Thanks for the reply, i havn't been able to do anything to the blke for a while but now xmas/new year madness has settled i'm on to it. Will have to start checking valve clearances and decomp etc. first but its a bit strange because when i did get it going it ran really sweet so i'm abit baffled. Glad to see your bore was ok , one less thing to worry about m2h
Hey Pete, If you have a California Carb, there is a couple of great photos back on page 163 from cynicwanderer which show what ports should be open or plugged. Hope that helps.
I am not sure what condition your tank is in but I found out that mine had some small rust/flaking inside (way down where it was hard to see) so it just kept sending "small" particles through the filters and these carbs are ultra sensitive so it kept causing blockage until I ended up changing out the tank and recleaning the carbs one last time. Maybe you can run a few cups from your petcock directly into a glass container just to make sure there is nothing getting by? :eek1
Your valves sound like they are perfect and the kicker does get a little softer when the engine is hot which unfortunately makes it harder to figure out when your'e at the right spot to giver her a kick, According to my manual, the stock jets are: primary #118, secondary #115, & slow #62. I am at sea level and I have an 87' California model which has all of the emission equipment removed and I changed my jets to 120, 118, & 65. Now she starts with 1-2 kicks every time and runs great even after fully warmed up. In my experience, these bikes seem to like lots more fuel than the stock jets allow.
Ah, here is a good spot to ask a related question. I've been setting my valves to the newer spec used on the XRL: .004 & .005 I had been using the original spec of .002 & .004 Anybody else here with the older RFVC doing the valve spec upgrade?
Here's the boring of my cylinder with a Van Norman Boring Bar. And another XL600LM that I will start to rebuild the engine next summer.
Hey GM. For what it's worth, my machinest guy who knows these (RFVC) engines very well has always said the stock Honda clearance was too tight. I think mainly because of oiling issues but also .002 doesn't allow much for thermal expansion. And we all know these bikes have their fair share of both.
Is there any hard tuned XL600Rs? I'm sure there is.... I want to know what I can do to increase the power without hindering long term usefulness too much. I'm thinking about getting a second job just to tune this beast. Drooling over XRs only parts but do i have other options?? Don't get me wrong, it still wants to wheelie out of turns and has plenty of power, but I want to make this MY bike. I got to pull the engine to stop the notorious oil leak from the valve cover, might as well make it worthwhile. I can live with a leak for a few more months while i gather parts. All I know is the receipt from the PO's last rebuild said "WISECO HI-COMP" as one of the new parts listed but it doesn't say the ratio and the PO didn't know either
It might be noisier but I couldn't tell. My thinking is the same as Bruce. Honda must have changed the clearance specs after real world testing on the early RFVC Right, but I was wondering if its better for longevity with the larger clearances. 0.1/0.12mm are the metric versions of .004/.005in for those of us in the US. I can't think of a single reason not to use the newer XRL specs, but I was looking for feedback from someone who thought differently.
No, I had to wait until after work before I could even check out the new posts on ADV. No posting on the job, big brother and all of that jazz
Do you guy's have some advise on the two different brands of aftermarket Connecting rod....Hot rod vs Pro-X ? Wich one would you recommend? Thanks Ed
I ordered a Hot rod because there is a copper/bronze bushing at the rod end...Also I just repaired one engine with a Prox connecting rod and the lower end bearing was seized, the cause was probably not the rod itself but when the Honda guy's rebuild the engine sometimes ago, they forgot to install the big washer on the crankshaft left bearing, instead they installed it behind the flywheel outside of the crankcase...not a good idea.... I thinl that the big washer keeps the oil trapped against the left bearing ...but not 100% sure about this.
Hey guys, Just a quick update re. the work to fix my sunken valve seats etc. The garage called me today and it turns out the head is cracked between the valve seat and the spark plug They are going to weld the head (apparently it will be like new) and replace all the valves and guides plus a new cam chain rings etc and gaskets and a few other parts i needed to rebuild it, total cost is expected to be around £800 for everything On the upside at least the barrel just needed a hone and new rings It is a lot of cash, but, I'm just thinking that at least I'll know that everything is sorted on it then and fingers crossed once It's fixed it shouldn't need to be done again....
I still have a oil leak. Looks like the stator gasket. New gasket, in fact second new gasket. I am thinking a little sealant to stick it together better? Anyone see any reason why not. New Ricky stator in there so I shouldn't have to take it off again soon. Chris
