XS650 Top End Assembly:

Pistons, cylinder, head, camshaft, and cam cover instalation

Gus Gonzalez ready to get started on replacing his top end. I honed a replacement cylinder from fellow XS'er Done Sundby and installed new OEM Yamaha piston rings and cir clips.

Piston ring compressors in place and piston on adjustable piston supporting blocks.

Pistons slide right in to sleeves, ring compressors stop at bottom edge of piston.

Cylinder block on, pistons at top dead center.

Cylinder head is on and camshaft is in time at TDC, after sliding it in place under the never broken endless stock cam chain at TDC. Then the camshaft bearings are slid in to place from both ends.

Connecting rods, wrist pin bores, camshaft lobes, cylinder stud threads and rocker arm assemblies are coated with moly assembly lube, then cam bearings, cam chain and guides are pre-lubed too.

Cam end housings with seals are snugged in place, head is then torqued down in 5 pound increments. Clutch had 6 slightly weaker than stock springs, so I swapped in 3 high performance red clutch springs.

Gus ready to hit the road!

XS650 Cycle Links, Images & Info: Click Here!

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