XS650 - it lives, it breathes

2 new inlet valves
new tappets
4 recut valve seats
de-coked
new cam chain
new chain guides
new cam bearings x4
fresh 20-50
carbs balanced
new silencers fitted
New rear metzeler
Everything polished/de-rusted/greased

Now TOG *this* is how an XS650 should sound! no tinny ringing from the
top end, engine almost completely silent in fact and not audible above
the exhaust note.

Fitting those mufflers wasn't straightforward because of the double skin
downpipes. Shagging hassle in fact but it's done and it sounds great.

Took it for a ride tonight keeping the revs down to 4k and everything is
spot on. Everything is shiny and gleaming. Shall get some pics and post
them up when I find a tuit.

 

Respect.

And I may not know much but I know which two bikes out of your sig
give you the greatest pleasure ;-)

 

Nice.

 

Right, trouble at mill.
Everything was fine, I've done over 50 miles since the rebuild and it
was sweet as a nut. Heading over to my garage last night and it gets a
little hard to start. I was going to check the camchain tension and
tappets as they should have bedded down.
By the time I got there it was running like a dog, very hot on the left
and smoking like a diesel on the right (there is no crossover pipe now).
The plugs are both black. It pops and bangs at tickover on the right
too.

When I first saw the smoke I though "oh ****, a ring". On reflection if
I had broken one on assembly it would have smoked from the start. If it
had broken later it wouldn't cause all this wierd running.

I know it's almost impossible but I'm haunted by thoughts of the
camchain jumping and the valve timing having moved out and kissed the
pistons. Realistically I think if you wound the adjuster right off the
chain run is still too tight to jump even 1 tooth. I re-checked it
anyway and it had only settled by half a turn on the adjuster anyway.

The smoke could be a valve stem seal but then again if it was nipped on
assembly it would have gone quickly I feel and once again it wouldn't
account for all the wierd running.

I'm left thinking about ignition and carbs. I *think* the CDI on these
is pretty good. If I have a major fuelling problem it would account for
the rough running and the smoke *could* be heavy over enrichment. It's
not white smoke mind, but still. The black plugs both sides would tend
to support fuelling.

Ideas and comments (other than YTC)

Ah well, at least if the engine comes out again it will be two hours
quicker than before. No ridiculous crash bars with rusted up brackets
and no rusty exhaust balance pipe. Most of the reassembly time was spent
fabricating and fitting the new mufflers.

**** and double ****, I'm desperate to get this shit out of the way and
get the RD400 done.

 

Back to basic checks to start with. Valve clearances, comp test, static
ign timing, ign strobe, colourtune to see what's happening inside the
cyls.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the carbs have become all wibbly
inside with vibes - fucked needles, jets, floats. Probably the shock of
being attached to an unfucked engine.

Glutton for punishment?

 

Can't be ignition, not really. CDIs either work or they don't. I've got
a spare unit you can have for nowt if you need one, anyway.

Smells of valve clearances to me. Dunno why, but it does.

 

Yeah it was probably more black smoke than blueish. I don't mind
stripping the carbs, I shall be well humpty if the engine has to come
out again. I blame that TOG I do.

 

Well it had the carbs stripped and cleaned. The valve timing was spot
on. The tappets had settled a little but not much. The sparks were weak
but then the plugs were black and gungy. It *still* ran badly.

Quick word with the local shop, the mechanic there has another XS and
they immediately suggested fuel. Now it's not something one generally
has to worry much about but they reminded me in NI fuel smuggling is as
big as drug trafficking. I had looked at the fuel and the smell was ok
but they suggested that modern white diesel can be heavily contaminating
the petrol yet be difficult to spot. Sure enough a flush through, new
plugs and it immediately ran sweetly again.

Naturally there is a problem. The right hand pot is burning oil now. Why
does this remind me of Rope? I guess it has broken or damaged a ring
(hopefully not the bore) or the valve stem seal really didn't like the
contamination. Compression test and engine out.

I know where the fuel came from but I'm not kidding myself there is
*any* chance of pinning them down over it.

 

Shit. The cunts.

 

Oh, for ****'s sake.

Bastards.

Um, I know they 'clean up' red diesel and smuggle white diesel over the
border, but what's with putting diesel into petrol? I don't get it.

 

The Older Gentleman () gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying :

I suspect it's more that they're not particularly scrupulous about cleaning
out the tankers between loads.

 

I expect that is it.

 

So shall we start a book on the likely effects and the cause of the oil
burning on the right pot now?

As it is only one side, there is no exhaust balance pipe, I'm thinking
it has to be either valve guide oil seals or rings/bore. Am I missing
anything?

Can anyone suggest a good sourse for XS rings and gaskets? my local
supplier is closed for a fortnight.

 

There's a good supplier in Germany. Google for Mike's XS 9in the USA)
and it's linked from there.

 

Judging by the smoke, the SOBoxer is burning some oil on the right pot as
well, must be catching. I suspect valve stem seals and valve guides on
that. Got to bite the bullet and spring for some recon heads for it one
day, and probably a set of rings and a bore hone at the same time. It's
maxing out at about 85 these days, which is a bit under par as I've had 95
on the clock before now.