Adjusting
steering head bearings
The
way in the typical Yam manual is not only wrong, they did
something wronger to make it 'work'. And Yam isn't the only one
wrong, most or all of them are.
First, if you have a thin rubber washer between the adjuster/lock
nuts, along with a two-legged 90 deg spider washer spanning them
... start by throwing them away. The rubber washer makes it
impossible to maintain a set on the nuts; the spider was to hold
them aligned anyway but it doesn't hold their position on stem.
And the bolt usually found above the top clamp still causes the
explicit adjustment problem anyway these two bits are supposed to
prevent.
To actually adjust:
1) Set the bottom adjuster nut to about 10 ft-lbs and rotate the
fork several times. Then slack the nut and tighten it to the
preload torque ... about 3 ft lbs is reco'd by Honda and it's
about right in general. This means the thrust on the nut is
against the upper part of the thread form on the stem.
2) Set the top adjuster nut and pre-load it to the same value.
This means the adjuster preload is actually on the top nut with
thrust on the upper part of stem thread form, and the lower one is
floating.
3) Lock the nuts together by BACKING OFF the lower nut. This
leaves the two nuts in the precise same position, with the upper
nut thrust against the upper part of the stem thread form as
desired and the lower nut locked against the lower part of stem thread form. IOW, you have locked things w/o PUSHING the lower nut
to the lower side of thread form and hence putting most of the
final torque on the bngs. To be explicit, one needs to advance
the top nut very slightly to account for threads distorting a bit
from the applied load, but this will take probably less than 2-3
deg on the top nut.
Above procedure is used for adjusting precision bearings in machine
spindles, but I think we should treat our steering with equal
respect.
4) Put on top clamp.
5) Tighten top clamp hold-down bolt.
6) Tighten fork-tube pinches.
7) Check for feel.
Your final preload torque MAY not be what you desired for
operation, but it WILL be what you set. And you can make
adjustments to final setting this way and still consistently be
sure of what it is. Using any other method does not give you what
you set.
For MC with one adjuster nut on top of clamp and one under,
procedure is the same except for obviously having clamp in place
during (and having no extra clamp bolt). IAC, pinches should
always be loose during adjustment and tightened afterward.
Best regards,
Hoyt McKagen
---more---
Steering stem bearing adjustment redux:
You will need two spanner wrenches, the bike on the centre stand
and a block of some sort to support the bottom of the frame/crankcase
to keep the front wheel off the ground.
Now to really see some improvement you should re-pack the ball
bearings, a bit of a chore but the grease in there is old and
more like bee wax than real grease.
I have a procedure for this if you'd like to know, just tell me so. Anyway, the key is to loosen the steering head lock nuts to
get them to turn free, tighten the bottom one until there is no
free play in the forks, ( as you grab the forks push fore and aft
while watching the steering stem/bearing area in the lower triple
tree ). Tighten the lower lock nut till there is no movement from
this fore and aft pushing. BUT it must still leave the front end
free to travel on the bearings so it will swing with just a
little nudge from left to right steering head stop freely.
Now bring the upper steering stem lock nut down to where it JUST
starts to bind on the lower lock nut, then turn the lower lock
nut up against the upper one to lock it. Check to make sure all
is well, then ride, check again after a few miles. If it starts
to loosen up you will notice when you use the front brakes a
clunk or clicking feeling, check and tighten better this time. These spanner wrenches really make the job easy, but I could not find
any so I made very crude pair that work but I'd like to get a
pair of real ones !
Anyone know where I can buy real steering head spanner wrenches
???
Thanks !
Done };~)
Setting
float height
When
I set the float height per the manual I flip the carbs upside
down, lower the float until the tab just touches the needle and
measure the height from the gasket surface to the top of the
float. I think for my 77 it is 25mm.
Based on what you said I am thinking that if I set the height to
26mm I will have actually lowered the float in the bowl and
leaned the mixture. Is this correct?
Warren
-- Response --
Correct - Bob Scogin
Engine
Rebuilding Tips and Info
1.
When you disassemble, keep the assemblies together and separate from the other assemblies. Especially hardware. You're going to
have a lot of it. I put the hardware for each assembly (head,
cases, clutch, engine covers, etc. in plastic bags and put a
piece of paper in the bag noting what they were for.
2. I had the luxury of two benches. One for disassembly (read
dirty) and one for assembly (clean). When you assemble, only have
the parts and hardware on the bench that you need, such as cases,
crank, gear set, and hardware.
3. Get a new seal kit to go along with your gasket sets, unless
you're not planning to split the cases.
4. Beg, borrow, steal, or buy a valve spring compressor. I did
mine with a C-clamp and a pipe nipple with a segment hack sawed out. It worked but never again.
5. You can't have too many references. The Clymer actually wasn't
too bad but print from Jean's site if in doubt.
6. If in doubt, consult an expert. There are many here on the
list, but in my mind, the foremost is Bob Bertaut. I'm sure he
must have felt my questions were never ending but he always took
some of his valuable time to answer them. Don't know if I could/would
have finished this without his help.
7. After you have disassembled, clean everything. Easier to
inspect parts when they're clean. When you're done : ) assembling
the engine, you have a clean engine.
8. Sounds like you're going to do rings. Find a good machinist to
hone the cylinders. This is important for good ring seal.
9. Double check everything, and then check it again. Kind of
tough to recall everything. If you have any specific questions,
ping me anytime. Good luck!
Best regards,
Dave from Bethlehem
--- more ---
I haven't done a motorcycle engine yet... But I have rebuilt a
mustang. The three pieces of advice that I have are
One: As you take something off, put it back on, take it off, and
put it back on. This will help you remember how things go back
together.
Two: If you have a digital camera (Regular film is too expensive),
take pictures of EVERYTHING.
Three: don't take to long between tear down and rebuild.
Since I did the first and the third, putting the whole thing back
together wasn't too much of a problem. I've taken apart lawn
mowers and such and left them for a few days and when trying to
put it back together I can't remember SH**.
Just a thought or three,
Josh
--- more ---
There is a hidden nut behind the clutch basket. You, um, need to
take it off to get the cases apart. (assuming you are splitting
the bottom end.) -- Again, if splitting the cases, DO NOT USE A
HAMMER on the left cc cover mount (above the countershaft) IT
WILL BREAK. (Yes I learned this the hard way even though Clymer's
has a picture which specifically says not to do this. I actually
hit it with a rubber mallet when I was trying to smack the
countershaft and missed--ouch, new crankcase...) BTW, a plastic
hammer is useful here to tap around the seal and loosen it up.
Yamaha uses a pretty tenacious Yamabond sealer that doesn't want
to come apart. -- When you install the cylinders, make sure you
don't forget to put in the cam chain guides like I did. -- Use
copper sealing washers on the 4 right crankcase bolts surrounding
the oil pump. If you don't the cover will seep oil. I have had
good luck annealing the old washers and re-using those. -- I labelled everything very carefully. Used a lot of plastic bags and
cream cheese containers from the bagel shop. Again, if you're doing the bottom, replace all
those seals so that you don't have to use that fancy deburring
tool of yours too soon. -- The cylinder studs use a rubber coated
washer that should probably be replaced with a rebuild. However,
I just trimmed off the "loose" extra rubber, coated
them with a little RTV silicone and reused them with good results.
That's all I can think of for now. Have fun--I know I did.
Tony
Adjusting
the Clutch
Clutch
drag. It's a drag, if you get my drift. The XS650 is famous for
this irritating habit. Loosen the free play adjuster up on the
handlebar, all the way. Pop the cap off'n the clutch adjuster
down on the left side cover, the little chrome cap, with the
proper implement of destruction. See the big 12 or 13mm nut? You
gotta loosen it up. Be careful, if it's been over tightened or not
loosened in a coons age, Bob B. can tell ya how long coons live
and probably provide photographic evidence }:-) (Bob's a party
animal) the dern thing will disconnect the clutch cable when it
breaks loose with a loud "Biff", "Bang" ,
"Snap" , "Cough" , "Splat" , "Wheeze"
, or "Sputter" depending on what cartoons you watched
as a kid or still watch now, whatever. Blend up something that's
a pretty pink or red in the blender, being careful not to add
less than 50% rum and vodka in the blender, salt to taste and
invite those neighbours over, you know, those neighbours you watch
late at night with your binoculars? Set up the old twister game
in the back yard and go get that large tub of Crisco out of the
kitchen cabinet. Your wife will never miss it. Play naked twister
with your neighbours and get to know them a little better. OK
Keev, wipe your face off, you missed a spot, right above your
left eye, sorry, it must be dried on, it'll come off in the
shower, lets do this clutch adjuster thingy, remember? Loosen
the nut with the appropo sized socket whilst pulling up on the
clutch cable so it doesn't go unhooked then the nut breaks loose.
Loosen the nut by a few threads, go ahead, get adventurous,
loosen it way up, hell, you just played naked twister with your neighbours, remember? See that threaded gizmoswankey inside the
nut? OK. I see it to Keev, you don't have to point to it. Yeah,
it's a phillips head, you got one? OK, go get it. Give it to me,
Dammit!, wipe the handle off first Keev, just protecting myself
man. Shit, stop humping that poster of an XS-2 and get over here,
I want you to do this. Screw that screw in. Screw it in tight. I
don't care what the Clymer manual say's about screwing it in
lightly, just screw it in tight. OK, back it out til it's loose.
Got it? Now, screw it in tight again. Did you feel where it hit
before it went tight? Good. Now back it out again. Is it loose?
Good. Now, turn it in til you feel it touch. Feel it touch? OK.
Back it out about an eight turn and hold it with the screwdriver
whilst you lightly snug the nut with an open end wrench. Not too
tight now. This is a clutch adjustment, not a wheel bearing
adjustment on your Spangthorpe Banshee (pre war model). Now, go
up top on the clutch lever and adjust free play.
It doesn't need any now does it? Good. Go get some clothes on now
and lets test ride this thing, I bet you'll find neutral now at a
dead stop.
UJ WHOLUVSYANOSHIT?UNCLEJOHNNYDO!
Timing Light
Operation
The
black goes to the neg. batt terminal, the red to the pos. side to
supply power to the light. There should be a little spring that
goes over the spark plug terminal end with the little cap screwed
on the plug that we usually throw away, then the spring is
reduced in size to fit into the spark plug wire's boot. Hook this
up anyway you can to make it work, wire, spring etc. since you
must not have had this spring thing included with the strobe. You
will have the spark plug wire connected to the spring/wire
and this connected to the spark plug terminal end and the earth
clamp clamped to the wire to pick up when the spark is sent to
the plug. Start the bike pull the trigger on the strobe and get
the hell out of there.
I mean aim the strobe at the timing marks and if all is well it
should light up at every spark just when the pointer on the rotor
is on the fire mark, except when you rev it up the mark should
move to show full advance.
I think ?
Done };~)
--- more ---
If the 3rd wire has a clamp (spring loaded?) it should have a
notch in it that fits around the plug wire for the side being
tested. This is an induction timing light and the large clamp
picks up it's signal from the charge going through the wire to
trigger the light. At least that's how mine works. The clamp
should have an arrow that points to the plug since it will only
detect the charge in one direction.
Rodman
--- more ---
The
Cigarette Paper Timing Trick
Actually
it's the cellophane wrapper on the pack. Tear a strip of the
cellophane and put it between the points, as you turn the crank,
slowly while holding the cellophane and pulling slightly the
cellophane should be released by the points just as they open.
You watch the timing mark while doing this all and the points
should release the cellophane as the rotor passes the fire mark.
Again, I think ?
Done ..... this is fun };~)
Bead
Blasting Jugs and Heads
>
Do you blast before or after all the re-work/machining?
I always blast cylinders and heads before a rework. Degrease
everything, then strip all removable parts from the head before
blasting. Bead blast the valves too. It's great for cleaning the
carbon off of combustion chamber surfaces and from inside ports.
It's imperative that a proper post blast clean up be done before
any rework to assure that all the blast media has been removed. I
prepare a 5 gallon bucket of hot water and dish washing detergent
and agitate the parts vigorously to wash the media out of tight
areas then follow up with compressed air to dry the part and
remove any residual media. Pay particular attention to blind
holes as it's very difficult to remove it from them.
And, do you find the finished product harder to keep clean (than
original finish), easier, or about the same?
Danny
Well, you sure don't have to worry about polishing anymore! I
find it easy to maintain with just an application of degreaser as
needed when washing the bike. I like Castrol Super Clean as it's
mildly caustic and has an etching effect that compliments the
blasted surface. Don't get it on polished aluminium though as
it'll streak severely and dull the shine.
Bob Scogin Slidell,La.
USA
Polishing Aluminium
I've
used Dupli-Color Wheel Paint clear finish, product code "CLEAR
WP319" for years on both my show bikes and riders. Nothing
seems to bother it. Exhaust heat is to much hot but case type
heat ranges don't seem to affect it. Nylic (sp)on the other hand
yellows and is not gas proof. I live in hot humid Fla. and can
see bright aluminium tarnish in mere hours when left out in the
elements. Drop me a note when and if you use the stuff and I let
you in on a few tips. Marty Orlando, Fla. doonie69@hotmail.com
Intermittent
Running
I
had very similar symptoms with a shorted stator coil on an 81SH.
It's easy to test, just disconnect the plug between the
alternator and the battery and see if the problem goes away. Or
measure the resistance of the three coils in the stator and check
that none of the three are shorted to ground.
I know this sounds crazy that an alternator could make the engine
sputter but that's exactly how it showed up on my '81SH. It would
start and idle fine but wouldn't go above 2500 rpms. Acted just
like the carbs were flooded or the plugs/coil bad.
If it is the stator you can get it rewound for about $125. On
mine, I clipped the bad coil out and ran it for a few weeks on
two of the three coils. I only had 2/3 of the charging power of
the original (which is too weak already) but it kept the battery
alive as long as I charged it every couple of weeks.
Blaine
--- more ---
Mine turned out to be a bad ignition box on my 81SH. Came and
went. Try plugging in a known spare black box to the connector on
the left side of the bike. Changing them is a bitch. It is
located under the battery box and I haven't found a way of making
the change without removing same. This means unwiring a whole
bunch of stuff, so take notes and be careful as you go along.
Gary Foote