The XL600 thread

[Stretchah]

Originally Posted by Billtr96sn

There isnt much around that can beat a old XL600!

Definitely agree with that. I've been enjoying it on the road, but, off road it definitely came into it's own for me...best purchase I've made in a long time, still got a few issues to iron out mainly with cold starts, but, I'll get there

[Carter Pewterschmidt]

There it is, the spare motor. What's going on inside that thing? I don't know, but I'm gonna throw some wrenches at it until I find out.



Look at that, looks like aftermarket springs and retainers. What's that camshaft all about then? I'm gonna get that piece otta there.



There you are you little bastard, what that stamping say on there?



148x9? That looks like a Megacycle number to me.



Off to the megacycle site to decode that number. What do we have?

148-x9

.400" 264° 102° Must use racing piston, springs and guides. 30 btc/54 abc .005"
.390" 260° 103° Good off-road cam for mid-range throttle response. 53 bbc/27 atc .007"

Sweeeet. Racing piston, springs and guides? Looks like I got all that covered. Gotta send this head off to Cycle Wizard for a once over, rebuild if necessary, (maaaaaybe some other work) and I got myself a hot rod top end.

[MentalGuru]

Carter,

I told you it hauled a$$.

I never had anything but the rocker box off of it and I knew it was special.

I never knew what was done to that engine... I want to know!!!

The carbs seemed to be in great shape too.

The outsides not pretty, but it's the inside that counts. It shifted great and probably has HD clutch springs and such in it too.

I also have a XR600R twin carb air boot and a XR box.You could use the twin carb boot to mount a pair of pods on a custom mount I think.

I knew I gave you a great deal.

I knew should have kept it

[mcma111]

Originally Posted by Moparmanpete

Gentleman I have a n00b question for you all,

The left and right side case covers are removable while the engine is in the bike frame correct?

Yes. Although you have to lower or remove the right foot peg mount and brake pedal in order for the clutch cover to have clearance to come off.

[crobox]

Hello- This is my first post on this forum, although I've been using forums for years to help me through many other vehicle projects.

I had XL bikes (250s and 600s) when I was in my teens and twenties, and now in my early 40s I find myself with another 1986 XL600R! (It's kind of a beater.... 28,000 miles) I rode it a few times about 2 years ago, and it ran fine and was lots of fun. But the last time I tried starting it, which was about 2 months ago... no go

I figured out it had no spark, and somewhere in that process I opened the little sight plug on the stator cover (left case cover) as well as the center plug on that same cover to find TDC, and I was quite surprised to see oil in there. I was sure that area would be dry and free from oil. I figured an oil seal must have given up, and that must be the cause of the no-spark condition.

So yesterday I pulled the engine from the bike (I totally remember doing that multiple times in my 20s... so easy!!) and pulled the stator cover off to see if I could get a better idea of the problem, and to my surprise there are at least three holes connecting this area with the gearbox, so oil is apparently free to flow into the stator area.

Is this right? Is the rotor/stator area also supposed to be semi-filled with engine oil?

And if this is the case, then where do you good XL600 folks suggest I start looking for the cause of the no-spark condition?

While the engine is out, I suppose I will start tearing down the head a little so see how bad things look in there. I sorta want to do as little as possible to just get the bike rideable again, (spend as little $$ as possible) but I guess I will do what I gotta do.

(As a side note, I am very familiar with the "read the forum before asking your question, noobie!" attitude which I think is justifiably applied to new members' posts on these forums... To be honest I am blown away by the sheer volume of posts in this thread, and don't have the time right now to wade through it all. So, any insight about my situation is appreciated, and if you just want to point me to relevant prior posts, that sounds good too)

Thanks,
Christian

[cynicwanderer]

yes, the stator runs in oil.

are you 100% sure, there is no spark ? places to check:

1. the sparkplug plug/cap. there is a resistor and contacts in there. moisture can wreck havoc in there.
2. ignition coil (especiall if moisture got in there)
3. stator (check the resistance for the ignition coil)
4. pickup coil (measure resistance for that)
5. CDI (last resort, there is really no easy "test", eliminate other causes first)

also, "cracked sparkplug" has bitten me on several occasions after I couldn't find a fault anywhere.it should really be the first check, i.e.

0. replace sparkplug

most often, however, they won't start after standing for a while, because old gas will gum up the carburetor and
it needs to be cleaned.

-ingo

Originally Posted by crobox

Hello- This is my first post on this forum, although I've been using forums for years to help me through many other vehicle projects.

I had XL bikes (250s and 600s) when I was in my teens and twenties, and now in my early 40s I find myself with another 1986 XL600R! (It's kind of a beater.... 28,000 miles) I rode it a few times about 2 years ago, and it ran fine and was lots of fun. But the last time I tried starting it, which was about 2 months ago... no go

I figured out it had no spark, and somewhere in that process I opened the little sight plug on the stator cover (left case cover) as well as the center plug on that same cover to find TDC, and I was quite surprised to see oil in there. I was sure that area would be dry and free from oil. I figured an oil seal must have given up, and that must be the cause of the no-spark condition.

So yesterday I pulled the engine from the bike (I totally remember doing that multiple times in my 20s... so easy!!) and pulled the stator cover off to see if I could get a better idea of the problem, and to my surprise there are at least three holes connecting this area with the gearbox, so oil is apparently free to flow into the stator area.

Is this right? Is the rotor/stator area also supposed to be semi-filled with engine oil?

And if this is the case, then where do you good XL600 folks suggest I start looking for the cause of the no-spark condition?

While the engine is out, I suppose I will start tearing down the head a little so see how bad things look in there. I sorta want to do as little as possible to just get the bike rideable again, (spend as little $$ as possible) but I guess I will do what I gotta do.

(As a side note, I am very familiar with the "read the forum before asking your question, noobie!" attitude which I think is justifiably applied to new members' posts on these forums... To be honest I am blown away by the sheer volume of posts in this thread, and don't have the time right now to wade through it all. So, any insight about my situation is appreciated, and if you just want to point me to relevant prior posts, that sounds good too)

Thanks,
Christian

[mcma111]

XL600 with no spark. Pick up the phone and Call Ricky Stator for a new stator. 9 times out of 10 it's the stator.

[m2h]

Hi guys, Like Crobox am new to this, also have an '86 Xl600 which i bought as a project. Stripped and painted blah blah etc. Didnt do anything to engine other than carb clean and gaskets. Tried to start it using the many techniques written about here and elsewhere and had all the dificulties everyone else had. It finally started and seeme to run well .After a few minutes i stopped it cos i wanted to check oil and it wouldnt go again. Decided to listen and took off the stator cover to check the stator. It looked abit blackish and three of the coils can be moved radially about 1/2mm so suspect the insulation my be damaged due to vibration. Ordered new Rickysator today!! Couldnt get any resistance readings other than 1/2ohm on ign coil to ground. Weird or what! Really great site for info, am amazed at the number of posts about ths old thumper. Hope this fixes my problem, Cant wait to get on the beast (Love these smileys!) Any reply appreciated.
Wayne

[High Country Herb]

Originally Posted by crobox

...I rode it a few times about 2 years ago, and it ran fine and was lots of fun...While the engine is out, I suppose I will start tearing down the head a little so see how bad things look in there. I sorta want to do as little as possible to just get the bike rideable again, (spend as little $$ as possible) but I guess I will do what I gotta do.

If the bike was running fine, I wouldn't go digging into the head. Not only will it cost extra for all the gaskets and stuff, but those head bolts are know to strip easily if they aren't torqued exactly correct (and sometimes even when they are). You could be opening up a can of worms. I've beat the heck out of my '83 for a decade or so, and never done anything but oil changes and valve adjustments.

If you do pull the head, you may as well plan on big bore kit, new timing chain and tensioner, and all the gaskets while you are in there. If you are going to open the can of worms, you may as well make it worth it.

[crobox]

OK, thanks guys. I did pull the head cover off, and the cam and rocker arms all look really good and clean (even though the outside of the engine is pretty dirty). I also measured the cam lobes and all are well within spec. So I am inclined to button it back up and leave it alone.

I will, however, need at least 2 gaskets at this point... the stator cover gasket and head cover gasket. I could make them... or order a cheapo full set on eBay... or....? Any other ideas, such as a place to order economically priced individual gaskets?

I'm going to do a search on here for "leakdown" to see if I can find guidelines for how to properly do a leakdown test on the head, what I'm looking for etc. But, if anyone feels like chiming in about that procedure, feel free. I will probably do one before re-installing the engine just to be sure.

Thanks again

[crobox]

OK... no hits for "leakdown" at all.

Anyone ever do that? Compression test will be harder with the engine out of the bike, and from what I remember a leakdown test is the better of the two tests to do because simply by listening here and there you can tell if the air is escaping from the valves or from the rings...

I suppose I could just do compression by turning the engine rapidly with a big drill on the stator nut....

[lookfar]

Originally Posted by crobox

OK... no hits for "leakdown" at all.



I suppose I could just do compression by turning the engine rapidly with a big drill on the stator nut....

Best of luck with that one.......
I think you would be pushing the proverbial uphill though.


.

[High Country Herb]

Originally Posted by crobox

OK... no hits for "leakdown" at all.

Anyone ever do that? Compression test will be harder with the engine out of the bike, and from what I remember a leakdown test is the better of the two tests to do because simply by listening here and there you can tell if the air is escaping from the valves or from the rings...

I suppose I could just do compression by turning the engine rapidly with a big drill on the stator nut....

I have done them on a Nitro Funny Car, but not a bike. Basically, you use a rubber tipped air nozzle hooked to a psi gauge to blow air into the cylinder while at TDC, and measure the percent of air lost. We are happy if we retain 80 percent.

That might actually be easier, since you don't have to turn the motor fast. The tools for a compression test, however, ca be borrowed at an auto parts store for free. I don't know about the XL, but typically that number is about 100 to 120 psi.

I've heard the Honda gaskets are better quality than others, and worth the price to prevent future leaks.

[Carter Pewterschmidt]

Originally Posted by High Country Herb

I've heard the Honda gaskets are better quality than others, and worth the price to prevent future leaks.

This. I've installed an aftermarket head gasket less than 2 years ago. It now leaks, bad.

[mcma111]

The rocker cover gasket is steel and is reusable. Apply sealant to both sides.