Ballards XR600

[Sorelegs11]

I hve found an XR600 for sale at reasonable (I think ) price and it is fitted with a ballards big fin head.
Were these heads just fitted with the larger fins or was there something else that made them special?

[The Wombat]

Whats a good price these days

[Sorelegs11]

Good question Wombat, under 1500 but he is still not quite sure

Has anyone tried them on the dirt track?

[The Wombat]

yep that sounds good, people rave about them not sure why apparently gr8 power strong motor.

[Slakewell]

The fins on the 600 were more gimmick than need. Firko's mate used to weld them on for Ballard.
They dont do much except look cool.

[Lozza]

The fins on the 600 were more gimmick than need. Firko's mate used to weld them on for Ballard.
They dont do much except look cool.

The engine would over heat in a desert race if those fins were not in place. That was the main reason for the fins.

[LWC82PE]

The Ballards fin mod was a copy of the HRC heads. They just made it available to the public. One of the old Ballards catalogues i have shows the HRC big fin head parts diagram. Most guys that ran the XR600's in sidecars had the big fin heads plus oil an cooler.

[Bikeaholic]

It was eventually proved that fitting an oil cooler as per the XR400 was much more efficient in keeping the temperature lower.

[The Wombat]

so after all that did ya buy it??

[Nathan S]

The fins were an option by themselves, but were 'essential' on 630 kits, and generally recommended for most of the other mods of the day.

I wouldn't bet money on it, but there's a better than even chance that there's some other tinkering inside that motor.

[crossedup2]

I had a standard xr600 and still have an Ballards Xr630.
The heads on the Ballards bike was some cleaning up of the intake around the divider before the valves. Yes, the big fin does help the cooling but like all agree, it would be only a small amount. Oil coolers and 500k oil changes make them live longer. The filter in the bottom of frame oil tank needs to be checked regularly. Oil starvation caused by this filter is teminal.
The 630 had the option of the forged piston which rattles and knocked until it got hot, something it didn't  do a lot unless pushed in the bush.
The suspension is the biggest improvement.
I've  had mine for 20yrs. Every time I think of selling it I  go for ride on it and quickly move that idea on.
Hope  you bought it. I'm after a another drum brake rear one (1988 to 1990) for VMXing.
Peter Barber

[80-85 husky]

ol mate Stanley has the last of the drum brakes, stock, been a farm bike all its life, seen only basic maintenance but on a bit of track around jamo in vic, I had to punish the crap out of the 300 kato just to keep him in sight!!

was shaking my head at this when I noticed he had a flat rear tyre!!!

[John Smith]

They were a beast , i had an XR600, bored to 654 big fin head, flat slide carby, oversize headers, supertrapp exhaust, Cr500 USD front end..blah blah blah, and ran on avgas. Used to eat husky 610s back in the day ! Bitch to start though.

[Butcher]

XR600 was a trailbike, it had to be modified to compete with racebikes. Having said that, modifying them was easily and readily available. I dont ever remember them winning many dirttrack tittles, but geez they were heapsa fun to ride.....

[John Smith]

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