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Build Thread...Special to Cafe Bike
- Thread starter MaxPete
- Start date
Might look pretty cool with BRG spokes?? Just sayin.
I'll get there guys - just have a bit of life to deal with first.
P
PS - anybody need a slightly grotty, but entirely serviceable set of 16" Special II spokes, nipples and the applicable 16" rim? I am confident that everything would shine-up just fine and all of the spokes are straight, pretty smooth and the nipple threads are all good to go.
For the cheapskates in the crowd, I can also provide an inner tube (holds air just fine) and a couple of appropriately sized rim tapes. The tire is also available but it is OLD and not worth shipping IMO (the same could likely be said for the tube).
NOTE: this is the 16" dia. 48-spoke rim and spokes so you would need one of those fancy "zillion spoke" hubs that came on the Special II model. A conventional 36 spoke hub from a Standard model will NOT work with any of these parts.
Lakeview gets first dibs, but after that - free to a good home for just the ride. BTW - I can ship within CONUS via USPS pretty easily because I live on the border with y'all.
P
PS - anybody need a slightly grotty, but entirely serviceable set of 16" Special II spokes, nipples and the applicable 16" rim? I am confident that everything would shine-up just fine and all of the spokes are straight, pretty smooth and the nipple threads are all good to go.
For the cheapskates in the crowd, I can also provide an inner tube (holds air just fine) and a couple of appropriately sized rim tapes. The tire is also available but it is OLD and not worth shipping IMO (the same could likely be said for the tube).
NOTE: this is the 16" dia. 48-spoke rim and spokes so you would need one of those fancy "zillion spoke" hubs that came on the Special II model. A conventional 36 spoke hub from a Standard model will NOT work with any of these parts.
Lakeview gets first dibs, but after that - free to a good home for just the ride. BTW - I can ship within CONUS via USPS pretty easily because I live on the border with y'all.
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For the record, the 48 spoke rear wheel is Heritage Special (1982-1983), not Special II.
Ahhh - perhaps it was called the Special II up here in the True North Strong and Free....
Bloody marketing people....
Ahhh - perhaps it was called the Special II up here in the True North Strong and Free....
Bloody marketing people....
Hi Pete,
don't forget the possible actions of the bike's dreaded POs and that XS650 parts swap like LEGO, eh?
My understanding is that most Canadian market XS650 Specials came with artillery wheels.
Howdy All!
As a result of my Special-to-Café project on which I am converting from a 16” rear wheel to an 18”, I have a complete 16” rear wheel assembly - MINUS - the 48 spoke drum brake hub.
For that reason, I am happy to put on-offer, FREE TO A GOOD HOME FOR THE PRICE OF THE RIDE:
These parts will NOT work with an XS650 Standard 36 spoke hub;
The rim has some rust on the inside but I’d say that the outside would shine up nicely. It has no major dents and was nice and round when the wheel was disassembled using a power crew gun and the correct JIS bit.
The spokes are all OK - not shiny but not rusty - as are all of the nipples.
The rim tapes are serviceable and the tube holds air.
The tire has lots of tread left - BUT - it is old (don’t know the date) so I doubt it Is worth shipping.
Let me know if you want any of this within a week or two - free to a good home for the cost of the shipping.
I am in Canada but I can ship it within the US via USPS since I live on the border.
I must reiterate - you would need the 48 spoke XS650 rear drum brake hub for a Special II / Heritage Special to use any of these parts.
Pete
As a result of my Special-to-Café project on which I am converting from a 16” rear wheel to an 18”, I have a complete 16” rear wheel assembly - MINUS - the 48 spoke drum brake hub.
For that reason, I am happy to put on-offer, FREE TO A GOOD HOME FOR THE PRICE OF THE RIDE:
- ONE - 16” dia. - 48 spoke chromed steel XS650 Special II / Heritage Special rear rim;
- ONE - complete set of 48 spokes and nipples for the rim;
- TWO - rim tapes;
- ONE - old, but reasonably decent tire and tube to fit same.
These parts will NOT work with an XS650 Standard 36 spoke hub;
The rim has some rust on the inside but I’d say that the outside would shine up nicely. It has no major dents and was nice and round when the wheel was disassembled using a power crew gun and the correct JIS bit.
The spokes are all OK - not shiny but not rusty - as are all of the nipples.
The rim tapes are serviceable and the tube holds air.
The tire has lots of tread left - BUT - it is old (don’t know the date) so I doubt it Is worth shipping.
Let me know if you want any of this within a week or two - free to a good home for the cost of the shipping.
I am in Canada but I can ship it within the US via USPS since I live on the border.
I must reiterate - you would need the 48 spoke XS650 rear drum brake hub for a Special II / Heritage Special to use any of these parts.
Pete
NAME REVEAL
Okey dokey, I've been thinking about this for a while and in the best tradition of reality TV and 20-something parents of newborns, I have chosen a name for my cafe bike which I will now reveal.
Let's see now, her origins are a little mysterious...she's got a bigger than stock fuel tank from an XS750 (so she's a little bigger up top than usual)...and she's got really snazzy legs (errr...I mean mega-spoke wheels)....
Her name will be...
DEMI
Okey dokey, I've been thinking about this for a while and in the best tradition of reality TV and 20-something parents of newborns, I have chosen a name for my cafe bike which I will now reveal.
Let's see now, her origins are a little mysterious...she's got a bigger than stock fuel tank from an XS750 (so she's a little bigger up top than usual)...and she's got really snazzy legs (errr...I mean mega-spoke wheels)....
Her name will be...
DEMI
Ah Demi! Good name...although is that the best picture you could find?? 
I guess your build will be a bit "stripped" then?
...maybe running her in the "naked class"? 
...Sorry, Pete. I always wind up being the guy who says the "You didn't just say that!"...
(also kind of a "Captain Obvious" type...)
...Sorry, Pete. I always wind up being the guy who says the "You didn't just say that!"...
(also kind of a "Captain Obvious" type...)
Hi Pete,
I've had a shitload of bikes over the years and just called 'em "The BSA" (or whatever marque they happened to be) when they ran nice
and "Whydon't youstartyouclinkerbuiltbeveledgedcatercorneredblackenamelledpileofjunk?" when they didn't.
Except for my 1934 KTS Velocette (KTS for KammTouristSport had a 19" front wheel. KSS KammSuperSport had 21" front wheel)
Called that bike Katie. It neither knew nor cared.
I've had a shitload of bikes over the years and just called 'em "The BSA" (or whatever marque they happened to be) when they ran nice
and "Whydon't youstartyouclinkerbuiltbeveledgedcatercorneredblackenamelledpileofjunk?" when they didn't.
Except for my 1934 KTS Velocette (KTS for KammTouristSport had a 19" front wheel. KSS KammSuperSport had 21" front wheel)
Called that bike Katie. It neither knew nor cared.
Ahhh Fred - always an ever-flowing fountain of happy thoughts.
I don’t name them for them, I name them for me. I spend a lot of time with my bikes and they come to mean a lot to me. As some will know, I am an engineer and we operate on fact, not emotion, but I must admit that the bikes bring out a side of me that is different and I do enjoy the personal connection they engender.
Anyhow....
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Hi Pete,
a bike is just a thing. People are important, things, not so much.
But some things are more important than others:-
Back in the 1950s an apprentice group rebuilt a Bristol Bulldog fighter to flying condition.
Test Pilot walked away after crashing the thing when showing off at an airshow.
Had he written off a new Bristol Britannia the boys would have said:-
"No problem mate, we'll build you another one"
But walking away after wrecking the world's only airworthy Bulldog?
The boys turned their backs and spat on his shadow as he passed.
Only 2 bikes I thought of naming were XS's, more named after active weather.
"Stormy" was rough and loud. "Windy" was just quiet stock 77..
I'm liking Petes name DEMI so much that I really want to name my rowdy Special II Cafe ... "Doomy" now.
"Stormy" was rough and loud. "Windy" was just quiet stock 77..
I'm liking Petes name DEMI so much that I really want to name my rowdy Special II Cafe ... "Doomy" now.
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Could gloomy be far behind?Only 2 bikes I thought of naming were XS's, more named after active weather.
"Stormy" was rough and loud. "Windy" was just quiet stock 77..
I'm liking Petes name DEMI so much that I really want to name my rowdy Special II Cafe ... "Doomy" now.
I uh, you may have noticed, name a fair number of bikes and cars too. But not all of them, sometimes it takes a while to develop that relationship. Big projects speed up naming, it helps keep them separate in my mind, not always so easy. I haven't done a hard count but there's been 12-15 1979 XS650's.
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