Manky's XS650 Yamaha

[Manky Monkey]

Yeah, I was thinking the same -that's not a very flattering angle either, (makes the forks look really stumpy). The tank's got a couple of small dings in it, so I'll fill & re-spray it before making up my mind.

[Tony oily bike]

Reckon it could be a good idea you have someone take a photo of you sitting on the bike with your feet on the pegs so you'll see where your knees are in relation to the rubbers, that way you'll get an idea if they "fit" the bike or not. 

[scannerzer]

i likey the knee pads. 2pin flasher will be fine or get an electronic one for led lights and you won't need resistors but it will need earthed

[spanners]

knee pads =====DONT PANIC,, and wait till laters ,,,,

[stinkey]

Indicators with holes ? Ahh I'm in heaven..one question Andy ,why on earth would you want to put your bike through msva test ?

[Manky Monkey]

Holey flashers Batman.
The frame's been hard tailed -cut in half & a whole new back end added, plus the headstock's been raked. It's no longer the way it left the Yamaha factory. So it should be re-registered. If you remove sections of a car chassis it should be tested again through the BIVA test.
They're starting to crack down on cars now, but bikes have gotten away with it for years. I'll run it on the old log book for the first season, to fix any teething problems, but at some point I'll register it properly.

[the coppersmith]

You are quite right Andy, as a converter of kit cars and the odd hot rod. DVLA and its associates are planning a big crackdown, not just on the stuff in general, but I've been informed by a well informed source, nudge nudge, wink wink, that they are hitting a lot of Q plate stuff, seems you buy a kit and use the plate and vin, who would do that ! but also the pre 60 brigade are being watched, buy an old chassis and build a MOT exempt wotsit.
                As for your bike, very good, would love to build a copy. In my eyes you have the dimensions spot on. As for the tank rubbers? I'm nt to sure. I can see where you are coming from with them, pity you couldn't make them slip off. Indicators? why not. Love the doughnuts.

[Manky Monkey]

Yeah, if I don't use the tank rubbers I'm sure someone else in the local workshop collective will. The idea was to keep the tank plain because the name's on the engine cases. Knowing when to stop adding bits is important -less is more.
Still jobs to do on it. Got to take the exhaust back off so I can remove the lefthand cover & fit the clutch pushrod that's just arrived in the Post, as well as the starter motor blanking plug. I've just ordered a rebuild kit for the front brake master cylinder cos it's seized. Got to move the ignition switch, make indicator mounts, remove the mudguards again for cutting back & polishing -still lots of little jobs to do.
There's a multi thousand pound car featured in Custom Car magazine this month that's just been pulled for incorrect paperwork. Now it's got to be BIVA'd. With MOT stations & insurers linked to the DVLA database, it's getting much easier to find the dodgy ones. When I was in Holland at the weekend there was a lot of talk about how easy we have it here compared to the rest of Europe.

[Manky Monkey]

More or less decided against the knee pads, but might be persuaded at a later date.
Exhaust system back off again & engine casing removed to fit the new clutch pushrod. While I was at it, I also fitted the starter motor blanking plug I bought from Hugh's Handbuilt in the States, (what did we ever do without the internet? -well, you wouldn't be reading this for a start).
That big hole's where the starter motor usually fits & connects to the idler gears on the inside of the cover.

[Manky Monkey]

The blanking plug is in 2 halves that clamp either side of the casing, (yeah, I know it's out of focus but I'm not taking it back off to re-photograph it). With a new oil seal fitted first, it was a perfect fit. Now the engine's kickstart only I don't need the idler gears, so left them out when I replaced the cover, with a new gasket.

[Manky Monkey]

And from the outside it looks like this.

A techy question for you:
The + battery lead usually connects to the starter solenoid, but I haven't got one cos I haven't got a starter any more. So it connects to the alternator & ignition switch, via fuses? If so, what size cable do I need from the battery & how do I hook it up to both the alternator & switch? What sort of connector will take a battery cable going in & 2 wires coming out?

The splines on the gear selector shaft that the pedal fits onto are badly worn, almost flat. I've added a small grub screw to try & hold the pedal tight on the shaft, but it's not ideal. So the sensible option would be to replace the shaft assembly while the side cases are off. It's not cheap, (about 80 quid for a new one), but if I'm keeping the bike long term it makes sense to do it. Never fitted one before but I've got a feeling it's not straight forward -the engine has to be in a certain gear before taking the old one out. I'll research it a little & see if I can afford it.

[spanners]

just do it right,,,, its wrong not to ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and false economy

[Manky Monkey]

True.

[Olds]

And from the outside it looks like this.

A techy question for you:
The + battery lead usually connects to the starter solenoid, but I haven't got one cos I haven't got a starter any more. So it connects to the alternator & ignition switch, via fuses? If so, what size cable do I need from the battery & how do I hook it up to both the alternator & switch? What sort of connector will take a battery cable going in & 2 wires coming out?

Do you have a seperate rectifier and regulator or combined ?
Three leads from alternator to rectifier. 30 amp (2.5mm) lead with 20 amp fuse from rectifier to battery.

[Manky Monkey]

It's got Boyer electronic ignition, so no regulator/rectifier. Doesn't the power also need to go from the battery, through the ignition switch? I'm only asking from curiosity & to try & get the components in the right places in the box- I'll be looking for someone else to wire it up for me.