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i just purchased a 72 xs650 due to a stall in my cb350 build.
i have no prior experience to motorcycle repair or building, but this site has motivated me to learn.
my question is: when i purchased my 72xs650 the motor has a electric start delete and had no wiring when i received it. i ave been hearing a lot about a pamco system, but not quite sure how it will all work for me. i was curious to see what others with the same year/spec xs650 are running and why. any suggestions/info would be much appreciated and studied.
The electric starter and the Pamco ignition system are unrelated.
The Pamco electronic ignition is a great unit, and if you're thinking you need new points/condensers in the ignition system, then I'd spend the money on the Pamco instead for sure. You can get them (and a ton of other bits) on MikesXS.
You don't need an electric starter at all - I removed mine to save weight and battery.
Tim, Ill get some up tomorrow. i actually spent the good part of the weekend and today tearing down the bike. id like to get the frame and misc bits powder coated.. im also trying to figure out if i can get some mags on my xs650. i scored a pair of mags but im not really feeling the 16" rear and 19" front. i might be able to get my hands on a set of 77 xs500 mags(both 18") would you know if its a direct bolt up or would i need to fabricate some sort of spacer, etc?
The mags would likely be an easy conversion (is the rear a drum brake?), but you'd likely need to do some spacing on the axle to line things up properly. But that is pretty easy to do. Don't tell anyone, but my front Suzuki hub is centered on my XS650 forks using large washers But I only needed about 8mm on either side of the massive hub.
Couple things about the earlier XS models. One, the later 35mm front ends are not a straight swap. The steering stem on the earlier models (1971/2 I think only) are shorter than the later years. So a 1976 triple tree will not simply bolt to a 1972 frame the same as it would to a 1974 frame. It can be done by swapping the stem from your current tree into the newer one, but it takes some professional work.
Also the earlier engines are not exactly the same as the later years (engine serials starting with 447). So not all parts are interchangeable. But lots are. I have a 1978 engine in my 1972 frame so I haven't dealt with that.
18" mags front and rear would look great. I'm running 18" spokes on my XS.
BTW - saw your post up at the 650central or whatever site about my rearsets/kickstarter. I had my kickstarter extended by 1" like the other one in that thread.
It really all depends on what rearsets you run. There's a member on the board here who is making rearsets for the XS. I'm likely going to buy a set once my next Tarozzi lever cracks (I've cracked one already).
Nice, thanks for the info. i have been slightly discouraged lately by the compatibility issues i seem to keep having with the xs650. i Kinda wish at times i got a 77-79, but i am determined to make this one work. I also have a cb350 that I am attempting to build. I can say i have zero mechanical skills and I am really shooting for the fences with these builds. In the end, i know ill be extremely happy though. again, thanks for the input and advice.
Btw, can you point me into the right direction as to who sells the rear sets.
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