http://www.650rider.com/ 650Rider.com, xs650 en-us So one day my battery stopped charging unless I was at about 5K rpms. So I went to the shop to buy a new voltage regulator... Ok an Old Yamaha Mechanic told me while I was trying to buy it - that 90% of the time - it was caused by a bad rotor. First lets explain rotor and stator - in the alternator (under the left (as you sit on the bike) round Yamaha sidecover) - there is a coil that goes around the outside and does not move (stationary-stator) - that is the stator. the Rotor is the coil in the middle with two brass rings on it and two carbon brushes which ride on the brass rings to deliver voltage (Yes I said deliver!) The rotating coil is the rotor. How it all works - when your voltage regulator detects that your battery needs more charging - it applies 12v though the wires through some crappy connectors to the brushes which send the 12volts into the brass rings into the coils of the rotor and turn it into an ELECTROMAGNET! The spinning electromagnet creates voltage in the coils of the stator - which charge your battery / Run the bike! How to Diagnose and test your Rotor! 1) Remove the brushes your you will get a false reading! 2) get and ohm meter - set it to the x1 scale and zero it. 3) Take a reading from one brass ring on the rotor to the other - doesn't matter which lead (+ or -) goes to which ring. 4) If it is 5 ohms up to around 10 it is good 5) If it is 4 ohms or less it is bad (0 is bad and infinite is also bad!) 6) One by one measure from each ring to frame ground you should get infinite (if you didn't remove the brushes you are now getting a false reading) If the rotor is bad - buy a new one - Rotors for bikes with point ignitions are different than rotors for bikes with TCI ignitons. Also Buy a rotor puller from MikesXS and save a ton of work in getting the old one off. Finally under the left side panel are two white multi-wire plastic connectors - one is for ignition - one is for charging - clean the all terminals on both - and reassemble them with die-electric grease. You may even want to solder the terminals to the wires they are "crimped to" for a better connection. NOTE: to remove the terminals from the white holders - use a paperclip or small screwdriver to depress the small barb on the spade connector) and gently pull it back and out of the connector - DO THIS ONE AT A TIME TO KEEP THEM IN THE CORRECT ORDER IN THE CONNECTOR> Clean connections and a cool rotor are a big part of keeping this bike running! http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=44 I ran into a problem that I have seen others post questions about. I solved mine - so I thought I would post the solution. Motorcycle shuts off intermittently - shortly after startup (after running for about 4-5 minutes) - but restarts again with no problem. The cause is momentary loss of power to the ignition Pack – 1st Check your Ignition Switch and your run stop switch to make sure the contacts are clean and tight. http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=43 Ok an Yamaha mechanic told me this trick when I was about to drop $100 on a voltage regulator that I didn't need... In 99% of all cases where the battery dies and doesn't charge anymore - it is the Rotor - the part that the brushes spin on in the center of the alternator on the left side of your bike - under the round Yamaha cover. http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=42 Ok an Yamaha mechanic told me this trick when I was about to drop $100 on a voltage regulator that I didn't need... In 99% of all cases where the battery dies and doesn't charge anymore - it is the Rotor - the part that the brushes spin on in the center of the alternator on the left side of your bike - under the round Yamaha cover. Just because sometime people confuse the terms - the OUTER windings of the alternator that don't move are called the STATOR - (stationary) the part that spins in the middle - and has two brushes that ride on it - is the rotor (rotates) it has one reverse thread nut holding it on. DIAGNOSIS A bike runs on 12v but needs 13 or more to charge.... To check for sure - follow the Mechanics Manual's directions to remove the alternator brushes - then put an ohm meter across the two brass rings that the brushes ride on - (Make sure you have zeroed you ohm meter and are on the x1 scale.) Put one lead on EACH brass Ring... You should get 5 ohm or MORE -on a Good Rotor... IF you get 4 ohms or less or infinite - your rotor is bad. Now one at a time move one lead to ground - and read between ground and each ring - IT SHOULD NOT BE ZERO OR A LOW NUMBER that indicates a short in the windings of the rotor to ground - and again - it's bad. Don't do this test with the brushes still on - your readings will be wrong. If the rotor is bad -Buy a new rotor from Mikes or a good used one from a junkyard - or there are even places who will rewind for you but make sure you BUY A ROTOR PULLER TOO! for $20 AND SAVE YOURSELFT A TON OF WORK! Also Check Also as per my "motorcyle dies intermittently article" Clean you electrical connections ( 6 & 8 spade Connectors) in the two white connectors under the left side cover. One white group connector is for ignition - and the other one is for Charging. Use die-electric grease when you put them back together to keep them clean. You may even want to solder the spade connectors to the wires to insure there is good electrical contact. Note that the spade connectors are aluminum or silver and the wire is copper leading to oxidization at the crimp level. Soldering each one solves this. Use a toothpick or very small screw driver to push down the barb that holds each spade connector into the White Shell. Do them one at a time so you don't mix them up. REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHECK THE NEW ROTOR FOR CORRECT OHMS BEFORE YOU INSTALL IT - Good Luck Jim O http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=41 So one day my battery stopped charging unless I was at about 5K rpms. So I went to the shop to buy a new voltage regulator... Ok an Old Yamaha Mechanic told me while I was trying to buy it - that 90% of the time - it was caused by a bad rotor. First lets explain rotor and stator - in the alternator (under the left (as you sit on the bike) round Yamaha sidecover) - there is a coil that goes around the outside and does not move (stationary-stator) - that is the stator. the Rotor is the coil in the middle with two brass rings on it and two carbon brushes which ride on the brass rings to deliver voltage (Yes I said deliver!) The rotating coil is the rotor. How it all works - when your voltage regulator detects that your battery needs more charging - it applies 12v though the wires through some crappy connectors to the brushes which send the 12volts into the brass rings into the coils of the rotor and turn it into an ELECTROMAGNET! The spinning electromagnet creates voltage in the coils of the stator - which charge your battery / Run the bike! How to Diagnose and test your Rotor! 1) Remove the brushes your you will get a false reading! 2) get and ohm meter - set it to the x1 scale and zero it. 3) Take a reading from one brass ring on the rotor to the other - doesn't matter which lead (+ or -) goes to which ring. 4) If it is 5 ohms up to around 10 it is good 5) If it is 4 ohms or less it is bad (0 is bad and infinite is also bad!) 6) One by one measure from each ring to frame ground you should get infinite (if you didn't remove the brushes you are now getting a false reading) If the rotor is bad - buy a new one - Rotors for bikes with point ignitions are different than rotors for bikes with TCI ignitons. Also Buy a rotor puller from MikesXS and save a ton of work in getting the old one off. Finally under the left side panel are two white multi-wire plastic connectors - one is for ignition - one is for charging - clean the all terminals on both - and reassemble them with die-electric grease. You may even want to solder the terminals to the wires they are "crimped to" for a better connection. NOTE: to remove the terminals from the white holders - use a paperclip or small screwdriver to depress the small barb on the spade connector) and gently pull it back and out of the connector - DO THIS ONE AT A TIME TO KEEP THEM IN THE CORRECT ORDER IN THE CONNECTOR> Clean connections and a cool rotor are a big part of keeping this bike running! http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=39 Breather info: I was going crazy with my mixture settings... I have a 81 xs650 H special with Mikumi 34 stock carbs. Factors is the breather goes from the heads to a T then into each of the air boxs on the carbs - with 2 vents shooting the oil fumes right into the carbs. No matter what I tried - my plugs would foul. And idle was erratic. I rebuilt the carbs. Factory mix had the screws at 2 out - but it liked to be LEANER - about 1 turn out - even then my plugs were getting all carboned up! This just didn't make sense - all articles said these were lean burn carbs from the factory. Why should they want to be leaner? Then I pulled the breather out of the carb box - plugged the stock air box openings for the breather (so dirty air wouldn't bypass the air filters)- and put an automotive breather on the breather hose! (keeping it OUT of the carb air box) What a difference - idles smoother - and the mix is back to 2 out. Peformance went up too! Turns out the Oil fumes - from the breather were richening up my mixture with the factory set-up and fouling the plugs. Getting the breather out on it's own - away from carb intakes made a huge difference! Jim http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=37 Well just to introduce myself a little more defined. I have been riding bikes since age 10, and racing bikes at 11 (Mini-bikes) of course. My dad saved for a year for both my brother’s first mini’s and mine. They were challengers. This was a real big deal for us cause we didn’t have much money. It would be the only brand new bike I would ever own. So from there on I built my own bikes. I have had BSA’S, TRIUMPHS, SPORTSTER, SEVERAL KAWASAKI’S, SUZUKIS, and BMW. HONDA, YAMAHA’S. Money has always been real tight for me so here is how I keep ridding. 1) I pick up junk bikes of one make and model say as many as you can afford. (Like the xs-650) 2) I try to (don’t always work this way) Totally Part them all out. Clean everything and inventory the parts into storage.(Don’t save anything that is unusable AND BE PICKY) 3) I then will assemble a bike from my inventory. Yes this will take awhile of your time. But I have built three bikes recently this way and only commercial parts that I bought were maintenance items such as fork seals, tires, and batteries. with the exception of the batteries I could have been totally out of stock. This is how I do it. Motorcycling does not have to be real expensive. Now I am working mostly on XS bikes because they are so versatile, plentiful and cheap to purchase. It is kind of neat when you can build a bike from inventory, sell it reasonably cheap to someone whom does not have a lot of money, and watch him or her drive by your house EVERY morning back and forth to work. To see them really enjoy the sport that they have discovered is almost as good as 70-degree fall weather on a twisty mountain road. I also am trying to help others with their builds by supplying useable used parts. I don’t really make any money doing this but have a real lot of fun. This year I have been so busy with other peoples bikes that mine is still not finished, oh well the project seems to get changed about every other week, But the finished product will be well thought out and totally different. This is a great hobby. The bike I mentioned above cost the owner 750.00. I didn’t paint anything just made a bike that would be dependable and ride-able. The cash from it generated cash for my project, which in the end my bike will be totally free. The people buying them locally also benefit from having dedicated service for their bikes, eliminating all BS from the local dealers trying to sell then new bikes. And over booked aftermarket service shops. In other words they usually don’t have to wait weeks for service. They also receive a 30-day warranty on their bike. So I feel that I am giving value to my bikes and hopefully helping people out. There are Items that I ask for good cash and I try to charge 50% of new for a good useable part. I feel that with all the work that goes into this that you really need to get some return and don’t expect to get rich, it wont happen. But you can ride cheap and or free Posted by “Russo” for member: royfisk http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=36 How to replace a starter button on an XS This example shows the replacement of the starter button on a Yamaha XS500E 78. **Older XS models do not have the on/off light switch so it will not have to be removed. Here is a link to the closeup how to images: http://www.freewebs.com/kibokojoe/buttoninstallation.htm http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=35 Ok - after much investigation - and reading of Yamaha Manuals from both Yamaha, Chilton, and Clymer - I have discovered some things that cause "intermittent problems." There are 2 parts here - Running and Charging - read it all so you don't miss something. Part 1 - Running -bike dies but then restarts - and weak spark - causing an over rich condition - which may have you pulling carbs apart for no reason. On the 650s with CDI or TCI electronic igniton there are 7 areas to check. Start with the simplest: 1) Ignition Switch - is it making good electrical contact? If not take it apart and clean the contacts. 2) Run Stop Switch - again clean it and check wires for tightness 3) Ignition pickup on stator - Orange Grey Black wires - check with and ohm meter - should be 700 ohms +-20% between black and orange and grey and black. 4) Electrical connectors - don't only clean them - pull them apart. The point where the wire enters the spade often time corrodes like a batter terminal - making a high resistance connection. Clean and solder them. There are 2 main areas. The connector from the pickup - located behind the airboxes for the carb - a 3 wire connector - orange-grey -black. AND the connector to the TCI unit under the sidecover that holds your tools. It will have 6 wires. CLEAN & Solder 5) The TCI unit itself - located under the battery box. Pull it out - Take off the cover - remove the circuit board and check for bad solder joints - often times cracked from vibration. Carefully resolder any questionable solder joints. But becareful - too much heat can damage components. Look at each component you are soldering. Wires are safe - Solid state circuits can be damaged by heat. Use a low temp solder iron and be neat and careful. An iffy connection will cause resistance in the circuit - this causes a weaker signal or weaker voltage or weaker output to coil. This makes a weaker spark - which may lead you to think your carbs are too rich. The TCI unit has a solid state safety feature in it. If the signal from the pickup unit is not present it shuts off - so the coil does not get burned out. So if you have an iffy connection from the pickup to the TCI and your driving - the TCI will shut off, but when you stop - it will restart easily. The same holds true for the Voltage. Bad 12v connection is the same result as weak battery. It will also shut off the TCI unit. So check those switches and connections! Often times a little time with a solder gun can save you $500 for a TCI unit. Part 2 Charging. Again check all connections First. Then check the brushes to make sure they are in good condition. When in doubt just replace them. A old Yamaha mechanic said in 99% of cases of your battery not charging - it was the rotor. I have found this to be true. The rotor is the part of the alternator that spins, and that the brushes ride on. To test it Pull the brushes off. Clean the Ring contact surfaces on the rotor with 1000 grit sandpaper. Then get out your ohm meter. 5-8 Ohms between the rings means the rotor is OK. Less than 4 = weak charge. Also check each ring to ground - there should be infinate resistance. If not you have a short. If you need a new rotor - buy a puller too. You can't get it off in one piece without that little tool. Most places like MikesXS sell both. And while it's apart - just change the brushes. Good luck I hope this helps. Jim http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=33 I noticed a few people had questions, so I drew up the Safety Relay wiring diagram - Jim For other images check here in my photo ablbum. http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=32