XL600 Engine Rebuild

Got a 1984 XL600R to repair. This of course turned into a full restoration

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Struggled for 20 min trying to get the engine out. Thought about giving it a rest for a bit and the damn thing nearly dropped out on my foot.

I ended up fitting new bearings pretty much throughout and oil seals which disappointingly didn’t come with the gasket set. It also made sense to fit a new timing chain.

Everything is going to plan. One noteworthy thing is the camshaft must go on with the lobes down at TDC on flywheel and the two markers on the camshaft sprocket. However remember when checking afterward that the valve opening/closing cycles are correct (with a long screwdriver through the spark plug hole) the engine needs to be turned anticlockwise NOT clockwise. I thought I had done something seriously wrong as the valve cycles didn’t match the piston position until i realized I was turning the wrong way.

Well there it is. I just have to do the rest of the bike now…