DavidEasum
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Well, looked at the steering head bearings... Indeed, the lower one is shot from rust. I WD-40'd to clean it out it and then tried to pack as much grease as possible into it while still on the stem. Cleaned and repacked the top and then put everything all back together. The bars turn freely now, but the lower bearing and new seals are definitely going on the shopping list. Unfortunately, my glue-job on the speedo drive didn't survive the re-install. I've got it rigged now with some creative safety wiring. It works (just spinning the wheel) - and probably will well beyond "100 miles from nowhere."
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Ouf! Just got done putting the new tires on. What a bear of a job that is! Moses, your video makes it look way too easy. I sure hope these babies last a long time as I'm not anxious to change them on a frequent basis! Along the way, I see that the rear wheel spoke screws are all rusted beyond recognition and some of the spoke holes look a little gnarly. I just left them alone, hoping that the new rim strips will protect the tubes for a little while. Don't want to go spending even more money at this stage... (Yeah, I know... This doesn't meet the "100 miles from nowhere" benchmark). I hope the wheel is not wobbly - something I didn't check yet. As for the front, someone must have repeatedly botched the front wheel removal, because the speedo drive fell to pieces when I disassembled. It's pretty mangled and the previous "mechanic" glued (!) it back together. Since it was working before I took it off, I simply followed his lead and glued again. At least this time it's with some good epoxy and a clamp to hold things together while drying. It may just last until the next tire change (or parts order). Another thing that may have to go on the parts order list is steering head bearings. Depending on whether they are needle, roller or ball, I may be able to resurrect, but I'm not hopeful - the handlebar doesn't turn very freely.... Someone must have thought that the adjuster nut was supposed to be tightened with a sledge hammer. Moses, any idea on what type of bearing I'll find in there? David
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Hi guys, So I'm finally back in Burundi, and I managed to get all my parts here without TSA in New York messing about too much wondering what the heck a cylinder and piston were doing in my luggage. I have opened up my carburetor and have found essentially that it's the same as a power-up with the exception of the pilot, which is a 65s. I decided to leave it in there, rather than replace with what came in the Moose kit (65 not s). I will contemplate ordering a 68s if I'm not happy with how things turn out. Aside from the 65 pilot, the Moose kit came with a 125 (yikes!) main jet, and a needle stamped D630. Their needle looks exactly the same as the B53e that's in my carb, but it's hard to tell. Since this is not a wear item, I left mine as-is. I was slightly disappointed not to find a new rubber seal for the carb top in the Moose kit. I guess my old one will have to do. What I was happy about, is that there was a new fuel screw in the kit. Mine (as mentioned above) had been jammed in and the head mangled by some ham-fisted idiot (before this ham-fisted idiot got his hands on it ). As you suggested, Moses, small drill and an easy-out did the trick. Once out, I found that it had no washer or o-ring on it. I doubt that would have much impact, but at least now it's all set with a new screw, washer and o-ring. As far as the main jet is concerned, I opted for a 170 in place of the existing 175. My reasoning after looking at the general web-wisdom is to compensate for the high-ish temps and 3,000 ft+ altitude where I'll be riding. I have a 172 to try if this seems too lean, but if it seems too rich, I'll have to order a 168 which I didn't buy when I had the chance.... Next task... Installing the new cylinder and piston! By the way, there's a good how-to for the carb at http://www.xr650r.co.uk/service/carb/carb.shtml. It can probably be found elsewhere as well.
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So, I have this Euro model XR650R project, and I acquired the bike right. As the upper engine rebuild and other restorative measures unfold, I'm starting to wonder what is a reasonable amount to invest here? The engine work and all the other parts I've bought are pushing things pretty close to $2k - and this bike can't be worth much more than that! Furthermore, I dropped nearly as much on new gear (helmet, boots, gloves, etc...) DON'T TELL MY WIFE! Cheers, David
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Shock Change for the Honda XR650R Motorcycle
DavidEasum replied to DavidEasum's topic in Dirt & Dual-Sport Motorcycles
Hi Moses, Thanks for the comprehensive response. As I may have mentioned before, I've only ridden this bike a couple of miles before the engine tear-down, but I could already tell that the rear shock is way too soft and bouncy. It's surely never been opened, so that reduces the likelihood of irreparable damage (I hope). I've been looking at the various resources on the web and I suspect the best course of action for me is to rebuild the shock myself with a new spring and appropriate shimming stacks for my weight and expected usage. A Racetech valve may be called for too. Nonetheless, I'll ride the bike as-is for a while until I get the motor sorted. Once that's done (and properly broken in), I'll have a better feel for the suspension. I had seen a more basic spring rate calculator on another site. It concurs with the one you posted the link for. Very useful! Cheers, David -
Just a quick question for the forum - I'm thinking of getting a used oem shock for my XR650R - the one that's on it is shot. Anyone got ideas as to where to look? I see next to nothing on eBay. I was hoping to find a bunch of them taken off new bikes and replaced by better stuff by the racing crowd... Otherwise - tips on rebuilding the existing? D.
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Hi Moses, In the end, I went with your recommendation for the T63s, but I hesitated on the 130 rear and 90 front combo - I ordered an 80/90 front and a couple of 120/80s for the rear. I had heard of clearance problems from some other forums (and my own splash guard has to be replaced because of that), so I reverted to my streetbike experience where I learned about a big (rear especially) tire not giving the intended results of having more rubber on the road and leading to slower steering. Anyway, the difference is not huge - I'll let you know how it works out! The tires are pretty cheap in contrast to the race rubber I used to have to buy! I just hope that the airline doesn't charge me an arm and a leg for the excess baggage! Maybe fullchoke has some of his experience to impart now that his bike is running! David
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Hi Greg, I'm interested to learn of your progress with carb jetting on your bike. What altitude are you at, and what sorts of temperatures prevail when you ride? As far as the rubber boot you mention - assuming you're not referring to the rubber o-ring that seals the air box to the side panel - if it's present, from my understanding, the bike is not fully uncorked. If you remove it, the bike will lean out further (more air in comparison to fuel) and the main jet will need to be bumped up "number-wise." Did you get a Moose kit? What is in it? I got one (EU spec, from a website in France, though I'm not sure that's any different from Moose's US version), but I don't have it where I am now, so I don't recall the specifics. The bike that has fallen into my hands (2002 EU model) has the same problem as Moses's did - cylinder, piston and intake valve problems. It had been run without an air filter and with questionable carb condition and cooling system for an unknown period of time. I'm doing basically the same thing Moses did to rebuild it but without the cam. He's put a great video together, so I feel as if I know what I'm doing . Luckily I'm on a trip to the US and I'll be here until the end of the month. Should be enough time to get all the right parts. Next on the list is tires... Good luck! David
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Hi Moses, I just checked out your videos on the TCI racks and Nelson Rigg bags for the video platform XR650R. Very nice. I was wondering if the rack understructure would fit all the XR650R models though. Mine, as an EU model, has a steel tubular subframe under the fender and attached to the regular aluminum subframe. This extra subframe serves to support the rear fender and license plate bracket (and light). I have a feeling that it would interfere with the TCI set-up, which is unfortunate. You can see the extra part on the EU parts fiche (part number 84710-MBN-651). If I ever got the itch to take my XR on more than just a day trip, the TCI/Nelgon Rigg setup would really be optimal, but if it wont fit then I'll have to think about other solutions... Your thoughts would be appreciated.
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Thanks for confirming! That's what I thought. But then if I was wrong, I would feel pretty stupid once everything was together but wouldn't run! D
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Hi Moses, I've watched the two videos - good stuff! I was wondering however about your choice for the rear 130/80 tire size (T63). Do you not think that the 120/90 would be more economical and lighter steering without compromising performance or traction? Also, does the 130 fit between the swing arms with no problem? Let me know what you think. I'm going to order a set (1 front and 2 rears) and see, but since shipping is a big issue for me (as a result of where I live ), I want to get the most out of it! David
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Hi Moses, I've now had a chance to go through the posts - thanks for the responses! The spec sheet is gonna come in very handy! As far as jetting is concerned, I may have mentioned that I ordered a Moose Racing repair kit off a French website, hoping it would have the correct jets in it. Although the kit came with the 65 pilot, it does not have the 175 main in it (I think it was a 150 or less). So I have gone to HondaParts-Direct and ordered the 175 which I will receive here in the US (I arrived yesterday) to take back with me. But I was just wondering - in other words I'm asking for input - about jetting. The higher the number on the jet in this case, the more fuel it's flowing, right? And the higher the altitude, the less fuel you want flowing (to maintain the right air/fuel ratio), right? Same goes for when it's hotter, right? If so, this leads me to believe that for my application at 3,000-6,000 ft. in average daytime temps of about 80 Fahrenheit, I should go leaner than 175. Anyway, when I open the carb, I'll see what was in it originally and take it from there. One problem I'm going to have to deal with is a seized mixture screw (the one that goes horizontally into the carb body). Not only is it seized but there's not much of a head left on it - and it's recessed into a hole of sorts, making it impossible to grab with a pair of pliers... So I don't have any bright ideas on how to get it out - much less how to adjust it! If I knew what it was set at (how many turns out), I could just leave it alone, but I doubt that it is adjusted correctly. Phooey. D.
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Question for you, Moses: Is there a difference between the compression stroke and the exhaust stroke on the XR when the cam is out? I’m worried that if I’m 360 degrees off on reassembly, I’ll put it back together with the ignition firing on the wrong stroke. Or does the ignition simply fire every time the crank goes around so that it doesn't matter? D.
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Hi, Looking for some feedback about dual sport tires - I'm putting together an XR and plan to ride somewhere around 60%/40% street/trails. I am not in a place where I can easily get hold of things so longevity on the street is a factor. I saw an inexpensive tire advertised with positive reviews on the web - Shinko 700 - but I have never heard of the brand. Anyone tried? D..
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Hi Moses, have you got an idea about what jets and needles the Euro version of the XR would have come with stock? I'm going to open my carb for maintenance and will be doing some thinking about what should or shouldn't be in there. As you know, my motor (Euro model) is fried from overheating/dirt ingestion/bad maintenance... D.