It's only $270 + shipping. The head work is almost twice that Did all the early XLs drop seats or just the early ones? I'm not gonna buy if it's just gonna drop another seat.
I have a later one '87 with over 40K on the clock and it's valve seats are still stuck tight. I do hope they improved as time went on, i don't want to have to go through that ordeal. I just want to ride.
I would go the engine dynamics route. Tell them you are on a shoestring. Last thing you want to do is buy junk on ebay if you dont have too and still need to do work. If you need a good XL600 exhaust valve, I have one you can have for free.
Last year I fixed a fellas 1993 XR650l that dropped a seat. Took out the piston, the head was so cracked it wasn't worth the repair. Big money fix. Even though he had re-jetted the carb he was running it on the freeway like a CB1000. Then he moved farther from work and blew up the motor again running it so hard. I talked him into a multi cylinder bike.
Right you are , but I use my XL as a commuter too. Luckily it is a short commute of 18 miles one way. I do have a couple of multi's I can ride, both vintage too, CB750K1 and a KZ750N. I keep the bikes at the shop and have enough cars that I can pretty well cherry pick my days. If the weather turns nasty at either end I can grab a car and run with it. That being said when the time comes to choose my steed for the commute home I choose the 600 almost every time due to the fact that it is just more fun to ride even though it is not as well suited to the highway. If I have to take a longer trip with limited gravel exposure the multi is really the answer, though I would still think long and hard before abandoning the single. I also find it interesting that the 600 is geared higher for the road than the KZ. It turns less RPM per MPH than the KZ, although the Kawi does have a lot wider and more comfortable seat, making it the long range choice on the highway. So far I have been lucky with the big single, other than a freak broken crank it has taken my abuse of it's design limitations. The option is always there with the XL of taking the long graveled road home too.
I don't think so. He was running at 75 mph or better daily and the XRL really isn't the proper tool for that job. When I took his engine apart the second time he had gotten the piston SO hot that a 1"+ diameter of the piston crown had almost melted and it was deeply dished. Still have that piston on the work bench.
In my own personal limited experience with my XL, 102.4 Wiseco was noisier than stock when cold, but not too objectionable considering how much better it ran. Replaced crank with XR, then installed JE 102 piston in a rebored XL jug. Runs absolutely fantastic but it makes more noise than the wiseco ever did. finally quiets up at about 180 degree oil temp.
So, the new CDI unit fixed the red hot exhaust problem... The old one was retarding the timing. Got the new one in, and it runs like a dream again. Life is good again.
I had a long discussion with my machinist when we did the JE, I wanted it as tight as we could get it without fear of sticking. We read and reread and remeasured and ended setting it up at the minimum allowed clearance minus a little. Specs were .003" with piston diameter measured 13mm up the skirt. I think we settled on .00275" for fear of seizure. Set ring end gap at minimum too, It hasn't stuck, runs great, just noisier than I like until warmed up.
I do wear earplugs on the road usually, or earbuds hooked to an ipod. I am a conservative old fuddy duddy though and listen to recorded books instead of tunes. So, yes that is a very good solution to the problem at hand.
Wiseco said 2 thousandths. I had the machinist do 2.5 thousandths. It is hot as hell here in the summer so I didn't want to risk a seize.
Thank you. I was trying to find my Wiseco specs for comparison but was unsuccessful. One thousanth would definitely make more noise.
Ok guys I need help with something really important. I got a set of XR's Only tank decals for my plastic tank. How do I put them on witbout screwing it up?
If they're actually decals, and not stickers, soak them in water, hose down the surface, and then push the water out from under them. Did a whole fleet of boat engines that way, turned out nicely. Plus, you don't have to worry about initial placement, as the water lets you move them around to position them just right.
