XS650 stuff

I've been disassembling the '75 XS engine in preparation for a top end rebuild. No surprises thankfully, and it looks like there won't be any need to go into the bottom end. I need to fix the starter gears, new cam chain and guides, and some other small things. I'll have to measure the pistons and bores. I'm leaning towards a stock overhaul, but if it needs an oversize I'm tempted to just go with a 750 big fin kit.




Here is what led to the rebuild. When I got this bike a couple of years ago, the first thing I did was an oil change. I found lots of black plastic bits in the sump, which were identified as being from the front cam chain guide. I decided not to ride the bike until I got it fixed.


Here is the front guide, which doesn't look too bad at first glance. The bike has under 9000 miles, so not much wear.


You can see where the long plastic pieces were coming from on the sides.


The plastic is only attached about 1/3 of the way on one end, the rest just flapping around. The plastic would have soon fallen off and let the cam chain start sawing into the aluminum.