Can I put mags on my Yamaha Heritage Special?

[TurkeySandwich]

Hey all,

I have an 83 xs650 heritage special and my spokes are looking pretty rusty. I am interested in swapping them for a set of Mag wheels. Does anyone have any experience with that? Would I be able to get some mags off of an earlier model with no issues? I want my bike to be safe and have less maintenance. If anyone has tried a set of Yamaha Maxim xj650 on their xs I would also be interested in that too there seems to be a lot of those available out there for pretty cheap.

[docmel]

Hey all,

I have an 83 xs650 heritage special and my spokes are looking pretty rusty. I am interested in swapping them for a set of Mag wheels. Does anyone have any experience with that? Would I be able to get some mags off of an earlier model with no issues? I want my bike to be safe and have less maintenance. If anyone has tried a set of Yamaha Maxim xj650 on their xs I would also be interested in that too there seems to be a lot of those available out there for pretty cheap.

You need to do your own research. Try a search for a specific and related forum that deals with your make/model bike. You might want to do parts search for years/model interchangability as well

One easy way is to look for a aftermarket wheel that will fit your bike now, and see if it also fits the other years you just mentioned. If so, the race is on

[farmall]

XS of course also came with mags and that rim style was used on MANY Yamahas (as was the common fork style).

I'd not hesitate to grab a set from an earlier XS but you can confirm if there were any oddball axles on other Yams using the same wheel castings in XS forums.

[TriNortchopz]

a bit of what-fits-what for Yamaha here:

Chopper Building...

Fits 'n Bits; Yamaha...
'To the point' advice on what fits what, parts interchangeability and simple solutions to common problems...
This forum applies to XS 650 Yamahas.

http://www.choppersaustralia.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=26&sid=f180dae4d2081ef84595e8d530cc004f

[ExplodingCoffinEmporium]

All XS650’s from 1974 up used the same axle sizes front and rear, that being said you can plug and play any XS wheel sets from 74 and up with no bullshit. Brake systems may need to be sorted due to drum/disc changes but the XS mags/spokes from 74’ up are all interchangeable. You’d likely easily find someone who will swap you a set of XS mags for your spoked wheels as spokes tend to be more desirable, if not XS mags are cheap and plentiful. Spokes always look nice though, my oldest build that still hangs around

[farmall]

^Nice one! Properly proportioned and well thought out.

[TriNortchopz]

some good info here on the differences for rear brake plates and related parts for the XS650;

650 Rear Drum Brake Plates

"Over the past few years, I've acquired several of these from different years and after examining them, noticed quite a few differences. Most are minor or cosmetic, but some are major. It's pretty common knowledge that the brake shoes are the same for all years and that any plate will swap into any wheel, but that's about the extent of the published data. I'm going to "fill in the blanks", so to speak. If someone acquires a separate brake plate without a wheel, this should help them I.D. it, and if it's missing some parts, you'll know which ones can be used.

So, I'll start with a picture history of the plates, mainly showing the fronts and the cosmetic changes that occurred. The first version was used from '70-'73. It is the most "plain jane" of the lot, with no added extras for checking brake shoe wear. It is the only plate that has it's full part number cast into it ....."

https://www.xs650.com/threads/650-rear-drum-brake-plates.51046/

Axle diameter size list
"Sorted by rear and front then size. Just find yours and you can see what else shares the same size for a swapping donor."

https://www.dotheton.com/index.php?threads/axle-diameter-size-list.20952/