How to Convert a Yamaha 650cc to 701cc
This thread is aimed to answer questions for individuals with an existing 650 motor that want to drop in a 701. I had groupK ported 650 with a protect pipe, dual 38’s, head producing 190psi, lightened flywheel and an MSD enhancer that ran well up top but did not have that low end snap compared to even a stock 701. Here are some considerations to look into when swaping your motor to a 701.
Cases
All 650 (6M6), early 701 (61X) and newer 701’s (62T) have the same bottom half of the case and utilize the same bed plates for mounting to the hull. The difference in cases lies with the top half of the case and reed design.
The 650 (6M6) cases work well in on a stock motor but they are often the bottleneck on power. Generally speaking a motor is a air pump, so the more air you can feed into the motor the more power you can potentially produce. The 6M6 cases will work for a 701 conversion if you clearance the top case to accept a larger cylinder. If you have power in mind this is not a desirable option b/c you will produce less power than a stock 701 due to the smaller intake track and corresponding reed cage.
The early 701 (61X) looks allot like the 6M6 cases but don’t be fooled. If you get a 61x motor expect to be purchasing a intake manifold and reed cages along with the cases. Although they are similar in appearance the 61X reed cages are slightly larger in order to supply the larger cylinders. Although this set up works quite well and will produce more power than the 6M6, limitations will soon be apparent if you begin modify the motor for more power. The same bottleneck that plagued the 6M6 will arise b/c the change in design was not great enough to over come the inherent problem of reed size. Likewise there are not as many aftermarket options for reeds, reed petals and carburetion systems so that may be a limiting factor to consider when building a 61X motor.
Yamaha finally addressed the inherent design problem with the 6M6 and 61X’s by making the 62T cases. The reason for the change was to allow the cases to accommodate the larger reed valve which was the whole point for the 61X changes as well. This is the most desirable set of cases for this reason. Not only do they perform better in stock form, but the aftermarket has many parts to optimize air flow such as reed stuffers, reed spacers, higher flowing intake manifolds, reed cages, different tension reed petals and complete carburetion systems.
** See pic below for a comparison between the 6M6, 61X and 62t reed cages
Pic #1: 6m6 bottom, 61x middle, 62t top
Pic #2: 61x bottom, 62t top
Pic #3: 61x bottom, 6m6 top