Daza

Hi, thanks both. got the carbs cleaned out, timing checked, valve clearances etc, looked it all over - very clean and obviously rebuilt to acomodate the change in gear selection...... so fresh petrol, charged battery and hit the starter, wow what a beautiful sounding bike! I always wanted an xs650 and I don't know what to do for the best here - the bike is not taxed or MOTed at the mo so is not legal on the road - having said that I did do a little test pilot work this evening - even with an old Road Runner front tyre its a very sweet bike - however, I am not sure if I can live with the brake and gear shift arrangement as it stands. Does anyone know how the flat tracker rear brake was installed and could this be done on a US Custom frame? Cheers Darren

Hi all, This is my first post to the owners club. I just bought an XS650 US Custom (1981) from the NABD bikers charity on Ebay. It looked very standard in the photos though the detail was a bit scant...... well it turned up today and my initial delight quickly turned into a bit of a head scratching session. The bike has had its rear brake modded so that it is activated from the left hand handlebar via a modern Triumph clutch master cylinder and braided hose that is plumbed in all the way to the rear caliper. Yes the bike now has a second lever above the cable clutch lever. Why? Well the gear shift lever now exits the crank case on the right side, a la Brit bike style. I assume this has been done to accomodate a rider with a dodgy left leg. Its obviously an engineering solution not a bodge and the overall condition of the bike and these mods is very good indeed. Has anyone any idea how the gearbox mod has been achieved and more importantly, can it be put back to standard easily? Any info gratefully received. Cheers