Manky's XS650 Yamaha

[Manky Monkey]

New German made black finished switch unit is CNC machined aluminium & contains horn, high/low beam & indicator switches. As you can see, I had the middle of the bars powder-coated black, but changed my mind on the layout of levers & switches so a small area of the original chrome now shows. I'll get the bars re-coated completely black.

[Manky Monkey]

I've had to turn the Douglas Dragonfly throttle unit through 90 degrees to stop the brake lever fouling on it. So the throttle cables now lay over the top of the lever, rather than hanging under it, which actually looks tidier, (less dangly cables).

[Manky Monkey]

Soggy bike -see, I'm a ruffty tuffty biker who takes his bike out in the rain.
Need to take the right hand engine casing off this weekend & tackle the gear change mechanism -the splines the gear lever attaches to are badly worn, so it slips around the shaft when you try to engage the gears. I've bought a replacement shaft, but need to take out the clutch to get to it. Not a job I'm looking forward to. Side panel now re powder-coated & fitted with the ignition switch in it's new position, (to clear the contents of the electrics box behind it). Battery Earth lead also fitted.

[Manky Monkey]

When I arrived at Loony's workshop 6 or 7 years ago, I brought all my tools & we added them to his collection. Now he's moving workshops, we need to have a conversation at some point about who owns what. I've got a socket set, given to me by my parents on my 17th birthday, & a couple of hand tools in the garage at the moment, with nowhere to keep them together. So I blew my Royal Mail Christmas bonus this week on a new tool cabinet -the joy of being a single guy. I can spend my money on important stuff 
Yeah, it had to be yellow to match my welder, obviously. I also treated myself to a rechargeable LED worklamp -in yellow.

[Sid_Vicious]

Those toolboxes are nice, but you often end up in need of more of them when they fill up with tools.

If you can live with a narrower handlebar you could chop an inch off the end and move the controls in a bit...

[Manky Monkey]

  That's good, outside the box thinking. Wouldn't have occured to me, but I like my wide bars, so will just get them re-coated, (got some truck parts to take there soon anyway).
So. It's 27" between sprocket centres & roughly 32" between the outside edges of them. Front's about 3 1/2" diameter to the tips of the teeth & the rear's about 7 1/4". What does that tell you -apart from I'm rubbish at maths?

[Olds]

Tells me that you didn't read the instructions  .
I know you have a 17t front sprocket. Assuming you have a std 34t rear.
17/2 =8.5   
34/2 =17
(27 x 2)/0.625 =86 .4
8.5 + 17 + 86.4 = 111.9

Think you need a min 112 link chain. Not as long as I thought.

[Manky Monkey]

That's witchcraft that is.
Yup, standard sprockets front & back.
So I'm looking for maybe 115 links, (I'd rather take a couple off than be 1 short), of 530 chain?

[Olds]

Chains will normally be an even number (including the joining link). I would suggest a 116 if you can get it (not that I doubt your measurements). We used to sell 120 as a standard, cut to length chain to those who were unsure as that would fit almost anything.
Seeing as adjustment may be limited, I recomend getting a cranked link. You may not need it but it gives the option of an odd number of links.
Do you have a link breaker ? If not, I will dig out mine.

[Manky Monkey]

  I was going to ask if I could borrow yours , (never doubted you'd have one). I used to have several, but haven't needed one for a decade or more, so they're lost in the toolbox of time somewhere.
Explain the cranked link to me please.

[Olds]

Links are made up of consecutively two tubes spaced by two plates (inner)and two pins between two plates(outer). A joining link is a pin type that is removable and has to fit to tube type links. If the length you require does not have tube type links at both ends, a cranked link replaces the last links on the end to make it so.
Used to be very common on rigid bikes and is very handy when adjustment is limited.

[Manky Monkey]

Ahh. Never used one. I guess I always managed to adjust it out to the nearest 2 tube links.
I'll see if the local bike shop sells chain tomorrow, (a heavy ol' thing to post), & if not will go to the chain man. Thanks chaps.

[hunter]

Thet's what we used to call a link and a half.

[the coppersmith]

now you got me reminiscing 

[Manky Monkey]

  Many thanks to Mr Olds for lending me his chain splitter today. I'll double check my measurements tomorrow then order the chain.
Took the righthand casing off today & removed the clutch, ready to take out the gearshift shaft. I'm very wary of just pulling it apart, in case it needs to be in a particular gear or something before I start, but can't think if a reason it would. The Haynes manual's not very informative -obviously, it's a Haynes manual.
The gear lever clamps to a shaft that runs through the engine to the right side where it moves a ratchet & pall mechanism that clicks the selector drum round. So it shouldn't matter what gear it's in when it comes apart, as long as I don't move anything. I hope.