Hello Oldbiker. I have watched all the episodes of the XS650 engine rebuild. I am looking forward to the next episode. I have started my first ever engine rebuild. It is a xs650 1982 engine. I find your videos very informative and Great for building my confidence with the job at hand. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.
Cliff, I see you lined up the timing mark below, right on, then positioned the cam mark straight up. I'm to the point of installing the master link. My Alt mark "T" is dead on. The cam notch is straight up. But I'm off about 1 1/2 links longer on one side of my cam chain than the other. I just made sure the marks were where they were supposed to be when I finally managed to fit the master link. Then I rotated the engine slightly to bring the master to top center for the riveting tool. I see no reason why the master link had to be dead center also. Was concerned about being a notch off one way or the other but I think you answered my question. There is a dot on the left side of the cam gear that aligns with the case top when the cam notch is straight up. Cheers.
nothing is ever easy is it !...I'm so glad my chain was already linked when I rebuilt my engine and I didn't have all that faffing about with the link. Good tip about using a magnet ...I never thought of that . Yudh makes a good point about the head. As you know these engines have a tendancy to leak oil and compression into the central cam chain shaft due to head warpage. I skimmed mine on a wet and dry board and then applied Threebond liquid gasket to both sides of the head gasket around the cam chain shaft and inner head bolt holes . I.ve read of so many rebuilt engines leaking oil and compression into the sump ....I definitely didn't want to have to go back in there .lol
I'll just bet you have seen everything that has happened to a 650 motor? In the top of the head there is a little valley under each set of cam lobes. On my left side, the whole valley bottom is missing! A piece of beer can is epoxied it the valley bottom to fill up the hole! That and I can't get the head to break loose from the jugs. (all 15 of the nuts and bolts are removed) Have a secret to get the head to break loose from the head gasket without breaking the fins? Decided I'd just have a cold IPA.
As you sit on the bike looking down, the left front and the right rear of the head/barrels have the dowel pins, so I always start tapping up the left exhaust studs with a rubber faced hammer, or knock it up with a lump of wood, it sounds like that engine was bodged back together at some point in its life, did you take photos of it? Send them to me if you did to biker@neraida.co.uk
Oh yes us old farts should ride until we drop, well I have kind of dropped a few times already, once almost five years before I could ride or do much of anything but that was before I could qualify as an old farts, but with the aid of the NHS one way and another I've got out there again not that the medics always approve or that I can go that far but go I still can.
Hello Oldbiker. I have watched all the episodes of the XS650 engine rebuild. I am looking forward to the next episode. I have started my first ever engine rebuild. It is a xs650 1982 engine. I find your videos very informative and Great for building my confidence with the job at hand. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge.
Cliff, I see you lined up the timing mark below, right on, then positioned the cam mark straight up. I'm to the point of installing the master link. My Alt mark "T" is dead on. The cam notch is straight up. But I'm off about 1 1/2 links longer on one side of my cam chain than the other. I just made sure the marks were where they were supposed to be when I finally managed to fit the master link. Then I rotated the engine slightly to bring the master to top center for the riveting tool.
I see no reason why the master link had to be dead center also. Was concerned about being a notch off one way or the other but I think you answered my question. There is a dot on the left side of the cam gear that aligns with the case top when the cam notch is straight up. Cheers.
nothing is ever easy is it !...I'm so glad my chain was already linked when I rebuilt my engine and I didn't have all that faffing about with the link. Good tip about using a magnet ...I never thought of that .
Yudh makes a good point about the head. As you know these engines have a tendancy to leak oil and compression into the central cam chain shaft due to head warpage. I skimmed mine on a wet and dry board and then applied Threebond liquid gasket to both sides of the head gasket around the cam chain shaft and inner head bolt holes . I.ve read of so many rebuilt engines leaking oil and compression into the sump ....I definitely didn't want to have to go back in there .lol
I'll just bet you have seen everything that has happened to a 650 motor? In the top of the head there is a little valley under each set of cam lobes. On my left side, the whole valley bottom is missing! A piece of beer can is epoxied it the valley bottom to fill up the hole! That and I can't get the head to break loose from the jugs. (all 15 of the nuts and bolts are removed) Have a secret to get the head to break loose from the head gasket without breaking the fins? Decided I'd just have a cold IPA.
As you sit on the bike looking down, the left front and the right rear of the head/barrels have the dowel pins, so I always start tapping up the left exhaust studs with a rubber faced hammer, or knock it up with a lump of wood, it sounds like that engine was bodged back together at some point in its life, did you take photos of it? Send them to me if you did to biker@neraida.co.uk
Hi Cliff, which bike is this motor for , is it out of the chop.?
Not mine Keith, I'm building it for a mate who is building a Bobber.
I must have missed something, because earlier you said you had bought a no joining link cam chain didn't you?
Yeah I did, but I forgot about having to put it through the chain tensioner thingy lol so had to split it and add a link
@@OldBiker l am with you now. Waiting for a chain breaker riveter as l type.
Oh yes us old farts should ride until we drop, well I have kind of dropped a few times already, once almost five years before I could ride or do much of anything but that was before I could qualify as an old farts, but with the aid of the NHS one way and another I've got out there again not that the medics always approve or that I can go that far but go I still can.