Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: chris22 on March 06, 2014, 07:24:07 PM
-
Just really a note of thanks to all who have contributed to this website and provided information to help me rebuild my XBR 500.
My last project was a VF400 (about as far from being a thumper as you can get) - very intricate with a little jewel of an engine but lacking in character - so I was on the look out for a simple thumper when an XBR 500 came up locally on e bay.
It looked complete and, whilst I could not ride it, it ran and sounded OK - so I took a gamble, parted with my money and took it away. That was in August last year and it is only now complete with MOT and on the road this week.
What a revelation! It is everything I hoped it would be; torquey, light, flickable and full of character and the booming sound from the engine takes me back to the first bike I had - a Triumph Tiger 90. In spite of the cold and damp weather I have done nearly 200 miles on it in the last couple of days.
So , to the rebuild......
First problem was the exhaust pipe studs in the cylinder head - corroded away and it was only copper slip and good luck that held the nuts in place. Took the engine out and off to a specialist engineer to have the old studs removed, Hell of a job as the cylinder head had to be removed and the front middle head bolt was corroded solid. (Anybody know why these bolts have a spiral pattern on the shank?)
The piston, piston rings and cylinder bore were in good order so it was just a re-seating of the valves that was necessary. Ah.. there was the problem of the worn cam lobes and cam followers. Info from this site pointed me at Phil Joy Engineering who re-profiled the cam lobes and replaced the chrome facing on the followers with stellite. Great job - the gentle rustling that comes from the top end of the engine is like an Autumn breeze wafting through a ripe corn field - thanks Phil.
So it was off for an MOT on Tuesday which it passed with no problem and I have now rejoined the ranks of the thumper appreciation society.
I have had thumpers before: Honda XL250 s (re- engined with a CB250 R motor for its 12 volt electrics), Yamaha XT350, Suzuki Savage 650 (wish I had kept that one), and a BMWF650GS I had for over 8 years.
None of the above get even close to the feel of the XBR.
Just a thought for other XBR fans - I have removed the passenger grab rail (because I think it looks better without it) and filled the gap left between the seat cowling and the rear light fairing with some rubber strips. Has anyone else done this? All the pictures I have seen with the grab rail removed have just shown up the gap - particularly noticeable on the lighter coloured bikes. If you have a better solution let me know.
Cheers
Chris
Attachment Expired
-
Nice looking bike, I have no idea why the spiral is in the bolt shank, I had to drill out that bolt as well
-
Nice bike credit to you.