1974 XS/TX650 rebuild

[th62]

Chain guard build. I’ve been working on this for a couple of days, made a couple I didn’t like, but this is the final product. The bends were done with a bloody big hammer and a length of heavy steel on which to bang – keeps the material straight and flat! Bloody difficult to bend by hand though.
Unsure of what to do with the tail end, I did consider curving it around same shape as the sprocket, but with a new chain, it’d stick out the rear a few inches looking a bit odd, didn’t like that idea, so I decided to just angle it up from the rear mounting point
I might drill some lightning holes on the side, should make the bike go faster.
I’ve also entertained the idea of removing the angled up extension on the left side cover, that bit looks really odd.
On another note, I picked up my seat from the auto trimmers. He’s had it for five weeks and not touched it. Took it to another auto trimmer who quoted $600. Not bloody likely, I’ll visit a few other trimmers tomorrow, at this point though, it’s looking like I might have to cover the seat myself.
Haven’t heard from the tyre shop, if they haven’t got back to me by end of next week I’ll go elsewhere. I’m fitting Shinko 712s, which I’ve read good reports on.
Not having much luck lately.

[th62]

I've just built this centrestand for the shop. No chance of this one breaking. Made of 22mm tube with 2.5mm walls, it's a heavy little sucker. I've made it so it bolts where the original stand was mounted and best of all, even my feeble old body can get the bike up on it by just lightly stepping on the side lever.
The lever is on the right, so if I lose control and the bike topples over, the side stand will stop it. Damn these XS650s are heavy

I've got the tyres on, the seat should be finished this week sometime, then I just have to wait for a speedo to turn up so I can mount that. I've bought a magnetic sensor speedo so I don't have a great heavy cable running down beside the fork. Not the best looking speedo, but all I could find without having to see the bank manager first.

Last pic is of the original centre stand.

[th62]

I picked up the seat today, looks alright. I'll be attaching a polished aluminium ring around the cowl, as pictured, to stop the seat cover from peeling off the cowl. Can't decide on whether to use the ally strip as is or extend it to the base???

[Altair]

Thanks th62! We've added your Motorcycle Center Stand to our Motorcycle Lifts, Stands, and Dollies category,
as well as to your builder page: th62's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Motorcycle Center Stand by th62

tags: motorcycle, stand

[th62]

Couple of pics of the finished bike, plus a quick video fly around. Lots and lots of mods on this one, not a great deal of Yamaha left.

[IntheGroove]

Most excellent job. The only thing I see that might warrant some attention is a oil filter gard.

So the big question is, What's your next project?

[greenie]

Well done, so what's next ? :-)

[Frank S]

I have watched this thread with interest from the very beginning. A pity that you say you will never be able to ride it. I can see it has been a labor of love and a love of labor, put into this most excellent build.

[Jon]

13 posts split into this thread: Making tachometers and speedometers

[th62]

Test ride.
I can’t ride anymore, buggered hips, fused fingers, buggered toes and no elbow joints left make it impossible. But the time had come for the bike’s first test ride, so, I started the bike and rode it gingerly out of the workshop and up to the garage, legs stepping as I went, and there I stopped. I was going to give it a shot and ride it up the street for a test ride, by the time I got to the garage I just didn’t have the confidence I could hold the thing up without dropping it. So, I stuck my head over the fence and asked Stuart next door if he’d like to take the bike for its first ride, ‘yep’ said he. Stuart and his brother Adam were the guys that got the 74 TX650 of the trailer when I first brought it home. I remember Adam screwing his face up when he first saw it, asking ‘what is it?’. I told him it was a 74 Yamaha TX650, probably made before he was a glint in his father’s eye. ‘What you gonna do with that pile of $#it’ he replied. Anyway, I pushed it around to my workshop and started work on it, that was three years ago.

Anyway, when I rolled the Roll a Door up, there stood Stuart and Adam, helmets in hand. They’d heard it a few times when I’d started it up, but probably expected to see it in much the same condition, only now it was going. Both Stuart and Adam’s eyes popped when they saw it ‘beautiful’ said they, a number of times. So, Stuart donned his helmet and I grabbed my camera, too late, Stuart was gone, roaring up the street. But I managed to catch him on his second lap. On his third lap he never returned, so, Adam and I set off on foot to find him and met him halfway back, pushing the bike. When I looked at the bike, I noticed the fuel tap was off and said ‘you ran out of fuel, didn’t you’. ‘Don’t know’ said Stuart ‘it just stopped’. I then explained that old bikes had manual fuel taps you have to turn on and off by hand. ‘Oh, that’s different’. Stuart and Adam both ride modern technicolour nightmares.

Stuart pushed the bike back to the garage, about 100 metres. I turned the taps on, waited a bit for the fuel to go through and started the bike again. By the time I picked up my camera, Adam had jumped on and was taking off. I managed to catch him roar out the garage and up the street before stopping the camera.

When he returned, he was trying to find neutral, I said stick it in second then tap it down, which he did, easy peasy. So, if your XS650 is difficult to get into neutral, tap it down from second, never fails. I suspect the difficulty is because of the very short throw of the lever.

After Adam returned, I quizzed both on how it went: Brakes worked well, started easily, gears changed nicely, handled well around corners, seat was comfy, bars were in a good position due to risers, motor ran beautifully, everything worked well and best of all – the sound!

So, the 74 TX 650 has been roaded, nothing left to do. Perhaps!

Sorry about the sound, this tablet of mine makes everything sound like it’s under water.