Drilled rotors, stator cover and clutch cover?

[Guest]

I was looking at a few other cafes on another site and I really like the look of drilled rotors, stator cover and clutch covers. Has anyone on here done this?

Rotors-

1. At which point do I need to worry about the integrity of the rotor itself?
2. Anyone have a write-up for doing this?

Covers-

1. Are there any draw backs to drilling the covers? Rain, dust, dirt, grime, etc? I was thinking about drilling them out and then using some thin plexiglass inside of them to keep stuff out but not 100% sure about it. id rather have it open (ventilation, aesthetics) but again, not sure if there are any draw backs.

Any tips, tricks, advise is appreciated.

[TheCafeKid]

I doubt what you were looking at had drilled stator and clutch covers unless they were dry systems. If you drill GS covers (aside from the countershaft sprocket cover) you'll end up with oil all over your shoes. The GS stator is cooled in an oil bath and the clutch is a wet system. The rotors can be drilled but I'd suggest having a professional do them or do alot of research on patterns before you try it. For starters the rotors are stainless steel. It's very hard to drill and on top of that you need to have a pattern that will prevent shattering and chattering.

[spyug]

A good place to look at for this stuff is the XS650 websites foremost being http://xs650temp.proboards.com/index.cgi?the boys and gals over there are very big into cafe's and trackers and drilling stuff is par for the course.

In terms of disks, you can pretty much drill them like swiss cheese and they'll still work well. I personally wouldn't recommend it but some do. I have drilled the disks on all my bikes other than the suzukis which came predrilled. I usually use a pattern of three spaced, then two, then three alternating all around. There are other patterns. i believe Goran on the 650 site has a pattern or two.

To drill them use a cobalt or titanium bit on a drill press set on low speed. Use a lot of oil and a tooth brush to keep shavings out of the hole as you cut.

When you first start this practice you should clamp the disk firmly and it helps to centre punch the spots you want to drill. As you gain experience and confidence you can drill "free hand" which speeds up the process. At the outset I strongly caution you to clamp things down and wear your safety gear as chips can go flying.

You might find the disks drill like butter but you may also find they are as hard as diamonds. Over the years I've seen both. Generally, they drill easily... just take your time.

As far as drilling engine/ final drive covers etc its a matter of dirt and debris getting in. It may look trick but its not really doing anything other than giving you something else to worry about. I'd pass personally.

Good luck with it.
Cheers,
spyug

PS I just read CKs post and I just wanted to mention that I never had a problem with drilling disks or any problem when running them. Infact I found the drilled disks to make for better brake feel, better disk wear and more even pad wear. I believe most people can do it without too much trouble but with brakes caution is always adviseable and if you've never done any similar mechanical work you might want to take them to a pro as he suggests.

[oldgrumpy]

drilled rotors.........

hi guys.....theres a guy in the xs650club in new zealand ...that actually sent me for about 5 bucks.... a set of a3 clear plastic ,,,working drawings for my xs650 yam......and being a cert. toolmaker its in your best interest to make upa drilling pattern,,,that could be out of alloy or steel... i would tend to tend to transfer my drilling pattern holes to an old disc and then from there on you have a first class drilling jig ... do not drill free hand ...as that will cause out of balance...on a xs650 yam the weight goes from 6lb to 3 1/2 lb... there abouts... they have all the specs ...and of course ...its unprung weight we are taking about...you can use a hss. drill ,,,but be shore to grind a chip breaker into the point edge when sharpening ,,,so that you don,t have a wide land on the drill ......and of course low spreed and plenty of decent cutting oil...hope this helps you regards david from kaniva

[Mysuzyq]

It's a good idea to have your bike mentioned in your sig., so we know what model you are working with. Yoshimura had some drilled countershaft sprocket covers for sale on their site, at least for the GS1100/Katana....just to give you an idea on the appearance. I planned on picking up a cheap cover on ebay, and drilling it full of nicely chamfered holes, to throw on once in a while.....just for fun.

Tony.

[Henryinva]

Drilled mine, but Im a machinist and have the equipment to do it..

[atb1998]

sprocket covers are simple to drill and polish. Doesn't get any dirtier than before drilled . My 400 yamaha cafe that i drilled the sprocket cover on

[atb1998]

better pic

[TheCafeKid]

better pic

Atb nice lil cafe there man! Damn sexy lil run about. That is what I'm talking about! Not just looks. Functionality! Love it. I have an 81 xs400 sitting around I picked up at a garge sale for 75 bucks years back waiting for a cafe treatment but somehow I just never get around to it lol. Henry nice work on the rotors. How much would you charge me to drill a set? I don't hav the tooling to do it correctly but I would love to have a couple of old 750 sets I have done. Let me know!

[Hammered]

Atb nice lil cafe there man! Damn sexy lil run about. That is what I'm talking about! Not just looks. Functionality! Love it. I have an 81 xs400 sitting around I picked up at a garge sale for 75 bucks years back waiting for a cafe treatment but somehow I just never get around to it lol. Henry nice work on the rotors. How much would you charge me to drill a set? I don't hav the tooling to do it correctly but I would love to have a couple of old 750 sets I have done. Let me know!

You can send that dirty girl down here and Ill show her some love. I want to do a XS650 but theyre so damn popular that theyre hard to find cheap anymore.

[sschering]

Man does everyone have an XS-400 laying around?

I got it for $250 to use as parts but it was to nice to take apart..

[atb1998]

Atb nice lil cafe there man! Damn sexy lil run about. That is what I'm talking about! Not just looks. Functionality! Love it. I have an 81 xs400 sitting around I picked up at a garge sale for 75 bucks years back waiting for a cafe treatment but somehow I just never get around to it lol. Henry nice work on the rotors. How much would you charge me to drill a set? I don't hav the tooling to do it correctly but I would love to have a couple of old 750 sets I have done. Let me know!

Thanks !! I sold that bike last year. One of the funnest bikes to ride i ever owned. Wished i hadn't sold it. Have another xs400 my wife rides. thinking about doing some kind of custom work on it

[oldgrumpy]

drilling parts......

theres a guy on the xs650 site ,,,that has drilled the whole motor....to lighten it...he did this when he pulled it down.... its worth looking at...purely to see what can be done to lighten the load......regards david from kaniva .....

[Agemax]

i opened up the ignition cover on my GS, fitted a plexiglass cover and lit it up with LED's.

http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z260/agemax/?action=view&current=100_0626-1.flv

[Turtleface]

i opened up the ignition cover on my GS, fitted a plexiglass cover and lit it up with LED's.

http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z...100_0626-1.flv

I love how you can hear the rush of air intake right before the motor responds. Awesome. Great looking machine, bikes like yours give me lots and lots of inspiration.

The pink slippers are a nice touch, too.